Blessing People

Our mission team did much of the same things on November 20 that we did on November 19.  Some of us delivered food to the mothers of the children that attended Fresh Wind Children's Center, others of us helped the staff with the kids and prayed for the staff themselves.  As well, in the evening, we went to more cell groups.

Michele and her kids show off the craft project they did for candy canes. (Photo by Jen)

Jeff was a natural with these kids.  They all loved him, and he loved them back as if they were his own grandchildren.  (Photo by Jen)

This man came up to us and expressed how grateful he was for us for coming to the Children's Center to pray for people and to bless others. (Photo by Jen)

Miguel, Dave S., and Karen pray with one of our wonderful translators, Bibiana. (Photo by Jen)

I think I want to explain what sort of work we did with my own personal experiences.

In the morning on November 20, a small group of us went by taxis to a different Children's Center in the area.  This foundation was primarily for girls, but there was one boy there whose sister lived there also.  These girls were insulated from much of the problems that surround their parents: a bad neighborhood, drugs, gangs, mafia presence, violence, prostitution, abuse, and the list goes on and on.  They were protected because they lived at this center for about six days out of the week and went to their families on holidays and weekends.

These kids are most of the residents at the other children's foundation we visited.

What seemed so stark about this experience was that there was such love inside the building.  There was an older woman who ran this institution, and it was apparent that she cared deeply for these girls.  None of the children had looks of fear which was all too common in these Colombian ghettos.  They were happy to meet us and even gave us a little presentation.

The door to this institution was open, but had bars across the doorway.  There was a lock on this open door.  It spoke to the generosity to those who needed help, and the grace and protection to those who lived inside.  This dwelling was a shelter in the midst of a storm, a safe harbor to those who would ordinarily be in danger, and a ray of hope in a crime-ridden and desperate neighborhood.

I delivered food with Dave S. and John to a few mothers with children at Fresh Wind over these two days.  I prayed for one mother after visiting with her via my translator Maria on November 19.  She lived in a room the size of a large closet, which was attached to a building where she was working.  This woman was cleaning a place that provided public showers.  Inside her humble room, I could hear Christian music playing in the Spanish language on TV.  She told us how she was recently pregnant, of her four children (at least one went to Fresh Wind), and of her fiancé who she was trying to lead to Jesus by reading the New Testament.  She was working in that public shower for her daily rent. (Many poor people in Medellín pay their rent daily.)  If you haven't guessed it by now, she was a prostitute who had recently come to Christ and was now trying to straighten her life out.

When Jesus saves a person, he accepts them as they are, and then wipes all the dirt off of them.  It's so easy to disdain people who have ruined lives, but He died for them to have life.  The Holy Spirit has a way of making something good and new out of what has been destroyed.

I prayed for her, and I know God's grace rests on her.  He will carry out to completion that which he started in her (Php. 1:6).

I look back at these two specific days of this trip, and realize how God is working through all of our problems to give us life.  Every little nice thing we do for others, every prayer, every bit of food we share is a step toward building a community of hope.

This, my friends, is the true work of the Church.

Visiting with Mothers, Staff Members, and Churches

On November 19, 2014, our mission team to Colombia did a lot of things, oftentimes separate from everyone else.  Although we were coordinated, we mostly worked in teams of two for the day.

In the morning we heard Reina's testimony.  We don't know what persecution is in the United States, but this woman was able to stand her ground even with the threat of violence.  It's wonderful to hear in someone's own words how God protects and softens hard hearts.

At Fresh Wind Children's Center, Michele helped the kids with crafts that day.  During much of the week, she continued to work with the kids there and did such a great job.

Michelle and a few of the kids show the craft they made. (Photo from Michele's camera)

Our mission team brought food and other things to give to the mothers of the children who attend the children's center.  Over the next two days, we delivered our care packages to these moms, and prayed for them.

Several of us stayed at the Children's Center and prayed for the staff members.  Many of these people have problems just like us, and to have missionaries come from another country to individually pray for them is a ray of hope for them.  Oftentimes, prayers from us as missionaries carry power that they don't seem to see when they pray by themselves.  I was awed by the stories I heard from these people about things that happened as a result of missionaries' prayers.

After lunch, the older children at Fresh Wind Children's Center presented a skit for us.  I've put the skit in its entirety here, and I know it's a long skit, and it's not in English, but wait it out to the end.  As you watch, you'll recognize God's hand in these kids lives.

That night our group did come together to attend a cell group.  The cell group attends Christian Faith Community Church and meets together at a high school in another part of Medellín.  The church's hope is to bring the love of Christ to the whole city, and so they have many smaller groups meet during the week in many places all over the city.  This cell group was about an hour's drive away from the church.  When we got there, we worshiped with the people, then Jim T. gave a short message, and then we prayed for as many people as we could before we had to leave.

Our group prepares to ride a passenger van to the cell group. (Photo from Michele's camera)

At a Colombian Street Party

(Photo by Jen)

Fresh Wind Children's Center hosted a Sancocho on November 18.

A Sancocho is both a street party and a chicken stew or soup.  As a soup, it has large pieces of meat (ours had beef and chicken) and vegetables in a chicken broth.

In the afternoon, some of our mission team went on the street evangelizing and interceding for the street party.  A couple people from our group helped prepare the meal.  We all came together for a meeting in the evening with several other people from Christian Faith Community Church, (Click here to use Google Translate on their website) which sponsors Fresh Wind Children's Center.

During the meeting, we discussed our plan for the night.  We were going to separate into several small groups and go to the people in the community, invite them to the Sancocho, and minister to them.  We would all meet back at the Sancocho, which was only a few blocks away from the Children's Center.  We would help there and then go back to the Children's Center.

Some of the local Colombians helping with the Sancocho wanted prayer because they were afraid of going out.  After praying they all felt better and we left.

When I went to the travel clinic to get some vaccines before the mission trip, I was told that it was a bad idea to go out at night, but that's exactly what we were doing.  Fresh Wind Children's Center is located in the dangerous neighborhood of Niquitao in the city of Medellín.  The neighborhood is entrenched with witchcraft.  People practice it there and its practice comes with unpredictable results.  We could smell marijuana in the air in most places.  Of course there were also homeless people doing crack or cocaine in plain view.  I saw some people I was pretty sure I didn't want to talk to at all since they might have wanted to just kill me for looking at them.

We met all kinds of people, and they all generally wanted prayer.  I came up to one lady who was holding her head.  Through my translator, I asked if she needed prayer.  She said that she had a headache and an infection on her body.  I prayed for her and the headache went away!  She stopped holding her head, and told us that it was gone.  I encouraged her to see a doctor about her infection.

I asked this woman how she felt, and she said that she felt depressed.  Sensing that there was more to this story, I asked her if she was suicidal, which she confirmed.  I told her that we would pray for this too, but she asked us to pray for her inside her house where there was more privacy.  Once inside, I counseled her, and encouraged her to follow-up with the Children's Center since they could continue to help her and were within walking distance.  But through this, I led her to Jesus.  Although I know God can take away suicidal thoughts, I hope that she goes back to Fresh Wind so that they can help her work through the things that brought her to that place.  Isolation is so conducive to listening to the destructiveness of the enemy.

When our small little group made it to the Sancocho, there were lots of people in line for food.  I helped create a human barricade so that people got their food in turn.  I got pinched a couple times by a little girl who didn't like waiting in line.  Another lady came right up to me to get some food, but was spaced out and reacting to things that weren't there.  I figured she was hallucinating on cocaine.

But there were also some great people there.  Lots of happy people were in the street—both adults and children.  I remember two four-foot-tall ladies in red dresses.  I was told that they belonged to an aboriginal tribe since our Colombian translators couldn't understand them.

Jeff smiles as a fire for the Sancocho is built next to the street. (Photo by Jen)

A couple Colombian men help put the Sancocho pot over the fire. (Photo by Jen)

We had entertainment at the Sancocho.  There were bubbles, face painting, and we made balloon animals. (Photo by Jen)

After the street party, we went back to the Children's Center where we debriefed.  Apparently one of the groups had 35 salvation commitments! In the amount of time we had, I figured they must have just asked a group of people to repeat the sinner's prayer if they wanted to know Jesus.  Another group had around 10.  My group had a few salvation commitments, but nothing like those numbers. 

At the debriefing, one of the Colombians remarked that we missionaries seemed to be unaffected, fearless, to the danger of the neighborhood.  After the meeting, I commented to Tom and Jen that it wasn't fearlessness.  We were just ignorant of how dangerous it really was.

No one got hurt that evening, and we made a good impact in the neighborhood.  Around 50 people came to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.  Our Sancocho was a success.

At Fresh Wind Children's Center

This little girl goes to Fresh Wind Children's Center in Medellín, Colombia. (Photo by Jen)

November 18 was our second full day in Medellín.  We spent much of the day at Fresh Wind Children's Center.

We started the day with a devotional with the staff.

Our mission team and the staff at Fresh Wind Children's Center worship during a devotional before the work day starts. (Photo by Jimmie K.)

After that, some of the girls did a dance routine, and the boys did an acrobatic circus for us.

Some of the girls perform a dance routine for our mission team.  (Photo by Jimmie K.)

One of the boys jumps through "flaming" hula hoops during a circus they performed for our mission team. (Photo by Michele)

Later, we went into the courtyard.  There, the children sang and danced outside.

We have more adventures for today, but so far my roommate and I prayed for most or all of the children at Fresh Wind Children's Center. We've prayed for nearly 100 children! In this photo, the children are singing and dancing to some songs outside.

In a neighborhood like Niquitao where there is rampant prostitution, drug abuse, and violence, this children's center is a refuge.  At-risk mothers and families can take their small children to this day care, and these little ones get fed most of their nutritional requirements.

That afternoon, some of us prayed for the kids.  Admittedly, I must have prayed for around a hundred children.  I even fed a few!  It was such a blessing to minister to all these children, and to see such smiles.

Some of the children at Fresh Wind Children's Center show us their masks.

Jimmie, Abby, and I help a staff member feed the babies at Fresh Wind Children's Center. (Photo by Jen)

Helping an Ex-Murderer

I'm helping an ex-murderer with a cement-covered shovel. (Photo by Jen)

So this guy grows up in La Sierra (translated "The Saw") neighborhood in Medellín.  It's one of the most dangerous places to be in the city.  It's a poor community, and many people are connected to the mafia and to gangs.  Drug use in Medellín is rampant, but here it's at a level many people haven't seen.

This guy becomes pretty important in the gangs and mafia for the neighborhood.  He becomes one of the leaders.  He kills kids for a thrill.

His mom prays for him and tells him about Jesus but he resists.  Then one day, he's about to kill some teenager when it suddenly occurs to him that this is wrong.  The kid lives.  He goes back to his mother, and she leads him to Jesus.

He changes the way he lives.  He starts a youth program that keeps kids out of the mafias, gangs, and drugs.  Instead of demanding the largest plate of food, he makes sure that the kids around him get fed before he does.  One teenage boy needs socks to go to school.  He takes his off and gives them to him.

His home needs a new door and a new window.  His mom tells him that he's cheap for not getting new ones and getting them installed.  He can just barely get enough food for his mom, grandmother, and others close to him.  He asks God for help.  God tells him that foreigners would do the work for him.

Five years later, a group of people from the United States go on a mission trip.  One of their goals is to give him a new door and window, scrape the mold off the wall, and seal the ceiling with cement on November 17.  Before they arrive, he asks the mafia permission for them to be in the neighborhood and requests their safety.

While we had lunch, this ex-murderer Felipe finally told us what he asked God for, and how God met his need.

Felipe, standing next to his mother, tells us his testimony, translated by Miguel.

One of his distant cousins, Carlos, managed the whole project and showed us what he wanted done.  Carlos got saved while we were working.  He was the first person who asked Jesus into his heart while we were in Colombia. 

Jimmie K., Dave S., MJ, and Jim T. pray the sinner's prayer with Carlos. (Photo by Michele)

What an amazing day!  God can change the heart of a murderer into someone very gentle!  No one has sinned so much or so badly that God cannot forgive them and make them a new creation in Jesus.

Before we left we prayed with Felipe.  If this story doesn't make you go, "Wow!" I don't know what will.

We pray with Felipe and one of the kids in his massive youth program.  We understand there are about 400 kids in it. (Photo by Jen)