Colombia Accompaniment Reports

On being an accompanier, by Susan Webb

2008-07-03T18:08:01Z

On being an accompanier, by Susan Webb

On being an accompanier
by Susan Webb
June 21, 2008

What's it like being a participant in the Colombia Accompaniment Program? This was the burning question in my mind through the month of May as I prepared to spend June here in Barranquilla. It is the question I receive with every e-mail from family, friends, and church members who are holding me in their thoughts and prayers. It's a practical question about the everyday activities and living conditions, a question about the definition of our mission, its challenges and how we are meeting them as individuals and a team, a question about Colombia itself, what it looks like to North American eyes, it's a question about Colombians and Colombian Presbyterians, what are they like, how do they treat you? It's a huge question.

Having spent close to three of the four weeks we will be here, I will offer the following responses. Being an acompañante is being the guest of the Presbytery of the North Coast in Barranquilla. Being welcomed and acknowledged by everyone attending church and Presbytery events and anyone coming through the doors of the Presbytery office where we can be found during some time most week days. Being given shelter in rooms on the grounds of the Universidad Reformada where for now the Presbytery office is also located. The accommodations are modest by US standards but comfortable and even luxurious given the inclusion of AC and wireless access. Being oriented to these new surroundings by generous hosts. It means having lots of gracious folks who you have just met offer their time and energy to seeing you are comfortable and safe, doing things like taking you back to the airport to recover a missing bag.

Being an acompañante means facing all the small challenges of living day to day in a foreign place. Learning the money and what things cost, the food and how your body will react to it, adjusting to the weather, the bugs, sleeping in a different bed, and taking cold showers. It's being exhausted at first due to the expenditure of energy these simple things demand. It means putting aside the nagging concerns of your personal health and comfort to be fully present to what is before you.

For some of us being an acompañante includes trying to understand and be understood in a language we are not that familiar with, in a culture with its own manners and codes of conduct in some ways similar but different from ours. It means feeling like you spend a great deal of time in a cloud of unknowing as you try and follow conversations, sermons, speeches, and hardest of all, questions which you're not sure you understand much less know how to respond to intelligently. It means struggling to use words you do know to try to convey what you haven't the vocabulary for, leading to the thrill of success and frustration of failure. It means learning the power of gestures, facial expressions, smiles and laughter, and very simple exchanges to establish connections that without words make you feel welcome and included. You learn the power of focused listening and appreciation for those who struggle with you to find understanding.

Being an acompañante means being on a bus packed with boisterous Colombians, all of whom are ministers and elders enthusiastically singing praise songs on the way home from a Presbytery meeting. A meeting where there was worship including the sharing of milk and honey along with the voicing of dissent and struggles to come to agreement that were not fully resolved. It means finding how much our churches share in their attempts to be a community that respects and values diversity of opinion on and understanding of the call to be God's people.

Being an acompañante can include sitting in on a class at the Universidad Reformada where students share their understandings of Liberation Theology. Being interviewed by students at the Colegio Americano shyly practicing their English and hearing a range of maturity and sophistication in their concerns and opinions as they respond to your questions. It means hearing in the descriptions of mission of both these Colombian Presbyterian institutions the desire to empower their students to work together in building a society responsive to the needs of all God's children.

Being an acompañante this Tuesday was finding salvation in the man coming toward me with a mule and the offer of a ride when I'd already climbed farther than my body was willing to go and the end of journey was still distant. A journey that took us to see the land on which the group of displaced people the church has been working with hope to establish a new community. It was feeling privileged to share their hope and excitement at the possibility of establishing homes in this beautiful spot and awed by their willingness to take on the challenge of farming the hillsides, the progress they have made in doing so, and the ease with which they traveled what seemed to me a horrendous commute. It means feeling uncomfortable about having and "needing" so much when you see others doing with so little other than their willingness to work hard and help one another. It is the gift of being with people who offer you the best of the little they have and are clearly grat eful for just your attention.

Being an acompañante means learning to expect plans to change and things to happen when they happen, regardless of designated times. It means days filled with time for reflection and lots of emailing, days that demand all your energy and patience, when getting back to the air conditioner becomes your idea of heaven, days that include poignant moments of sharing across cultural divides and a few hours at the movies forgetting you are not at home.

Being an acompañante is the opportunity for Bible study with Alice Winters, the Presbyterian missionary from the U.S. with over 30 years in Colombia. Hearing her scholarly analysis of the stories and concepts in the Old Testament becoming the source of direction and hope for the people of Colombia. It's an opportunity to connect your story and the stories you hear with God's story.
Being an acompañante is a chance to hear your fellow acompañante's story as you share in this process of discovery and the challenge of a month apart from those you share with regularly. It's a chance to reflect on what you've left behind and what you hope to go back to. It's a chance to consider what is really essential here and there.

Being an acompañante is to engage in the ministry of presence. It's not about changing, fixing, or even helping. It's not about analyzing or diagnosing, recommending or advising. It's about being there as wholly and fully as possible, present to God's movement within you and those you came to stand beside.

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

"A Wise Man" by Cathy Surgenor

2008-05-31T14:23:07Z

"A Wise Man" by Cathy Surgenor

A Wise Man
by Cathy Surgenor
May 29, 2008

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on a rock. --Matthew 7:24

This is the verse from the reading for Sunday, June 1, my last day in Barranquilla. As I have been reviewing my journal and deciding which of the many stories to write about, these words jumped out at me. Rarely has a biblical parable been so clearly demonstrated in the real world as this one has been in the Presbytery of the North Coast.

Piajo is a small pueblo in the mountains southwest of Barranquilla. We drove there last week with a load of yucca cuttings, seed corn and sugar cane in the back of the pickup truck owned by the presbytery. As we drove higher the land on either side of the road became greener and the cattle went from skin and bones to healthy.

I had heard stories about Piajo at the Presbytery office. Gloria and German* came back from there with excitement on their faces and in their voices. They had met with a landowner in Piajo who was willing to sell farm land to the displaced farmers who had been meeting at the University for months. It was good, farmable land with access to water and (when it is built), a connecting road to a main highway so that crops could get to market. This was much different from the land that had been offered before, land that the desperate farmers had been willing to take just so they could farm. It had been difficult to talk them out of it. Now waiting had paid off.

What is more, the Bishop had set up meetings with the local priest, the mayor and the police chief of Piajo. They and the land owner agreed to help the new families with access to a food bank, getting children enrolled in school, and into the health care system.

So German, Paula, John and I entered the town with hope. We were not disappointed. There was a public library with a message on the wall: Piajo is growing up reading! There was a community center, and a hospital and the roads were paved! We continued uphill with our load and then turned into a short side street on the edge of town. This was the home of Bernadino, the landowner, and it was beautiful. Perched on the side of the mountain and overlooking the valley, a fresh breeze blew continually. Bernadino came out to greet us with a warm welcome. He invited us to sit on a small veranda while his son unloaded the sacks of cuttings. He explained to us that he had built the house himself a little at a time. It was very solid and, yes, it was built on solid rock.

I reminded him of Jesus' parable and he smiled and nodded happily. We praised the town with its many public offerings. He replied that Piajo was the most peaceful community in the whole region. I asked him how this was accomplished and he smiled again and explained that there was no greed.

I'm sure his answer was simplified because of my limited Spanish. But, like the parable, it told a powerful truth in a few words. What is even more remarkable, the people of this ancient town were willing to take a risk of inviting newcomers who had little to offer other than their love of the land, and their willingness to work hard. It will not be easy. To begin with, the land is a good hour's walk from the town. There is, as yet, no road. The government must still make good on its promise to buy the land for these displaced families. Even then they will not own it until they have farmed it for five years. So far 38 families have signed up. The forms for their children's schooling and health care are completed and collected. The cuttings and seeds that we brought up in the pickup are already planted. The part that the Presbyterian Church has played, as a facilitator, is especially striking to me because none of the farmers are Presbyterian. Jesus sai d when you hear these words of mine, words about bearing good fruit, and you do them, you will be like the wise man. There has been a remarkable wisdom on the part of many in this story. The outcome is not yet assured but the hope is that over a hundred farm families will find a home and bear much good fruit.

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

A City of Many Surprises

2008-05-19T20:38:25Z

A City of Many Surprises

A City of Many Surprises, by Cathy Surgenor

Barranquilla is a city of two million people who live in the modern world and in the old ways as well. Taxis and buses are everywhere but on the side streets you might see horse drawn carts whose drivers are selling fresh fruits and vegetables. Women walk through the neighborhoods with a large tray of sweets balanced on their heads. The very poor knock on the door of the missionaries I stayed with for the first few days. Usually they are given a small bag of rice.

If you can afford air conditioning the extreme heat and humidity of mid day can be avoided. Ceiling fans do what they can to move the air around. There is a mall as nice as those in the USA with a beautiful grocery store and a small but very nice movie theater. Many people walk around the mall but most are not carrying any packages.

Last Saturday we attended an ecumenical gathering of women leaders at a small Pentecostal church in a poorer section of the city. We gathered under an open air shelter with overhead fans. Apparently this church also hosts both some young men who have been in a drug rehab program and a day program for the elderly. The young men seemed very responsible. Two of them were helping set up chairs and a screen for a power point presentation. But since there was too much light to see the words on the screen, the young men helped to remove the furniture from the living room of the neighboring house and set up some 25 chairs in the living room. (The house belonged to the grandmother of one of the church leaders.)

When we had gathered, one of the leaders welcomed the women and introduced the presenter – a young woman who was a lawyer. Her presentation was on women's rights and especially rights pertaining to reproduction and sexuality.
Among the rights she listed were the right to not be tortured, the right to receive health care (especially during pregnancy), the right to access information about her health and her options, the right to decide on the number of children and the spacing of the pregnancies. Women should have the right to decide about marriage – they should be able to say yes or no. They should have the right to divorce. They should have the right to employment and to social security. They have the right to work in an environment free of sexual harassment and the right to not be fired if they become pregnant.

Repeatedly the presenter stopped and asked for comments. Women would then tell of their own experiences. Then the lawyer passed out slips of paper which each contained an individual case. I kept one of cases. It described a chilling situation reported by a young girl who had been "demobilized" from a guerrilla unit. She described a forced abortion.

The young lawyer ended her power point presentation with a page entitled simply "It Is Necessary." Underneath it said, "We need to make visible, to denounce, to resist, to repair, to talk. Nothing is more important."

After the meeting we drove past the mural that Kori and Kirk, the accompaniers for April, had painted with some seventy children. The murals were of children holding hands in a circle of peace.

Lord, let it be so.

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

How Can We Change the Cycle?

2008-05-17T12:56:54Z

How Can We Change the Cycle?

This reflection was written by Kirk Johnston during his time in Barranquilla in April.
**************

Hi everyone,

I have to get up early tomorrow but don't feel like I can go to sleep before I share a little about my night. Earlier today I felt like some of the situations in Colombia are much like those in the USA. I have been enjoying my time here and meeting some wonderful people. The churches that we have been to have been bursting with life in both the young children and in the leaders who make the stories in the Bible come to life.

Tonight my fellow accompanier and I cooked dinner in our apartment and invited two young adults that had met Kori during her previous visits to Colombia. We had a wonderful dinner talking about common life experiences and similarities. After dinner we sat around and talked for a while and eventually were joined by a Colombian pastor who is visiting at the Reformed University where we are staying.

Our conversation was interrupted by a phone call to the pastor. When he came back from his conversation on the phone his face looked tired and sad. He had just received news about a small town near his home town was in the middle of a conflict between the paramilitaries and the guerrillas tonight. In that moment a heavy weight began to sink on to my shoulders. I began to imagine being in a town surrounded by armed men who were fighting each other. When I was in Belfast a couple of people shared stories about times that they were afraid during the Troubles or times of violence that they had witnessed. But all of the stories were in the past. They had happened and people lived through them. Though the images and the feelings of those times were still with them... it was in the past.

Tonight I saw the face of a man who has a present reality that is similar to the stories that I had heard in Belfast. He shared other stories from the past ranging from quite a few years back to a couple of days ago. He knows the reality of being a civilian in a war zone. He has seen senseless killings and has seen families massacred. He has seen young men line up to get on the bus to join paramilitary and guerrilla forces.

The stories that he shared were overwhelming. I could tell on his face the sadness that he caries on his shoulders. Quite a few times he would rest between stories and ask how can you stop war. Una guerra loca. He wanted to know how to end the cycle of violence. I do not understand how exactly the main violence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland stopped. I say main because there is still rioting from time to time and there is a lot of hatred that still lives in people's hearts. But there is work for peace in those communities. The pastor mentioned that there are children and babies that are a result of the war and that they will grow up in it. So how do you stop the cycle of violence. Though he didn't have an answer of how to stop the war he did tell a story as follows. (I apologize since I didn't get every word but this is what I understood him to say.)

There was a group of animals in the middle of a huge fire. None of them had a plan for how to put it out. One of the animals said that he couldn't carry enough water to put out the fire. Several other animals said similar things. And then came the humming bird, and that humming bird decided that he would fly to the river and get as much water he could and put it on the fire. As the other animals watched this humming bird bring water over and over they asked him why he did that. They told him there was no way that he could put the fire out. His response was that he was going to do what he could, and that if everyone would do what they could then maybe we could put out this fire.

The pastor then shared about the role of the church. He said that they don't have the power to stop a war and the cycle of violence dead in its tracks. But they are going to do their part. They have faith that this is what they should be doing.

So my prayer tonight is for a community that is scared tonight. A community that is stuck in the middle of violence. My prayer if for the followers of Christ who work for peace when there seems to be no hope. My prayer is that there is a better world for all of us on Earth as it is in Heaven. I pray that we each do what we can to bring peace to a world full of war and violence. My prayer is that they will know we are Christians by our love. And my prayer is that God will use us as vehicles for transformative love to bring about peace.

Kirk Johnston
April 16, 2008

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

Call to Continued Prayer and Action for Colombia!

2008-04-26T15:14:49Z

Call to Continued Prayer and Action for Colombia!

The following is a message adapted from prayer requests sent by accompanier Kori Phillips to some of her friends on April 17, followed by a more recent update. Please keep the people of Colombia, especially all those who continue to receive threats and live with great uncertainty and violence, in your prayers in these Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia, Sunday and Monday, April 27-28.

***************************
Friends,

Pastor Diego, Executive Secretary of the Uraba Presbytery and of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia, got a call tonight. We were sitting on the balcony outside my room enjoying the cool breeze and chatting. He returned from his call after some time and I asked if everything was ok. He told me that, No, everything is not fine tonight. A town that is part of the Uraba Presbytery in the department of Antioqua, Urama, is under cross fire. The army and the guerrillas are fighting there tonight and we won't know until the sun rises what all has happened. And all we can do right now, tonight, in this moment, is pray.

Thursday we had a meeting about a woman named Ingrid in Sincelejo who works with identifying remains in mass graves and with victims in that community. Some men came up to her 12 year old daughter and told her that they would kill her because of the work her mother was doing. The church continues to accompany her in whatever path she chooses to take. I ask for prayers for Ingrid and her family.

Please also pray for Tito, Pancheco and the displaced farmers who are trying to find land that will yield bountiful crops and bring them peace.

This weekend, we will lead a project named Niños Pintan por la Paz (Children Paint for Peace). The children from Third Presbyterian Church and the community are going to paint murals demonstrating the peace they hope for in their community. Please include prayers for guidance, patience, beauty and communication on this day.

The work of the IPC (Presbyterian Church of Colombia) is trying to accompany people in their lives. They ask themselves, How can we as a church be together with these people? How can we walk with them in their struggles? I hope that we, as a church, can begin to understand these questions, and try to follow where their answers might lead us.

Con sueños por la paz,
Kori

------------------------
Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for your overwhelming support and response to my previous email. I would like to update you with some answered prayers.

No community members were harmed on Thursday night in Urama.

Ingrid, who works for the National Movement for Victims was moved along with her family from Sincelejo to a more secure place. They were accompanied by members of other organizations to show that they are not alone. Human Rights First has created a space on their website for you to request protection for Ingrid and investigation of these threats: http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/Ingrid/

The project Niños Pintan por la Paz went fabulously on Saturday. We had a great time painting with many children, and the community was really excited about the project. They watched and got involved, one man brought water for everyone. It was a lovely experience to be a part. The local project leaders have proposed to their church that they would like to continue this project with more children in other communities.

I hope you all are doing well, remember this Sunday and Monday are the Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia! http://www.witnessforpeace.org/campaigns/days.html

With Love,

Kori

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

Reflections on Holy Week in Barranquilla and the Presence of God

2008-04-05T12:45:50Z

Reflections on Holy Week in Barranquilla and the Presence of God

These reflections were written by accompanier Barbara Clawson in her last days before leaving Colombia.

Holy Week in Barranquilla provided opportunities for new experiences in worship and looking at the crucifixion in a new way. We attended the Maundy Thursday service at the Presbyterian Church in Pital. In an enactment of the Seder meal, the children, robed in white, took the role of the disciples. Throughout the meal, the children asked the questions and the congregation read or gave the answers in an open discussion. Following the opening questions "Why are meeting today?" "What are we celebrating?" Deuteronomy 6:20-25 was read. After the children asked, "Why did Jesus wash the feet of the disciples?" the feet of two of the disciples were washed. The answer to the next question, "Why are we eating lettuce in this meal?" was that it was a reminder of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt. The pastor then asked what bitter things they had experienced in their lives. Among the answers were displacement, the violence, and the disappeared . Foods served during the meal to the children and the congregation were typical of Colombia and answers to the questions about the foods related the experiences of the Hebrews to those of Colombians. It was a meaningful, participatory service.

At the Good Friday service, the congregation was divided into seven groups with one of Jesus' last words from the cross assigned to each group. Questions asked of each group were about the meaning of the words in Jesus' time and the meaning for us as individuals, the church and the broader community now.

The early morning Easter service at Colegio Americano was filled with joy as expressed in the songs, liturgy, prayers, etc. At one point three women portrayed the visit to the tomb, and then after hearing the news about Jesus, hurried off the stage and cried out, "He is risen! He is risen!" I especially enjoyed the ending of the service with children coming down the aisles carrying balloons.

As I have met people here who have experienced so much suffering and tragedy in their lives and know they are representative of thousands of others, it is easy to ask, "Where is God in all of this? How long must the suffering go on?" Then when I think of the cross, I know where God is—right in the midst of our suffering. Although God does not condone suffering, God's presence is with those who are suffering. The cross shows us a God who loves us deeply, who suffers in the midst of the world's brokenness in order to mend and redeem it.

As I review my experience here, I, like so many others, leave with a renewed commitment to serve as an advocate for Colombia and to pray for this country. In addition, one of the things I was reminded of during this experience was to let God be God and to trust God when not much was happening in terms of our schedule. I was faithful in what I understood God's call to be in regard to coming to Colombia and I had to trust that God's purpose was being served at times when it was difficult to discern what it might be. For someone accustomed to being actively involved in ministry just being here didn't seem like a very significant thing to be doing. Although I know we are here as a presence to provide a safer space for the Presbyterian Colombians to speak the truth to power and to walk with the victims of the violence, it took some time for me to internalize the idea that presence was the key word. My thoughts then centered on the idea that if presence with brother s and sisters in Christ is the focus of this ministry then it follows that presence and openness to God is equally necessary. Maintaining the balance between the outward expression of my faith in activity and the inward journey focusing on spending time open to God's presence has been one theme of my reflections during my time here. These reflections are not new ideas for me but the time here has been a reminder of these aspects of my faith journey.

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

Growing Hope--Displaced Farmers Planting New Seeds in Colombia

2008-03-19T11:27:49Z

Growing Hope--Displaced Farmers Planting New Seeds in Colombia

March 17, 2008

Today Barbara (my fellow accompanier) and I left Barranquilla and spent the morning at a farm just outside of the city. This particular 40-acre plot of land is being rented so that four farmers can cultivate their crops of watermelon, yucca, corn and beans. The two of us had the pleasure of following one of the farmers as he explained the seeding process for the watermelon.

Afterward, we were treated to fruit from one of the trees on the farm and some delightful Colombian coffee, which was served in the shell of another fruit. As we ate, drank, and enjoyed their hospitality, our conversation began. Unfortunately, the stories we heard were not nearly as kind as the company we kept.

The underlying tragedy that surrounds this particular farm is that all four of the farmers have been displaced from their homes.

One man left his home because it was no longer economically viable to live as a farmer in his hometown.

The other three men were forced from their homes.

Of these three, one man simply said that he and his wife left their town when the violence in the region became too much to bear.

One man was warned that a paramilitary group would be coming to take his children away from him. Because of this advance warning, he had time enough to hide them in different parts of the region. When the paramilitary came to collect his children, the man told them that they were off studying, but they would be back in a month or so. The paramilitary left; however, they later sent a bomb, via donkey, to his farm—a clear warning that the paramilitary did not appreciate his lack of willingness to send his children with the group and that the man's life would not last much longer if he stayed where he was. So the man left, and the paramilitary took over his farm.

The last man had been displaced three times total, twice due to his civic participation. His desire to extend a helping hand to his neighbor had earned him death threats that forced him to leave.

To add tragedy upon tragedy, these men are but four out of more than four million internally displaced persons in Colombia.

As we were walking through the watermelon patches earlier in the day, German (the accompaniment program coordinator in Colombia) framed the importance of the farm for us.

He said that the Presbyterian Church of Colombia, unlike the U.S. and Colombian governments, does not feel that the human rights situation in Colombia is getting better. It is, in fact, getting worse.

But, amongst all of the violence and pain and injustice, these four men found a way to reconnect with the life they knew. Every seed planted on the farm is another step toward cultivating a new life.

This isn't to say that life is easy for these four men. Far from it. They still have many, many obstacles to overcome.

However, these four farmers are now growing hope, along with watermelon, yucca, corn, and beans.

-Jason Woods, Accompanier

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

March for an end to the violence

2008-03-13T22:26:29Z

March for an end to the violence

Wearing white blouses or shirts and carrying photos of family members assassinated or "disappeared," 15,000 citizens of Baranquilla took to the streets on March 6 to protest the violence in Colombia and to honor the victims. I was among the Presbyterians walking behind a banner with portions of Micah 4:3 written on it and a drawing of a gun being changed into a fork for cultivating the land. The chanting, singing, sense of unity, and enthusiasm reminded me of marches in which I have participated in D.C. Such events have always encouraged me to continue being faithful to the call of discipleship with the knowledge that I am not alone.

Chants included "no to death, yes to life," "Christians of Barranquilla-Present, present, present," and "Humanitarian agreement, now!" One of the songs we sang was the one Sarah taught us at orientation about dreaming of a world of justice and love without violence and rancor, where in Jesus we are brothers/sisters who struggle with valor, live with hope, and sorrow exists no more when the kingdom is realized.

At the end of the march we gathered in the park for speeches. One of the staff spoke saying that the church has decided to raise its voice in favor of the victims of the conflict and that part of the mission of the church is to be with the victims. She went on to quote Gandhi who said that no violence is stronger than humanity with a desire to build peace. Her final comments stated that as Christians we believe in a God that wants peace and justice for Colombia, a God who walks with God's people in this event and always.

When we returned to the office staff members excitedly called us in to watch the coverage on TV. When the D.C. march was shown we all saw a familiar face and were grateful to be joining him across the miles in this expression of solidarity for Colombia. According to the newspaper, marches occurred in 82 cities around the world with 20 of those being in Colombia. An article in the paper preceding the march stated 10 reasons for it: for the displaced, "disappeared," and assassinated, for truth and justice, for reparation for those whose land has been taken, for no more kidnapping, for the end of the paramilitary, for the mobilization of society, and for political negotiations for peace.

Friday evening the Presbytery held a prayer vigil for peace. Although the focus was still on Colombia, they also prayed for the U.S. and for peace in Iraq. I was moved by the response we made to the confession of sins, "we have seen the abyss and have moved back. Lord, have mercy." (my translation). How true that is for me.

The sense of solidarity with movements around the world was continued during worship on Sunday when International Women's Day was recognized. The deep longing for peace and justice around the world and the commitment and courage to express that longing has been a significant part of my experience this week.

--Barbara Clawson, March 11, 2008

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

Closing reflections from Eran Wade

2008-03-04T10:33:33Z

Closing reflections from Eran Wade

February 29, 2008

Accompanier Eran Wade shares these reflections at the end of his time in Colombia:

It may be hard for those of us in the United States to understand how we and our international policies are viewed in Colombia. It's easy and natural for us to look out for our own self-interests, but it may be harder for us to see why it makes a difference that our international policy take into consideration the human rights violations of another country. When we do business and support another country that corruptly ignores the plight of it's own citizens and the leaders who are trying to help, we are perceived—as Madeline Albright says—"as marginalizing the poor."   

Being here in Colombia has given me a new perspective. Maybe if I can share this perspective, it could help us to see how taking a stronger stance on human rights could benefit the United States. One leader told me, "It's not just that the U.S. is rich. It's how they got that way." Our support of the Colombian government is perceived as "stepping on the backs of the poor" (who have nothing) so that corporations (who already are sustainable) can have more.   

I'm all for democracy, freedom and entrepreneurship. The U.S. is a capitalist society and the economics of our country are very important. But if most of us knew that our country's economic interests were growing at the expense of peoples lives, we might look into how we can change that. I don't believe the average person in the U.S. wants to have our economic interests advanced at the cost of human rights and the First Amendment freedoms of people here in Colombia. I wish I could report that we look like the good guys here. I wish we were seen as the bearers of freedom, democracy and fairness. I wish we had a better reputation. But the truth is, we not only are perceived as ignoring the rights of freedom and the poor, we're perceived as only advancing our own economic interests at the expense of freedom and the poor.   

Some would say that we need to focus on protecting the interests of the U.S. and we cannot help the poor in other countries. However, I'd like to make a point that is entirely and personally mine regarding the situation in Colombia. When our economic interests in other countries encourage the human rights we ourselves value and take for granted in our Constitution and Bill of Rights, we go further to consolidate our best long-term economic interests. We create fewer enemies and more long-term friends who will be happier doing business with us later on. We support fair rules that allow people to work hard for a meaningful life. They are less likely to resent us. Making friends with people in other countries does more to solidify our economic security in our global world.   

A university student here in Colombia wrote to me, "I don't know how much the vision you had about Colombia before coming here has changed, but I guess the experiences you have lived here, have changed your mind. Now you can understand what is really going on here and what kind of support the people really need. Even for me, sometimes it's really hard to try to understand how much the people have suffered in my country, because I am used to living in a city apparently far away from the conflict; but I am not blind, and I don't want to be blind. There are people who have lost their hope, and I know that every single thing I do (and other people do) to help them can bring back the hope, and encourage us to keep the faith and to build a new country with opportunities for everybody, especially for those who need it."   

Now my experience in Colombia is coming to an end. I cannot resist one final story. This one comes from an anthropologist who kept a diary for two weeks in a small town in Colomba in the spring of 2001. Michael Taussig, professor at Columbia University in New York, tells a story of a displaced group that is very similar to the stories I've heard while here in Colombia. The book is titled "Law in a Lawless Land."

He writes:
"I was invited by a schoolteacher who worked there many years and knew the peasants in the mountains in that region. He showed me the army barracks by the barrier across the only road leading from Buga to the mountains of the cordillera Central. There's no way the army wouldn't know the paras went by on their on their way to cut people to pieces. 'It was a terrible thing to see that apparatus,' a young peasant man said in the newspaper, referring to the laptop computer the paras use when they pull into a mountain village to check their death list more than likely provided by army intelligence. Everyone evacuated the area immediately and came down the mountain to stay in Buga. I interviewed a few of the several hundred living in an enclosed basketball stadium. They had been there exactly a year, sad and scared to go home, their farms and animals gone."

He continues, "Even cornered in the stadium they were receiving death threats. Where else can they go? They cannot go back to their farms. The army says it cannot guarantee their security. What the army means, I think, is 'We will kill you…either directly or by setting loose the paras.' I was told by the peasant refugees that the army had supplied the paras with transport and even, on one occasion, helicopter gunship support when they engaged with the guerrilla that has been in the high mountains there for many years."

As one of the United States leaders of the accompaniment program said, "There are 3 reasons for going to Colombia: 1) To see 2) To be seen and 3) To communicate what's going on to people in the United States."

Our presence in Colombia allows us to walk along side those leaders who are being intimidated, threatened, and violated. We then see the work that is going on and the reason for their request for accompaniment. Finally, if we communicate what's happening with those in the U.S., we can do our part to put an end to the injustices that cause the abuses in the first place. With our freedom of speech and petition, we can make our voices known to the United States government to make sure our growth with Colombia is predicated by true and independent verification of basic human rights and freedom.

Besides the human rights observations, I also had a theory regarding another difference between Colombia and the United States. I suspect that we attempt to fill a void through material wealth. One thing I've noticed while here in Colombia is a strong sense of community. Families, school groups, churches, and neighborhoods are all strong ties that help give value and belonging to the people. Of course, we have this in the United States and the potential for it. But it also seems that it is stronger here in Colombia. When we lack this sense of community and relationship, we try to fill the gap with promises of the same, but we buy into the advertisement of more wealth. In essence, we naturally try to protect and defend the loneliness of our lives with more stuff. This is just my theory. I notice less of this in Colombia.

People always asked what I was going to be doing in Colombia—"Building something, teaching, giving out basic necessities of life." Yes. Yes I did all of these things. I built something. I taught. I gave out provisions. I built a new frame of mind. I taught intimidated communities that they were not alone. I gave out provisions of hope, time, and the ideas that there are people in the United States who are just like them who care about them.

Taussig mentions in his writings that human rights groups have been criticized for not condemning the work of the guerrillas as often as they should. Take comfort in the words of one of the pastors in describing the situation, "We are in defense of life. There are no other marches." There are no other causes or allegiances more basic than this: that innocent people should have the right to live, no matter what group is responsible.

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

Colombia Reflection from Eran Wade

2008-02-27T14:44:21Z

Colombia Reflection from Eran Wade

As I write about serious issues in Colombia related to human rights, I hope the story of the people's optimism can shine through as well.

Currently I'm asking questions related to these points: 1) We are a people that have the freedom to question our government. 2) Should our international policy towards other countries be solely our own economic self-interest or should it go beyond that? 3) What are the best ideas for international policy regarding Colombia?

Before I left for Colombia, people asked, "What exactly are you going to be doing in Colombia? Are you going to build something? Are you going to teach or do some sort of project?" In the United States I was used to hearing about poor people who needed assistance. I heard about starving children because of famine. I heard of Rotary International working to eradicate diseases. I led a youth group to help finish a building on a Native American Reservation. All over the world there are poor families—even in the U.S. What's so unique about Colombia? Helping the social services needs of the poor is valid. However, the people here are able to provide social services, do their own building, and do work with their own people. My objective here was always meant to be different. Deeper questions had been asked. Why are these people poor? Are they being treated fairly?

My work here is to accompany people who are standing up for the poor. This means I am spending time with them as they ask the tough questions related to the questions I listed above. I am befriending church workers, lawyers, and college student advocates to listen to their stories. They are asking their own questions. What is our organization's role in the conflict in Colombia? What is our social role? What is our civic duty? Should we question our leaders? Can we question the policy of our government? I confess I have taken this freedom for granted in the United States. This freedom was important to our founding fathers in the new democracy. They sacrificed to bring us that freedom. What if our lives were threatened because we questioned our government? What if we were in danger because we advocated for a change in the way our nation did things?

Before I came to Colombia, I had visions of myself surrounded by green jungle next to military warriors in fatigues sleeping in a small room over a shabby non-profit office. Over the last 4 weeks, the reality is that I am in a major city, on a beautiful university campus, getting to know hip people that I would love hanging out with in the United States. They are university professors, lawyers, teachers, college kids, and educated church and human rights leaders.
As I examine these issues, I have been able to visit places and people that are directly affected by many military and political forces at play here in Colombia. Like most conflicts in life, the cause of the problems here are multidimensional. When I ask people what they think about their situation, each person starts their answer with "Es muy complicado.—It's very complicated." There are no easy answers.

My first days here, I was overwhelmed with a sense that this was an opportunity of a lifetime. Of course, I've had fun enjoying "Carnaval," other parties, great new friends, the nightlife here, gorgeous weather (what a winter to miss!), and advancing my Spanish skills. But these aspects, plus the opportunity to learn the public policy in the country and with such bright minds, have come together as a gift I will always cherish. I have the opportunity to hear stories and information of the people and their struggle for freedom here in Colombia.

One of these men I'll call Santiago began this story: "It is very sad what I see and know. It is very sad the story of them." It's hard for the people to tell him their stories because they are reliving those experiences. He continues, "I am able to tell one story of one woman in 1997 that lived in a mountain of the state of Antioquia." One afternoon, one group of paramilitaries came to her house, and killed her husband and her two older boys. They told her she better leave because her family collaborated with the guerillas. They had not really, but that's what they were accused of. She came to live close to Santiago's house with her other four children. The smallest one was still in her arms. She had lived 15 days in the area, when the chief of one of the armed actors came with the army. They told her she had to leave and she could never come back. She went to Santiago and asked him to take her to a nearby bigger city. She had noth ing. Only her children. And a lot of fear. That year, Santiago was driving an ambulance. He had to decide if he would help her and take a chance that he too would be assassinated. That was the only way of taking people from that place was by ambulance. If they left another way they would be attacked. Santiago finally decided to take her in the night with her kids and nothing else. She would leave with absolutely nothing—no food and no clothing. They arrived in the city at 1:00 in the morning in the morning of a wintry rainstorm. It was a very sad moment for Santiago because they had no place to go. When he dropped them off, they didn't know the city. He let them out and they went under a bridge to protect themselves during the winter storm. He never heard of them since. He hopes they are alive. While here in Colombia, he and others have told me there are many, many stories like this.

Who would target these human rights workers? Why would anyone want to threaten and kill church workers? What group is cutting down people who stand for freedom of speech, freedom of petition, and the democracy we espouse in the United States?

Santiago told me, "In my pueblo both the FARC (rebel group) and the AUC (paramilitary) have left victims." It would be real easy to say the problem is only the FARC. On February 4th, there was a march "NO MAS FARC!"-- No more FARC! He continued, "My position is that the church needs to march in the defense of life, there are no other marches, but in defense of life."

Here is where it gets complicated. The two groups are fighting over land and the rural farmers are caught in the middle. Let's pretend it's group A fighting with Paramilitary group B. One group will come to the farmers under threat of a gun and force them to give them something that helps their group. Group B will come and accuse that farmer and say that that farmer helped group A or vice versa. The farmer and/or family will be killed or intimidated and will have to flee to a city or somewhere to get help. A pastor, human rights worker, or lawyer will try to help the farmer with their rights and their livelihood. The pastor, human rights worker, or lawyer will then be targeted and/or intimidated by the group (usually the paramilitary) and accused of being a terrorist and helping terrorists. Seven lawyers were assassinated in 2007 in Barranquilla (a city of 2 million people).

The leaders here allege that the paramilitary is supported and tied to the government. If a social justice worker does anything to stand up for the displaced person, they too are labeled as a terrorist, threatened and/or killed. At the very least, anything done against the social justice worker by the paramilitary is ignored by the government.

It would be nice for me to report that the government and paramilitary is a shining example of first amendment freedoms. It would be nice to report that the guerilla groups are the bad guys and the government is the good guy in this story. However, the people here give a different account. It seems incredible to me that a government would be linked in with displacing its own people. Why would a government allow murder, intimidations, and threats to continue?

But my eyes do not deceive me. I see a group of 120 displaced families trying to farm and survive after leaving their homes. I read newspaper articles of a government that has promised to help the displaced to find new farms and new lives and then turn around and then try to give those new farms to large agribusinesses instead. I read non-profit web sites in the U.S. that confirm the stories that are being told. It's weird to have dinner with a friend, who is risking his life to help the displaced. It is weird to have a conversation where he tells you that his friend was killed 2 weeks ago in the kind of scenario I described above. The people I am talking with are leaders, and they are trying to courageously stand up for the rights of the poor here in Colombia.

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below:

Colombia Accompaniment Notes

2008-02-19T10:43:52Z

Colombia Accompaniment Notes

Notes from Colombia

February 16, 2008

Carol Weaver

I have been here for one month as of today, and continue to meet with many dedicated workers for humanitarian needs. I've also attended many meetings with various groups discussing the role of the church in today's world, ways to help the displaced, and addressing violence, massacres, and execution of innocent victims. There is a united effort of many to aid in these causes. I intend to carry this information back with me when I return and share it. There are ways we can help support these efforts through our Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and by writing our Congressmen. More need to know about the conditions here and throughout the world, and our roles through prayer and support. It's great to see the Presbyterian Church of Colombia and the PC(USA) working together as sister churches. As "the Philospher" says in Ecc. 4:9, "Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively." I was happy, too, to learn that the Presbytery o f Tres Rios (which my church is a part of) will be here later this month. Hola, Tejanos.

On a more personal note, my day begins early at 7 am with an ESL class. For those who know me, this comes as no surprise. When not attending mission concerns, I also teach during the day, and help with translations. (And then there's always the siesta, which I enjoy.) I've always thought of teaching as just a way of sharing what I've been fortunate enough to learn. What I receive from my students in return is far greater than any language I could give. My students are great teachers!

On the 15th, several others from the Presbytery and I attended a public forum concerning reformed politics. The purpose was to allow the members of civil society to express their concern with the political sphere. Among others, it was attended by the Minister of the Interior and Justice, President of the Senate of the Republic, Governor of the Department, District Mayor, and President of the Electoral Council. It was a great opportunity to see the two groups addressing issues together.

Carnaval has come and gone for another year, we have had the Feb. 4th march, and now I'd like you to know about the March 6th march remembering the victims of violence and crime. Another date to mark and learn more about is April 27-28. It will be Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia. It will be a time for prayers of hope and peace for Colombia.

I hope this has helped you know more about my time in Colombia.

Bendiciones, Carol

P.S. Information and resources for Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia are available at http://www.witnessforpeace.org/campaigns/days.html and http://www.peaceincolombia.org/

----

Subscribe to Colombia Accompaniment Reports via email by entering your email address below: