Focusing on the Few

By Merlin M. | Volunteer

This year Ciudad Refugio has been working under the mandate to evangelize where God has placed us and to disciple those who God has placed in our path.  Miraculously, the Lord has been opening unbelievable doors for us to accomplish this goal.  One amazing opportunity is to lead an English club at a local high school.  Read our previous post about this (HERE). Volunteers from the foundation go to the school two times per week on Wednesday and Friday afternoons to engage the students and encourage them to speak in English.

This program began in March of this year with a lot of engagement and enthusiasm.  As a volunteer from the foundation, I even wondered if we would be able to manage the number of interested kids! However, as time and the months went on, the number of students who regularly attended began to diminish little by little.  This could be due to a number of factors: Many students have said they forget about the timing of the club.  Others are engaged in so many other projects and activities and find it hard to make time for this.  And most of all, we are talking about teenagers here.  Their interest and attention spans are so limited; so, it may be that they just simply lost interest.

I can speak on behalf of all the volunteers (Special Shout-out to the amazing team: Julia, Maria, Tim, Joshua, Luise, and Yeyson) that we do try each week to make the club as fun, entertaining, and educational as possible.  Initially, as a volunteer it was deeply discouraging to see the number of students drop as the weeks went on. But an amazing thing happened.  I began to notice that as the attendance declined; the students that did come were more engaged and comfortable to speak English. We were able to talk to them on a deeper level as well; more than just the superficial.  We would have discussion on their families, strengths, weaknesses, hopes and dreams.

Last week on Friday we only had two students in the class.  But it was personally one of my favorite sessions of the club.  During the meeting, we were able to discuss about our influences, our dreams, and what happens when we die.  My fellow volunteer and I were able to share about our faith and the hope we have for eternity.  The most miraculous part of all of this for me personally was that I was able to share the Gospel in the language I am most comfortable in-English! Though looking at the number of students might have been a reason for feeling disappointed; the nature of the conversation and how the kids opened up to us, was something that only God could have orchestrated.

The events regarding the English Club reminded me about the story of Gideon from Judges 7 and how God narrowed down the available men to fight until it was the select group He desired.  Therefore, I am learning that the nature of God is more orientated towards quality and not quantity.  So, that means we’ll keep working and reaching out to these students; regardless of the number.  Because building relationships and creating personal connection is the model that Christ has taught us to follow. And if we can speak life and the truth of the Gospel into the heart of one student, that alone would be worth it.   At the end of the day, as it says in I Corinthians 15:58: “ So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”  (NLT)

Can I encourage you be fruitful for God where ever He has placed you? Don’t be discouraged playing the numbers game but pray that God provides a fruitful harvest for your efforts!

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.

 

A Manantiales of Healing – Youth Retreat

By Merlin M. | Short Term Volunteer

The word “manantiales” in Spanish means spring and the word seems fitting to describe the youth retreat of Ciudad Refugio which took place from November 10-12, 2018.  The youth and leadership team had a chance to get away from their normal responsibilities and ministry to just have a chance to relax, spend time with God and each other. The youth leadership team did an excellent job in planning the entire retreat and it provided a good mix of activities and time with the Lord.

We arrived at the retreat on Saturday afternoon and after settling into what would be our rooms for the next couple of nights; we spent time some playing an intense game of football. (I should clarify that the others played an intense game of football while I screamed every time the ball came near me.) Following, we had dinner and then Rebekah shared a powerful lesson on healing.  During the lesson, we were each given a rag and at the end of the lesson, we got a chance to write what we individually needed healing from and nail it to an actual cross! It was a powerful moment for all!

Sunday was a unique day because it was the first time that the youth had a separate service apart from the rest of the congregation.  The morning was spent in time for praise and worship and David shared a powerful word. He began by asking: “When was the last time you cried?” And by the end of his message, many youth were touched and wept before the Lord.  It truly was a beautiful time in the presence of the Lord. The afternoon consisted of volleyball, swimming and tie-dye crafts. In the evening, we spent time with the Lord and Gustavo taught on having passion and fire for Christ. It was an inspiring teaching that the youth needed to hear.

Monday was the last day of the retreat! In the morning, Erika taught a beautiful lesson on how our inheritance in Christ comes through faith and how we all need to share the hope we have with others. The afternoon was special because Pastor Douglas and Marilu came and spent time with the youth.  Once again, there was a super competitive game of football; this time with Pastor Douglas leading a team. It was great to see everyone involved in the game; and to even see a few goals scored by Pastor Douglas himself. (Though I do have to say, some of the goals were handballs. But according to Pastor Douglas, there were no handballs but I have a problem with my sight.)  The retreat ended with a timely teaching and passionate prayer from Pastor Douglas that summed up everything that was previously shared and taught over the course of the previous days. We truly felt the healing and powerful presence of God during this time!

Overall, it was a great experience to spend time with the youth and to see God begin a work of healing in many lives.  It was inspiring to hear the youth reflect on their time at the retreat on how God spoke to their hearts and their takeaways.  Some shared that they learned about faith, that is alright to be vulnerable, how God wants to heal us, and what it means to be a child of God.  I know that the retreat is just the start of what God is looking to do in the lives of this next generation. My prayer is that the work that God began in their hearts would grow and spring forth to provide much fruit and that these youngsters would shine the hope and light of Christ to all those around them.  

 

The Long Journey Home

By Monica | Ciudad Refugio Program Recipient – Manantiales

We arrived to El Pinar 13 years ago from Yolombó, Colombia – my husband and I and our then four children (we now have five).  We didn’t know anything about the community and we were not displaced, we just knew that it was cheap to live here and to be honest we really didn´t have any other option.  We found a plot and when my husband began to work we started to build.

The most difficult thing about this community is the drugs and the challenge of trying to raise a family.  I live in front of a soccer field where drugs are bought and sold 24 hours a day.  It is very difficult to raise children here, especially boys, it is a miracle of God that my son escaped this path.  In this community, if you see a child here 9, 10, 11, 12 years on the street, the majority are already working in the drug business.

We learned quickly how to survive here, you have to know how to guard your eyes and your mouth.  And never leave your house at night.

When I first arrived in El Pinar with my husband I went to Medellin to visit a friend who was sleeping in a shelter.  That shelter was run by Douglas and Marilu Calvano.  I started assisting in the church that they had at the time.  When my friend left the shelter, I also stopped coming down to Medellin and stopped attending church.  That was 14 years ago…

Then, two years ago, my son came home one day and said that there were some Saturday activities for kids and youth being held in the field and could he attend, I said yes.  He continued every Saturday and then came a few months later and asked if he could have permission to spend the weekend in Medellin with the foundation that sponsored the Saturday activities. This provoked me as a mother to learn more about the foundation and who was running it.  As I was asking my son for more information he mentioned the Pastor, whose name was Douglas, and his wife Marilu who were leading the church and foundation.  Instantly I remembered and realized it was the same Pastor Douglas and Marilu that ran the shelter and church where I had been involved years early.

Soon after they offered my son the opportunity to move into the foundation to study and be discipled.  I also began to hear about a bible study forming in the community being led by Doña Nena a relative of Pastor Douglas and Marilu who I also knew as she had been a cook at the time that I was involved with the ministry.

Coming back to the foundation for me has been coming back to the Lord.  I had allowed my life to take another path, pursuing the things of the world, but after many years the Lord brought me home.

I love Ciudad Refugio and through the church I am now accomplishing my dream of establishing my house over the rock.  It has always been my desire to build a strong home for my family.  Looking back I can see that God has always been there, has always been waiting for me and that He continued taking care of me and providing for me even when I was far from him.

Mi Segunda Oportunidad En La Vida

Por Mateo | Interno de Desarrollo Juvenil

Yo no quería estar en casa solo los sábados, así que comencé a ir al programa de Ciudad Refugio los sábados en Manantiales. Después de algún tiempo, se me permitió formar parte del grupo que venía a Ciudad Refugio los fines de semana a dormir.

A través de las actividades del fin de semana, me hice amigo de otro chico de Manantiales que ahora vivía en la fundación y comencé a preguntar si esa también podría ser una opción para mí.

La mayor diferencia en mi vida desde que llegué a la fundación es que antes no tenía a Cristo y ahora sí.

Antes estaba muy confundido acerca de la religión y no me gustaba ir a la iglesia. Aquí me ayudaron a entender bien lo que significa tener una relación personal con Jesús. El 28 de noviembre de 2017, estábamos en el segundo día de un ayuno de la iglesia. Tomé la decisión de entregar mi corazón a Jesús. Sentí fuertemente la presencia de Dios y me hizo ver la realidad de mi pecado. Pasé esa noche en mi habitación orando.

Mi vida ha cambiado mucho desde entonces. Vivía solo para mí y nunca consideraba la seriedad o consecuencia del pecado. Ahora pienso más en otras personas y en las consecuencias de mis acciones.