Formavida, the ministry that we have been serving in Colombia is an absolutely incredible ministry. I have been blown away at the amount of love the staff here has for the youth on this mountain.
Lucy and Ricardo, (GET IT?! I LOVE LUCY?! ISN’T THAT ADORABLE?!?!) an older Colombian couple, run Formavida and spend their days cooking, cleaning, building, playing and loving so well.
This is the cutest Lucy and Ricardo there ever was on top of the mountain overlooking Bogota!
12 years ago during a 40 day stay in a hospital due to a very serious infection, Lucy heard the Lord clearly ask her, “What are you doing wasting your life?” She knew she needed to quit her current job, so after healing and leaving the hospital she stepped out in faith and quit her job. Times were hard because her and her husband had 4 kids and they relied on her income to pay the bills. However, she prayed everyday that God would not only provide for their family but also make it clear what He wanted her to do with her life.
God began giving her visions of a mountain full of people. She grew up on a mountain, but vowed never to return because of the prevalent crime. God had different plans. He called her to visit that mountain everyday and build relationships with the neighborhood kids.
Ricardo, Lucy’s husband, was not on board at first. He knew how dangerous the mountain was, and hated the idea of Lucy spending her days amidst gangs. However, God changed his heart and asked him to also quit his job in construction. Ricardo then committed his life to helping the kids on the mountain. He has used his talents to build the entire building where Formavida now exists.
Twelve years later, Lucy and Ricardo provide 90 kids with before and after school care, lunch, homework help, and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I honestly don’t know that I have ever met such hard working people. They are up at 6 AM cooking, cleaning, preparing for the day, and work constantly until late into the night. Even though they are so incredibly busy they always have time for people. I don’t know how many times I have been in the kitchen with Lucy and someone will come up and ask for advice and she drops everything to talk to them. Last weekend we hosted a 3 day youth retreat for the kids on the mountain. It was CRAZY. Lucy cooked, preached, ran the activities, while also pouring into her staff. She has a huge passion for sharing the Gospel with the kids every chance she gets.
This is a classic pic of me trying to help in the kitchen. Lucy telling me to do something and me laughing so I don’t cry.
Ricardo is more of the behind the scenes guy. He made (and by made I mean cut and welded the metal) 15 bunk beds so kids would have a place to sleep during the retreat last weekend. He also created a full blown muddy paradise of an obstacle course for the kids on their property. Every day his schedule is filled with different projects around the ministry. Currently he is working on building an additional bathroom. As busy as he is, he will drop everything for a game of basketball or volleyball, and is a huge prankster.
I took this picture while we were creating the obstacle course for the kids. Ricardo was all about testing it out and beating me!
Another thing that I LOVE about this ministry is that they really encourage the kids to spend time with their families. The majority of the kids that come to the ministry come from broken homes with parents who struggle with different addictions. Formavida could easily open their doors all the time, and function more like an orphanage. Instead, Lucy and Ricardo are incredibly passionate about encouraging the kids to talk to their parents, help them around the house, and spend time with them whenever they can. At 4:30 PM everyday, all the kids are sent home so they can spend time with their families. At the retreat last weekend they had a night where they showed a video of all the kid’s parents telling them how much they loved them. I know it must have taken a TON of work to get each and every parent to send in a video. That’s how much Formavida cares about bringing families together.
Lucy and Ricardo, you are both so full of life and love. You truly live out the concept of ministry is life and life is ministry. You both have inspired me so much, and I am beyond thankful to have spent the past month living and working along side you! Thank you for answering the Lord’s call to love the people of this mountain. Thank you for ALL of your patience, and for loving me so well! I will miss you!
P.S. Ricardo…I can’t wait to come back and whoop your butt in b-ball (;
