When I was first deciding whether or not to go on the Race, I felt God telling me that one of the reasons He wanted me to go was because I would find the ministry I would be a part of for the rest of my life. Whether that was by supporting them financially, or going back for short-term trips or whatever, He said that I would be put in that ministry while I was gone. And I know that I’m only halfway done with the Race, but I am pretty sure God already gave me an answer to that promise.
While we were in Medellin, Colombia, our whole squad (all 24 of us) were part of a ministry called Ciudad Refugio (“City of Refuge”). Ciudad Refugio has a few different ministries within the whole organization, but the most notable and biggest one is their drug and rehabilitation program. They are devoted to finding people that have reached a point in their addiction where they are willing to change their whole lives. Not just to fix their addiction, but to allow Christ into every part of their lives, so that He can fix everything from the inside out. And we got to be a part of that.
I was amazed at how vulnerable the men in the program were and how open they were to sharing what Jesus had done in their lives. It wasn’t even 5 minutes after I had gotten there that one of the men, Alejandro, shared most of his whole testimony with me. He probably would’ve shared all of it, but we had to stop for dinner lol. His story is an amazing testament to God and His character. One of my squad mates recorded the whole thing and posted a blog about it here if you’d like to give it a read.
Ministering to the men in the program was probably the most fun I have ever had in a ministry setting. We were immediately brought in to their community and were kept really busy just bonding with them. Whether it was work projects, sitting and talking, sharing testimonies, or playing soccer (lots and lots of soccer), we got to know the guys quickly. And that led to awesome opportunities for us to minister to them and for them to minister to us.
Specifically, my favorite thing that I was able to do was lead and co-lead some bible studies that they have. In my last two years of college I was a bible study leader through CRU and making bible studies became something I was comfortable with. I was glad I got to use that skill here. But what made it amazing was the interest and questions that all of the guys had. They were so eager to learn more about the bible and who God is, even though they already spend 1-2 hours in the bible everyday. The bible studies would often times be 30% teaching and 70% questions and discussions which made them super enjoyable. One of the biggest motivations I found from it was how much the men in the program were able to come alongside and help out other men who had questions or were working through something. It sure made my job easy. All I had to do was bring the material, then the Holy Spirit working through the men did the rest.
On top of ministering to the men in the program, we also participated in outreach to the surrounding community. One of the reasons for this is because a large amount of men who are in the program were homeless before joining. In fact, Ciudad Refugio is also a homeless shelter at night housing around 50 men. So, one of our big outreaches was to go to a local square where a lot of homeless men and women gather. We would bring some sort of juice to hand out as well as a couple instruments so that we could worship in the square. Then we would just walk around and talk to people, which is kind of uncomfortable (especially in my broken spanish) but there were some awesome conversations. They ranged anywhere from theological debate (super difficult in another language btw) to simply praying for healing. One of my friends, Catie Collins, even made a huge connection with a man there who later came to Ciudad Refugio’s church and got saved!
Even though walking up to random strangers and speaking to them in a foreign language is uncomfortable, it wasn’t the most uncomfy thing I did when I was there. On their Wednesday night church service (specifically for the homeless), I was asked to give a 15-20 minute word/sermon or whatever you want to call it. And I, like most people, hate public speaking. I had also never given a sermon. My strong suit is in the small group settings where I can ask people questions and make them think. So this was way out of my zone. However, God told someone to tell me to give my sermon on the theme of “come as you are”, which made thinking of something to talk about easy. So many times people (myself included) feel like we need to get right before we come to God. We think “Oh I’d start to burn if I stepped foot in a church” or “Oh I just sinned and God does not want me to be in His presence at all.” And that’s just a lie the devil puts in our head to prevent us from getting closer to God. If anything, those are the times when God wants us to come to Him the most. Paul writes “But He said to me ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). And one thing I absolutely love is that the men in the program do that so well. So, that was the sermon I was able to give. I feel like the content was good, but hopefully the delivery was too! Also, here’s a pic of me giving it.
And that’s basically it. There was a lot that happened during Colombia. I was comfortable, I was stretched, and I was stretched some more. But I loved every second of it. God has put an amazing ministry right in the heart of Medellin, Colombia. And I have a really good feeling that this is just the first of many visits.
