A letter from Jenny and Jed Koball serving in Peru
September 2014 - A Labyrinth of Learning
In the heart of this desert city of Lima, there is a tiny park. This park is one of the few green spaces in the city, and inside this park there is a labyrinth. The path of the labyrinth is paved with tiny pebbles, bordered by larger rocks that are smooth and rounded, many of which carry the name of a Peruvian with the dates of his or her death. There are nearly 70,000 such rocks with names and dates on them. Each name is of someone who was killed or disappeared during the 20 years of political violence in Peru (1980–2000) in which predominately rural communities (mostly indigenous and mostly impoverished) were trapped between the forces of communist terrorist groups and the dirty war tactics of the government trying to eradicate them. The vast majority of the victims were innocent people killed by those claiming to fight on their behalf or defend them from the other entity. And so, at the center of the labyrinth is a much bigger rock, and out of this rock flows a steady stream of water. This is the Ojo Que Llora (The Eye That Cries)—reminding us of God our Creator who mourns what we humans are capable of doing to one another and imploring us to never forget, so that we never repeat.
-1_medium250.png)
The Ojo Que Llora labyrinth in the heart of Lima is in memory of the years of political violence in Peru and God´s mourning for what humanity is capable of doing to one another
When our newest group of Young Adult Volunteers (YAVs)—Sara LaLone, Rachel Heidemann, AJ Newcombe, and Kyle Coombs—arrived to Lima in late August, we brought them to the labyrinth. It so happened that on that very day at the labyrinth there was both a celebration and a protest. The celebration was for the 11th anniversary of the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Peru, which had been charged with the task of recording the acts of violence between 1980 and 2000, identifying their root causes, and making recommendations to bring peace and stability to the land. The protest was on behalf of the families of the victims who have yet to receive the recommended reparations from the state for the suffering they endured and against the immunity given to almost all of the police and military perpetrators of violence against innocent families.
It has been 14 years since the years of political violence were declared ended, yet it is a history that lives fresh in the hearts of nearly all Peruvians, and it serves as a backdrop of a new history that plays out in the same rural communities each day in Peru. With the YAVs we reflected on the importance of knowing this history of violence as they prepared to walk alongside our Peruvian brothers and sisters in a year of service.
-2_medium250.jpeg)
The new Peru YAVs visited the Ojo Que Llora labyrinth in Lima during their orientation to learn about the history of violence that Peruvians carry in their hearts; pictured from left to right are AJ, Sara, Rachel, Jenny and Kyle
Kyle, who will be serving with our partners in Ayacucho, accompanying rural mountain communities who are confronting the dramatic impacts of climate change and threats of mining contamination, recognized that ¨everyone I have spoken to here about Ayacucho has said that the people are affected by it because it was the epicenter of the 20 years of violence; when you speak to them they are a more reserved people, a quiet people. Because I don't want to push anyone into a place of discomfort, it's really important for me to be more empathetic and as knowledgeable as I can be about those 20 years.¨
Rachel, who will be serving with our partners in the mountain town of Huánuco, shared that ¨the 20 years of political violence in Peru generated a lot of psychological trauma and a culture of mistrust. Many believe this is seen in higher incidents of sexual abuse and domestic violence, particularly so in the region of Huánuco, where I will be going to accompany women and children survivors of this form of abuse.¨
Sara, who will be serving with our partners in the jungle of town of Pichanaki, accompanying women coffee farmers and their families, stressed that ¨as I head to Pichanaki I will need to be sensitive to this history of violence because it is so recent and people lost loved ones and are still impacted today.¨
AJ, who will be serving with our partners in the high jungle town of Moyobamba, participating in our ongoing work of defending the land rights of indigenous peoples, remarked: ¨One of the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was that the root cause of all of this violence was the fact that the indigenous people were poor and under-represented by government leaders, and that has not changed to this day.¨
-3_medium300.png)
The labyrinth is shaped by rocks carrying the names and year of death of victims from the 20 years of political violence in Peru
Indeed, much has not changed. The Peruvian Ombudsman office has recorded more than 200 ongoing social conflicts across Peru in the past month—places where communities are taking a stand against government authorities and big corporations, among other entities; places where outsiders have entered uninvited in the name of ¨prosperity¨ or ¨development,¨ yet have failed to understand the history of the people, their way of life, and their vision for the future.
And so the YAVs learn and practice a new way. They go only where they have been invited. They go with open ears, open eyes, open hearts. They go to understand. They go to be transformed. They go to accompany. They go, walking gently yet purposefully, through a labyrinth of learning.
As this marks the beginning of a new YAV year in Peru, it also marks the beginning of a new church program year in the U.S. Both here and there, may we take cues from the YAVs and practice a new way of being God's people. May we too walk gently yet purposefully across the pebbled paths that speak truths beneath our feet. Like the rocks that shape the labyrinth, may we have the names of the innocent, the poor, the vulnerable written upon our hearts; may our rough edges become smoothed by a stream of compassionate tears that flow among us; may we be joined together, shaping a way forward toward Peace—a way that twists and turns through the incomparable realities of our world, teaching us, empowering us, reconciling us, and forever directing us ever so closer to the one God who centers us in Love.
Faithfully,
Jenny and Jed
P.S. To learn more about the Peru YAVs and/or the years of political violence in Peru, check out the Peru YAV Facebook page.
The 2014 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 57
Read more about Jed and Jenny Koball's ministry
Write to Jed Koball
Write to Jenny Koball
Individuals: Give online to E200447 for Jed and Jenny Koball's sending and support
Congregations: Give to D507513 for Jed and Jenny Koball's sending and support
Churches are asked to send donations through your congregation’s normal receiving site (this is usually your presbytery).
