A Story and a Song

A quick update - we do have Internet access in our new location, but no laptops - only phones! So, unfortunately, the pictures may look a little disjointed in this post - it's a bit trickier to do this on a phone!

We have made our way to the coast ad have been in and around a city named Sincelejo. It is a city of approximately 250 000 people - 90 000 of whom have been displaced due to the violence in this region over the last decade or so. Last night we visited a church community called "Remanso de la Paz" (Refuge of Peace). This church is comprised almost entirely of displaced people. One of the highlights of our visit was a song that they sang for us. It was a song they had written themselves that narrated their journey from their farms and homes to the city. It was a story of sadness and pain, injustice and heartache. It was also a song of courage, hope, and joy - courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles, hope in a future of reparations and a return to the land, and joy in the God who had led them and who continued to sustain them in exile.

Today, we hopped on a rickety old truck and made our way to the pastor's former home - the land from which she and her family had been forced eleven years ago. It was an interesting drive - suffice to say that some of us had to stand on the back of the truck due to a lack of space, we shared the road with donkeys, and we had to cross a river in the truck seven times before arriving at our destination. We heard more incredible stories, and met more amazingly kind and courageous people who continue to pursue justice, peace, and the land that rightfully belongs to them.

Early in the morning, we walked down the road to the pastor and her husband's former land. It was a poignant moment, watching them gaze out at the land that was taken from them. Even more moving was the walk back. I was walking behind the pastor and after a little while she began to sing softly to herself. It was the same song we had heard the previous night around the table at church. The same song, the same story - a story that this inspirational community is continuing to write. A story with better chapters still waiting to be written.