So, let me tell you about my birthday yesterday - I woke up early and did a little seated yoga practice on my bed, to loosen up the spine a little. When I got out of the shower, our host Consuelo had my morning coffee waiting for me. She's a wonderfully warm woman with a husband and two grown children, and two nieces live with them. We're sleeping in the girls' beds, and they're sleeping with Consuelo. But during the day we're not there at all, so that's ok.
After breakfast at the CPT house, we visited the Ciudadela Educativa here in Barrancabermeja, a complex that integrates education, social networking and productive programs, including many agricultural initiatives (stevia, forestry, cattle, fish, etc. You can see some of their land in this photo). It was hugely inspiring. They organized themselves 23 years ago, mostly displaced people in one of the poorest parts of the city, and now they have one of the top high schools in the city, whose curriculum however is planned by teachers in consultation with parents. The school is doing all kinds of things that we're also doing at my school, and that we think are pretty innovative. It's great to see them happening here too. The president of the association and the other people from the directive kept repeating that they aren't educated people, but they have studied a lot, and they have managed to hold to a few very important principles, including that all decisions are taken as a community and that they will never pay money to any armed group (who always impose taxes) but rather negotiate with them. They don't have a web site yet because they're just getting to the technology now, but I bet they will soon.
In the afternoon we met with a woman from an international organisation that accompanies the demobilisation of paramilitaries. Her photos were quite disturbing for us, and we found it a difficult presentation all in all. The benefits the paras enjoy if they volunteer to disarm are quite substantial. However, we've heard from many people here that some demobilized do just go back to work for another armed group, continuing their activities.
I was on the supper cooking crew. We made cashew chicken with lots of lime juice, garlic and ginger because there was no fish sauce, oyster sauce, or ground coriander. We also made the zucchini brownie recipe from Simply in Season, but with banana. They were delicious. And while the oven was hot, I made Butterzopf, one for the evening, and one for communion this morning. The meal was tasty and plentiful, and I felt happy to have the chocolate desert! Before going to bed I helped John, our leader, plan for today's worship.
Yes, there was communion this morning. But when I told our marvelous delegation leader on Sunday that I haven't taken communion in over 7 years, he invited me to participate in the planning with him. So for words of institution I used the feeding of the 5000 from John, as well as John 21 where Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples on the beach. Besides the team and the delegation, we were joined in the service by a persecuted friend of CPT who regularly has to leave town in order to "let things calm down". After the service, he told us about his life and his work with Gente en Acción. By the time he left, we felt like he was our brother, and I'm sure we'll stay in contact with him.
Right now we're planning for our visit to Micoahumado, a small mining community in the Morales municipality in the south of Bolívar department. It's a four hour ride by chalupa (boat) on the river, then a bumpy truck ride to the mountains, and it can take from 90 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the state of the road. It's been raining a bit here, so I imagine the roads won't be great. We'll be sleeping in a newish community centre, on a cement floor, but we'll have a shower. We're also taking a day trip to a nearby community where they have a cane sugar processing plant. We'll be seeing a lot of interesting geography, and hearing a lot of stories. Before we come back on Saturday, we're spending half the day attending an Assembléia, a community meeting. Will tell you more about that on Sunday, after we get back on Sunday night.
OK, time to go pack. Thanks for your prayers and interest.
After breakfast at the CPT house, we visited the Ciudadela Educativa here in Barrancabermeja, a complex that integrates education, social networking and productive programs, including many agricultural initiatives (stevia, forestry, cattle, fish, etc. You can see some of their land in this photo). It was hugely inspiring. They organized themselves 23 years ago, mostly displaced people in one of the poorest parts of the city, and now they have one of the top high schools in the city, whose curriculum however is planned by teachers in consultation with parents. The school is doing all kinds of things that we're also doing at my school, and that we think are pretty innovative. It's great to see them happening here too. The president of the association and the other people from the directive kept repeating that they aren't educated people, but they have studied a lot, and they have managed to hold to a few very important principles, including that all decisions are taken as a community and that they will never pay money to any armed group (who always impose taxes) but rather negotiate with them. They don't have a web site yet because they're just getting to the technology now, but I bet they will soon.
In the afternoon we met with a woman from an international organisation that accompanies the demobilisation of paramilitaries. Her photos were quite disturbing for us, and we found it a difficult presentation all in all. The benefits the paras enjoy if they volunteer to disarm are quite substantial. However, we've heard from many people here that some demobilized do just go back to work for another armed group, continuing their activities.
I was on the supper cooking crew. We made cashew chicken with lots of lime juice, garlic and ginger because there was no fish sauce, oyster sauce, or ground coriander. We also made the zucchini brownie recipe from Simply in Season, but with banana. They were delicious. And while the oven was hot, I made Butterzopf, one for the evening, and one for communion this morning. The meal was tasty and plentiful, and I felt happy to have the chocolate desert! Before going to bed I helped John, our leader, plan for today's worship.
Yes, there was communion this morning. But when I told our marvelous delegation leader on Sunday that I haven't taken communion in over 7 years, he invited me to participate in the planning with him. So for words of institution I used the feeding of the 5000 from John, as well as John 21 where Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples on the beach. Besides the team and the delegation, we were joined in the service by a persecuted friend of CPT who regularly has to leave town in order to "let things calm down". After the service, he told us about his life and his work with Gente en Acción. By the time he left, we felt like he was our brother, and I'm sure we'll stay in contact with him.
Right now we're planning for our visit to Micoahumado, a small mining community in the Morales municipality in the south of Bolívar department. It's a four hour ride by chalupa (boat) on the river, then a bumpy truck ride to the mountains, and it can take from 90 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the state of the road. It's been raining a bit here, so I imagine the roads won't be great. We'll be sleeping in a newish community centre, on a cement floor, but we'll have a shower. We're also taking a day trip to a nearby community where they have a cane sugar processing plant. We'll be seeing a lot of interesting geography, and hearing a lot of stories. Before we come back on Saturday, we're spending half the day attending an Assembléia, a community meeting. Will tell you more about that on Sunday, after we get back on Sunday night.
OK, time to go pack. Thanks for your prayers and interest.
1 comment:
Erika,
It's wonderful to read about your delegation via your blog. Makes me wish I could have been there for the whole time! It sounds incredibly rich and full. Hope you are finding ways to hold onto hope in the midst of hearing so many wrenching stories. I think it's awesome how you are using your sabbatical to stretch and grow.
Give my regards to Consuelo--I stayed at her house during my delegation.
And Happy Birthday!
Warmly,
Carol Tyx
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