Over 18 years ago, Martha Ardila received a phone call from a friend in Ecuador. It was the kind of phone call you do not forget. “He called me to say that while he was praying for me, the Lord gave him Isaiah chapter 49.” It is a chapter about the Lord’s restoration. For Martha, these words sustained, encouraged and strengthened her throughout her 18 years in ministry with OM Ships.

Martha first learned about Christian ships in general at a YWAM School in Bogota, Colombia. She prayed seriously about future mission work with a ship ministry. To her surprise, OM’s Logos II came to her city later that same year. She worked as a volunteer while the ship was in port and then joined OM the next year.

Last year she finished her last assignment with the ships, coordinating the visit of Logos Hope to London. While there, she experienced another life changing encounter. She met OM founder George Verwer, who asked if there was an OM team in Colombia.

That simple question triggered a course of events that brought her back to her home country. Martha now returns to represent OM in Colombia and minister to her neighbors. She is a dynamic person with a specific vision. “I want to raise awareness of HIV-AIDS and pro-life ministries in schools and foundations. I have met with Christian leaders in Cartagena who have shown interest in AIDSLink,” a partner ministry to OM addressing AIDS. She also wants to help low-income children with proceeds from her own special projects, including several children’s books in the process of being published.

Martha looks forward to seeing more Colombians serve the Lord on the mission field. It has been 18 years since Martha received that phone call from Ecuador. She recently went to Ecuador for the first time, to be commissioned and return home to her native Columbia. Martha has come full circle and is grateful to be able to serve her own people and encourage them into global ministry.