November 28, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving and merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Those holidays sure are different here in Barranquilla, Colombia. Thanksgiving is not celebrated here, of course. But we did have our own celebration with some of our Colombian friends. Couldn’t get a turkey, so we had chicken, which worked out well. The pumpkin pies were a bit of a challenge. It was back to the pioneer days with rendering the pig fat for lard and cooking the squash for the pumpkin filling. And we had to chop up the whole spices, since we couldn’t buy the ground spices. Actually it was pretty good. Everyone enjoyed it, I think. Pie is not a staple here in Colombia, so it was a new food for them.

As we get closer to Christmas, we find that it is a very big holiday here. The stores have had decorations, trees, and such for sale since October, just as in the United States. Now the houses are getting their outside lights, and the trees inside the houses are adding a pretty glow. Of course, the decorations are in the more wealthy areas—not the displacement camps. But then, the displacement camps are off the beaten tracks and not so noticeable. The poor areas are not seen by tourists or the general public.

We are now in permanent quarters, a manse of the Fifth Presbyterian Church. It was fixed up for us, and we did the inside painting. After about three weeks of painting, shopping for furniture, and so on, we are well settled. The neighbors are very friendly and watch out for us and for the house when we are out of town. Conditions here are very Caribbean, with no hot water (even in November it’s warm enough for a refreshing shower), tile floors throughout, open air doors and windows, and fans to stir the hot, humid air. Fortunately, we have an air conditioning unit in the bedroom.

Our job is still being worked out. We have met some very active displaced people who have shown us some of the displacement camps and farms and introduced us to others in their group who work for justice and peace. We have heard some of the stories about being forced off their land in neighboring departments in Colombia. We have seen the pain in their eyes but also the hopefulness of working together to improve their situation. For many, plans of returning to their land are not feasible because the danger is still there. We look forward to being involved with these groups more. The mission of the Presbyterian Church in Colombia is to follow Jesus’ example of helping those in need. We are glad to be here and to get involved with that mission and to learn from those who have been working for many years to improve the conditions here in Colombia.

A week ago, a group of us took a bus trip west to an area closer to Panama in order to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in Colombia. It was a 15-hour trip with five of those hours being on a dirt road with many ruts. Quite an experience! At one point, we all had to get off the bus and walk across a muddy area. Another couple of times, we had to get off the bus and show our credentials to soldiers. They checked them to make sure we weren’t on their list of possible guerrilla sympathizers. Our biggest challenge is to leave the plans and schedule to others and just be a participant, especially when plans change and the norm is for schedules to be very flexible.

After being here a little over two months, it is feeling more and more like “home.” Our Spanish still needs work, but the people are very helpful. We were sorry to have missed the elections in the States. The mail here is so bad that we haven’t figured out how to do absentee ballots within the allotted time. Paula received her birthday card a month late, and it was mailed three weeks before her birthday.

We will get to spend the upcoming holidays with our family, who will all be in Denver. That will be a real treat for us. We hope you all are doing well and will close out another year with joy and contentment. We look forward to hearing from you and will be glad to answer any questions you might have.

Our love to all of you.

John and Paula Ewers

The 2006 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 48