Thinking out loud

  Community leaders in Pichilin, Colombia with the memorial for those who died.   It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops.   II Timothy 2:6 On December 4, 1996, a group of paramilitaries gathered the villagers of Pichilin, Colombia, shot and killed 12 of them and burned down many of the villagers’ houses. The next day, the 12 bodies were displayed in 12 different nearby communities in the coastal region as a warning not to participate with the resisting forces. Most of the remaining 400 villagers left their village, becoming part of the five million other internally displaced Colombians over the years who have fled violence in the rural regions for the cities. Seventeen years after the massacre, the memory of the 12 who died is still fresh in the minds of those in Pichilin. Only about a third of the villagers have returned. Sembrandopaz (sowing peace), one of...

Marina Forero and David Bonilla with their children, Ian and Aisha I by my works will show you my faith. – James 2:18 David Bonilla is the first pastor I know who began his career as a runway model. Today, David and his wife, Marina Forero, run a school and lead a church in the poor community of Progress in Cazuca, just outside Bogota, Colombia. Nearly 80% of the people here have been displaced from other parts of the country because of the armed conflict. The community is haphazardly built on the side of a mountain and the government refuses to provide services. Mudslides often destroy homes. The Progress Mennonite Brethren Church has been here for 11 years. More recently, a school has begun and it serves up to 120 children from pre-school to grade one. MCC’s Global Family program provides funding for six schoolteachers. David says his heart is in this community but he also knows his children are sacrificing many things because of his calling. And now ...

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field . – Matt. 13:24  Armed conflict in some regions of Colombia is still a reality.  This morning, I visited the village of Caño Berruguita in the coastal region. Many of the families who are here now fled violence in the village 15 years ago. With paramilitaries and guerillas fighting for control, along with government forces, families simply picked up what they could and left behind everything else they owned. Fifteen years later, a few of the displaced families are back, trying to make a living in what was once a thriving village. Sembrandopaz (sowing peace), an MCC partner, has begun a loan program here. We walked through the creek and up the side of the mountain with Walter. He had planted corn high on the hillside. With a loan of $125, Walter planted 2,000 ñame plants among the corn stalks. This starch root vegetable is a staple among the people here. With what he ea...