The Bronx

Hey friends, today I want to tan with you a bit more about our ministry in Colombia. I mentioned in my last blog that their was a good amount of hard & heavy, which also led into the beauty. So today I want to give you a little bit more of a glimpse, & also give you a few things to pray for when you think about Colombia. 

Every week, as one of our ministries we had the opportunity to go to a street called The Bronx, which was the main hub of the homeless & drug addicted in the area of Medellin where we stayed. This was about three  blocks of people who had given up hope, been born into addiction, or had simply decided to check out for what they thought was only going to be a moment. This was a street of people who had decided that the problems of life were far to heavy & hoped that somehow these drugs could simply take the edge off of their problems & concerns. But, most of all this is a street filled with Abba’s children who have not yet experienced His goodness & love.

 

We had the opportunity to send a team here twice a week to offer bread, sugar water & a team ready to share Christ’s goodness. Our teams would go out on Wednesday night, & Thursday mornings. In the evenings the streets are very much alive, with people constantly in & out, from those who live on the streets, random people in & out, & finally those dealing the drugs. In the mornings however, the streets are still a bit overwhelming, but in a very different way. The sidewalks are lined with businesses that are slowly opening throughout the morning, traffic is making its way through as best as it can, & you see the people who are not just passing through, but those who have made The Bronx their home. 

Though this was an overwhelming experience at times, it was never a scary time. Walking down the streets, looking people in the eyes & taking in their reality was sad at times, yes. But, as we partnered with Ciudad Refugio, we came in not just to observe, but offer freedom & hope. We would walk the streets, stopping to talk with anyone who wanted to engage in conversations, & then invite them to the foundation. Often the response was a polite ‘no thanks’, or a simple ‘thank you’, but week after week we never failed to see people come in & join the program. Here they had the opportunity to choose in & be celebrated for the freedom they were stepping into. Here they had a chance at a new life, which at the end of the day is truly the gospel. 

If I am honest with you, The Bronx broke me every single time we went. The reality of hardship one choice can make has never been so upfront in my face before, which left me weeping after every visit for days. Watching children walk down the streets, knowing that this would one day be their lives & they didn’t have any choice in the matter. Watching women prostituting themselves, not knowing that they are deeply loved & valued. And finally the men giving up all they once had, living a life of hopelessness. These are the things that broke my heart in half every week. Yet, through the brokenness, Abba gave us all at one point or another visions of hope & freedom, prayers of light overtaking the darkness & the streets of death becoming streets of life. Abba, in his goodness didn’t let them hide their sin & hurt, but instead allowed us to walk head first in to meet them, just like Jesus did for us. He didn’t make these streets a place of secret pleasure, but he opened the doors for us to come in & offer freedom, not only in a spiritual sense, but also in a physical & practical sense. That is how intentional he is with his children.

Here below is a little entry from my journal. As I began to plead for their freedom, these are the worlds Abba put on my heart. He began to show me his power in the minds of the brokenness & his intentionality in the midst of the unsettled streets.  

You(Abba) are the healer of these broken streets. 

These streets we see as hopeless & overwhelming, you see as an opportunity to  make your glory known. These streets I see as hurting & overtaken with sin, you see as opportunity for your holiness to come into this nation. You don’t see brokenness as a  hindering to your plans, but instead a vessel, a vessel to be filled with your glory & holiness. 

Though you see this victory & are already living in it, the sin of this generation grieves your heart. You weep at the sight of the children sleeping on these cold, wet streets, your heart breaks at these  choices that lead to death & poverty, pain & suffering. 

Yet in the midst of your pain, you see, you know & you love. You call these people out of the miry pit, out of their self in-flicked misery & call them into freedom as your children. We in these moments come with questions, yet you hold your power & good plans in order. The darkness only makes your light brighter & you passion stronger. It only makes your name stand out in boldness & makes freedom more apparent .

Finally, I want to encourage you to pray over The Bronx. Please, set a reminder on Wednesday evening & Thursday mornings & join me in prayers of freedom. Abba is working so directly in those streets, fighting for his children hearts one by one & we get the honor of partnering with him. Also, as we have now left Colombia, the staff at the foundation have not stopped going out. The streets can be heavy & bring up lots of hard trauma, so while you are praying for freedom, also remember the staff. 

Thanks for reading! I love you lots,

                                                 KEN