a thousand words.

After debrief in Medellin, we had four days of ATL (Ask The Lord) as a squad. We remained in Medellin, but were about 15 minutes from where we had debrief.

When we were at debrief, walking around the area broke my heart. If you don’t know, there are many many Venezuelan refugees who fled to Colombia. They have to have a passport to get work there, something hat is very costly, especially when you have no money because Venezuelan money is worth nothing right now. There are hundreds of Venezuelans who are homeless on the streets, some with infants and very small children. Most of them are selling gum, candy, chips, suckers, and other small items to try to stay alive.

As I began praying about what to do, I really felt the Lord asking me to go get food and pass it out to the Venezuelans. So I asked a few other people to join me. We went to the store and got things to make PB&Js, went back to the hostel and made them, then made our way down to the previous area we had been in. The gratitude people showed when we gave them a simple PB&J sandwiches brought tears to my eyes. It was overwhelming, because we only had so much food, and there was so much need.

Another day, a few other squadmates came with me. Sharon and Eva. Let me tell you about these two women I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. Sharon is from NYC. She has a HUGE heart, runs marathons, and is someone I could spend hours with. Eva is from Seattle. She’s a fellow member of the ‘89 club (those on the squad who were born in 1989 and turned 30 on the race). Eva is a creative and a teacher. Needless to say, I was super stoked with they wanted to join forces for the day.

Eva had an extra part of the plan. She had brought a small Polaroid printer you connect to your phone. As we handed out the sandwiches, we also took pictures of individuals and families and gave them the Polaroids. The. We took pictures of them holding the photos. Their faces when they realized we were giving them the Polaroids were awestruck, so grateful. For these families, this was the only family photo they have, due to fleeing their homes. Their eyes were sparkling. And again, it brought tears to my eyes, and overwhelming joy to our hearts.

This guy’s name was Samuel. This is him with his youngest son, and Sharon showing them the Polaroid as it developed.

This is a mom with her two month old daughter. She wants to go back to Venezuela so she can be with the rest of her family.

This girl is a rockstar. She’s from a big family, so they spread out in the area and pull their earnings together to make a little more. She’s around 14 years old.

This kid made my heart melt. He gave us high fives and fist bumps. He was so sweet. His mom was very kind. She thanked us so many times.

This was a family who wanted  return soon. They were overwhelmed by us giving them this simple photo. They were extremely kind and so thankful. It was such a small thing to us, but meant the entire world to them.

I’ve had a lot of favorite days on the World Race. I’ve seen a lot of healings. I’ve seen hearts change. I’ve seen salvations and new beginnings. I don’t remember a day that I saw glistening eyes, wet with tears over a simple photo. There are a lot of things we take for granted in the States. We carry phones with thousands of photos stored on them. These families barely have money to provide for their families. Photos are a luxury item for them. I hope one day, they’re able to look back at these photos and that the day received them was the beginning of a new chapter for them. A new season, fresh start. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I can’t come up with enough words so say how we felt that day. That that day, being the hands and feet of Jesus meant handing out PB&Js and Polaroids. Giving families the only photo they now have together. Giving a small piece of hope in a dark season. It was a small thing, but it really is the little things during the hard times that make a difference. More than anything, we want our friends to be able to return to their homes, families, and friends. We want them safe, off the streets, and prospering. We want these things for them because it’s what God wants for them. Because He loves them and wants them in better places. The world is broken. Governments are broken. Unfortunately, broken governments lead to the citizens of their countries to flee, living on the streets of another country because it’s more safe than home.

Please pray for Venezuela. Pray for the government. Pray that people can return to their homes. Every person we talked to didn’t want to stay in Colombia. They wanted to go home. Pray that they are able to do so. In the mean time, pray that God continue to supply to their needs. For food and other essentials. There is great need. We couldn’t help them all, but we parted from Colombia knowing we were able to help individuals and families. And these are the hard times, when you see a huge need, and you’re simply unable to fill all of the needs, because there simply aren’t enough resources.

To all who donated funds to help the Venezuelans: THANK YOU. You did so much more than you can realize. Thank you for being compassionate, giving, kind, and caring. We made a lot of PB&Js. We saw a lot of tears. We shed a lot of tears. THANK YOU FOR CARING.