From June 28th to July 1st in Chinauta, the CANA Experience took place for Colombian couples. This third edition brought together 17 couples, more than 30 children, and 21 volunteers. The couples came from Bogotá, Zipaquirá, Sincelejo, Cajicá, Chía, Santa Rosa, Sabaneta, and Medellín. Some families traveled up to 14 hours to reach Chinauta, where the Lord awaited them with open arms.
The Lord, in His infinite love, gathered 17 couples with hearts open to meet Him. Through the humility and fragility of each one, it allowed their relationship to be restored. This was reflected in faces that, at the end of the experience, radiated peace, the kind of peace that only the Lord can give when He calms the troubled waters of our lives.
Manuel and Pierina, new CANA servants, share their experience: “Living the CANA experience has been a great gift from God, in His infinite mercy, for us and our family, allowing us to know His Holy Spirit and recognize His work in our lives. It was also a path of salvation, which we walked alongside other families through the call to fraternities, and this is reaffirmed every day with the trust the Lord gives us through service, as we become His instruments to touch more families.”
Martha and Luis also served for the first time: “We witnessed joy and happiness through the work of the Holy Spirit, which, like a balm, flooded every corner of their lives, sending them back home with a deep desire to start afresh and walk together, facing difficulties with the confidence that Jesus always has NEW WINE for them.”
Andrés and Aleja, CANA leaders in Colombia, share their testimony with us: “For us, as the couple responsible for this gathering, it was a confirmation that this mission is truly a “work of God.” We saw that the CANA Experience carries the seal of the Holy Spirit. Every activity, every detail… The Lord used it to transform the hearts of couples, couples who understood and felt loved by God.”
God’s providence is capable of even working a miracle, as Father Dolindo Ruotolo said, and we witnessed this firsthand. Our good God allowed us to live the Gospel of the multiplication of loaves and fish, as He did with His disciples. This time, it was with money. We had no means to pay for the entire retreat house, but beyond all contradiction, He called us to trust in His Love. Then the miracle happened: He multiplied the money. We saw the fruits of a seed the Lord had planted… fraternity. The couples were very generous, some, like the widow, gave all they had.
We witnessed that prayer is our only weapon, and that prayer is God’s weakness, which granted us everything. Jesus was eager to fulfill our desires, and all of us as servants longed to fulfill His. A Word from the Lord received on March 10, 2024, for the team, John 15:16-17, said: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.”
The children at the CANA Experience also had their own itinerary. William and Andrea explain that they “experienced activities centered around Moses, prophet and servant of God, where they were able to draw closer to God’s love, recall happy moments in their lives, and experience forgiveness and tenderness while forming bonds of friendship. They also had moments of joy, family unity, and happiness seeing their parents grow in love.”
The CANA experience also includes different moments. Lady and Mauricio, a participating couple, share about one of them, a charismatic experience after hearing about the baptism in the Holy Spirit: “The most powerful moment we lived was when we were given a letter with a text and image, received during the prayer of a brother or sister for us. The CANA experience was the way the Lord confirmed our calling and His support in our ministry as a couple.”
“I received many important gifts during the time I shared with my family at CANA, but without a doubt, one of the most significant was this new awakening in the Holy Spirit,” shares Saray, one of the participants. “God knows what we are made of, He knows our needs, what we face. And just in those moments when our strength is exhausted, when our faith weakens, when we need to refocus on Him, when our compass is lost… He gives you the grace to receive Him in the Baptism of the Holy Spirit! The first thing I did was ask God to show me “what to expect in that moment” and His first act of love for me was to “prepare my heart for that moment.” It was very special to once again encounter the One who loved me first, to feel His living presence within me, despite my unworthiness, my poverty, my humanity. How beautiful to be reminded that He has always been there for me, and that the flame that animates my heart is maintained by Him. This experience allowed me to understand that, by His grace, we are conceived in love and not in sin, we are born from an act of love, we are called to love and be loved, and we die to know true Love: Our Lord. And in His infinite goodness, He gives us His Holy Spirit, not only to lead us to this encounter, but to accompany us on this journey.” In addition to Saray, 22 other participants asked for the baptism in the Holy Spirit and gave their lives to Jesus.
Another experience CANA offered the couples was the “Tent of Meeting”, a space much visited by couples and which bore many fruits. Set up in the style of Jesus’ time, with straw seating, rugs, candles… and most importantly, the presence of the Word, this space revealed and confirmed to all the couples who visited it the love God the Father has for us and that He always stays by our side. In this small and simple place, true conversions took place, as we heard during the feedback.
In conclusion, Pierina and Manuel wish to express their gratitude: “Thank you, God, for choosing us, for helping us care for our ministry of marriage through the brothers and sisters of CANA, for all the blessings received for our home and children, and for encouraging us to serve you every day with our hearts.”
This joy and gratitude have sparked great enthusiasm among the couples, who are already looking forward to the launch of the CANA Fraternities in Colombia.
The CANA Colombia Team
