We are currently in our fourth country of the World Race, and it’s only month 3! What a blessing it was to have Ecuador added onto our route. To hear more about our time there, check out my last blog.
A super cool thing for me about being in Colombia is that my dad was actually born in Bogotá because my grandparents were missionaries when he was born. My grandparents spent time being missionaries in Bogotá but they ALSO spent some time doing ministry in Medellín!! How cool to be here where they used to be and where my dad was born!
We arrived in Medellín on Saturday, October 13th. We had a few days before we needed to be at our ministry host for the month. So my team took that time to rest and recuperate from the 30 hour, crazy bumpy, and extremely windy bus ride from Quito.
Before we left to go to the ministry host on Monday, October 15th, we said goodbye to our alumni team leader, Matt Kane 🙁 He was such a gift to us and led us so well. We miss him but we are rooting him on in his next chapter back at home in the States.
Last team picture with Matt.
Left to right: Brandon, Rob, me, Matt, Morgan, CC, Paige
The evening of Monday, October 15th we arrived at our ministry host. It is refreshing to know that we are here for 3 weeks, and can get settled a little bit after all the traveling and short stints we spent in many places last month. It is all squad month so all 27 of us are together.
Our ministry host this month is a foundation called El Ciudad Refugio (The City Refuge). This foundation has many parts to it. They are a homeless shelter, they have a homeschool program, they have recovery programs for men and women who are struggling with all sorts of things, they help the people in the recovery programs transition back out into the world, and they have programs for kids in different communities.
They also spend time ministering to the people of their community by giving out food and drinks, praying for all the brokenness that is in the city, and telling the people about their way out of the brokenness…Jesus Christ. They enter into some pretty dark places spiritually in order to bring the light of Christ.
They are 80% self-sustained with some of the revenue coming from their own bakery, at which the people in the recovery programs get to work in.
It is a super cool opportunity to be a part of a ministry like this. Because there are so many different parts, my squad is able to experience all of these different types of ministry and see what kind of ministry we really fit in.
Another part of our ministry here is spending time with the men and women in the recovery programs, hearing their stories, and investing in their lives. We get to work along side them as they do their “chores”. Whether it’s working in the kitchen or packing boxes of cumin, there’s always something to help them with.
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for our squad as we spend a lot of time walking into the darkness that surrounds this city. Please pray for protection in the Spirit and for the light of Christ to shine through us.
- This is the last month my team will be together because next month is “Manistry” month. That means all the men will be together on a team, and the girls from those 2 teams that had men will combine to be one all girls team. Please pray for our last couple weeks together as a team. Please pray for good quality time together and lots of intentionality.
- Please continue to pray for our friends from CRU in Quito, Ecuador and the follow up on the connections my team made while we are there. Please pray for strength and courage for our 3 friends (Sean, Derek, and Brianna). Please pray for a movement on the college campuses and for students who desire to lead that movement.
Thank you for all your continued prayers and support! It continues to strengthen me and my squad as we engage in bringing the Lord’s kingdom around the world.
Below are my one (or two) second a day videos from Peru and Ecuador. Enjoy!
