It’s been exactly one week since our squad arrived in Medellin, Colombia and honestly it feels like we’ve lived here for weeks. SO MUCH has happened, and its insanely crazy how the Holy Spirit has moved within just a week. But hey, that’s how the Spirit rolls.
He’s always working, always moving, always leading us somewhere.
This month our squad is partnering with a ministry called Ciudad Refugio (City of Refuge). This ministry has a compound that provides housing for addicts and the homeless with ministry programs aimed towards helping recovering drug addicts. There is also women’s and children ministry here as well.
Yall, Medellin is BEAUTIFUL. A colorful metropolis surrounded by massive mountains, filled with local markets, sweet aromas of Colombian food and desserts, smiling faces, flowers, and bread, lots of bread.
But underneath the beauty of this city lies darkness.
Two blocks down from our house, are drug dealers. You walk down the streets and people are using drugs right in front of you. Near the park about 5 blocks from our house is an area where prostitutes stand on the sidewalks and homeless people are digging through the trash. There are people passed out on the sidewalks from drinking too much alcohol and places where people practice witchcraft.
This is the darkness that quietly lingers under the colors of this city, but Ciudad Refugio carries the light of Jesus. And WE (S squad) walk alongside the staff here. Together as ONE, we illuminate these streets, bringing hope to these people as they see the light of Jesus radiating within us.
Over the past week, I’ve befriended the women who cook our meals for us, especially Lora. She greets me every time with a hug and a kiss. I helped lead a women’s bible study and learned so much wisdom from them.
We hiked the streets in Manantiales and ministered to people there. We visited with them in their homes and was greeted with love and hospitality. We prayed over a boy there named Brian, who has Cerebral Palsy. His mother left him when he was two and his aunt is his caregiver.
I played with kiddos, till they completely wore me out and often found myself engulfed by their warm hugs.
I often get frustrated with the language barrier here. I wish I could say more than basic phrases. Something the Lord is beginning to reveal to me is that I don’t always have to have words. He says, “Laurie, my love is universal. Spread it.” So, if I can’t say what I want to, to these women and children, then I can still give them love.
The Lord keeps revealing the word “light” to me. Maybe it’s because I’ve felt the weight of the darkness as we did a prayer walk among these streets. Maybe it’s because as we ministered one night – I felt as if the light of Jesus surrounded our group—it was like He was right there beside us, guiding our every step.
When our leaders asked who wanted to go minster to the people near the park after dark, without hesitation my hand raised. As we walked to this park, I prayed, recited psalms, and began to sing songs to myself. I immediately felt this supernatural, overwhelming sense of peace. As we walked, we carried the light with us. And I had no worries nor fears. You know why? Because darkness cannot comprehend light and light will always cast out darkness.
I was with a group that made our way down a street where prostitution is overflowing the streets and here there is also a large group of transgenders. Prior to this I was praying, and I pictured a girl on the sidewalk with blonde hair. I quickly moved on from that thought because I was thinking, no there’s no way that’s someone here, most people here just don’t have blonde hair.
The first transgender we met, I prayed for. Her name is Sophia. I prayed that she would feel worthy and loved and chosen. As we kept walking, another transgender came up to me. I introduced myself and she said her name is Pandora. I asked her if I could pray for her and she said yes. Yall, as I am praying for her, she stops me… and then tells me to call her John Estephen, her original name. It was as if she was trying to grasp her identity – and I’m not sure exactly what was going through her mind, but I truly believe the Spirit was moving as she told me to call her real name. What is so crazy is that both women had blonde hair and a teammate of mine who was praying for our team while we were on the streets said she also saw blonde when she prayed for me. Wowzaa.
Shortly after, we came across a street full of trash- just garbage everywhere . We saw these five children playing in the streets with trash. As my friend Shondra prayed over them, they stopped what they were doing and kept smiling—you could just see the light of Jesus in them. One of them was so excited to take us back to his house to introduce us to his mother and we invited them to come to worship at our ministry site .
I also came across a man named Alfonzo. He was sitting on a bench in the park drinking. I held his hand and prayed over him. I prayed for divine intercession from the Holy Spirit and before we said goodbye, he kissed my hand. Just a few steps from him was an elderly lady sitting under a tarp. This tarp is her home. She was singing to some of the other people in my group and they prayed for her.
These are all different people with different struggles, heartache, and pain. But one thing we ALL have in common is that we are ALL children of God.
I keep reminding myself that I am NO better than these people. That Christ’s blood was shed not only for me, but also for the addicts, the drunkards, the outcast and the homeless. None is worthier than others. We are all in need of the Savior’s perfect love and abundant grace. And, while I have always believed that my entire life—I guess it just took walking down the streets of Medellin to put this into perspective for me.
Before I made it down these streets, I kept praying to see these people as Jesus sees them. And that night, I saw the light of Jesus in each of their eyes.
Because His light is contagious.
If we carry it, others see it and gravitate to it.
We as the unified body of Christ are called to be disciples.
We are the ones who carry this light.
It is not us that are the light itself.
But it is the one inside us who is that light that shines through us.
May we never cease to walk boldly carrying the light of Jesus with us.
Lord, if this is week one, then I CAN’T WAIT to see what else you are up to while we are here.
Thank you, guys, for your prayers! BIG THINGS are happening here. KEEP praying for the Light to shine in this city.
