One of my favorite ministries here at Ciudad Refugio is the recovery program for men and women. In these three weeks, I have had the privilege to get to know the beautiful women that make up this unique family. They are not all working to fight addictions, as the term recovery seems to indicate, but rather, they all possess distinctive stories and have come to this refuge for varying reasons. For example, one elderly woman is a widow and lives here because her son is in the men’s recovery program and she has nothing to her name and nowhere else to go. There is another woman who is a young mom fleeing Venezuela looking for anywhere safe to raise her child.
While the program is amazing and life-giving for the women, it is also fairly strict and full of hard work. Their days consist of spending hours in the kitchen, participating in Bible studies, napping, and going outside only once a week. This is why it was so special when we had the opportunity to host a “Beauty for Ashes” event for the women. Beauty for Ashes is a ministry of Adventures in Missions involved in bringing inner healing to women all around the world, and Riley organized an event here at Ciudad Refugio. The women were so excited to walk in and see sparkly golden decorations and treats from the bakery. Elisabeth, Astrid, Nora, Viviana, Sara, and Gabriela were celebrated and told of their worth as daughters of the King. We were able to encourage them that, despite their pasts, they are worthy of love and seen as priceless. Nora, the sweet elderly lady in the program, does not know how to write, but she colored a precious picture in her new journal of creation, something she believes that God made so beautiful. We were able to share with her the fact that God created us too and sees even more beauty in us. When they left, they were ecstatic that they were able to keep something as simple as plastic plates and balloons.
It is moments like these that remind me that I am exactly where God has placed me, and that I have a divine purpose in being here. I’m hoping to be able to continue my role in spreading the Kingdom. I am so grateful for the support I have already received and only need about $1,000 more. God is so good to have allowed me to get this far with reaching my goal, and I know he will provide. If you feel led to donate to help me become fully funded in this mission, your donation would be greatly appreciated! I’m so excited to experience more moments like these and cannot wait to see what God has in store in the coming eight months.
