Colombia Learning Trip, Part 3

There are 3 Anabaptist denominations in Colombia: the Mennonites, the Brethren in Christ, and the Mennonite Brethren. These groups are quite small when compared with the population in general - only about 4,000 members in a country of 40,000,000. Yet for their size, the churches are very well-organized with a clear sense of their calling as churches. We were impressed that in every church we visited, the mission and vision of the congregation was clearly displayed, and that church members consistently referenced these as they explained the various ministries of the congregation. The clarity of identity and purpose helps the Colombian Anabaptist churches to have a big impact - they are reaching out to their local communities and sharing the good news of hope with people in need.

Colombia Learning Trip, Part 2

The main purpose for taking students to Colombia was to see what Colombian Anabaptist churches are doing in regards to conflict transformation and peacemaking work, and then to look for ways to cultivate similar work in Nicaraguan churches. Colombia and Nicaragua share a lot in common:

- war (Nica. in the 70s and 80s, in Col. it's ongoing)

- poverty (Nica. is the 2nd poorest country in the western hemisphere, in Col. nearly 65% of the population lives in extreme poverty)

- social violence (violent crime and drug-related violence are common in both countries, although moreso in Col.)

- trauma (people in both countries have been traumatized by violence, war, and natural disasters)

Transformative peacemaking work is thus very relevant in both countries. Colombian Anabaptist churches have identified this as central to God's calling for their congregations. I asked my students to think about whether Nicaraguan churches feel the same sense of urgent calling.

Here are a few things that the Colombian Anabaptist churches are doing to confront the violence in their communities:

- conscientious objection program - advocating for a legal alternative to the obligatory military service in Colombia for young men who object to military participation on religious grounds

- documentation of human rights abuse - people living in the middle of Colombian conflict zones often face intimidation to remain silent about the violence and human rights abuses they see on a regular basis. Justapaz (short for "justice & peace") is a multi-faceted organization, and among their many tasks is interviewing victims and/or their families and compiling a public record of the crimes. By way of an example, over the past 10-15 years, over 250 rural Colombian pastors have been killed by the military, the guerrilla fighters, or drug traffickers for confronting the injustices in their communities.

- emergency orientation for displaced people - a short-term support program designed to provide recently displaced families with a brief orientation to Bogotá and how they can survive there. Most displaced families come from the countryside and have no idea how to navigate a big city, find health and government resources, ride the buses, and provide for their families in an urban environment. This orientation program gives families enough food for about a month, and also shows them around the city and gives them the basic tools to find long-term help.

- One Mennonite church started a homework center in a neighborhood where lots of displaced families live. Kids typically just wander the streets b/c their parents are out looking for work. The homework center provides a hot meal and gives the kids a safe space to receive tutoring and participate in creative activities. The church also provides free music lessons to the kids from this center.

- educational savings program - one local church decided to confront the cycle of poverty in its community by promoting education. Many poor families in the community didn't send their children to school because they lacked money for school supplies, uniforms, books, etc. So the church designed a program that encourages kids to save $2.50 per month and deposit it each month at the church. At the end of the year, right before the new school year starts, the church gives the saved money back to the child (about $30). And if the child has met his or her goal, the church gives a bonus of $30. This money is then used to buy the school supplies, etc., and makes sure that families don't have an excuse to not send their kids to school. Church families that don't have kids can also participate and create buffer accounts, so that if a family loses a job in the middle of the year, the kids have a savings buffer and can make their year-end goal.

The church also offers a modest $250 no-interest loan to university students so that they can pay their tuition and fees at the beginning of the semester. Student then work through the semester to pay back the loan; and if they get straight A's, then they receive a 25% discount on their loan.

Sour Milk

Every morning on our street several people walk by selling sour milk (leche ágria). Most vendors carry little coolers on their backs filled with cups of sour milk. But one vendor does it the old-fashioned way. He carts big milk jugs in the back of of his pickup and ladles out sour milk as people bring him containers.

How do people use sour milk? They usually pour it on gallo pinto (rice and beans) or mix a little sugar in and drink it.

Needless to say, we haven't been able to bring ourselves to purchase milk from the back of a truck. Sour milk is just one of those things that still makes our stomachs churn.

Dog Days of Summer - April edition

Sometimes it's probably better not to know how hot it is. But today I looked. And weather.com confirmed the miserable temps outside (and inside, for that matter).

Colombia learning trip, part 1

(a view of Bogotá from the eastern mountain)

I set out from Managua on March 12 with a group of 9 of my students from the theology program at the university. Our destination: Bogotá, Colombia. Our purpose: to learn about how the Colombian Anabaptist churches (Brethren in Christ, Mennonite, and Mennonite Brethren) do peacemaking and conflict transformation work, and that the students bring back ideas for their own ministry contexts here in Nicaragua.

Our challenge: 12 days, 5 cities, and an altitude of 8,660 ft. for the majority of the trip.

(loading up the bus for the airport in San José)

We set out by bus to San José, Costa Rica, where we spent one night. We then woke up early and flew from San José to Bogotá. We spent several days in Bogotá, and then we hopped on a bus, southwest for about 5 hours to the city of Ibagué. This was followed by another bus, about 3.5 hours west over the mountains to the city of Armenia. And then yet another bus, 4 hours south to Cali. Fortunately we didn't have to retrace our steps by bus; we flew from Cali back to Bogotá, which only takes 30 minutes by air.

(the group with a view of Cali)

We wrapped up our time with 2 more days in the capital before the students headed back to Managua. Beth and Simon then joined me for a retreat in Bogotá.

I'll be writing more installments in the days to come, but here are a few initial impressions:

- Bogotá is immense, compared to Managua. At least 8 million people call Bogotá home, whereas there are only about 5.5 million people in all of Nicaragua.

- government, guerrilla, and drug violence has forced 5 million Colombians from their homes, most being poor rural farmers and their families. That's nearly as many displaced people as live in all of Nicaragua.

- Colombians don't eat tortillas...they eat arepas. They're both made from corn meal, but arepas are smaller, thicker, and often include extras like cheese, meat, sugar, or butter. Nicaraguan tortillas are flat, often the size of a plate, and made of just plain corn meal mixed with a little water.

- Colombian coffee gets its reputation as good coffee for a reason...it was no joke!

- We tasted the best hot chocolate we've ever had while in Colombia!