Hi friends! We made a vlog to document some of the fun things we’ve been doing around the city of Medellín. Out of respect for the foundations rules, we are unable to capture a lot of the work we’ve been doing in the foundation, but we will have details of our ministry work below! Here’s the link for the video —> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eHujHd7eZgs
***this video features our new friend Santiago. Also known as hulk. Santiago is 9 years old. He loves scaring us, beating up Andrew, and making fun of our sunburns.
Ciudad Refugio is an impressive, multifaceted ministry that offers a nightly men’s homeless shelter, rehabilitation programs for men and women, job training for people in recovery, public outreach, children’s ministry, English classes, and SO much more.
We we have had the opportunity to participate in some of the daily activities of the men and women’s programs. Some of these daily activities are: working in the kitchen with the women, packaging boxes with the men, and participating in daily bible classes. We have also had the opportunity to participate in prayer ministry around local neighborhoods suffering from poverty and violence. In addition to this, every Saturday is filled with high-energy kids learning about Jesus, practicing English, and playing lots of soccer.
Below are some details about how each of us are feeling at the end of our first week!
Haley:
God is working so much in this place!! Everyone I’ve met has been filled with love, kindness, and excitement for the Lord. Something specifically that really touched my heart is one of our weekly outings called Aguapanela y pan. Every Wednesday night after church we go to a local strip called the Bronx where hundreds of people are gathered on the streets doing drugs in front of us. We get to hand out a sugar water drink and bread, while also getting to pray over the people living there. The popular drug of choice is called Pipa which is an extreme version of crack with more dangerous chemicals. Driving up, my heart broke for the people on the streets but it was encouraging to see how receptive these people were to receiving prayer and healing. We got to walk down the street with translators talking to the people there, getting to hear their stories and give them information about the foundation if they want change. Despite being in such a dangerous and dark place, God covered us with love and protection to bring light to these people. Seeing the smiles on their faces when we asked about their lives and their families back home, or even when we just said hello was encouraging to see. God sees all of his children and he is working here. I can’t wait to see what more we can do to bring light to His kingdom. God is good!!
Audrey:
I have been SUPER impressed with this ministry and how much they accomplish. I feel God’s presence in this place with every little thing we do, from peeling carrots and trying my best to talk to the women with my high school spanish skills to jumping around and singing during worship. God is smiling down on these people and there is SO much love here. One of my favorite things we have had the opportunity to do is just hanging out with the women in the program and getting to know their stories. It has been so fun to practice my Spanish with them and do life with them. I am looking forward for weeks to come. Keep praying for the people and community we are spending time with. Pray that we will be lights in this community and spread joy and love. I am so stoked for more weeks to come!!
Anna:
Wow I am so impressed with the Ciudad Refugio ministry and so grateful to be here! My favorite part of our time here so far has been the time we get to spend with the women in the foundation‘s program. Some of these women have shared their stories with us and allowed us into their testimonies of immense pain, struggle, hope and restoration. I am so grateful to hear their stories and I am excited to get to know the women better! Please pray that my Spanish skills improve rapidly! Gracias!
Kobe:
Morale is high here in Colombia! The Ciudad Refugio has been so welcoming especially the guys in the Teen Challenge program that I get to interact with daily. We’ve done many things these past 8 days and I’ve especially enjoyed getting to help the guys with their work in the mornings which allows us plenty of time to speak Spanglish with them!
Andrew: I have learned so much over the past 8 days! It has been incredible to see the ways that God is at work here in the foundation. I have gotten to talk to many of the guys and hear their stories, I’m excited to see how they will continue to grow. The people are wonderful and the country is beautiful, I pray that we will continue to be used over the next 7 weeks!