Love you guys!
Leslie Acton
Hola amig@s,
Below is my second (and probably last) letter from Colombia. My experiences here have been deeply challenging and yet encouraging. As I said in my last letter, I want to share the stories of the people of Colombia in hopes that we can make a change. Thanks to each of you for who you are and what you do.
Que sigamos adelante, That we keep moving forward...
Sarah
Dear Seven Oaks Family,
I just got back to Barranquilla a few days ago; being back in the city feels like a different world. I spent the past two weeks in the town of Chigorodó, in an area of the country called Urabá. When I think of Latin America and the 2/3 world, I imagine rural areas like Urabá. The big cities of Colombia are very well developed and pretty far removed from the reality of the Colombian people. Modern cities and the rich people who run them are like fancy yachts floating on an ocean of poverty, neglect, and oppression. It takes a lot of intention to seek and to follow Jesus in cities like Barranquilla or in countries like the US. It is a quite a statement that the Presbyterian Church of Colombia has such a presence throughout the country, living out the call to work for justice.
The area of Urabá is currently known for its ubiquitous banana plantations and the huge cattle ranches that occupy too much land and employ very few people. The majority of men in the area work for one of the large US banana companies that monopolizes the banana production. But until 50 years ago, the area of Urabá was pure jungle. Poor farmers were forced to move deeper into the jungle to try to make a living for themselves. Some of these people were Presbyterians and when they moved, they took their faith with them and with the help of PCUSA missionary, Alice Winters, new churches were formed in many of the little towns. I had the pleasure of traveling with delegates from the Colombia Mission Network as we visited seven churches of the thirteen that make up Urabá Presbytery. At each church they welcomed us with homemade refreshments and we spent some time talking with the congregation about the Mission Network and the Accompaniment Program, and we learned from them about the church itself.
The following week, Phyllis and I traveled to the town of Chigorodó to spend eight days with the congregation of La Playita Presbyterian Church. Each day we visited the homes of church members, probably 20 families in all. The conversations we had were varied, most started with a summary of typical weather in the U.S. (most people are not aware of the diversity of climates across our country, similar to how many U.S. citizens are not aware of the diversity of climates in Latin American countries). We had many conversations with men about working at the bananeras, banana plantations. And with almost every family, we listened to their story of displacement and how the ongoing violence has affected their families.
In the congregation of La Playita, the large majority of members were displaced by the violence that erupted in neighboring departments during the late 90s. Many families lost loved ones - sons and husbands - as they fled to safety in Urabá. They arrived with only the clothes on their backs and had to start new lives in an unfamiliar land. Over the past 15 years, these families have enriched the community and indeed the church as they testify to God’s goodness even as they’ve struggled to deal with immense grief. We heard over and over from the congregation members that they wouldn’t be here today without God’s help. They proclaim God’s presence and mercy, God’s goodness and love. La Playita members shared with me and Phyllis their living, breathing, growing faith as we visited, talked, and worshipped together.
I’d like to share with you the story of one family in the Playita congregation (all names have been changed). One afternoon we visited Raquel and her four children in their home not far from the church. Six months ago, Raquel, her husband, and her 9 year-old daughter were sitting in front of their house when a motorcycle zoomed past, raining bullets in every direction. The target was Raquel’s husband; however she and her daughter were shot indiscriminately. The assassin killed the husband and she and her daughter were rushed to the hospital. Raquel suffered several bullet wounds to the abdomen and right arm which was shattered. She spent 45 days in surgery and recovery in the hospital. Her 9 year-old daughter, Susanna, received several bullet wounds to her legs, but fortunately, they only penetrated muscle and other tissue, sparing her bones and internal organs.
Think of a 9-year-old you know and imagine that person. He or she is probably in 4th grade, losing teeth and playing sports, falling off their bicycles and getting bruised and scraped, most likely unself-conscious and without much worry at all in life. Now, think of Susanna again. At 9 years-old she has lost her father, very nearly lost her mother, and has scars on her legs not from her bicycle, but from the bullet wounds that will always remind of her the day her world changed forever. In our conversations with the congregation, her simple yet profound question, “Is there violence in the United States?” hit me to the core. While the adults ask us questions about the weather in the states, what this innocent child wants to know is whether we suffer in similar ways.
Take a minute to think of how you would respond to Susanna.
The simple answer is yes, there is violence in the United States. But to answer her question takes some deeper evaluation. She and her mother were shot and her father killed for reasons unknown and by people un-identified. The justice system is not capable of holding anyone accountable for fear of retribution and so the impunity and violence feed one another. Is this happening in the US? Are we afraid to call the police if we witness a crime? Are the police afraid to act for fear of being targeted? Yes, this does happen, but it is the exception and not the norm. We worry about our national security yet we live the most privileged lives. The violence in the U.S. is different, it exists, but the majority of us do not suffer directly from its effects. Remember just a few months ago, a 9 year old was shot and killed in Tucson, AZ along with several others. The shooting made international news and our president attended the memorial service. We all felt grief for the tragedy. In Colombia mass violence is so common that families do not even have the luxury of sharing their grief with others, their mourning is mostly private. And yet their resilience is incredible. Raquel told me that she could not have found the courage to live and fight for her life for those 45 days in a Colombian hospital if God hadn’t helped her through. She realized that her children need her; God was giving her another chance at life. She had to overcome the physical and emotional pain of her situation and dedicate her life to her children and to her Savior (literal Savior). Though our lives vary greatly from our brothers and sisters in Colombia, we are invited to join them in the struggle for peace and justice, and to pray and work each day for the Kingdom of God.
Before I left Chigorodó, Susanna wrote me a note that nearly broke my heart. In it she says:
“I just want to write you a little bit because the sheets of paper in my notebook wouldn’t be enough if I start to tell you how important your presence has been in my life this week. In my heart, I hope that your dreams become a reality and that one day we fight together against the violence that tramples the innocent. I want you to keep me in your prayers so that my dreams also may become reality. Many hugs and kisses. Susanna”
This is the heart of accompaniment, to dream, to fight, and to pray together with and for one another. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Colombia.
Grace and Peace to you,
Sarah Robinson
Thank you Leslie and Sarah. Our prayers are with you both.
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