A letter from John and Paula Ewers in Colombia
March 11, 2008
Greetings to all of you,
It has been quite awhile since we have been in touch with you. We had a wonderful Christmas celebration in the Denver area with all of our children and grandchildren. What a blessing! After Christmas, Paula fell and broke her humerus and dislocated her shoulder while walking in Golden, Colorado. That made things a little more difficult and prevented her from doing a lot of typing and, therefore, communicating by email. She is now doing a lot of therapy and swimming and seeing that wide range of movement slowly return. It was funny when we returned to Colombia. Everyone here was so happy to find out that she had fallen in the United States and not here in Colombia. The walking conditions here cause a lot of falls and collisions with vehicles because pedestrians do not have the right of way. On the contrary, you don’t dare assume it.
January and February were filled with celebrations. January 6, Epiphany, is the final major day of Christmas fiestas. Then, “carnaval” festivities began around the middle of January and ended February 5, the day before Ash Wednesday (early this year since Easter is March 23). Most businesses close for two or threes days to celebrate carnaval. There are many parades and community parties that sometimes last through the night with very loud music. One night the force of the speaker systems knocked out the electricity in our area. What a pity … and a nice relief for a few hours.
The Presbyterian Church carried a banner with the words from Micah, “They will beat their swords into plowshares…. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
We continue to work with the displaced farmers, the members of the churches, and the accompaniers from the United States. We continue to hear the difficult stories of victims of the conflict. On Thursday, March 6, we were part of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia’s delegation in a worldwide march in support of the victims of the conflict in Colombia. The group of several thousand here was made up of students, parents, church leaders, leaders of organizations working for human rights, displaced persons, farmers, families of victims, and indigenous people. This was one of 20 marches in cities across Colombia, and there were 100 other marches around the world. The Presbyterian Church carried a banner with the words from Micah, “They will beat their swords into plowshares…. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” It felt good to be in a march that protested the wrongs of the world, as we did so many times in the United States. The spirited leadership led us in songs and chants, including some that were familiar to us. One of the beautiful songs was “Soñamos,” or “We Dream.”
On March 6, 2008, there were hundreds of protest marches around the world to draw attention to the situation in Colombia.
We urge you to spread the word about the “Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia” on April 27 and 28. It is a good opportunity to tell others about Colombia, pray for the victims, and contact your representatives about how the United States can better support the people who have been so affected by the violence. For more information and to obtain postcards to send to your representatives, go to the Witness for Peace Web site.
Our time in Colombia is coming to a close. We will be moving back to Dayton, Ohio, on July 1. We look forward to renewing relationships, working for justice, and telling the story of the struggle of the people of Colombia. Let us know if you want us to do a presentation at your church, meeting, or gathering.
Thanks for your continued interest and support in our ministry.
Peace,
John and Paula
The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 273
