For the last 3 weeks, we have been experiencing life in Medellin as volunteers at Fundacion Ciudad Refugio. CR is a multi-faceted home for the homeless, addicted, displaced, as well as the youth in need. Both men and women participate in programs here that build character all while bringing one another into relationship with Christ. Wednesday through Sunday our squad splits up and fits in to volunteer positions inside and outside of the 6 story home.
Physical ministry here has included worshipping in the park, various church services, testimony sharing, peeling and sorting donated food, mopping floors, as well as teaching English classes. While this organization is built with a lot of different moving parts, one theme remains the same, you are WORTH what Jesus did for your life..no matter where you are right now.
This message is evident in both the adult programs and the childrens’ programs.
Saturday’s are filled with ministering to children. While we spend the afternoon as a big group worshipping, playing, feeding the children of the neighboring community, the evenings are just slightly different. Each Saturday one male and one female from our squad is asked to stay up past his and her bedtime in order to relive their childhood/teenage years of staying up late with friends to talk, eat donuts, watch a movie, and play games.
AKA we are asked to have a sleepover with the kids!
This weekend’s female volunteer? Ya girl right here.
I really did not have many expectations for the evening other than the few experiences that I heard about from other squadmates. Which included a LOT of children, a LOT of sugar, and a LATE night watching a movie followed by an early wake up call for breakfast before Sunday Service.
I carried my sleeping bag and sleeping mat along with my backpack upstairs to the 4th floor to prep my sleeping area for the evening. One of the young girls led me to the room that all of the girls wanted to sleep in to ask if it was okay we slept in that room instead of the one directly next to the boys’ room. I obliged and we began filling the 12×7 room with mattresses. 3 twin size mattresses later, we came to the realization my sleeping mat was not going to squeeze in no matter how many tetris attempts were made. Inside of the office room we were sleeping in, was another door, to another room; a room which stored approximately 27 backpacks..world race backpacks.
Myself and one of the male teachers began stacking and reorganizing bags, and made a PERFECT 3ftx7ft space.. as long as I tucked my mat under a small children’s coloring table. My body would then be blocked by the wall, but my pillow was in the doorway, and I could peer out to the girls in the room next door. I thought to myself.. THIS is going to be…
THE FREAKING COOLEST NIGHT EVER!!
It gets better.
We circled up all of the kids, and stood in between them all. One of the teachers explained the game we would start the night off playing. As someone who sometimes moans and groans during group activities for whatever reason.. felt myself becoming ridiculously excited as she continued to explain. The only answer to this excitement is the fact that the game we played is called NINJA!
I used to play NINJA with my students at the taekwondo school back in Illinois. I’ve been playing it for years, and for whatever reason COMPLETELY forgot about it until this weekend. If you are unsure of what NINJA is…just imagine a bunch of pre-teen/teenagers in a circle trying to chop one anothers arms..one movement at a time! It’s every martial artists’ duck duck goose.
I unfortunately was beat out by two teenage boys.. who may or may not have stretched the rules just a little bit!
We sat down in that same circle and proceeded to begin our devotional. We spoke about sin..what is sin? What does sin look like in your life? Does Jesus still want us even when we sin? What if we are like Jonah? What if we run the OPPOSITE direction of the Lord? Can we come back? What if we get stuck in a fish for 3 days? That’s absolutely disgusting… we had quite the extensive conversation on this… this being the stomach of a fish.
We were then instructed to write down any of our sins on a piece of paper. Some of our examples included:
Lying
Talking back to parents
Drinking in excess
Then every single one of these beautiful kids nailed his and her sins to a physical wooden cross. We discussed the fact that Jesus died for all past present and future sin. We discussed change, and how if we want to be more like Christ, then we must change. We are all forgiven, but we have work to do. Our pieces of paper with our sin were ripped off the cross and ripped to shreds.
My body was overwhelmed with chills.. these kids were so loved..not only by Jesus, but by the mentors at CR. They are truthful, they are realistic, they discipline and they love.
10:00PM
Donuts get distributed along with a glass of milk.
While during these next two hours we usually watch a movie all together, one of my girls decided she would rather do homework than watch a movie with everyone..
Sound familiar?
Her and I walked back to the room and while she practiced translating her journal to English, she gave me lessons on Spanish grammar. Once we finished homework, we resumed traditional sleepover activities and chatted while watching Netflix.
One night. That’s a recount of just one night here in CR. I could go on for weeks, months, about the people in this building and outside of it. I miss it already and we haven’t even left.
Thursday we leave for Rwanda. Join me in prayer over these next few days and afterwards that CR brings Jesus to the city of Medellin. Pray with me that the Lord sends workers here, ones with hearts for mopping floors, chopping potatoes, and spending the night with teenagers. Pray for funding, for energy and for refuge. Pray that this light that beams on the corner of Avenida Ecuador & Calle 65f is a light that illuminates God’s love and his heart for His children…of every age.
