I was figuring that the next blog I’d be writing would be from Medellin, Colombia, sharing about the ministry organization we’ll be partnering with there, City of Refuge (Ciudad Refugio). I’m currently typing this one while high above the Atlantic Ocean, on our flight from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Medellin. We haven’t even arrived at our first ministry location, but God has already started revealing himself to me.
If we rewind a bit, I’ve spent the last four days in Georgia for some additional training and preparations. Among the training sessions for the squad logistics position that was given to myself and my teammate Em, we had sessions where we heard a few messages and words of encouragement for the journey ahead this year. One thing that AIM drives home is that, “mission is life, and life is mission.” If us racers come home after 11 months of being on the mission field, and that’s the end of our mission, we’ve entirely missed the point. Even more so, it is possible to breeze through the race without really choosing into the ministry, really having a “yes” spirit, or really seeking out growth for yourself. The world race in and of itself will not necessarily make a change in every single racer. It sets us up for growth and incredible experiences, but in a way it’s still one of those “you get out of it what you put into it” scenarios.
In the airport in Ft. Lauderdale today, we had a lovely 5 hour layover on our trip from Atlanta to Colombia. I have movies on this computer, good music on my phone, fun friends to chat with, but I remembered those words, “life is mission” as I saw a man in the airport that had actually boarded the plane behind me on our first flight in Atlanta. I asked him where he was headed at that time and he said Medellin, Colombia. What are the odds that we had the same connecting flight from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale to Colombia!? We were getting on the plane at that point, so that was about the end of that conversation. But here he was again at our gate, a long layover, and another opportunity. I just felt that there was a conversation to be had with him. So I went over, and a divine appointment from the Lord awaited.
The ministry we get to work with this month, City of Refuge, is an amazing organization from what I’ve heard. They provide a 1 year rehabilitation and discipleship program for men and women coming from drug abuse and addiction among other homeless and youth ministries. I don’t want to claim to many details before we even arrive there, but rehabilitation from drug addictions is a big part of what they do.
So back to this airport conversation… It turns out I had some common ground with this man as he was originally from Milwaukee and his father grew up on a dairy farm! He later in life moved to Chicago, then Atlanta, and now has been living in Medellin for the past 5 years. I shared with him a little bit about what I was going to be doing (trying not to share too much), which led him to open up a little more about himself as well. He began using drugs around the age of 16, which led to a hard addiction that impacted a great deal of his life. He talked to me about underlying factors in peoples lives and influences that lead them into drug abuse. He talked to me about how he overcame his addiction, and how he became free from what he had enslaved himself to. He shared the struggles of that process, but the reward of getting his life back as a result. I even found that he has helped lead AA meetings in Atlanta prisons (as a civilian) in the past! He has a heart for people facing what he has been through and he shared with me a new perspective on this subject that I cannot necessarily relate. Divine. Appointment.
I went on to talk with him about what the bible says about our identity in the Lord. How we are His sons and daughters and how He values each of us more than we deserve and more than we can even imagine. We have worth in Him, imperfect as we are, and can live out our identity in Him, knowing we belong to a perfect Father. He went on to tell me that he grew up in a Catholic home, but once he started using drugs that quickly faded. He was open to what I said about this biblical aspect, but agreed that we each had a little bit of a different angle.
Heading into 11 months of ministry ahead, this is just a prime example of the way God can open up doors if we just choose in and take advantage of the opportunities that are at hand. The man sitting in the airport can be just as much of a ministry (or learning) opportunity as the people we’ll come into contact with our hosts along the race. Travel day #1 has helped me to understand how life really is ministry. How cool is that! God is good. Touching down in Colombia soon!
Mucho Amor,
Adios!
