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O J A I M AG A Z I N E | WINTER 2025
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osh Arredondo, student and outreach director at Redemption Church in Meiners Oaks, has led mission trips to Pereira, Colombia, the past three summers.
In the remote mountain city of half a million people is an orphanage called The Foundation, started by Rubiela, a former communist guerrilla leader who had taken part in the killing of villagers. About 30 years ago, she heard a message of hope from evangelist Ramon Babilonia, former pastor for the Spanish congregation at Redemption, and decided to turn her life around. “She looked back and saw all these orphans that she essentially created,” says Arredondo. Rescuing orphans from off the streets, The Foundation provides a safe home and education for approximately 40 children, average age 7 to 10. Once a year, after school lets out for the summer, Redemption parishioners make the 3,400-mile journey to Pereira to “encourage and give the orphanage staff a break and provide the orphans with the best week of their lives,” Arredondo says.
Pastor David Johnson from Live Oak Christian Fellowship at A Place for the Children Orphanage in September 2025.
Some members of the congregation have made the trip each of the past three years. “They see the value in it, and they’ve built these relationships with these kids who are used to being abandoned,” Arredondo says. One parishioner decided to stay a full year. In June 2025, a group of 19 Redemption parishioners (six were high school students) spent 10 days at the orphanage,
bringing games, crafts, and activities for the kids. They taught songs and Bible lessons and simply spent time with the orphans. “One of the more impactful things is just the ministry of presence,” Arredondo says. The children look forward to the visit all year long, and the experience is transformative for orphans and parishioners alike, according to Arredondo. “The change is palpable,” he says. “The kids are acting different, they’re treating each other kinder, all these different things you hope for.” Many years ago, parishioners from Redemption built dorms, bunkhouses, and facilities for the orphans. The church
financially supports the orphanage, which operates independently of the Colombian government. The mission trips to Pereira often take parishioners out of their “comfort zone” a little bit. “It’s not a vacation,” Arredondo says, and there’s something to do for everyone, whether it’s teaching the orphans or swinging a hammer for some carpentry work. “There’s so much great need in the entire world and we all have a certain part to play, and it’s not up to any of us to do every single thing. Your whole outlook toward life changes when you realize what you can do to impact another person. We need to be looking outward at who we can bless and
Locals transform lives in Latin America