My favorite experiences at Cuidad de Refugio have taken place during street ministry. The agua panela outreach was the first ministry that Pastor Douglas started when he came to Colombia in 1994. It is still a vital program at the foundation today, 25 years later. Volunteers, both Colombian and international, gather at the foundation on Wednesday and Thursday nights and prepare to serve people living in difficult circumstances. After praying, the volunteers head out to two areas of the city known for homelessness, drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution, and witchcraft. There, hundreds of people line up to receive a warm drink and bread roll. Sometimes the volunteers bring instruments and lead a worship session. They also pass out flyers with information about the foundation, which explain the programs offered, including a homeless shelter, drug and alcohol recovery programs, church services, and more. Perhaps the most important role that the volunteers have is to simply listen to people’s stories and pray with them.
Serving in this ministry was a culture shock to me at first; I had never seen anything like it. All around me, people were selling and doing drugs. Many were begging for money or asking for my jacket, watch, or anything else they could sell. Stumbling drunks approached me, making suggestive comments and asking for a kiss. Several people appeared to need medical attention, including one man who had been stabbed in the face. The poverty was obvious as people walked around without shoes or carried all their earthly belongings in a garbage bag. The spiritual darkness can be felt as a physical weight, and it’s not uncommon for power encounters to occur; I was singled out on several occasions by men whom I believe, by their speech and actions, were possessed by demons.
During our time in Medellin, my squad has had incredible Kingdom-building experiences through the agua panela outreach. There have been miraculous healings, people have accepted God’s gift of salvation, others have entered the addiction program at the foundation, and many people who are homeless have come to the foundation for shelter. On the other hand, some men and women we speak to say that they have been told about the freedom Jesus offers many times. They acknowledge that their actions have robbed them of relationships, careers, and more, but they aren’t willing to give up their lifestyle of brokenness and addiction. At the end of each night, the volunteers gather as a team and pray for people we met by name.
Even when the results aren’t obvious, we know that this ministry is bringing light to dark areas. It’s been said that on average a person needs to hear the gospel seven times before choosing to accept it. So after a night of agua panela ministry, when our team feels discouraged by the darkness we’ve encountered, we ask each other if we are willing to be the first, second, or even sixth time that someone hears the good news. Will we continue to labor and sow seeds even if we don’t get to be the one that harvests them? That is the nature of short-term mission trips. Sometimes you harvest, and sometimes you sow. And whatever job you have, you give God thanks for trusting you with it. World Race S Squad is so grateful for our time partnering with Cuidad de Refugio. Our lives are forever changed as a result of seeing the work God is doing through the local church in Colombia.
John 4:35b-38 ESV “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
Another ministry highlight from this week was visiting a public school. Our squad prepared lessons about the words, identity, purpose, sex and substance abuse prevention, and setting goals to achieve your dreams. Many of my squadmates included vulnerable personal testimonies in their lessons, which were delivered with the help of translators to over 320 students ages 10-16. Although we didn’t exactly preach, we didn’t shy away from incorporating faith into the lessons either. In fact, many of the teachers encouraged us to share the Gospel and pray over the students! Several teenagers accepted salvation that day, and some showed up to the ministry’s youth service. My role in all this was intercessory prayer. It was so encouraging to hear all the amazing stories of how God worked through this experience. Please be praying for similar opportunities in the future.
