From Death to Life

By Harry Dietrich | Director of Men’s Program & Organizational Operations 

What a grand privilege to be involved in the water baptism of one of the young graduates of The City of Refuge Men’s restoration program. Just a little over a year ago, this young man was selling and using drugs, and lost his family, work, and almost his life.  He was taking from any and everyone he could, just to survive. Today, he is serving the Lord, attending church, working, helping to support his family and praying that his brother one day would enter the program as well.  Now giving of himself to help others. This is just one example of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

En Busca de un Rostro Familiar

Por Jose Bernardo | Graduado del programa de hombres y participante del ministerio de Aguapanela

Comencé a usar drogas cuando tenía 14 años, primero con cigarrillos, después con alcohol, luego con marihuana y finalmente con cocaína.

20 años después, tomé la decisión de dejar de consumir. Me encerré en mi casa durante 5 meses y pude dejar las drogas.

Pensé que era libre.

Al día siguiente fui a visitar la casa de mi madre y descubrí que mi padre había sido asesinado. Encontré consuelo en las manos de mi hermano (también adicto) que me ofreció drogas para aliviar mi dolor. Acepté y caí profundamente en la adicción y en la depresión; tenía deseos de suicidio.

Fue hace dos años, en el Día de la Madre, que el dueño de la casa me echó. Esa noche dormí en la calle por primera vez, no muy lejos de Ciudad Refugio. Conocía la fundación porque había venido aquí una vez con mi madre para buscar a mi hermano, quien también era drogadicto. Mientras estaba en mi adicción, eché a mi hermano porque sentía que su adicción estaba causando que la mía se saliera de control.

Después de pasar una segunda noche en la calle, decidí venir a Ciudad Refugio a buscar ayuda.

Oré mientras caminaba, diciéndole a Dios que nunca había hecho nada por mí y que este era mi último intento de hacer algo bien para arreglar mi vida.

Cuando llegué a Ciudad Refugio, la puerta estaba abierta. Me recibieron y lo hicieron con una taza de café caliente. En mis 14 meses aquí, nunca los he visto ofrecer café a alguien que entrara en el programa; eso significó mucho para mí.

Un mes después de llegar a la fundación, mi madre fue expulsada de su casa y, por la gracia de Dios, Ciudad Refugio le abrió la puerta para que ella viniera a vivir a la fundación.

Cuando terminé mi programa, de inmediato comencé a servir en el ministerio de aguapanela. Después de haber estado en la fundación durante un mes, me propuse a servir en el ministerio alcance del aguapanela tan pronto como me lo permitieron. Ahora voy todas las semanas, con la esperanza de encontrar a mi hermano en las calles. Me siento mal por haberlo echado de la casa cuando estaba en mi adicción y quiero ofrecerle la misma oportunidad que tuve para recuperarme. Todos los miércoles voy y participo y entrego información sobre la fundación junto con una bebida caliente. Y cada semana doy gracias a Dios al reconocer que me salvó de la misma situación. A veces somos tan necios. No entiendo las cosas tan terribles que suceden en las vidas de las personas, pero estoy agradecido con Dios por haberme rescatado.

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.

A Call to My Country

By Michelle A. | Staff & Local Missionary 

My professor had shared with me about the work of Ciudad Refugio but I believe it was God through him guiding me towards this place.  I was working in a restaurant in Bello and I always found myself on breaks and after work sitting with homeless people or drug addicts sharing with them. I was always telling God that I wanted to serve in a foundation where I could learn more how to work with this population with whom God had burdened my heart. 

I started looking for a foundation that I could serve with.  I thought it would be a schedule of certain hours or days during the week.  When I had the interview in Ciudad Refugio, to my surprise Rebekah offered me the opportunity to live and serve in the foundation full-time. I left surprised and full of thoughts of how it would even be possible given the schedule that I maintained studying and working.  But three weeks later after much prayer and what I believed to be repeated confirmations from the Lord, I quit my job and arrived at the foundation with my suitcase and I have been here ever since.

Here in Ciudad Refugio there is a lot of work to do.  It can be tiring because you need to be prepared to give of yourself and to give in abundance at every moment.  I feel like I came here as one type of vessel and here God has let me fall and be broken.  He is now remaking me into the vessel that He wants me to be.  He is working with my character.  I am learning how to love and how to hug.  Working with the children has taught me so much about the love of God. And working in the kitchen for me has been a school, a form of training.  For example when I work for the donation of fruits and vegetables that we receive from local supermarkets I see how the donation arrives dirty, bruised and damaged.  Then we do the work of cleaning it, peeling it and packaging it.  By the time we finish we have a nice, clean product, useful in the service of feeding the people here.  I see it as an image of the process that the men and women are in in the programs of Ciudad Refugio and the work of transformation that God is doing in their lives.

Here God is also teaching me how to be obedient.  How to submit to my authorities.  It has not been easy but I am learning that obedience brings much blessing. God has taken away my pride… well really, He is still working on my pride. I am now continuing my studies at the Presbyterian Seminary.  My heart and my calling is for the people here in Medellin, there is no other place that I would want to be.  I am blessed to be a missionary to my own people.

 

Lucas’ Story

Dictated by Lucas | Staff

Hello friends and fur buddies!

My name is Lucas, and like many that come to the foundation I came because I did not have a home. As a dog it was very difficult finding a home because street dogs in Medellin don’t get a lot of attention, this is why my story of finding my place at this foundation is pawsome.

Before the summer of 2017, life was ruff for me. Until this one day, I found myself hanging out by a mountain and river, and from a distance I saw a group of strangers having fun, my ears perked up to their laughter; I was immediately drawn to them. I walked up to them hoping they would pick up on my hints of wanting to play fetch so, I sniffed out a rock and brought it to them and I was one lucky dog because they played with me from morning to late afternoon. After throwing the rocks a couple times and seeing my teeth, they quickly switched the rock to a ball because they noticed that I had close to no teeth. Having close to no teeth has been a struggle in picking things up but it has never stopped me from getting the best rocks, balls, and sticks for fetch.

As the day progressed, I became comfortable with these strangers, so my tail and ears went up in alert when I noticed that they were packing up to leave. As they were packing up, they started shouting and asking people around if they knew where my owner was, I joined them and continuously barked to see if someone appeared. No one answered my call or theirs.

After no one turned up they huddled together. This is when my ears perked up because they started talking about providing me with a home, everything they were saying are tails you hear about on the streets of Medellin, it sounded like paradise. I couldn’t believe what was being said that they would provide a place for me to sleep, food every day, someone I could hang out with, 100 hours of fetch with a ball?! Not everyone gets a second chance like this, so I knew something big going to happen when they knighted me with the name Lucas, and then asked me the most important question of my life, “Lucas do you want to come with us?” this was the question that I automatically barked “woof woof woof” (translation “Yes, yes, yes!”). I was taken to the Ciudad Refugio van, there was only one seat left, and I knew that seat was meant for me. I was a little scared of the unknown but ready for a new adventure and a second chance at life with these amazing people.

When I arrived, like many street dogs, I was dirty and infested with critters, so they had to take me to the doctors and take me a bath, they told me it was for the best and boy did I look and feel different afterwards. They kept their promise and took me home.

After being here for a few years, I think this has been a mutually beneficial arrangement, especially for my owners. See, they work very hard jobs and it could be very stressful, because they work with at-risk individuals and with people in the rehabilitation program. Many times, they need a small break and I always try to be available to provide that for them. Being in a rehabilitation program can become hard for many in the program as well, it comes with frustrations, obstacles, and hardships because many of these men and women don’t get to see their loved ones ever so often because they are trying to become better people for themselves and the families they left behind. I try to lighten the mood for everyone in the foundation by playing fetch, being an ear to listen to their hi and lows of the day, allowing them to clear their minds by doing many activities with me and many have told me that I am a reminder of their furry friend back home and they can’t wait to one day be reunited with their best friend.

So, this is my job as a foundation staffer, it is to provide everyone and anyone a time where they can relax, and I get to do what I do best which is show them love through my games and hundreds of licks and kisses daily. They seem happier after spending time with me and I am always happy spending time with them. Being with them helps them destress and brings comfort. I always want them to remember that at the end of the day, they will always have a friend wagging and waiting eagerly for them.

These people have become my new friends and family, I don’t really have an owner because everyone takes care of me. I am blessed to have a large family. Like many of these men and women, this foundation desires to provide a change in the lives of people and a dog like me. There is a better future for all of us and this is why this foundation is my incredible home.

Intervención Divina|Un Recorrido de Restauración

By John F. | Staff, Recovery & Transition Program Graduate 

Crecí en un hogar en el cual yo era el más joven de tres hermanos. Tenía una madre cristiana y un padre alcohólico que no estuvo presente durante gran parte de mi infancia. Comencé a tomar alcohol cuando tenía 12 años; a mi madre no le gustó, pero mi padre lo permitió. Bebía mucho, y a la edad de 18 años probé cocaína por primera vez siendo amenazado por la pistola de mi jefe. Hasta esa noche, yo era el único de sus trabajadores que no consumía cocaína. Durante los siguientes dos años inhalé cocaína gratuitamente mientras trabajaba para él. Cuando mi esposa quedó embarazada, dejé mi trabajo y comencé un nuevo trabajo con personas que no estaban tan vinculadas a la comunidad de las drogas. Dejé de usar cocaína durante 5 años. Fueron los mejores momentos para nuestro matrimonio, pero con el tiempo, nuestro matrimonio comenzó a tener problemas y mi esposa me dejó. Dejé mi trabajo y mi nuevo trabajo estaba ubicado en uno de los barrios de mayor venta y tráfico de drogas en Medellín. Solo, deprimido y constantemente invitado a beber y usar drogas con viejos amigos, era solo cuestión de tiempo.

Mi vida en ese momento llegó a su punto más bajo. Ya no tenía el control de mi adicción, sino que mi adicción tenía el control total de mi vida. Comencé a pensar y luego tomé la decisión de suicidarme. Primero, compré suficiente cocaína para una sobredosis, pero no me quitó la vida. Así que, una noche, decidí saltar frente al tren del metro. Llamé a mi madre, a mi exesposa y a mis hijos para despedirme.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abordé el tren en San Antonio y comencé a buscar dónde me bajaría y saltaría frente a un tren. Me senté junto a una anciana que me recordó a mi madre. La mujer estaba profundamente dormida. Cuando me senté a su lado, reconocí que estaba escuchando una canción de Alex Campos que hablaba de la amistad. Cuando comencé a escuchar, la mujer se despertó y me agarró del brazo y dijo: “Jesús te ama y quiere que te diga que lo que estás planeando hacer no debes hacerlo. Jesús te ama.” Tan pronto como se despertó, se volvió a dormir.

No mucho después, llegué a Ciudad Refugio. Después del encuentro en el tren, llamé a mi madre y le dije que hablara con su pastor para que me buscara un programa de restauración. El pastor había conocido recientemente a un joven que había completado con éxito el programa de recuperación de Ciudad de Refugio. Él hizo el contacto y nosotros fuimos a una entrevista.

Entrar a la fundación no fue una decisión fácil. Aunque estaba en el punto más bajo de mi vida, todavía estaba trabajando y tenía “libertad”. Pero tomé la decisión y fue lo mejor que he hecho.

Llevaba tres días en la fundación y no había dormido debido a mi ansiedad por la cocaína. Me reuní en la cuarta noche con mi mentor y oré para aceptar a Cristo. Luego encontré un rincón en una habitación donde podía orar y le dije a Dios: “por favor, si eres real y quieres que me quede, necesito dormir”.  Desde entonces no he perdido otra noche de sueño.

“Tú guardarás en completa paz a aquel cuyo pensamiento en ti persevera.”

Terminé mi programa de un año y ahora estoy trabajando en la fundación, ayudando a administrar la panadería de la fundación y un proyecto llamado “Manos que obran”. Estoy confiando en que Dios continuará restaurando a mi familia y mi futuro.

Un Tiempo de Crecimiento

Por Priscilla |Programa de intercambio de voluntarios

Estando en Alemania, he crecido en todas las áreas. Tengo un sentido cada vez mayor de lo que significa estar aquí como latina y estoy tratando de ser la mejor versión que pueden ver de Colombia, aprendiendo a ser proactiva, a dar mucho más de lo que pensaba que tenía, a conocer a Dios en un nivel más profundo, a estar sola, a disfrutar de la compañía de personas sin entender lo que dicen, a sacrificar mi comodidad para conectarme con la gente, a pagar el precio de mis sueños, y he desarrollado un nivel diferente de relación con mi familia e iglesia.

Aparte de estos logros personales, me he desecho de muchos de los estereotipos que tenía sobre Europa, Alemania, los alemanes y los refugiados. Uno de estos estereotipos que he rechazado es pensar que toda la gente en Alemania es rica y por lo tanto feliz. Pero en Alemania también hay gente que no tiene suficiente dinero; hay gente que está totalmente sola y que sufre igual que en nuestro país. Por lo tanto, lo que más valoran es un poco de tiempo. Acompañar en una celebración, ser parte de eventos sencillos, sentarse a conversar o simplemente darles una sonrisa y un abrazo es más valioso que cualquier otra cosa.

Otro estereotipo que he rechazado es la baja autoestima que nosotros los colombianos y latinos hemos tenido desde hace décadas. Nunca en mi vida me había sentido tan orgullosa de mis orígenes como en estos cinco meses. Tenemos tanta riqueza y recursos humanos que solo en la distancia se entiende. Nuestra cultura ha creado gente sencilla y amable, que se le mide a todo, que no se le quita a nada. Ahora no me canso de invitar a personas a que se atrevan a viajar a Colombia porque Dios nos ha dado mucho para complementar una cultura tan diferente como lo es la alemana.

Ministry is a Result of Intimacy

Jessica Onnembo | Member of Times Square Church Missions Team

Living at the feet of Jesus is the most beautiful place to be. I was sitting in the Medellin airport waiting to board our flight back to the United States this past November, along with a missions team of six women and two men from Times Square Church (TSC) when that statement took root so deeply in my heart.

To have been a part of all that God is doing in and through Ciudad de Refugio (City of Refuge) for just a few short days had been a gift from the Lord that showed me the eternal value of seeking to build His kingdom here on earth. To know of how Ciudad Refugio began as a ministry; birthed through a heart of obedience to Jesus’s command to fulfill the Gospel’s Great Commission in the city of Medellin, and then to stand in the present moment and look to the future with a confidence in God, knowing He truly has so much more in store for His people and His Church was truly amazing.

In being part of a TSC missions team, I can say from the beginning of our time at Ciudad Refugio, that our hearts were filled with gratitude in being able to witness the powerful work God is doing there. Redemptive, restorative, and eternal work is what we could all see in the development of God’s plan in this place.  To stand in the midst of the miraculous, where former drug addicts and alcoholics are being delivered and broken families are being restored is witnessing the Gospel alive and in action. During our time, we had the privilege to join in with a Child Cry feeding program and experience physically and spiritually standing alongside those who lived in impoverished villages located just outside the foundation. I recall this being the first reminder of what it means to live at the feet of Jesus. Living at His feet is the place where we as the Church can find common ground and it is the place where we understand our value according to Christ’s love for us. As the team served the children that first morning after arriving, teaching them Bible verses, singing songs, playing games and providing them with lunch, we truly witnessed God’s heart for these people and this place. Through allowing God to use us to share His heart and love, the concept of living at Jesus’s feet became not just an idea but an essential need. We need the presence of God in our lives, and our hearts desire to remain in Him, the true vine, this is our greatest longing. I think I can speak on behalf of the team and myself when I say that there comes a time in serving Christ and His Church you realize you are truly nothing without Him. But, His Word promises that we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens” us (Philippians 4:13). In order to find our significance while also making an impact for the kingdom of God we must respond to the call to rely on His presence, power and purposes. Our ability to do what God desires and has in store comes not from our ourselves, our creativity or spirituality, but from His enabling power. It is God  who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can imagine in our lives and in the lives of others (Ephesians 3:20).  Only by living a life of surrender and humility are we able to take a posture of strength at His feet, seeing in full view the true beauty of living for the glory of His name.

There were several other moments during our time in Medellin that the women on our team were able to powerfully witness God’s love through the women in the program. On one of the mornings, our missions team along with some of the women of the foundation were completing tasks for the day – peeling, cutting and chopping fruits and vegetables in preparation for the meals that day. I think honestly that was the place I was least expecting to experience the mighty power of God. But as we were completing the “tasks” I began talking with one of the women in the program and getting to know her. As we continued to share testimonies of what God has done in our lives and prayer needs, it was then I was flooded with the understanding once again that we weren’t just completing “to-do’s” for the day or even doing a good work for the approval of others, but more than that we were offering worship to our God as everything we were doing was for the purpose to glorify Him. As I sat there with fruit and a knife in my hand talking to one of the women, we began to shed tears over the goodness of our God and share how living for Jesus and His purpose comes from a heart to offer thanks and delight in God alone. By living at His feet, we were able to love one another as Christ loved us. As the week progressed and we were able to worship our Lord in a time of Bible study and prayer and then enjoying a time of fellowship at the botanical garden, that reminder of living at Jesus’s continued to be so evident. Living surrendered to the cause of Christ is where we find our desire to serve. “Even as the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and give His life as a ransom for many people” (Matthew 20:28).

In God’s presence, we are able to be an extension of His love, beauty and grace to people as the Lord leads us to, in the places He takes us to, and in the acts of service He calls us to.  Our challenge during our time serving at Ciudad de Refugio, surrounded by a worldly metropolis was that in the midst of it all that we would keep our eyes fixed on the “Lord of the works,” and not the “works of the Lord.”  The examples established by the leaders and community members of Ciudad de Refugio showed us the value of who we are as members of the body of Christ. We were able to understand the supply and anointing to freely love, serve, obey, and live for the benefit of others, is given to us only by spending quality time with Jesus – at His feet. In His presence we exchange our motives, desires, and abilities for the will and desires of our God as led by His spirit.  During our mid week service at the foundation, we had the privilege of singing one of my favorite worship songs, “No Hay Lugar.” That was confirmation that the message from the Lord to live surrendered to Him was what He desired our team to take hold of just as He desires for all members of the family of Christ. “No hay lugar más alto, más grande que estar a tus pies // there is no place that’s higher, that’s greater, than to be at Your feet.” 

The work taking place at Ciudad Refugio is miraculous and eternal, not temporal. The demographics of Medellin may be lacking material things, the people may be surrounded by the world’s plague of hopelessness, but the people of Medellin are God’s children and the testimonies of men and women who are called and walk through the ministry of Ciudad Refugio truly exemplify what it means love Jesus with all of their hearts because they know in His where they find refuge and strength. God is moving and this is just the beginning. My prayer is for His Church and all of Ciudad is to witness, know and value a life surrendered at the feet of Jesus.

 

From Guest to Leader

By Luis Tapasco | Men´s Program Graduate, Ciudad Refugio Leader  

When I was an adolescent I began to drink alcohol and spend time in clubs. As I grew older I continued in this lifestyle and at the age of 18 I used cocaine for the first time.  This led me quickly into addiction and I spent 5 years as a slave to drugs.  As a result of my addiction I damaged relationships with my family and my girlfriend at the time.

Four years into my addiction the situation was bad enough that I became homeless and spent a year and a half living on the streets of Medellin.

That is how I came to know Ciudad Refugio.  I started sleeping in the shelter and then moving on into the restoration program as part of the first group of men in the men´s restoration program.

I graduated the program 14 years ago and decided to stay and serve in the foundation.   During this time, I have been able to finish my high school education and also graduate with a theology degree from a local bible institute.  In 2014 God blessed me with a wife and I currently serve as coordinator of the men´s restoration program.