The Refuge City

I want to tell you more about this incredible building that so many men, women, and children call home. Also shout out to Katy Koser as she recorded a lot of details and facts about the foundation to help me write this.  Ciudad Refugio was built in Medellín, Colombia in 2001 and was built with such thoughtfulness and dependence on God it has not been remodeled since. They are currently adding another building along side it that I believe will be just as fruitful as the current building.

The 1st floor is where church on Sunday is held. After church, family visits for people in the men and women’s rehabilitation program are held.  On Saturday morning mom’s devotional is held, which we got to lead. Saturday night homeless worship service and short teaching is held here. Every night the first floor is a homeless shelter for men. Each night from 7 pm to 5 am they feed homeless and give about 50-70 men a mat to lie on. For safety they are not allowed to be under the influence or in possession of drugs and are frisked upon entry. The first floor also has a bakery and kitchen where all the goodies are made along with the food for the missionaries. The main cook is Venezuelan named Yordalis and she made us local food as well as food from her home town. Her side kick an American named John also always helped make the delicious food. The bakery helps bridge the gap between the ministry and the community. It helps reduce the prejudice about homeless. It also brings in a source of income for the ministries. You must try the guava pasteries they are to die for, but the rest of my team may argue the chocolate croissants are even better. I don’t know who bought more, the community or my team haha.

2nd floor is the men’s rehabilitation program. Some men in the program are running for their lives and the foundation provides protection for them against gang members or other violent groups. Men in the program lives consist of bible devotionals, cleaning, and participating in work projects like manos que obran. The current work project is packaging die and spices. It helps raise funds for the ministry and equips them for jobs after they finish the year program. When they are finished they can go to the packing company and already have knowledge about the product and company’s line of work making it easier to get a job. Some also help out with the construction next door. They also sell and distribute meat as well.  When they aren’t working or doing ministry, twice a week they get to go on some sort of outting such as playing soccer or go to the river or have a bbq.

3rd floor is for the women rehabilitation program, women who have graduated the program and are now staff, and some Venezuelan families. The women’s program although a lot smaller is just as valuable. Women of all ages are accepted. Women with children are also accepted. They have devotional in the morning, cook food for everyone who lives at the foundation, bible study in afternoon, and then activities with the minisionaries on site. They also have an outting once a week to do sports, go to botonical gardens, or other things near the foundation. They raise money by selling fish or fruit drinks.

4th floor has a kitchen and classrooms where Sunday school and English and German class are held. The classrooms are turned into bedrooms for the youth on the weekend. Their kids and teen program is focused on giving them a safe place and restoration so they don’t fall into trends of peers or family members around them.
The teens come from broken, poor, or abusive families. Friday they usually participate in the work project or cleaning before hanging out with the missionaries playing games on the terrace or an outing such as ice cream or sports. Friday night they have a devotional and an activity that ties in with the devo, which we got to lead while we were there. Saturday they are role models and lead worship and dance with the kids from the community that come in the morning.  During the day they have English class if they choose and again have an outting or hangout with the missionaries and youth pastor on site and at night have a time of worship and teaching. Sunday morning they attend church or youth group. They get to socalize with other kids and teens in the community and after lunch if there isn’t an outting they return home. Many are also sent home with food for their family. An example of an outting for the youth is going to Parque Arví and swimming in the river, a movie, or going to the sand volleyball courts.

5th floor is where most of the volunteers stay. They have many groups from Adventure and missions come year round. They also have groups from teen challenge come. Their most consistent long term volunteers are Germans as Germany has a program where the government helps pay for their lodging and food. Colombians are also welcomed in Germany to do similar type of Christian volunteer work. They work along side the men and women weekly on top of their studies and lead the youth in Devo and German class. Some of my favorite people on the race were the Germans I met. Their entusiasm and energy for ministry is inspiring. And it was so cool to see them learn the culture of Colombia whike sharing bits and pieces of their own culture.

The 5th floor also has a terrace which gets used for soccer, pinatas, youth class, devo, and meal space for the missionaries. It also has solar panels for energy and electricity. The view of the city and moutains that surround the city is breathtaking. The beauty of the lightening and thunder compete with the nightly fireworks that illuminating the church and other city buildings.

6th floor is where the youth pastor and the famous Rebekah lives. She is in charge of the countless ministries here at the foundation. Ministry outreach not mentioned yet is park evangelism. Outreach to the kids at the inquilantos which is a cheap place for families to live but most barely have enough clothes and food and once they live there is hard to get out because they have to work to pay back their debt which always seems to grow. We usually danced and sang with the kids. Did a bible skit and played games. We even made blankets and gave it to them thanks to Amber pursuing her dream. We also volunteered at elderly home where they did spa days, hair cutting, dancing, worship, and games. Agua panela homeless ministry in the Bronx is Wednesday night and we also got to go Thursday morning and encourage them that they are strong enough to change their life and we care enough to come back. It was the first time the ministry has wandered the place where sale of drugs run ramped during the day. And sadly the number of people during the day is similar to the numbers at night and business and shops are open amongst the suffering that is taking place. They also partner with a pastor in the mountains, pregnancy center, and other ministries. The wake they leave is undescribable and the number of people the are continuing to touch is countless.

Other random facts to make the building even cooler is the 6th floor is only half a floor because Colombian government only allows 5 floors, so the half floor is rented out to a phone company because it is the tallest building. They save on sales tax because Colombian and American nonprofit are working together.

The construction site is that is going to be an addition to the foundation will have a roof with a hydro system to help treat and reuse water. It will also have a garden with fruit and veggies for the people at the foundation to consume and sell. There will be more solar panels for energy. There will also be a medic, dental, and mental health clinic. It will also have nicer apartments for teams and the Sunday preacher Pastor Douglas from Canada who designed the foundation and modeled it’s ministry after teen challenge like in New York.

If you are still with me and still reading I want to close with a testimant of how God is already moving in the new building and continuing to bless the foundation. March 6th the rain caused a mini landslide/cave in at the counstruction site, some were injured but no deaths. It got labeled as an embergency site and due to this labeling when the pandemic hit they were the only site in Colombia allowed to continue to work through out the whole the pandemic. When there is a problem God is working it out.

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