Open Doors and Open Hearts

By : Merlin M. | Volunteer

For more than two years, Ciudad Refugio has been praying and seeking ways to evangelize our immediate neighborhood, Prado Centro.  For those who aren’t aware, Prado Centro was once a wealthy and upper class neighborhood within Medellin.  It was even designated a historically protected section due to the traditional style of homes that make up the area.  However, over time many of the wealthy left the neighborhood and the homes themselves were bought by foundations or large organizations.  This gave way to an increase in violence, crime, and drug related activity. In fact, Ciudad Refugio is located on one of the most “criminally active” corners of our neighborhood. As a foundation, while we serve in other sections of our city, such as Manantiales and El Pomar; our hearts also longed for a way to minister and better serve within the neighborhood where we are planted.

True to His nature, God opened the doors of Prado Centro by shutting down everything else because of the COVID-19 quarantine. Due to the lock down, many families were in dire economic straits.  Most make their income by working informal jobs; they can be found on the street corners selling things such as gum, candies, food items, or cleaning the windows of cars.  Because the quarantine forced everyone to shelter in place, the source of income for such families were completely cut-off and many began to starve.  As a result, Ciudad Refugio began to mobilize and canvas the neighborhood to offer assistance and grocery bags.

In the past, the families of Prado Centro could best be described as friendly but reserved towards our advances.  Now, due to the fact many are desperate and out of options to help their families, the doors of the homes began to open.  Volunteers from the foundation were invited into the houses to introduce the ministry, visit with families, and most importantly pray with them.  And by doing so, our eyes were opened to how many in our neighborhood actually live.

We discovered most live in homes that are called, “inquilinatos.” The inquilinatos can best be described as large homes that houses 20-30 families; with each family renting a room within the house.  Many of those who live within these homes are Venezuelan refugees who receive little or no assistance from the government.  We found many within these homes to be young single mothers or pregnant women as well.

Our hearts were moved by the faces and souls we saw that were suffering.  So we began to distribute food on a weekly basis and invited them to come to the foundation building so they can be better acquainted with us as a ministry. It is truly amazing that after years of trying, God used the most unlikely situation of a world-wide pandemic, to answer our prayers. But once again, it shows us how God can use any circumstance to bring glory to His name! 

Having our eyes opened to the need around us, we are in the process of planning and gathering resources for new ways to serve and meet the need.  To that end, Ciudad Refugio is working on opportunities to assist the pregnant and single mothers that live in many of the inquiliatos.  Please pray for us as we desire the blessing and heart of God to live out His mandate from James 1:27 on what true religion is: “Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.” (CEV)

We understand for many of you, these are uncertain times. We pray that you may be encouraged by this testimony how even in the darkest of nights, the light of God can still shine through.  Press On! Keep believing! We truly serve a prayer answering God!

 

A Practicum Experience

By : Michaela S. | Practicum Student

My name is Michaela and I’m a university student in Social Work from Sweden. I was interested in doing my semester of practice in Colombia and that led me to research and find Ciudad Refugio. The length of my practicum was for 20 weeks; I started in August and finished in December of 2019. During my time at Ciudad Refugio, there was another student from Germany doing here practicum there as well; it was a great to share this experience with someone from another part of the world.

When I first arrived, I was introduced to the different programs at Ciudad Refugio. This was a good chance to get an impression of the work, processes, and methods of the foundation. This included work with kids (English Club, Homework Club, Homeschool, Ciudad De Los Niños,  and the Youth Group), working with women in the restoration program (meetings in the evening for different activities and outings),  Agua Panela, working in the neighborhood of Manantiales and the activities with families there. It was also a good opportunity to meet all the volunteers in the foundation and see their work responsibilities in the various programs. Later,  I continued to work with different activities but started to focus more on the women in the restoration program.

Here are some of the highlights of my practicum time at Ciudad Refugio:

Agua Panela:

Every Wednesday night after the church service we went to a street in the city where there are many people using drugs. We brought Agua panela and bread to distribute and we walked around in groups trying to talk to the people we met. For me it was interesting to be a part of this work and I can recall one interaction that really impacted me. My group and I met a woman from Venezuela who was sitting on the street and she was selling cigarettes and sweets. We talked to her for a long time and in the end we prayed for her. She had been separated from her family and had a 2-year-old daughter. A few weeks later when we were on the street again, she came to me and asked if I recognized her, which I did. She held her daughter in her arms and told me she got another job. This was a direct answer to our prayers! We could see the light in the darkness.

Manantiales:

Every Saturday we were in Manantiales and had activities for around 200 children. When the children first arrive, they receive yogurt and then we have a gathering with all of them and we sing and dance together. Following, we seperate them into different age groups to teach them from the bible and then play some activity or game. I was with the youngest age group: 3-5-year-olds.  Though at times it was challenging dealing with so many young kids; overall it was a fun experience and many of the children stole my heart.

Youth camp:

One week in October the students had vacation from school so we were able to organize a camp for the youth in Manantiales from Thursday to Saturday.  The event included teenagers from Manantiales (those we meet every Saturday and that sometimes accompany us to the organization and sleep over from Saturday to Sunday), teenagers from the youth group in the church and teenagers from the English club we run in a local high school.  It was a lovely mix of youth who attended!

During these days we had various activities that the leaders had prepared. The theme for the whole camp was “Quién Seré?” – “Who will I be?” The other social work student and I prepared a workshop about setting goals for the future since it is very common for young people to follow the paths and examples they see in their surroundings. In  the neighborhood of Manantiales  following the usual pattern means drugs, dropping out of school, being in a relationship and having children at a very young age. Therefore, it was important that they were given the freedom to dream and think outside those paths. It was incredible to see them be hopeful and share their dreams about becoming a professional football player, studying at the university and more. We also spent a lot of time on games and other activities. And their favorite activity was definitely- the pool! Although we did not have the best weather, it was cold and rainy, they spent as much time as they could in the pool! I really enjoyed spending time and sharing with the youth!

Women:

Outside of my work, I focused mainly on  the women in the rehabilitation program with the other social work student. We met the women three times a week for activities and their outing on Fridays. During our time together with the women we taught based on what we learned in our studies of Social Work, or we came up with other group activities for topics like goals, perspectives, communication skills, reflections etc. The women were always open to share the time and to do the tasks that we gave to them. Although the work with the women was always changing because there were women leaving and new coming, I really enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them. We also had a tradition to celebrate birthdays together and it was always an enjoyable event for all of us! The hardest thing when I was going to go back home was to say goodbye to the women. They made a big impression on me and I have learned so much from them and by working with them.

Overall, I had a great time in Ciudad Refugio and my time in the foundation helped me in my professional career and in my personal life. I’m very thankful for the opportunity I had to be part of the foundation.

Thank you!

 

The True Heart of Ministry| Mission in Manatiales

By Ashira D. | Children’s Ministry Worker and Youth Team Member

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend six days in Manatiales and minister to the people in that neighborhood.  Manatiales is a place in Medellin where the internally displaced in Colombia have formed a community. Ciudad Refugio partnered with students from Christ for the Nations to conduct a week long program designed to be able to reach women, children and the families in this area. The first two days were spent packaging bags of food and distributed to families in the neighborhood.  For the remaining days, we conducted a VBS type program for kids of all ages. Through songs, games, lessons and crafts we taught the children about creation, the fall of man, and the story of David and Goliath.

Overall, it was an incredibly fun time.  I got to meet new people from all over South America and we had amazing times of worship as well.  However, there were some difficult moments as well. The first day of the VBS program was one of the hardest days I have experienced since I began working in in children’s ministry. The group of teachers I was working with, for the most part,  had never worked with kids before and had no idea what to expect. And on the other hand, the kids were full of energy and so excited to be there and wouldn’t sit still or listen to anything any of the teachers were saying. Of course, they are kids and that is to be expected. The activities that we planned couldn’t keep their attention enough for them to want to participate and I got more and more frustrated with them. But after we finished the kids program that day, a couple of the children came up to me to give me a hug and to ask what time we would start the next day. Even though, that didn’t erase the hours of frustration it did make it worth it.

The following days were much better and the children seemed to really enjoy everything that we were doing. I had fun watching puppet shows, making bracelets and a lot of other activities. There were still some moments when I was tired and I felt like giving up but there were others when I could look down at smiling faces and feel like what we were doing was making a difference.

After serving for a week in Manantiales I have learned an important lesson.  My ability to serve and help others should never be dependent on how I am feeling, on the people around me or the recognition I receive. This may seem very basic to you and, in my head, I know this to be true.  But in the actual day to day ministry and in doing things I’ll catch myself thinking that ministry or the things I do only has value if it makes a difference. Especially in working with children, I may never see the direct fruit of what I do and kids will not always come up to me and give me a hug or to say thank you. But even when I think nothing is working and that there is no point to what I’m doing, I have to make a decision to serve God and others to the best of my ability no matter what my surroundings are. I can’t live waiting or expecting results because I’ll be disappointed most of the time. However, when those special moments come, they will come when I least expect it, not when I’m depending or conditioning my service on them.

Misiones Manantiales

By Juan A. | Christ for the Nations Volunteer

La pasada semana del Domingo 14 al Domingo 21 de Abril, durante las festividades de semana santa, un grupo de alrededor 60 misioneros de Estados Unidos, Brasil, Ecuador, Curaçao, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, entre otros, nos unimos en una misión de esperanza para una comunidad extremadamente vulnerable y de escasos recursos ubicada en el departamento de Antioquia, Colombia. Se trata de la comunidad llamada “Manantiales”, la cual es considerada como el segundo asentamiento más grande del país, la que a su vez sufre una gran problemática social y económica debido a la falta de planificación por ser una invasión de territorio que fue creciendo desmedidamente desde hace algunos años atrás.

El instituto bíblico Cristo para las Naciones, la fundación Ciudad Refugio y el programa Amaneceres unieron fuerzas, pasión y recursos para llevar el mensaje y amor de Cristo Jesús a este sector. Durante toda esa semana se desarrollaron diversas actividades deportivas, recreativas, musicales y espirituales para que cada asistente los cuales principalmente eran niños, tuvieran una experiencia extraordinaria y se llevaran en sus corazones el conocimiento del amor de Dios.

Fue muy hermoso sentir el sincero abrazo de cada niño y sus radiantes sonrisas, ver el brillo esperanzador en sus ojos, y ver además que durante esas jornadas ellos se desconectaban completamente de una realidad muy dura que les ha tocado vivir, para conectarse con la paz, amor y alegría que provienen de Dios. La pregunta frecuente en cada chico era: “¿Cuándo vienen de nuevo?”, la cual quedó grabada en el corazón de cada misionero. Pedimos a Dios que ese anhelo de los niños de Manantiales de tener tiempos diferentes, escuchar cosas diferentes y sentirse amados, se convierta en combustible para cada uno de los voluntarios de dicha misión y abocarse con mayor frecuencia a esta población con tantas carencias.

Gracias al apoyo de algunos patrocinadores y al esfuerzo de todo el equipo, se lograron entregar refrigerios cada día, algunos mercados, ropa, zapatos, entre otros, no solo a los niños sino también a muchas madres residentes del barrio.

Oramos para que Dios mande obreros para su obra y que la semilla que fue sembrada en cada corazón de frutos a su tiempo. Estamos felices de poder decir: ¡Misión cumplida!

“Y es necesario que el evangelio sea predicado antes a todas las naciones”. Marcos 13:10

Ciudad Refugio on the Move in the Local Community

By Rebekah S. | Staff

“As an NGO we want to work inside our walls offering a refuge, a place of healing, hope and restoration for those in need.  As a church we want to live outside our walls reaching the lost and affecting human need in the name of Christ.  Let’s strive to be both a refuge and a lighthouse.”   – Pastor Douglas Calvano, Ciudad Refugio.

In the months of November and December of 2018, Casa de Refugio launched an initiative encouraging the local church and community to invest funds towards feeding hungry families in Manantiales, Colombia’s second largest camp of displaced persons.  As a result, in January we were able to deliver food boxes and school supplies to 200 needy families.

In addition, we received a group of 44 youth who came to partner with us as a church in local community outreach.  Together with these passionate youth, we were able to impact 350 kids from public schools as well as nearly 300 children from local communities.  We also facilitated live music and evangelistic events in El Refugio, the Ciudad Refugio bakery and cafe, and local city parks.

We are excited to be a part of what Jesus is up to in our community, and we pray He continues to teach and guide us as we share His light.