Hey everyone! It’s so hard to believe I am on my third and final continent of the Race, South America! We arrived here about 3 weeks ago after 5 plane rides (over the course of 3 days), a 24 hour stop in Bogota to explore and sleep, and a 10 hour swerving bus ride. Praise God that He kept our squad safe during so much travel.
This month, I am with a team in Medellin, Colombia! This city is stunning. It is located where three mountain ranges meet, in the valley, so that it is completely surrounded by mountains! Every day, the view from our ministry site takes my breath away (both because it is beautiful and because it is unbelievably hilly here). Furthermore, the weather here is BEAUTIFUL. For the first time in six months, I am not sweating 24/7! I cannot praise the Lord enough for this blessing. Medellin is known as the city of eternal spring. This is probably my favorite location thus far on the Race.
I wanted to post an in-depth blog about our ministry for the month because it is incredible. I am loving every single day here. God is doing some major restoration, and it is a blessing to be a part of it! I am seeing the Church (God’s people!) in action every day, and it is beautiful to behold.
What is the ministry?
We are working with the ministry foundation Ciudad Refugio (City of Refuge). So many incredible things are happening here! Every week, volunteers go into the city to pass out bread and water to the homeless and invite them to sleep at the foundation. There is room for up to 60 homeless men, and they are able to shower and are provided with a mattress to sleep on. They may continue sleeping in the shelter as long as they attend one church service weekly. The overarching goal is for the men to transition from the shelter into the restoration program.
According to the website, “City of Refuge offers a one-year Christ-centered restoration program for those looking to transform their lives. Through daily bible classes, counseling, and life discipline we teach truth, life skills and healthy living habits while providing the opportunity for individuals to allow Christ to enter and heal their lives.” This program is truly being used to change lives! One of the women we have befriended raises her arms in worship to God every week; arms that are covered in the scars of her past heroin addiction. But these scars now represent the victory she has gained, the freedom she now walks in! She is full of laughter and love and deep thankfulness to her God.
Ciudad Refugio also sends volunteers weekly to do a program with children from impoverished areas of Medellin, providing them with exposure to the gospel and a free meal. There is a homeschool program, a micro enterprise system to provide those in the Restoration program with resume-worthy skills, and even a bakery and fried chicken business attached to the foundation. So much is happening here!
I highly encourage you to go check out the website! It has information about the history of Ciudad Refugio, which is an incredible story!
I have been blown away by how well-thought-out everything is here. For example, when the building was being constructed, Pastor Douglas thought to have pipes put in that collect rainwater in huge barrels, which is then used to wash the cars and the floor where the homeless sleep, saving money. Another financially wise example is that the classrooms and rooms of men further along in the program are on the side of the building with windows. They use natural light from the windows for classes during the day, thus saving electricity. This is also a privilege and gift to men doing well in the program.
How Are You Involved?
We get to jump into everything that goes on here! Here is an overview of our weekly schedule:
Mondays and Wednesdays: We ladies go to class with the 3 women currently in the program, where we have been sharing testimonies and are now beginning to teach Bible lessons. After that, we help sort through the food donations given to Ciudad Refugio. We go through tons of fruit and vegetables, cutting off the good parts and salvaging the rest of the fruit.
Wednesday nights: We attend church service with many of the homeless, and then go out at 8:30 for Agua Panela Outreach to help pass out food and invitations to the shelter.
Thursdays: We have class again in the morning with the women. In the afternoon, we get to join the women on their weekly outing, just spending time together and building relationship.
Friday nights: We help prepare food for the feeding program the next day.
Saturdays: This is when the two feeding programs happen. We split the team in half, and some go in the morning and some in the afternoon. Those who go in the afternoon get up at 4:30 a.m. to help cook the food for the program in the morning. In the evening, we attend the worship portion of the church service for the homeless, and then attend/help lead Youth Group.
Sundays: Church service! I can’t get enough of the worship. Sunday afternoons we visit and hang out with the women who don’t have anyone coming during visiting hours.
I have absolutely loved our time here, building relationships with the women and lessening their work load. The Lord is doing some beautiful restoration here, and I am soaking up every minute of it!
I think my favorite part about the foundation is that church takes place every week in the exact room the homeless sleep in every night. We know that because of Jesus sending the Holy Spirit and re-vamping the Christian faith, church is not a building. We are the church! I love that the space used to worship God 3 times per week in services is the same space where the people God’s heart aches for – the marginalized, down-and-out, truly in need of the Great Physician – have their needs met.
Jesus is in this place. I sense His pleasure and redemption every day as more chains are broken, more hearts turn to Him, and more people encounter Jesus face-to-face through His followers.
He is so so good!
