A New Member

My entire squad is in Medellin, Colombia. Since being here the past 3 weeks, my eyes have been opened to so many news things. God has been teaching me to step out and shine His light to this dark city.

We are working with a foundation called Ciudad Refugio (City of Refuge). It is located in a dark, broken part of town, but everyday is bringing so much light to the community. Ciudad Refugio has many diverse programs to reflect that “home” is more than shelter. It’s many programs include a homeless shelter at night, addiction rehab center for men and women, giving food and drinks to homeless people living on the streets consumed by so much darkness, a homeschool program for kids, feeding programs, etc. The foundation, where our entire squad is living, is a rehab facility for those interested in restoring their lives and creating lasting change for their futures. It is a place for people desiring to get back on their feet and desiring to come out of addiction. The Ciudad Refugio offers a homeless shelter on the first floor at night that can sleep up to 100 people each night. In order to enter the shelter, men must be free from the influence of drugs and alcohol and not have any weapons or drug paraphernalia on their person. They let these men come in, eat a meal, shower, and sleep on the floor between the hours of 7:30pm-5:00am. Every single night as they’re getting ready to sleep, they hear the gospel message. Each weekend, we go to a town nearby called Manitiallis. We walked through the village and invite kids to come and hear the message of Jesus. The kids get to come and hear about Jesus’ love for them, get a hot meal, and a new bag of clothes. Through holding the hands of the little ones walking through the streets, God has been re-teaching me that He wants us to come as we are.

I want to share about a very special encounter I had with a sweet man named Louis. Every Wednesday, we go to a park and sing worship, pass out juice, and tracks about Ciudad Refugio. The first week I was very scared to go out and speak to people in this park. Before we went, they told us that we would see many drugs, alcohol, and lost people. My spanish is not the greatest, so in my head I thought that I would not have any important conversations. I walked around the park with a translator, and finally got the courage to talk to someone. I went up to this older man sitting on a bench and joined him. Right then and there a sweet relationship began. Here is the story of Louis. He has been living on the streets of Medellin for 3 years. Every night at midnight he bathes himself at the big fountain in the center of the park. I gave him a brochure talking about Ciudad Refugio and invited him to come to the homeless church service that night. He wrote my name of the flyer and 6:30pm. He told me he would try to make it. Later at 6:30 that night, Louis came up and tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to find sweet Louis with the biggest smile followed by a tight hug. After the service I invited him to sleep in the shelter, but he said no. We returned to the park the next week, but I could not find Louis. Throughout the next week, I prayed for my sweet new friend that we could meet again. This Wednesday, we returned to the park greeted with a giant smile. I got to talk with Louis the whole time we were at the park. He told me he thought he was too dirty to be able to sleep at the homeless shelter. He continued to tell me more about his life. He said that he is so lonely, gets walked over, and ignored. He said the only true love he has found is alcohol. I got to tell him that there is a God so much better than alcohol. I told him at the end of the day, alcohol will take so much of your money, and will run out by the end of the day. I got to share with him that God’s love is free and everlasting. He said, “Yes I know, but I don’t think God wants to love someone like me that doesn’t have anything to offer, or anything I’ve done.” So I invited him to come back to the church service that night. He responded with, “I am really too scared to come on my own. I will be shund and rejected.” I told him that I would be standing at the door waiting for him and that I would sit with him. I got to sit next to my sweet friend during the service. The whole time, my heart was filled with so much JOY. I wish you could have been there to see all the excitement in Louis while we were singing. In the service, Pastor David talked about how Jesus has an amazing plan for your future. How Jesus invites you to come as you are. It doesn’t matter what you have done in your past or how you look on the outside. The scripture Pastor David spoke about was 1 Samuel 16:7, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Louis was so attentive. The pastor said that you are not defined by drugs or alcohol or any struggle you have faced. Louis kept tapping my leg and saying, “that’s me with alcohol.” During the prayer, Louis was crying and hugging me so tight. At the end of the service, Pastor David asked for anyone that wanted to start a relationship with Jesus to come to the front (altar call). Louis kept tapping my leg even harder. So I stepped out into the aisle so he could get out. Right then and there Louis grabbed my arm and pulled me to the front with him. While the Pastor was talking and explaining the prayer, and what it means to follow Jesus, Louis just cried and squeezed me so tight. Before I knew it tears were streaming down my face. So the night of October 31, 2018 the kingdom gained a new member.