A Day of Contrasts

Today was a day of incredibly stark contrasts. We spent most of our day visiting MCC supported projects in Cazuca, which is an extremely poor region on the southern outskirts of Bogota bordering Soacha. This region is populated almost entirely by campesinos - farmers and their families who have been displaced from their homes in the country due to large companies (many of which are Canadian!) buying up huge tracts of land for mineral extraction, palm oil production, or large-scale agri-business ventures. These farmers often only have a few hectares of land, but through a combination of economic pressure, threats, and violence from various armed groups (who are often paid by government or big business) they are forced to leave.

Once they leave, many have nowhere to go but the big city. They settle on the outskirts in places like Cazuca. This region has virtually no support or recognition from the goverment, almost no infrastructure (running water, electricity, roads), and is plagued by grinding poverty, crime, corruption, and despair. Our visit today was sobering and overwhelming on many levels. It was heartbreaking to see the conditions in which these people live. It has been raining for days here, and many homes had been flooded out, with mud and debris virtually everywhere. Many of the homes were little more than a few patched up walls with a piece of tin for a roof. One man showed us pictures of how the water had washed out his family's meager home. He was trying to use a system of crude pipes and trenches to divert the water around his home, but with little success. Everywhere we turned, we saw images and heard stories of almost unimaginable suffering and loss.

And yet, even in the midst of these truly horrific conditions, there are seeds of hope. We visited three projects sponsored by MCC and various Mennonite, Mennonite Brethren, and Brethren in Christ churches. In each place, we met incredible, dedicated people who are working to improve their community. We heard about literacy programs, recreational activities, sewing classes, daycare for children, reproductive health programs, peace and nonviolence initiatives, and countless other attempts to give people who are often at their lowest point - physically, emotionally, and spiritully - hope for a better future. In each of these projects, we saw smiles and joy and hope. We saw it in the eyes of children. We heard it in the stories of the workers. Even in these truly desperate conditions, the light of Christ shines brightly in the darkness.

A sign outside one of the projects quotes the gospel of John: "I have come that you might have life and have it to the full." It was grimly ironic, indeed, to read these words in the midst of such material depravity. And yet, there is a fullness of life that was clearly evident in the courage, conviction, and faith exhibited by the people of these three projects who have sacrificed so much to try to bring hope to Cazuca. It is a fullness that knows the value of self-emptying for the sake of others. At one point, Pastor David who runs a church and school called El Progreso, was asked if there was a single experience or event that motivated him to leave his life of wealth and security to come to live and work among the poor. David paused, smiled, and said, "Well, I think I read the same Bible you do and my Bible tells me that Christ became nothing for the sake of others. I am not Jesus, but I am trying to imitate him."

Life to the full? Yes. Life to the full.