As I sit here on the rooftop terrace of the ministry I am at in Columbia, all I can see is God! In the abundance of houses stretching as far as the eye can see, the tall mountains covered in more houses and greenery, the streets filled with people coming and going, the skyscrapers, and the many tall apartment buildings. Medellin has a population of about 2.6 million people and is sitting in a valley. This city is so big and so full of astonishing character. God is everywhere here in Medellin, and we are here to work alongside him. To reach people. To bring love. To pray for healing. To help break chains. To bring hope. To be a light.
The ministry here in Medellin, Columbia is called Ciudad de Refugio (City of Refuge). This ministry site houses several ministries. At first they opened up as a place for drug addicts to come to get off the streets and to basically go through a program to break their addiction. Now Ciudad de Refugio has grown into a place for both men and women to find a new way of life. On the first floor of this building is a bakery and a homeless shelter which also is transformed into a church 3 times a week. The staff of this bakery are the people who are going through the program. On the second floor is the men’s program. On the third floor is the women’s program and the sleeping quarters for the missionaries. The fourth floor houses the kitchen, which is ran by the women in the program and the children’s program. The fifth floor houses the staff and the rooftop terrace. And the sixth floor is for staff as well.
I don’t know what I was expecting coming into this first month but my mind is blown away by the people here and their hearts for the Lord. Even with a language barrier, Christ is being glorified through worship, preaching, testimonies, and just through a smile.
Month 1 on the World Race has been crazy good. We arrived in Medellin on Tuesday (1/8/19) and have been running since then. This month has been an all squad month. Which means that all 39 of my squamates are here with me. Including the 4 squad leaders and my squad mentor. With this ministry site comes a tremendous amount of ministry opportunities. Such as helping with the men and women’s programs, VBS, leading worship, teaching, preaching, evangelism and so on. This explains why we have been so busy and only have one to two days to get free time and wifi.
I have experienced so much and am still processing through so much.
Continue to pray for my squad as we minister to the different communities, listen to the Lord for direction, seek the Lord daily, and as we process everything that God is doing in and through us.
With love,
Aleesa
