A letter from John and Paula Ewers in Colombia
May 5, 2008
Dear Friends,
Site in Currulao for a new church.
On Friday, April 25, we boarded a plane for the Uraba region in the department (state) of Antioquia, which is near Panama and borders the Caribbean. Of the three Presbyteries in Colombia, the Presbytery of Uraba is in this region. This is an area where there has been a lot of fighting between the guerrillas and the military/paramilitary.
There are many banana plantations and cattle ranches. The land is rich and sought by many. There are mountains to the east, west, and south, setting this area apart from the rest of the department. There has been quite a population growth there in the last 10-20 years because many displaced farmers from the department of Choco, which borders Uraba to the west, have moved there. They fled to the towns of Apartado, Turbo, Currulao, Chigorodo, Carepa, and others. Presbyterian churches have built up in these places. The people have found safety around the church, and there is a lot of support for each other.
A young pastor's family.
Our first day was in Carepa, where about 60 people from Uraba gathered for an all-day workshop. It was multi-generational, as are all the gatherings and worship services. That evening the church had their regular worship service. It was filled with spirited singing. It is fun to watch the children sing and clap and sway. They know all the words to all the hymns. There are no hymnals or words. Everyone learns the words by heart. Not just for a few hymns, but for many – probably at least 50.
Praise singing in Chigorodo-Emanuel Church.
We traveled to the other towns and met with the leaders and members of the churches. In Chigorodo, Emanuel Church has a woman pastor. We were able to celebrate with her as she led that service. The other church in Chigorodo, La Playita, celebrates their services with the help of an 86-year-old man and his violin. We visited his home after service and he serenaded us with more hymns—what a privilege! The communities were very basic, with small homes, dirt floors, and walls of boards that were uneven and probably didn’t keep the rain out. We experienced much hospitality and were always offered a drink and maybe some bread. We were always asked to sit in the best chairs. Almost all of the people are displaced. We heard stories on how they fled with only the clothes they were wearing. They can’t return because their land has been taken over by others and the same threats remain. Things are calmer now, and they have been able to have church services in the evening, rather than in the daylight hours.
86-year-old fiddler from the Chigorodo-La Playita Church.
We didn’t travel any farther south than Mutata because it becomes more mountainous, and the guerrillas inhabit those areas. In Mutata we attended their first worship service. It was quite a celebration. Instruments and a speaker system were brought in from the other churches. We sang, prayed, and thanked God for this new church group together with 100 people from other Presbyterian churches.
Spending a week in Uraba was very informative and made us realize how the people deal with their problems and see how have much faith and hope they have in God. We wondered if we could live under similar conditions—small house with a dirt floor, muddy roads when it rains, small kitchens with a two-burner stove, if you are lucky, few appliances, and no comfortable chairs. And yet, their “ecological footprint” would be more in line with a sustainable earth than ours. And they have a very strong, close-knit, loving community. We were glad to visit there and remind them that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and many, many people from the United States know their story, know of their struggles and their love of God and pray for them.
This is our final newsletter, as we prepare to leave Colombia and return to Dayton, Ohio. We want to continue to tell the story about Colombia, so if you would like us to give a presentation to your church, organization or group, please contact us at: ewersjt@yahoo.com . We will be available for that starting in August. Thank you for your support these last three years. It has been very helpful for us to know that you have been there for us. God be with you all.
John and Paula Ewers
The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 273
