This month Jesus has been telling me to look for him in the places of brokenness. Ministry has look very different from day to day over the past two weeks. On some days its the easy stuff like playing kids with soccer other days it is very hard. Last night was one of the hard days. The organization has a ministry called Agua Panela which is where we go out to one of the shanty homeless towns here in Medellin. It is a place full of brokenness the communities are home to drug addicts, prostitutes and alcoholics. It is a place where people have lost all hope and have fallen into a pit of despair. In their brokenness we had the opportunity to be the light shining through them. I met two men while I was there, each one broke off a little piece of my heart. The first Jose was a crippled man who I would assume suffered agonizing pain as he had a metal brace on his lower leg that was attached to the bone and should have been removed along time ago. The second man his name was Jorge and he actually spoke English, he had lived in queens for some time and still had family back in the states. Both men were cocaine addicts and had given up all hope in their lives and yet Jesus was telling me these were the very kind of people that I choose as my disciples as well as to die on the cross for.
I am also learning this month how to trust in the Lord in things I don’t have control over. Specifically language, language barriers are hard but God is showing me you do not need to speak the same language to show them the Love of Christ. The men of the rehab program the group we tend to spend the most time with do not have to understand the words that I am saying to see grace and love pour out of me. I am learning that you can show someone how to be a disciple without actually saying a word.
The world tend to throw away things that they believe is broken or no longer usable. God likes to take those throw away things and re-purpose them; make them into something new. The Ministry is good at this as well, every Monday and Wednesday the fellas and myself go to a local grocery store to collect fruits and vegetables that they deem no longer fitting to sale. Ciudad Refugio turns what the world sees as waste into delicious juices and food that go to feed the members of the rehab program and it doesn’t cost them a dime.
Often times when God calls us into the work of his kingdom it requires us to leave our comfort zone. The World Race is all about stepping out of your comfort zone. For me it has come on several occasions. Last night it was praying over a crack addict that Jesus may break the chains of his addiction and for him to be healed. Other times it is acting in a drama for the children in a local park.
I am thankful God finds us in our messes and that he accepts us where we are. That’s were he found me and began to lead me on this journey. Because it is often the times that we are the messiest that we allow ourselves to fully see and hear Jesus in all his glory. We tend to feel shameful and dirty in our mess and try to cover them up but in doing that we disregard that Jesus could wipe away our mess entirely instead of covering it. Embrace the mess for there is where Christ will be.
I really wish I could take pictures of what all we do, however its just not safe to do so. In many instances we work with people who are severely broken and might try to take advantage of our technology. Also the people of the rehab program are not allowed to have any type of technology or worldly possessions so that their focus may be on the holy spirit so out of respect for the we don’t take them around them. However for the occasions that I am able to take pictures I will do so because a picture paints so much more than words can.
