Continuation from pt 1……….
The view of Medellin at night from the roof of the Foundation
Fast-forward a few days and many cry sessions later, my squad leader and I were about to get into an uber to go shopping for birthday presents for my little Colombian brothers. A man in total desperation ran into the ministry door, pulled a gun on both of us, and demanded that we hand over our cellphones and my purse. We stood there shocked for a second and then when he shot at the wall we realized this was really happening and handed over everything. This could have happened literally anywhere. The man did not want to hurt us, he was clearly in a very desperate life situation to run into a building that had many walls and pillars that he had no clue what or who was behind. This left us in a conundrum, however, because my passport was in that purse and we had a flight booked out of the country in a few days.
We found out that we would have to leave in the morning to go to Bogota and get a passport, and the rest of our squad would join us in a few days to fly out. I’ll be honest, I broke down and sobbed in the middle of the ministry building. Not only would several days of ministry with a foundation I deeply loved no longer be an option for me (if we’ve talked at all this past month you know how deeply I love Ciudad Refugio), I also would have to say a very rushed goodbye to my little Colombian brother and I wouldn’t get to visit the boy in the Bronx. I wouldn’t know his name. I wouldn’t be able to point him out to the foundation people so they could keep following up with him. That felt like I had actually been robbed because I was robbed of something that meant something to me.
Mi hermanito
The people at the foundation were so kind and helpful (Rebekah, one of the three leaders of the foundation immediately started working to help get everything in order, took a break to let me cry on her shoulder about leaving, and got back to it). They knew how important the Bronx was to me and they made a way for me, my squad leaders, and some guys from the foundation to go to the Bronx that night. We took some bread and juice and went to find the boy. Maybe it was cause it was a smaller group, or because it was a Monday instead of the normal Wednesday, but when we found the boy and gave him the food he was very open and willing to talk for a little. I learned his name, and he started opening up about how he was. He saw something and told us that we couldn’t be there anymore. We asked if he knew the foundation and he said that he did and that he would come (this is often a response given to give us the answer they think we want to hear, but I’m still praying and anticipating the day I get the call that he walked into the foundation). The whole interaction was less than 5 minutes, but it was so worth it. The foundation guys who came with us were so excited that he was open to talk to us and promised to follow up with him since they now knew who he was.
Praying in the Bronx
We went back to the foundation, I gave my little bros their birthday presents and said a goodbye that was way too sad for me, and started to pack cause we had to leave at 3 am the next morning. The whole time I was reeling at how good God was and the mix of emotions.
It was the weirdest mix of trauma responses, people’s expectations, real deep sadness about leaving, and also joy over what had happened, gratefulness for the opportunity to have had something that made leaving so hard and wonder over how God had used a situation to turn out for good. He has been reminding me lately that He is God (shocker haha) and that in all situations He is Lord.
I’m still working on being content with not being in Colombia, Ciudad Refugio is a place so near and dear to my heart, my time there was something I will never forget. The people I met and the ways I got to see the presence of the Lord move has been something so special for me. I’ll keep praying into the ministry and for everyone I met, and I so look forward to the day that I get to go back and see everyone!
On top of the clouds during our hike up a mountain over Medellin
