Joy to the World!

Our family continues to be ever grateful for time together, for MCC support and mission, for learning to love such a remarkable country, for the love of friends and family, and for so much more.  

We wait for the light.  

We pay attention.

We long for peace.  

2012 will be a year of tremendous transition and new adventures for us.  

Each of us spent some time in gratitude for what we have loved in 2011.  Blessed be.

Abby:  Mia, playing with friends, MCC retreats, gymnastics, cheerleading, award for academic excellence, Ajiaco, Club Penguin Puffles, speaker phone calls with Daniela, Playmobil horse barn, multi-colored flats, school gardening (la huerta), creative writing about "Extrodinaria," crafting, school choir songs in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, Neil and Elizabeth, silver ring from Boyacá, Mia, Mia, Mia, and more Mia.

Jenny:  Christmas prayers with school friends, the satisfaction of an academic writing project, hiking, cold waterfalls, a special visit from Yolanda, early morning walks with the dog,  the French bakery beside our office, singing new songs, The Gifts of Imperfection, teaching in Spanish, friendly neighbors, The Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra, packages from home, Henri Nouwen Advent Reflections, morning coffee with Aaron.

Andy:  easy communication with friends, school trip to Armenia, making it to the school finals in basketball, Coach Henri, salpicon and ciclovia, a cozy bed, my soccer team, cheap movie outings, cooking new things, hiking in Sopo, school award for strong values and sports,  passing all my classes, Piscilago, baby beef, chocolate ice cream from Crepes and Waffles, conjunto friends, skateboarding, piano lessons

Lydia: Mia, the new SEED group, Trip back to the USA in the summer, Expociencias, Swimming, Learning how to make patacon, learning how to play the guitar, skype dates with friends, baby Alana, music camp, my face, being awesome, Psych, New Moon Girls, The Alanna Series.

Aaron: playing soccer, Grooveshark, Cuevana, almost 24hour soccer on TV, trips outside of Bogota, El Paso del Angel, MCC retreats, basketball with school dads, EARLY mornings with Jen, exercise with Mia, connections with friends, reading with the kids at night, friday family movie night

Halloween, 2011

Fall Break: 2011 Villa de Leyva

For fall break this year, we were able to get away from the city to enjoy a small town in Boyaca.  By far, this is my favorite place to go in Colombia.  The days were sunny and warm, and the evenings were cool and cozy.  There was plenty of good food to eat, gorgeous natural hiking and waterfalls to see, quiet evenings, no city fumes or rush, or fear of violence.   It was just what we needed.   Sometimes when we are able to get away like this, I feel as if our stress has been "wrung out" and we re able to face the challenging demands of school, work, and city-life once again.

Club de Niñas

Abby has been busy.  She always surprises me with the amount of creativity and initiative she has.  She  sent invitations to little girls in our neighborhood, calling for a Girls Club meeting.  She planned a schedule with snacks, crafts, community service (washing the dog), a fashion show, and games.  She facilitated it all on her own and was very, very happy and satisfied with the event.

Did I already mention how much she is like her Aunt Wendy?

Quito, Ecuador

The majority of my work this year has been with persecuted families in Colombia.  For many, they are no longer able to live in Colombia because of their persecution.  I work with an MCC network of churches in Canada who have helped to sponsor some of these families if they qualify as a refugee and are able to migrate.  This is a very long and complicated process, involving a lot of legal and administrative paperwork, emotional turmoil, complicated, confidential maneuvering, and matching of families to local Anabaptist congregations who then take financial, spiritual, and emotional responsibility for supporting these families.

While it is never easy to complete this process, both because of the pain and suffering involved, as well as the acculturation and grief issues related to leaving your home and trying to create a new life, it is also a beautiful testimony to the global church community.  Families are supported and mentored and cared for in the context of a community of believers.  They are integrated into this community and often feel "as if they are getting a new family."

Sadly, the Canadian government has decided that this program is no longer needed.  They have decided that the problems in Colombia no longer necessitate a refugee program.  On a personal level, this decision is absurd, as I continue to hear daily accounts of persecution and fear.  On a political note, it seems that it resonates with the other powerhouse decisions that are being made, especially in terms of free trade.  How can all of these horrific things be happening, how can we recognize human rights abuses even indirectly and still be able to have free trade?

Due to this change, a delegation of MCC workers who work on refugee issues came to visit us in Colombia.  We visited with families here, went to the embassy, and talked about possibilities for the families we were working with.  Then together, we travelled to Ecuador, to talk about the situation there with Colombian refugees and the possibilities of church sponsorship there.

I loved seeing Quito.  I was inspired by the work of the church there that is already happening, as well as some of the organizations who are supporting Colombians in Ecuador (like Asylum Access and UNHCR).  However, it become evident that Ecuador was also not a safe viable option for some of the families we work with locally.  It was difficult to return with this news.

My hope is that this visit will clear pathways perhaps for others who are suffering from human rights violations.  I was very impressed with all of the Canadian MCC workers who came, with their compassion and knowledge of issues related to refugees.  We left Ecuador and returned together to Colombia to meet with the Justice and Peace Committee at the church and think about what other options might be next to pursue.  I am humbled to belong to a denomination that cares so passionately about human rights and helping people to be able to live safely.  It resonates with my own faith and understanding of what the work of the church should look like all over the world.  The families I work with here live in so much uncertainty and pain.  I hope that they are able to find a way to live meaningfully here, or that another route to safety can open up for them.

Pan y Paz

On September, 21 the Mennonite Church in Teusaquillo celebrated "Pan y Paz" which is the International Day of Nonviolence and Ceasefire.  Normally, my workplace can feel heavy and sad.  However, this was a really happy day, where all of my friends at work were able to contribute their talents of cooking, music, art, and advocacy.   We took to the streets and handed out bread to strangers who passed by, accompanied by literature on why we are peacemakers.  We rocked the neighborhood with a visiting band made up of street people until the police came.  We prayed.  We listened to experts speak about the work of peacemaking.  We played with the kids, and let them be leaders in the passing of the bread, no doubt a symbolic act that despite the despair and agony of so many in this congregation and this country, we still have energy and hope for a new coming of peace and tranquility.  

It was a day full of laughter, conversation, good food, and the enthusiasm which comes from and active and hopeful faith.  It filled me up to keep coming back with an attitude that anything is possible within a loving and strong community of faith.