I have been in Medellin, Colombia for three weeks now and my time here is coming to an end. My squad and I are headed to Kigali, Rwanda this Thursday. Colombia has been a challenging month, with long days, cold showers and seeing the poorest of poor. Even though it has been challenging it has been extremely rewarding. I have met some of the most incredible people who dedicate their lives to serve others. Their selflessness is what keeps Fundacion Ciudad Refugio moving. Fundacion Ciudad Refugio is the organization that my squad and I have been staying and serving at over the last three weeks. It has many parts and programs from a rehabilitation program for men and women who are held captive by drugs and alcohol; to community outreach at Auguapenela or what some volunteers call Drops of Grace.
This past Wednesday night I got to experience Auguapenela for the first time. I really didn’t know what to expect other than what I had heard from people that had gone the previous weeks. After church a group of fifteen of us piled into a van and drove about twenty minutes away from the foundation. We had to remove all of our jewelry, wear closed toe shoes, and had to put on bright orange vests. Drugs are pretty prominent in my home town but I had never experienced something like this ever before. Within a block or two there were hundreds of people walking around who were clearly out of it and on drugs. One of my first thoughts was that it reminded me of a zombie movie with the way they were walking and acting.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified and completely overwhelmed. I was one of two people who stayed back and passed out bread and a hot drink to people. The rest of the group went out to talk to people and tell them about the foundation. The whole time I passed out drinks I tried to look at the person in front of me as much as possible. From their dirty hands, their faces, and their overall well being. Not one person looked or smelled like they had showered in weeks and maybe even months. The empathy I felt for these people was extremely overwhelming. The only thing you can do for these people is to be present in the moment and just pray for the rest.
An experience like this just opens your eyes to the ugly of the world. These people are stuck in this disease with no where to go and no one to turn to for help. The incredible volunteers from Fundacion Ciudad Refugio do this every single week. They’re the drops of grace that shine a light in such a dark place. I am so grateful I got to be apart of such an incredible organization and I recommend anyone wanting to volunteer in short term or long term missions to visit the foundation.
Thank you so much for reading and following along.
FUNDRAISING UPDATE: My next deadline is November 30th and I need your help to raise $5,479. Please consider donating and being apart of my race!
