Have you ever read the Cross and The Switchblade?
Funny story, less than a week before I left my home, my aunt recommended this book by David Wilkerson to me. Less than three hours after landing in Medellin, Colombia, I learned that this book, which takes place in New York City in the late 50s, is what inspired the creation of Ciudad Refugio in Medellin, Colombia.
The Cross and The Switchblade is an amazing story about how David Wilkerson started ministering to the drug-addicted, murderous gangs of New York City. The resulting ministry was named Teen Challenge and has transformed thousands of lives over the past 60 years of operation.
Ciudad Refugio is modeled after this ministry. The bottom floor of this five-story foundation is a homeless shelter. The foundation, however, is located in the middle of a residential area. To gain favor with the neighbors, the foundation contains a bakery out front with the most amazing croissants!
The second floor of the foundation is the rehabilitation program. Ciudad Refugio shows so much grace to everyone who comes in contact with it. More than one person in the program has come, started the program, left, and later were welcomed to came back again. Additionally, food and housing arrangements are always available to anyone who wants to stay and continue working with the foundation after their original commitment is completed – and this applies to both individuals in the program and visiting missionaries!
Something I also respect about Ciudad Refugio, however, is that they aren’t afraid to ‘give people the boot’ if they show that they are using Ciudad Refugio’s resources with no change of the heart in the process. The gospel is a story of grace, for sure. But never does the Bible ever tell us to be doormats. Jesus told the disciples that if their words were heard but not received within a city, to shake off the dust and walk away. Grace is the best thing ever, yes. But sometimes, grace looks a lot like a boot in the behind.
Thankfully, the Lord is powerful and merciful and has moved in a countless number of lives through the work of the foundation. While here, I’ve met many people who have gone through the program and have experienced the transformative power of Jesus. When the Holy Spirit comes into a person’s life, it truly is a re-birth. The sins of the past – no matter how horrific – are completely wiped away. And those who are forgiven much truly do love much.
The third floor is a program for women. There is a staircase that leads directly from the street to the third floor to separate men and women. (We use this stairway too!) As we were told on the first day, this is because the foundation is not, and does not plan to be, an orphanage!
That being said, however, the fourth floor is for kids. Before COVID, they had started a little school. Using the long-term missionaries who live there or the short-term missionaries who are always coming through, this school teaches the regular subjects in addition to music, English, and German – things that are only taught at the most prestigious schools in Medellín. Over the weekends, Ciudad Refugio is home to a score of kids and teenagers. The foundation provides them food, a place to sleep, lots of love, and generous exposure to the gospel. Though the bottom floors of the foundation are for transformation, the top floors are for formation.
The fifth floor is where teams of missionaries (like us) stay. The foundation houses A LOT of people. Though it’s not the most luxurious (or spacious) of accommodations, it’s one of the most loving homes I’ve ever stepped into. Ciudad Refugio puts Ephesians 2:19-21 into action.
“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.”
??Ephesians? ?2:19-21? ?NLT??
To read more about the foundation’s history or to donate to the mission, here is a link to the website! http://ciudadrefugio.org/
