What do you think of when someone mentions the country of Colombia?

I would have to say that most people don't have a very positive view of Colombia. This was very evident to me whenever I would share about my trip to Colombia. A lot of people were very concerned that I was traveling to Colombia, and that I was traveling without any other family members.

But I have to tell you, I fell in love with the country and its people!

We learned quite a bit about Colombia and the work that is being done through the local churches in partnership with Compassion while we were there for our week. A lot of positives to contradict so much negative. Lots of smiling faces which show me that God is working and making a difference in the lives of so many children and their families.

Compassion has been working in Colombia since 1974 and is currently serving more than 62,200 children through 235 child development centers. (Source: Compassion Colombia Facts)

While we were in the country, we were given a pretty neat little pamphlet with some interesting facts that set Colombia apart from many other countries in the world! In fact, do you know that:

• Colombia has 733 species of amphibians which makes them #1 in the world
• The world's largest emerald mine is in Boyaca, Colombia
• Colombia has 1200 rivers and 1600 lakes
• Hakim valve, gas powered iron, pacemaker, and contact lenses for babies are a few of the inventions that have come from Colombia
• 1515 species of birds live in Colombia

Over the next few posts, I will be sharing more about our week in Colombia, visiting the local churches, and helping you see that God is working in these communities to help more people know about Him and the love He has for each one of them.