Evangelism in Colombia: CITA’s First Trip

Colombia, located near the equator in South America, is often called the land of eternal summer. The tropical sun shines here almost all 365 days of the year.

The entire western part of Colombia is covered by the Andes Mountains, reaching heights of 16,000 feet, while the eastern region is crisscrossed by tributaries of the Amazon River.

The country borders the Atlantic Ocean and, through the Caribbean Sea, has access to the Pacific Ocean.

Colombia is also famous for its coffee—exporting around 12 million 60-kg bags annually. It ranks second in global coffee production, just behind Brazil.

On top of that, the country has 15 active volcanoes that enrich the soil where coffee trees grow, giving the drink its signature sweet flavor.

A rainbow-colored river, over 3,500 varieties of orchids, and emeralds hidden underground—Colombia holds about 90% of the world’s emerald reserves. And that’s just scratching the surface of what makes this country unique.

But despite its natural beauty, Colombia is also known for drug cartels, being the world’s top exporter of narcotics, a high crime rate, a deep divide between the rich and poor, and internal conflicts tied to its 115 indigenous groups who speak around 70 different languages.

In the fall of 2024, Ukrainian missionary and director of the international CITA Ministry, Taras Sen, visited Colombia for the first time to meet with local ministers and introduce evangelism tools from CITA.

While Colombia is more often associated with drug trafficking, Taras Sen shared that as he spoke with people, he was struck by their openness to the Gospel and their passion for sharing it.

“To me, Colombia is the heart of South America. Having the opportunity to influence this country and support local ministers—that’s a miracle from God,” said the CITA Ministry director, recalling the story of spiritual revival in Cali, a city once labeled the drug capital of the world.

The Ukrainian missionary visited Cartagena, a city in northern Colombia.

He trained ministers on how to conduct vision clinics—an effective and accessible way to share the Gospel.

He also helped organize a pilot clinic and donated equipment to a local church for future outreach efforts, covering the cost of glasses for three to four upcoming clinics.

During a pastors’ gathering, which brought together around 60 ministers, there was a noticeable sense of unity and spiritual encouragement.

Some attendees testified that they were healed during the service, strengthening their faith and increasing their desire to share the Gospel even more actively.

The pastors left inspired to evangelize within their communities and expressed enthusiasm about using the evangelism tools provided by CITA. This opens the door to new partnerships and the spread of God’s Word to even more people. The ministry’s two key focuses are spreading the Gospel and planting churches in various countries around the world.

Taras Sen also introduced the Spanish-language evangelistic newspapers and calendars as tools for reaching people with the message of Christ.

One of the most memorable parts of the trip was an outreach event held in a dangerous neighborhood of Cartagena.

Together with local ministers, the Ukrainian missionary also visited a local prison. He spoke with dozens of inmates, sharing his testimony about being held captive by separatists in Ukraine. He handed out CITA newspapers and reminded the men that God has a plan for their lives:

“You may see yourselves as criminals. But God—yes, He sees who you are now—but He also sees a future pastor, a missionary, a loving father. If you draw near to God, He will bring out what He sees in you.”

To help strengthen the Church, the missionary also introduced the idea of hosting family conferences. These events focus on the importance of spending time together, offer guidance on building strong marriages, and provide an opportunity to reevaluate family relationships. They are also meant to equip communities to organize similar conferences on their own in the future.

“Jesus told us to go and make disciples of all nations. That’s the mission of the Church. The Lord wants us to go, preach the Gospel, and save souls. He loves every nation, every person, every people group. Thank you to everyone who supports the work of the Ministry,” Taras Sen shared.

CITA Ministry began its work in Central and South America in the summer of 2022, starting with a trip to Mexico.