LIFE STORY/AS TOLD BY ERKKI MAKELA

 My Weaknesses Have Magnified God's Strength

WHEN my wife and I arrived in Colombia in 1985, the country was facing unprecedented violence. The governments were fighting powerful drug cartels in the cities and guerrill soldiers in the mountains. In the area of Medellin, where we later served, young armed gangsters patrolled the streets. They sold drugs, ran protection rackets, and served as hitmen for public hire. None of them lived very long. We felt as if we were in a different world. 

How did two average people from Finland, one of the nethermost countries on the globe, end up in South America? And what lessons have I learned over the years? 

Next time: LIFE STORY/AS TOLD BY ERIKKA MAKEELA

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