Medellin was love at first sight for me. It’s a city of 3 million people sprawled across a valley formed by three mountain ranges. Every time I look out the window in our room, my heart swells with gratitude that God brought me here. The city, the ministry, the people…it will be so hard to leave this place.
We are partnering with Ciudad de Refugio (City of Refuge) in Medellin, Colombia, for the month of January. The whole squad is together this month: 39 World Racers, four alumni squad leaders, and one mentor. Ciudad de Refugio is housed in a 5-story building. The bottom level has a bakery as well as an open area where they have church services. The second level houses men who are in a drug recovery program. There is a similar program for women, but they don’t stay overnight. The third level is where all the women on my squad are staying. Space is limited, so we are learning a lot about living in grace. The fourth level has a room for the guys on our squad, as well as the kitchen and a meeting room. The fifth level has a terrace and apartments for missionaries living at the foundation. The terrace and bakery were sweet surprises; they are fun places to hang out, and they make Medellin feel a little bit like home. The neighborhood is not especially safe, so the building is locked from the outside and the inside.
We have been doing many different types of ministry. One of my favorites is street ministry. We go out at night to areas of the city known for drug and alcohol abuse, homelessness, prostitution, and witchcraft. We bring bread and drinks to pass out. Sometimes we bring instruments and play worship music. I’ve talked to men who were stumbling drunk, shooting up on a park bench, and even had several “power encounters,” which were described to me by our ministry coordinator as a meeting of the Holy Spirit and a demon. There have also been times when men were inappropriate, but they only fueled my passion for this ministry and their need for salvation. Members of my squad have witnessed healings and lives turned over to Christ. Sometimes we have translators with us, sometimes Colombian Christians who don’t speak English, and sometimes it’s just us. The Holy Spirit has a way of breaking through language barriers.
My knowledge of Spanish, though limited, has been invaluable. I’m able to communicate with the locals fairly well and can always ask for whatever we need. Most Colombians don’t speak English. I’ve been told that they don’t like to speak English imperfectly, so they never have a chance to practice. Although I don’t comprehend enough yet to have meaningful spiritual conversations, I’m learning quickly. I find myself thinking and dreaming in Spanish.
There are church services at the foundation on Wednesdays and Sundays. Members of my squad have shared teachings and testimonies during those. We hosted a worship session in the bakery on Friday night and also put on a VBS program during the week. I helped teach English during the foundation’s weekly class on Saturday. Half of our squad went to a displacement camp in the mountains over the weekend and did house visits in rural areas. The rest of us will get to do that this weekend. There is a group of us that is working at a private Christian school one day a week. I’m excited about that too. It’s in a neighborhood known for drug wars, so we won’t be able to take any pictures or bring valuables. We also go on frequent prayer walks in the neighborhood, working on bringing light to dark areas. Many good things have come from this ministry; just the other day several of us were able to pray with a Colombian police officer.
That summarizes my first week on the World Race. If this is just a taste of the life-changing growth that’s to come in the next 10 ¾ months, I am ready to embrace it with open arms. God is good.
Recklessly love and be loved,
Em
P.S. Got to paraglide in Colombia! What even is my life?
