For the first time in the history of Ciudad Refugio, Pastor Douglas and Harry went on a trip abroad to the United Stated together from October 10- October 31, 2018. Anyone who knows Ciudad Refugio can understand how monumental this trip was because these two servants of God play such integral roles in the day to day workings of the foundation and the church. On the other hand, it’s uncertain what was harder for them: to spend so much time together or to spend so much time away from the ministry and their families. But God truly blessed their trip with favor, open doors, and hazelnut coffee creamer and for that they are truly grateful and thankful.
Though the trip was only for a few weeks, their itinerary was jam packed with meetings and services. They landed in New York and spent their first Sunday in the United States at their home church, Times Square Church (TSC). Ciudad Refugio has a deep and lasting connection with Times Square Church and is an “Anchor Project” of TSC. In fact, Pastor Douglas came to serve in Medellin on a one-way ticket from Times Square Church. So everyone at the foundation are grateful and treasure this ministry for their continual support! After the 10 AM service at TSC, Harry and Pastor Douglas had the opportunity to meet with a team of prayer warriors and supporters of the ministry. Most of the members of the prayer team in TSC have previously visited Ciudad Refugio for a short term missions trip and are faithful in meeting to intercede and pray for the ministry. They were so thankful to this team for their prayers and upholding the ministry!
The Lord also provided opportunities for Pastor Douglas and Harry to meet other churches in New Jersey and within Pennsylvania. One memorable experience was traveling to and speaking at Summit International School of Ministry in Grantville, PA. At one meeting, more than 50 individuals came forward and expressed interest to serve in Colombia. Praise God for this! May the Lord bring the workers who He has chosen to reap the harvest in Medellin.
Their trip ended with a visit to Florida. Harry was able to attend the 80th birthday party for his parents and the Lord opened the door to meet with churches to share their heart and vision for the ministry. On October 31st, Harry and Pastor Douglas returned back home to Medellin. They looked rested and seemed ready to get back in the swing of things in terms of serving and ministry. They were also so thankful for the leaders at Ciudad Refugio that ensured everything ran smoothly and without any hiccups in their absence. Praise God for the exceptional and truly incomparable volunteers and staff that serve here!
They are thankful to God for all the opportunities and doors that the Lord opened on this trip. It truly was the season of miracles and they wait with expectation as the seeds of faith that were planted in the hearts of many to support the work of Ciudad Refugio take root and begins to grow.
I honestly was blinded of my problem until now. Personally I never had any experience with drugs prior to arriving in Medellín, Colombia.
My sheltered bubble was popped. My eyes were opened and what I saw absolutely broke my heart. I was introduced to the haunting control drugs can hold on someone’s life.
The drugs themselves did not influence me directly. What appalled me most was witnessing the power and damage drugs cause in people’s lives. It’s sickening. It’s disturbing. It’s sad.
The problem is drugs!
Let me tell you about my problem with drugs.
Drugs rip people of their freedom.
Drugs contaminate people’s minds with lies.
Drugs numb people from pain and emotions, even the good ones.
Drugs control a person’s mind, body, and decisions.
Drugs tear apart families.
Drugs ruin dreams.
Let’s start looking at the drugs as the evil and the drug users as people just like you and I; people who are worthy of being loved, people with families, people with stories, people with dreams, people who have made mistakes, and people who need to be forgiven.
The problem is not drug users. Hate the sin not the sinner!
The moment my perspective changed was the moment I entered the women’s drug rehabilitation program. Not because I received healing and freedom from my addiction but because God broke my heart over the effects drug addiction had on His daughters. Living alongside these amazing women gave me so much life and deepened my faith.
The testimonies the women shared were filled with agony, loss, mistakes, shame, and guilt. I would go even as far as to say drugs ruin lives but these women showed me otherwise. Without Jesus that’s where the story might end but because of his power to change hearts and break the chains of addiction, these women were offered a better path for their lives through his steadfast love and grace. These women tell stories about attempting to break their addiction on their own strength but the stories always ended back at drugs. Ciudad Refugio invited these women into the foundation and opened a space asking God to heal the brokenness of addiction by giving them hope in an relentless source, Jesus Christ.
It’s completely evident that God is working through Ciudad Refugio and in the lives of these beautiful women. Despite abandoning their old lifestyles, missing their families and battling lies from the enemy, these ladies show incredible bravery and strength. I am encouraged by the healing God has already done and the faith that these women have in the midst of their trials. I left the program with a better understanding of God’s character and his love for his children. Please pray for the women in the program!
God bless Ciudad Refugio and the work that this ministry is doing for the Kingdom of God!
An old saying goes, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get!” Well, it has certainly proved true for me and my call to serve with Ciudad Refugio. You see, I have always felt that my purpose was to someday serve as a missionary in Africa! And the Lord and I had an understanding (or so I thought) that in five years after I had achieved all my career and life goals; I would selflessly give up my cushy job and comfortable life to go slave away for the Lord under the hot African sun. But it turns out though it was my plan; it clearly wasn’t God’s. And as you might have gathered by now, the Lord sent me to Colombia, not Africa.
My connection with Ciudad Refugio began in November of 2017. I came with an awesome team (GONDOLA for life!) from Times Square Church for a ten-day, short-term missions trip. To be honest, my life and work were super busy before departing that I was in no way spiritually ready to serve and minister. In fact, I contemplated many times to just cancel and not go at all. But that all changed the Sunday before I left. My pastor prayed for me and said the following: “May this trip be life-changing and forever alter the course of your life!” And after that prayer, something softened in my heart and I found my sense of dread was replaced with a sense of expectation.
When I arrived at Ciudad Refugio, I was blown away by how the ministry was serving in transforming lives and providing hope. What opened my eyes the most was how they selflessly ministered to those who society so often overlooks and discards as broken. But through their efforts, they refine and redeem a sense of loss with the hope that only Christ provides. Moreover, the sheer scope of all they did with the resources they had, absolutely blew me away. And gently, I felt the Lord start to speak to my heart and ask two things of me:
1. Am I willing to come back and serve in Colombia?
2. Am I willing to return not just for 10 days but longer?
Meanwhile, I was actively trying to ignore the gentle whispers as “crazy talk” or my heart’s response to the need I saw around me. But still, the whispers persisted and continued to resound in my heart. So naturally, I began to have in-depth conversations with God which consisted of me trying to teach God geography (“Remember, you said Africa and Lord, this is Colombia. I think you have the wrong continent. Now, did you mean the Congo or Cameroon?” ) and of me trying to push my five year career plan with some benefits (How about instead of me going to Colombia I will faithfully institute a 20-30% tithing habit?)
While on the trip, I told some of my team members of what the Lord was speaking and they were so supportive and in many ways not surprised by what the Lord was speaking to me. I, on the other hand, wanted to pull a Jonah and run anywhere other than where God was leading. But my resistance began to melt when I heard the sermon preached by a visiting minister the second Sunday of my trip. He asked the following questions: “What if God destroyed all you know and hold dear for the salvation of just one soul? Are you ready to surrender to God’s will no matter the cost?” These questions pierced my heart and forced me to take a long reflective look at myself and how much I am willing to listen, obey, and surrender! It’s easy to sing on a Sunday morning, ” I have decided to follow Jesus” but am I actually willing to actually live it out; no matter the cost? The Lord broke my will and replaced it with His perfect will for me!
A few days later, I left Colombia with the gentle assurance that one day I would return and that it would be sooner than later. And true to His promise, that’s exactly what happened. Less than a year after my short term trip to Colombia, I am now back and serving for three months with Ciudad Refugio!
So I would encourage all of you who are reading this: Trust God with your life because as it says in Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
And as the Lord is teaching me, He always knows best and plans the best adventures for your life. Stayed tuned for more updates from my time and adventures at Ciudad Refugio!
By John F. | Staff, Recovery & Transition Program Graduate
I met my beautiful wife when I was 18 and she was 16. We met while working at a supermarket, I worked every day of the week and she worked during the weekends. We liked each other and soon began a relationship. We remained a couple for approximately 5-6 years before we got married. We got married through the civil court and not the church because, I did not know anything about Christianity and we were never interested in the Catholic Church.
We had a wonderful family, one beautiful young girl and boy. I was a proud husband and father, I had what every person desired, a family. I would soon miss entering my home and seeing my family in the living room laughing and enjoying each others company. This soon ended when I relapsed. At this moment I was a recovering drug addict, I had stop consuming for a few years already, but the shadow of addiction followed and caught up to me.
Every single day that I worked I wasted it all on drugs. After work, my schedule was simple, go to my dealer, then go to random house and consume till I had nothing left, and finally I would return to my home. I never did drugs at home and always attempted not to enter my home under the influence. The doors to my home were always opened, it was where I would sleep off my drug use and repeat the cycle the following day. This became too much for my wife because, when you are using drugs you forget everything about responsibilities especially in my case the role of a husband and father.
My wife and I came to a mutual agreement that separation and a divorce was needed, because, remaining a family was toxic to everyone. The process of divorcing my wife took a heavy toll on me, even though, by that point I didn’t hold on to any responsibilities. My soon to be ex-wife became a father and mother to our children.
For some a divorce like this can shake someone up to the realities of what they are losing but, this separation nor the loss of my children changed me in any way. Rather, I went deeper into the abyss of my addiction. I began to feel lonely and depressed, I missed entering my home and being in the midst of my family. The only place I now found refuge was in the arms and embrace of drugs. I consumed drugs daily, I essentially lived to do drugs. Let’s put it this way, if I had 50,000 pesos, 40,000 would go towards drugs and 10,000 to food. Completely forgetting that I needed to provide for my children, who never received a penny, clothing, not even a pair of socks during this time. At this point in my life, I had nothing to live for, I was alone, lived on my own, and was isolated from everyone. There were many nights in which I sought to end my life, especially through overdoses. I would start a night doing drugs and continued on nightly binges. I had no way of controlling what was happening to me.
It wasn’t until two years ago that I sought help. After spending a year consuming drugs every day, I ran out of options for help. I sought God for help when I had nothing left. Sadly, this is the conclusion for many, when it should be the first option. It was through a pastor from my mother’s church who connected me to Ciudad Refugio. So, there I was taking the first step at restoration. I got admitted into the men’s rehabilitation program, it consisted of 1 year of restoration, 6 months of transition, and now I have 3 months post transition.
In the midst of being in the program, I began to learn more about God, the love of God, the restorative power of God through prayer and reading the Word. I even learned of the important component that family plays in restoration and being here reminded me of that responsibility I left behind. I now craved to have my family back especially my children, I wanted to be a father once again. It’s interesting, because I was admitted into this rehabilitation program to restore myself and my family, but while in this program, the devil was continually telling me that if I want to see restoration in my family I have to go to them and that I was already “fixed” I no longer needed this program. I thank God for my leaders and counselors because they continually helped me when I was close to giving up.
While in the program, I did not communicate with my ex-wife, it wasn’t until the 6th month of entering the program that my ex-wife decided to come visit with our children. Even then we didn’t speak to each other. But, she continually came to the church service that were held at the foundation before visitation. After I finished the program, she didn’t want anything to do with me nor with God and stopped coming to church for a few months. In fact, she proved this by being with someone else, what hurt was that it was a mutual friend of ours. This completely broke my heart, I thought I lost it all and once again I wanted to pack my bags and leave everything behind.
I still loved my ex-wife, and wanted to see our family get together, but because of the restorative process in my life, I didn’t dare tell her nor signaled to her what I felt, I did not want to create a fantasy that probably didn’t exist. Despite these news of her being with someone, I sought God to be my refuge and strength. I would continually pray for restoration of my family.
One day during visitation she was friendly towards me something that never happened before and so I asked God for a clear sign from Him in regard to my ex-wife. I simply prayed “God if this is you changing my ex-wife, then before anything could happen between myself and her, Lord I asked that she surrender her life to you, and that she would follow you wholeheartedly without the pressure of anyone”. I made this prayer and within a week I forgot about that prayer.
A few weeks later she started coming to church more regularly, week after week, she was there sitting and paying attention attentively unlike other times where she would easily get bored. She was acting different, she would call me and ask for my advice on random things and problems that she was facing. Something was off, she was coming to me for support, of all people, this was uncommon especially coming from her. I was trying to understand what was happening because a few weeks ago she wanted nothing to do with me. So, one night I asked God is this from you or not, because I knew I liked and loved her, but I wanted to make sure that I was not creating this all in my head. That night I went to sleep and woke up being reminded of the prayer I made and the answer that I was witnessing.
So, within a few days I approached her in front of my leaders and asked her if she wanted to mend our relationship and family. And to my amazement she said YES, and fast forward to today, I am happily married, we got married through the church and I now get to go home to my beautiful wife and children.I was blessed to have restoration in my marriage, my wife is my best friend, someone who I admire for all the moments that she spent raising our children and never giving up on our family.
“As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” – Joshua 24.15
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.
In 1727, 24 men and 24 women agreed to spend an hour each day on scheduled prayer, praying in sequence around the clock. Soon others joined the prayer chain. Days passed, then months. Unceasing prayer rose to God for 24 hours a day. It was the prayer meeting that eventually lasted 100 years.
Five years later, in August of 1732, the first two missionaries, Leonard Dober and David Nitschmann were commissioned. By 1734, 22 missionaries perished and two more were imprisoned, but others took their place. By that time William Carey became the “father of modern missions,” and over 300 Moravian missionaries had already gone to the ends of the earth.
The Moravian´s fervor sparked the conversations of John and Charles Wesley and indirectly ignited the great awakening that swept through Europe and America.
The prayer meeting lasted 100 years, but the results will last for eternity.
Llevo dos años y cuatro meses en la fundación. Soy originaria de Ecuador, pero antes de llegar a la fundación tenía una muy buena amiga en Colombia que había sido voluntaria en otras fundaciones de mi país. Siempre nos mantuvimos en contacto, incluso a distancia. Cuando ella regresó a Ecuador, comencé a desear tener también la oportunidad de hacer misiones a corto plazo. Estaba buscando ir a algún lugar fuera de mi país. Primero, le envié una carta a JUCUM en Brasil, pero no tenían espacio para extranjeros. Entonces, al hablar con esta amiga mía por skype, me dijo que, a través de esta fundación en Medellín (Ciudad de Refugio), ella tuvo la oportunidad de ir a Alemania. Me encantó la idea y le pedí más información sobre esta fundación. Cuando me habló del programa para mujeres, realmente me llamó la atención, porque en mi país no reconocía ese tipo de programas en funcionamiento, especialmente los que se basan en la fe. Quería aprovechar esta oportunidad, así que escribí una carta y finalmente hablé con Rebekah Slick, quien formaba parte del personal de la fundación. Ella me dijo que podía venir durante un mes, así que vine. Sin embargo, rápidamente me di cuenta de que esta cantidad de tiempo era demasiado corta para mí. Necesitaba conocer a las mujeres y realmente vivir la vida con ellas. Hablé con el pastor Douglas durante mi primer mes aquí, y me contó como las mujeres y hombres de los programas estaban acostumbrados a esta historia de personas que entran y salen de sus vidas. Me dijo que es importante tener una relación continua y de compromiso con ellos, para romper ese ciclo de presencia temporal. Esto tenía sentido para mí, así que me comuniqué con el pastor de mi iglesia en mi país y luego tomé la decisión de quedarme por tres meses más. En esos tres meses me di cuenta de que era muy importante compartir mi vida con ellos y quería más tiempo. Sin embargo, el futuro parecía realmente incierto. A pesar de que mi corazón estaba aquí, no estaba pensando a largo plazo, y nada me estaba haciendo realmente comprometerme con más tiempo.
Luego tuve un accidente en una moto. Este accidente hizo que el gobierno colombiano me diera una prórroga de tiempo en el que permanecí aquí para poder recuperarme. No pude caminar por un mes. Un grupo de amigos de JUCUM me cuidaban y yo vivía por fuera de la fundación. Iba a fisioterapia y los médicos continuaron extendiendo mi tiempo de recuperación, lo que me permitió quedarme en Colombia aún más. Sin embargo, este fue un momento difícil para mí, porque me sentía muy improductiva e inútil, y extrañaba mucho la fundación. Cuando me reuní con las mujeres del programa, sucedió algo muy especial. Cuando llegué al servicio de la iglesia el miércoles por la noche, las mujeres me pidieron que pasara la noche con ellas nuevamente. Entonces, me quedé y pude compartir con ellas, lo que fue muy hermoso para mí. Una de las mujeres se me acercó y me abrazó. Me dijo “Myra, te amo” y lo hizo con un profundo amor fraternal. Cuando vi mi cama aquí, seguía diciendo: “¡Esta es mi cama! ¡Esta es mi cama! Me sentí tan amada por las mujeres que quería volver. Así que hablé con Rebekah nuevamente para ver si podía quedarme de nuevo. Una de las directoras del programa de mujeres, doña Nena, se puso en contacto conmigo y me dijo que me quedara con las mujeres nuevamente.
Algo que no había mencionado es que cuando vine de Ecuador yo tenía problemas de salud, pero no era consciente de ello. Como resultado de todas las actividades en las que participé en la fundación, mis enfermedades aumentaron severamente. En Ecuador, ningún médico pudo diagnosticar mi enfermedad. Un día, la esposa del pastor, Marilú, expresó su preocupación porque sabía que yo siempre sentía dolor en la espalda. Ella me ayudó a conseguir una cita con el médico y la pagó. Fue interesante cómo sucedió porque fui a esta cita con una mujer que ora mucho por las mujeres en el programa; ella también estaba orando por mí. Ella me dijo mientras íbamos allí, que estaba orando para que el médico pudiera diagnosticar específicamente lo que estaba mal en mí. Y esto es lo que pasó. El médico me dio mi diagnóstico después de tratar muchas veces de entender cuál era mi enfermedad aquí en Colombia, y en mi país. Ese día finalmente me diagnosticaron. Le dije a Marilú mi diagnóstico, y sucede ella que tiene una amiga que se especializa en tratar esta condición. Así pude recibir tratamiento gratis. Una de las razones por las que he podido quedarme aquí es para continuar con este tratamiento. Una vez más, mi estadía en Colombia se extendió por razones médicas. Aunque la gente dice que me quedé aquí por mi tratamiento, sé que eso es solo una excusa para quedarme aquí con las mujeres. Todas las cosas que he enfrentado con mi salud han sido significativas en mi labor en la fundación.
Todos los ministerios que la fundación ofrece, no solo el programa para las mujeres, sino también el programa de alimentación para los niños, la educación en casa, todos los aspectos han tenido un impacto significativo en mi vida. Disfruto trabajar con personas vulnerables que han vivido vidas complicadas y que necesitan restauración. Este es el vínculo que me une a este lugar.
En cuanto al programa de mujeres, puedo decir muchas cosas, pero hay una mujer en particular que no será nombrada en la que me gustaría centrarme. Creo que ella representa a las demás de alguna forma. Ella viene de la calle, una usuaria frecuente de drogas que busca ayuda y desea un cambio, una restauración entre ella y su familia. Esta mujer estuvo en el programa por primera vez durante seis meses y luego se fue. Su partida me hizo llorar mucho, pero también había esta esperanza en mi corazón. Yo sentía que ella pertenecía a este lugar y que volvería. Después de un año y medio, alabado sea Dios, regresó. Me fortaleció ser testigo de su proceso. Esto me mostró nuevamente que nuestra lucha no es contra carne. Para trabajar aquí, uno necesita aferrarse a Dios. Hay que interceder, luchar, ganar fuerza y coraje para poder ayudar a las personas en este programa. Desde que esta mujer regresó, ha traído mucha felicidad a mi vida y me ha animado espiritualmente.
Hubo un momento que es muy importante para mí y que siempre recordaré y es cuando los hijos de esta mujer vinieron a visitarla por primera vez. Llegaron corriendo por el pasillo para saludarla y le dijeron: “¡Mamá! ¡Mamá!” Ella estaba de rodillas y los recibió con los brazos abiertos. Este encuentro ha impactado muy profundamente mi corazón. Recuerdo este momento con lágrimas porque vi que eso es lo que Dios quiere, vidas y familias restauradas.
Veo esto y me motiva estar aquí y acompañarlos en este proceso. Pero no es solo esto, tengo la oportunidad de presenciar lo que Dios está haciendo en sus vidas. Por ejemplo, ver que sus hijos pueden quedarse con ellas durante el fin de semana. Ver su deseo de luchar para restaurar su familia y sus hogares. A través de esto puedo ver el valor de estar aquí, aunque duele cuando se van y no terminan su programa. Esta mujer específica representa a una que ha venido, que se ha ido y que ha vuelto de nuevo. Ella representa para mí el dolor y la felicidad. Hay dolor cuando se van aquellos por los que hemos trabajado, y hay felicidad y esperanza cuando regresan y cuando podemos ver frutos en sus vidas.
Esta es la paradoja: hay momentos que están llenos de tristeza cuando las mujeres se van; puede ser muy frustrante. Pero cuando dependemos de Dios nos damos cuenta de que no se trata de nosotros ni de lo que podemos hacer por los demás, sino de Dios y de lo que está haciendo en cada momento. Es entonces cuando nos damos cuenta de que tenemos que seguir adelante y no quedarnos paralizados por la frustración. Seguimos creyendo en la restauración. Sigo creyendo que Dios ama y que rescata a los perdidos. Tenemos que mantener esa esperanza y trabajar con y para estas personas. Trabajar con estas mujeres es una de las cosas más impactantes que me ha pasado aquí, pero también está el programa de alimentación infantil en Manantiales.
Veo el trabajo que se hace en Manantiales. Esta no es una obra de rehabilitación sino un ministerio de prevención, porque estamos trabajando con niños. Muchos de los niños se han visto afectados por la violencia. Vemos que la violencia promueve más violencia. Vemos a muchos niños que son violentos, que no quieren prestar atención. En muchos casos, descargan las frustraciones de sus condiciones en otras personas. Pero podemos ver a un niño que ha sido herido. Me encanta trabajar con ellos porque muchos de ellos están dispuestos a dar y recibir amor. Es casi como que uno siente que se puede dar más donde falta amor, donde hay violencia. Sus brazos están abiertos para recibir. Tenemos la misión de aprovechar eso y darles lo que Dios ha ordenado que reciban.
Estas han sido algunas de mis experiencias viviendo en la fundación durante más de dos años. Más de lo que he dado, he recibido mucho y he aprendido mucho. Yo también puedo dar más. Dios me ha enseñado a ser más paciente y a saber que puedo amar a pesar de cualquier limitación. He aprendido que el cambio no es instantáneo, sino un proceso, pero si sabemos esperar y tener paciencia, veremos mucho fruto en la vida de las personas que se están rehabilitando. Y también nosotros nos estamos rehabilitando. Al vivir con la gente, descubres muchas cosas de ti misma que necesita cambiar para que tengamos la capacidad de dar lo mejor a los demás. Dios ha cambiado muchas cosas en mi vida aquí. Una frase que resume mi experiencia y que significa mucho para mí es esta: “Vive la Palabra”. No hay otra manera. Si quieres ayudar a los demás, necesitas vivir la Palabra, y eso abre muchas puertas: inspira credibilidad a los que te están escuchando, observando y recibiendo de ti, y a los que quieren cambiar.
Hay dos versículos que Dios ha puesto en mi corazón. Él confirmó mi llamado a través de esto. Malaquías 4: 5-6: “He aquí, yo os envío al profeta Elías antes que venga el día del Señor, día grande y terrible. Él hará volver el corazón de los padres hacia los hijos, y el corazón de los hijos hacia los padres, no sea que venga yo y hiera la tierra con maldición”. El Señor me dio este versículo después del mi accidente. Él me estaba guiando para que regresara a la fundación. Hay otro versículo en el libro de Lucas. Aquí en Lucas veo el mismo espíritu y llamado de Elías en Malaquías, restaurar vidas. En Lucas 1:17 dice, “E irá delante de Él en el espíritu y poder de Elías para hacer volver los corazones de los padres a los hijos, y a los desobedientes a la actitud de los justos, a fin de preparar para el Señor un pueblo bien dispuesto”.
Por Gustavo Ruiz |Graduado de Summit International School of Ministry, voluntario a largo plazo
Serví durante tres años en Ciudad Refugio en diversas capacidades: en el ministerio de hombres, en el ministerio de personas sin hogar, en la enseñanza y discipulado, en la traducción y como conductor. Mi tiempo con este ministerio ha sido una de las mayores bendiciones de mi vida cristiana. Pasaron tantas cosas durante este tiempo que es difícil resumir o expresar con palabras.
Ciudad Refugio fue maravilloso. Es el lugar donde descubrí que puedo ser útil en la mano de Dios. Es un lugar muy sencillo, con gente sencilla que responde al llamado de amar a Dios y de amar y servir a los necesitados.
En Ciudad Refugio experimenté cómo Dios puede usar a alguien en diferentes áreas, formando dones y talentos según sea necesario para realizar el trabajo en cuestión. Al mismo tiempo experimenté que no me cansaba, ya que servir a Dios parecía multiplicar mis fuerzas. Pasé mucho de mi tiempo sirviendo a Dios de maneras pequeñas y prácticas (haciendo recados u operando rutas escolares en los vehículos del ministerio). Mientras servía a Dios de esta manera sencilla, no estaba consciente de lo mucho que Él estaba haciendo en mi corazón.
La sumisión, la fidelidad, la perseverancia, la hermandad, la disciplina, la conciencia de aceptación, la conciencia de mi necesidad de Dios, son lecciones que no puedes aprender en un salón de clases; las aprendes a través del tiempo, la constancia e intimidad con Dios en tu servicio a Él.
Dios ha sido tan bueno conmigo en Ciudad Refugio. Eso no significa que no haya tenido luchas, pero incluso las dificultades han obrado para bien.
