Friends and Family I’m so sorry it’s taken so long to get something posted on here! I’m trying to do better! This is a recap of my first month on the Race in Medellin, Columbia.
Launch:
My parents and I headed to Atlanta on Oct 3rd. I could already tell on the way there I had packed more stuff than I really wanted to carry so I started going through it in the car. I dropped about 5lbs worth of stuff but knew I had to drop more at some point. Since I was turning 29 (for the 3rd time) the next day I wanted to do something fun plus have some family time. We went to the Atlanta Zoo which was cool (totally want to take the kids there). Then we went to a famous hole in the wall called R. Thomas Deluxe Grill. If you’re ever in Atlanta you have to go there! The guy that owns it collects parrots and he has them all around the outside of the restaurant like a mini petting zoo. When you go in, it kinda has a hippie vibe to it, very fun with good music. They have all kinds of organic dishes: tacos, sandwhiches, breakfast, pasta, you name it. They have various fresh squeezed juices as well, one of them is called “Liquid Gold”. It’s organic orange juice which probably doesn’t sound like a big deal but I’m telling you IT’S A BIG DEAL! It’s so good, just try it.
Anyway, after that we went to the hotel and got settled. For the next couple of days I was in training for women’s ministry and overall preparation for being on the mission field for a year. For the parents who were able to come, Adventures in Missions had a “Launch” specifically for parents as well. Parents of former Racers shared their hearts and experiences with them and answered any questions they had. They are connected to a parents only Facebook group so the can share their thoughts, feelings, concerns, prayer requests, etc. with each other. We had time for our families to meet and mingle and they got to meet our squad leaders, mentors, and coaches. I could tell my parents were even more at peace after this and am super appreciative of Adventures for taking care of our parents.
The Airport:
My name is Janie and I’m a total noob when it comes to airports. I don’t know all the rules or how to navigate through the place. I’ve only flown one other time in my life which was to Cuba on a medical mission trip. We had one bag with personal stuff and another bag full of medical supples wrapped in old clothes so that was nerve wracking. It’s amazing how much less stress you experience when you’re not smuggling drugs into another country lol. Back to the noob part, my laptop was taken at the airport….like I haven’t even left the country yet and I’m loosing stuff. Remember when I said I don’t know all the rules? So I was supposed to take ALL electronics out of my bag but forgot to do that because I was nervous and felt rushed. Security took my laptop out of my bag but didn’t tell me and I therefore didn’t know to wait for it to come through the conveyor belt. I realized this about 20 min before we had to board our flight. The airport was too big for me to get back to security, find it, and get back to our gate in time so I had to file a lost item report. PRAISE GOD they did find it and I was able to get it shipped home, just not shipped to me in Colombia. It was frustrating but also less weight to carry. On the last day we were in Colombia, I was able to find a bluetooth keyboard to hook up to my phone. This is partially why I’m just now writing a blog, that and I have poor time management skills…sorry kids lol.
Medellin, Colombia
We got to Colombia at 2-3 in the morning. As we were coming down the mountain into Medellin it was like nothing I’ve ever seen. The lights are beautiful! Check out my Facebook for pictures. We got to Ciudad de Rufugio (City of Refuge) around 4am and went straight to bed. We didn’t have to be anywhere until lunch the next day (thank God). Yeson (pronounced Jason), one of the volunteers there took us on a tour of the foundation. It’s actually a Teen Challenge if you’re familiar with John Wilkerson’s ministry in the U.S. Pastor Doug who founded Ciudad de Refugio actually went through the Teen Challenge program even though he’s never had a drug problem. He wanted to learn the ins and outs of the program and experience it himself so he could start a Teen Challenge in Colombia. It’s a drug rehab program for men and women with currently 20 something men living on one floor and 4 women on another. The men help around the foundation with maintenance, cleaning, odd jobs, etc. and take bible classes. The women work around the clock in the kitchen making meals for everyone that lives there including World Racers that come in regularly and they take bible classes in between. Some of the leaders, volunteer families, and interns also live at the foundation on the top floor.
Ministry days consisted of variety of things including visiting the nursing home, helping in the kitchen, putting on bible schools at 2 different locations, helping kids with homework and English, picking up food donations for the rehab program and Agua Panela.
Agua Panela (Sugarwater Bread) was by far the most intense ministry I’ve ever experienced. Wednsday nights after church we would go to a specific area of town where the homeless people stay. Some of us would hand out bread and sugar water while others would walk around ministering to people. It’s by far the filthiest environment I’ve ever seen. Imagine trash, dirt, and fecal matter everywhere and the people are covered in it. So many weren’t in their right mind because of drugs. They walked around like zombies. I don’t mean this description to sound insensitive but it really was awful. I know I’ve been sheltered from a lot of things but it was then I realized how naive I truly was. This was just one small part of the world but it’s much more common than what we realized. I know a little Spanish but not enough to hold a real conversation. I felt pretty helpless but one thing I knew I could do is smile at people. I know that sounds lame but these people are used to being left out, unwanted and ashamed of how they are living so if I could just look them in the eye and smile at them maybe they would feel like they actually matter you know?
I felt some homesickness but I was trying to be tough because it was my first month. I’m thinking, you’ve still got 10 months to go so if you feel homesick you’re just going to have to suck it up and deal with it because there’s no turning back now. Well, I lasted until the last ministry day we were there and I lost it. I was supposed to go help with children’s church after worship but I couldn’t stop crying. It’s like everything I bottled up the whole month just came out at one time. In addition to that, I had this overwhelming feeling of “I want my Daddy”. I missed my whole family but that day I just needed a Daddy hug. I was able to call him later that day which made me feel a lot better. I still don’t know what brought that on but things have gotten better and a little easier to deal with since then.
Overall I would say Medellin is a great place for World Racers to spend their first month. Some of the living conditions weren’t ideal but not terrible. We had opportunities to participate in several different types of ministry and get a feel for what we like and don’t like. We had an All Squad month meaning our squad of 20 people stayed in the same place so it was nice getting to spend time with everyone before being broken up into ours teams of 6 or 7 the next month. This was definitely a good place to transition from the world as we knew it to the mission field. Don’t forget to check out my Facebook for pictures!
