Written by Emilee Jerrolds

This past summer, I was given the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Medellin, Colombia. Not only was this trip fun but it was also a time to reflect on just how amazing our Lord is. The Lord has changed my life in so many ways since this trip. We were living in Colombia for the whole month of June. The ministry we worked in was called Ciudad Refugio (or in English City Refuge).

Ciudad Refugio is the place we stayed. A five-story building, right on the corner, in downtown Medellin. Each level had its own missions. On the bottom floor, was a small bakery that was open to the public. Connected to the first floor was a room where every Sunday and Wednesday we all would gather together and worship the Lord. But this room was also filled with people who had no place to sleep during the night. Every night at 7:00 pm the missionaries who owned Ciudad Refugio would open up their doors and provide comfort and food for those who needed it. On the second and third floors Ciudad provided drug rehabilitation centers for men and women. Every weekend we had VBS with children who were in the community and on the fourth floor is where they would stay. Finally, the fifth floor had available apartments for any volunteers or missionaries who needed a place to stay. That is where we slept each night while we were in Medellin.

The mission work we participated in while living in Colombia was working with the women in the kitchen and doing morning devotions with them. Every weekend we focused our time with the children and teaching them about the Lord and also taking them to the park. Ciudad Refugio had their own spice company, so we spent lots of days where we sat and put spices into boxes. We also participated in lots of cleaning. But the one mission that really stuck out to me was what they called Aguapanela. Aguapanela is a water and sugar combination drink, and it is super good when it is hot. We would drive about 15 minutes away from the foundation, into the streets of where the homeless lived. These streets were crowded full of people, trash, human body fluids, drugs, and terror. We would walk around speaking to people, telling them about Jesus, loving on them, and giving them some fresh aguapanela and bread. In a place that seemed hopeless, we found peace in the Lord. In a place where there was hurting and pain the Lord appeared and we were able to provide them something to drink, something to eat, and love.

Every day we experienced a way in how the Lord appeared in our journey. We had the opportunity to go hiking up a Medellin Mountain. There was a point when we were above the clouds, looking over the city of Medellin. It was beautiful to see the nature that the Lord gives us. On our journey up the mountain, we had a friendly dog join us. This dog did not belong to any of the people who were with us. He was just a friendly neighbor. Our friendly dog was the leader on the way up the mountain and the caboose on the way back down. He sat and rested when we sat and followed when we got up. As we were walking back down the mountain, we came across our new friend’s house and we said our goodbyes. Later on, that day, our tour guide told us that, “our friendly dog was an angel sent from God to protect us on our trip.” Another way that I saw God was during a time in aguapanela. Before going out into the street of the homeless, we would have a time of worship. During this time the Lord had placed an image of a butterfly into my heart. I asked the Lord, “Is this what you want me to look for, Lord?” As we were walking the streets, I began to search for what the Lord was calling me to. A few minutes before leaving, I saw a woman who had a butterfly tattoo on her back. The group I was with encouraged me to go and talk to her. She begins to tell me about her life, and I ask her if I can pray for her. As we pray, I look over to the left and I see a blanket. That blanket was covered with butterflies. The woman I was talking to was standing underneath an umbrella and on the inside of the umbrella was an image of a butterfly. I knew that the Lord had called me to go and talk to this woman. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your path straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). If I was to lean on my own understanding out in those streets, I would have never had the confidence to go and talk to that woman. But I was leaning on God, and I was trusting in what He had for me, which gave me the passion to go.

Ever since that night the Lord had placed two words into my heart, Therefore Go. I began to ask God, “Where is it you want me to go?” And then I remember a passage in Matthew that says, “Therefore go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirits, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). The Lord calls us to GO. Whether that is Colombia, Savannah, TN, or Bethel University, we may never know, but if we have trust and confidence in Him, He will make our path straight in the directions He calls us to. Thank you so much for reading my story! If you would love to hear more, please reach out to me.

 

 

 

 

Hello, my name is Emilee Jerrolds. I am from a small town of Savannah, TN. I am a student at Bethel University in McKenzie, TN. I am also a member of Olivet Cumberland Presbyterian Church located in Savannah, TN.