Monica Díaz Botero - Cali, Colombia

Summer is on its way which means, if you were living in Cali, Colombia, it would be time to have a refreshing icy beverage called a “Cholado.” It is made with crushed ice, a mixture of chopped fruit (banana, apple, kiwi, papaya, pineapple, or mango), sweetened condensed milk, and fruit syrup. People say it is “fruit salad meets slurpee.” You’re supposed to eat the fruit with a spoon, and by the time you’re done, the ice will have melted and blended with the syrup and milk creating a tasty, lip smacking, ice cold drink.

Not far from where this refreshing drink was invented, a young lady named Monica Diaz Botero, was suffering from an unimaginable loss. “My five-year-old daughter was taken from me,” she says, choosing not to go into details, “and I fell into a terrible depression. It was a terrible time for me,” she continues. “I didn’t know what to do, how to get out of it, or how I would survive the pain.” She pauses for a moment to gather herself and then says, “Then a stranger took me to church.”

What a beautiful sentence. All the stranger did was invite her to church and let God do the rest. Monica continues, “When I heard the praise, I immediately felt God’s presence. My depression was lifted. From that day I have been passionate for Christ.” What a powerful reminder of how simple yet important are our acts of service to our Lord.

Monica lives in Cali, Colombia, a beautiful and vibrant city nestled between the Western and Central Andean mountain ranges. It is Colombia’s third-largest city and is often called the “Capital of Salsa.” In this vibrant and sometimes violent city with drug lords and gangs, Monica has started a ministry to women who are victims of abuse. “My primary goal is to help these women return to God’s original and perfect design,” Monica explains. “Like me, my problems were so overwhelming that only God in his grace and mercy could heal me. That is what I want for these women.” To that end, she also expresses how LOGOI’s Bible courses on counseling have been such a help and blessing to her and her ministry.”

She can’t help but continue, “I am a passionate woman for Jesus. I love my Heavenly Father. I have experienced the power of God’s hand in my life. He healed me from great depression. He has healed me from terminal cancer. I am a witness to miracles of all kinds in my life, including my two children, Isabella and Matias, both miracles. But above all, I have seen how the Lord touches lives and gives comfort to the sick even when they are going into His presence knowing they are going to be with Him.”

We can’t think of a church that wouldn’t want someone like Monica in its congregation. She even wrote a book titled “Waiting for a Miracle,” which she explains has brought hope and healing in many places in Latin America and Europe. Would you take a moment right now and pray for Monica? Pray that her enthusiasm and love for the Lord will never waver and that many women who have suffered terribly from abuse will find God’s grace, mercy, and peace. Amen!

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