We got off the bus and there was a street with about 100 people— laying alongside the dirty, trashy, filth covered streets on the sidewalks—snorting drugs of their choice, shooting up heroin, drinking, smoking marijuana, and living a lifestyle in so many addictions. At night, Medellin herds the addicts into a single street so they can keep a watch on them. The people do their drugs, drinking, etc. with a silent agreement with the police that they won’t disrupt the other streets. The police just watch them and protect them from the outside forces. There was one guy that really struck me—he had the frame of a phone cover and was just holding it and pretending to take a picture of himself. I don’t know what he was on, but he did this for at least 15-30 minutes and was completely oblivious to the rest of the world.
The ministry that we were paired with in Colombia, started reaching out to this group about 25 years ago. They continue to reach out to them today. Every Wednesday night, they find the street where the group is corralled. They call this ministry Aguapanela because they go and hand out this typical drink of South America (water with an infusion made from panela which is derived from hardened sugar cane juice aka sugar water). We go in with our bulletproof vests (well, our orange vests that say Aguapanela on them and lots of protection from prayer from our intercessors on the terrace back at our home base), hand out the Aguapanela with bread, and then groups of people go around to the people and talk to them about God and hand out information on the homeless shelter where we are hosted and tell them they are welcome to come to the shelter the next day after they not so high or drunk.
I went out with a small group and a translator. We talked to a few people, but the person that I really felt drawn to was Jorge. He talked with us a lot and tried some English. He told us that we had angels all around us guarding us because of our padre (father). He could tell our belief was strong. He said he believed, yet his lifestyle didn’t show it. We prayed with him that he would really come to know God his father and find peace and comfort in him, leave this lifestyle behind him, and really follow God and be a light to these people.
The sight that I saw, I can still hardly believe. And the description I shared can’t ever fully describe what was imprinted in my eyes forever. There were so many hurting and lost people. So many people who have numbed themselves to the world around them.
Are you fighting an addiction right now? Whether it is drugs, pornography, masturbation, sexual impurities, alcohol, food, binge watching TV, or anything else that steals your time, robs you of healthy relationships, or brings destruction to your life…there is a way out. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy but Jesus comes to give the fullness of life (John 10:10). When you put your trust in God and believe that he is the savior of your life, you can ask for repentance (that is understanding that you have a problem [addiction] and making a choice to turn your life around). When we give it over to God, we give him permission to help us intervene. And of course, God is faithful to our requests. He forgives us, cleanses us, and gives us FREEDOM.
In that moment you are forgiven, but it is still a choice to fight the temptation to go back to the lifestyle. Renew your mind with reading your Bible (Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:12), pray daily in all situations (1 Thessalonians 5:16), and have others keep you accountable. Sometimes, it’s not easy, not comfortable, and it means going against the popularity of the world.
Please consider donating to my teammate Anna who is still fundraising! She is doing awesome things with me on team Valor! Also! We made it Ecuador!!
