Oh Colombia. What a beautiful adventure you have been. I want to update you all about the amazing ministry we have had the beautiful opportunity to serve alongside of this past month. They are called the City of Refuge and y’all, GOD IS MOVING IN THAT PLACE. They are one building, but are the kind of people who do not just stay within those walls. They go out and they tell people about Jesus. They invite people in. They reach the people the world rejects. They are living proof of people who live for the sake of the Gospel.
The City of Refuge holds many different types of ministries. Every single night they are a homeless shelter. They fill the bottom floor with men who are sober and are needing a space to stay. It is such a safe place too and they can sleep in peace. Every Sunday and Wednesday that bottom floor is a church service for the entire community and on Saturdays, they hold a homeless church service. The reason why they do this separately is because a lot of the homeless men and women have been rejected by the church for being “unclean” so Pastor Douglas creates this safe place for them to come. And they come exactly as they are and are fully loved. These church services are the most Holy Spirit driven sermons I have ever seen. The pastor will invite people up to the front for prayer. He listens to the Holy Spirit and walks out in faith to invite people to be free. AND GOD IS SO FAITHFUL because people step up in complete humility and chains break y’all. It’s the most beautiful thing. I have never seen such humility. They also hold a program for men and women who are wanting to recover from addiction and create an intimate relationship with Jesus. This program is one year long and it involves being continuously poured into. They build up these men and women. They teach them how to step back into society and teach them valuable lessons in the work field. It is absolutely beautiful. It was an absolute privilege to witness this first hand. The Lord has his hand in this place and just watching these men and women worship at church taught me so much about the reckless love of God. They truly understand how beautiful it is to worship the one who saved them. They worship freely and there is so much beauty in that.
This ministry also holds vacation bible school and they go out (house by house) and just invite and bring children in. They also partner with a ministry in Manantiales and they go out into an area with deep poverty and serve them. This includes going out and delivering food, clothes, and school supplies to the community. It also includes taking children in who are sick and treating them back to health. They gather children EVERY WEEK to bring them to a giant vacation bible school in the area and pour the love of Jesus in them. They feed the children and provide a safe place to be fully loved.
Now another thing this ministry does EVERY WEEK is called Agua Panela. They go out in a group and bring sugar water and bread into a legit homeless community. This place is filled with people shooting drugs inside of them, selling their bodies, and so drunk they are stumbling everywhere. People look out of their mind and this ministry brings the bread of life into this place. They pray with the people. They love them. They nurture them. They invite them. They listen to them. They love them. This is probably one of the most beautiful parts of this ministry. They go out and they love people exactly where they are. They go out into the places the world would label as “gross” or “scary” and they walk in full faith that they serve a good, good Father. That their Father in heaven sees these people as souls who need to be invited back home.
There is so much more this ministry is doing for the Kingdom and I could talk about them for hours. They are the purest example of how to love like Jesus. They show mercy and so so so much grace. I feel honored and BLESSED the Lord allowed my team to work alongside of them. I am SO sad to leave this place but so thankful for the time spent here. I am leaving this place so filled with how sweet the Lord is and how He is moving all over the world.
City of Refuge, thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you for leading us by example. Thank you for loving everyone around you so so so well. Thank you for living what you believe. Thank you for never giving up on people but loving them enough to do the hard things. I am forever changed by your ministry and I will definitely be back. Everyone needs to know about you guys!!!!
FOLLOW THEM! PRAY FOR THEM!! JOIN THEM!!
Insta:
@fundacion_ciudad_refugio
