Bummer

Sorry to say that this day has not panned out as I'd hoped. Elena was unable to pick me up this morning, so I spent the day at the hotel. At least the weather wasn't nice today and I've gotten to catch up on sleep. (CJL-induced sleep deprivation is hangin' tough.)

In other news, Mom and Dad should be back in ATL in just a few hours (They've been in Honduras.)

Arrived in Medellín

I'm in Medellín- picked up last night at the airport by Elena, a member of the IPC (Colombian Presbyterian Church). The hotel is simple but in a cool, chill area. My partner arrives tonight, and until then I'll be exploring the city with Elena. I'm so stoked to be here, as Colombia has been on my list of desired destinations for years.

Let's go see what this city and this day has for me...

PS- I'm writing this entry on my iPhone!

Arrived!

As I type this I am sitting in Whitney and Michael Johnson's Quito apartment. Might I add that it is just a stone´s throw away from my host family, with whom I lived last year. It is a sweet location- right across from the park and in the city center! I am only disappointed that the Johnson's did not go on "House Hunters International" upon buying this pad.

So I'll be here tomorrow and most of Wednesday, and I'm so excited to get reacquainted with this awesome city!

A Few Loose Ends

With just a few loose ends left to tie up, I'm off tomorrow morning. If you are reading this, thank you! And I am sorry that my schedule has not allowed me to talk to each of my friends and family members individually before leaving. Know that I carry each one of you with me as I travel.

I did get to spend this afternoon with Vance and Lisa (my new sister-in-law!), which was so great! And we had a serendipitous meeting with our cousin, Trip, whose blog you should check out. (The link is on the side of mine.)

Perhaps risky to say, but I will do my best to post frequently...given there are post-worthy happenings in the weeks to come!

Really?

At the risk of giving away the plot of this entry, please allow me to begin by sharing that I can't recall ever locking my keys in my car, locking myself out of the house, or any other similar mishap. With that being said...

After a morning of unpacking from camp and starting laundry in order to pack for my trip to South America, I took a break to play with my cat, Macy. (And no, I am not at all ashamed to admit that.) I noticed a bleeding cut on her neck, and after doing some investigation (ie: calling the vet), I learned that she recently had blood drawn, and they recommended that I take her to a nearby clinic. (The vet we use is in Covington as it was formerly my grandfather's practice.) So I made Macy an appointment and went out to the garage to get her carrier- or her "condominium," as Dad calls it. Let me interject here that Mom and Dad are currently in Honduras, hence me riding solo in all of this.

Right as I shut the door behind me on the way out to the detached garage, I quietly said, "Oh no!" realizing that I had just locked myself out of the house, unable to find the hide-a-key, my phone inside, and no neighbors anywhere in sight.

Praise the good Lord for Dad's office over the garage! I grabbed the phone and used the redial to call the cat clinic and reschedule Macy's appointment. "Good thing there's a computer up here," I thought. "At least I can find and call a locksmith."But in a stroke of irony and horribly bad luck, the internet was down! Luckily, I know peoples' phone numbers by heart; and after semi-frantic calls to my best friend, Uncle Jack, and leaving a message for my brother, I resorted to calling the locksmith by way of 411...as if I had magically been transported to the year 2002!

The best part is that the hide-a-key was outside the entire time, but in my panic, I just couldn't find the damn thing! But through it all, I did keep my cool pretty well, all things considered. So now I'm out $180 and with an unexpectedly disorderly afternoon behind me, but at least I got a blog entry out of it. And the cat is asleep in my lap as I type this.

And can I just add that I thought it was weird that the locksmith company asked if I wanted to know the "pricing" before sending the guy! In such a situation who wouldn't be willing to pay anything to get back inside to rescue their cat? Maybe people who hate cats, I guess.

More on the situation at hand...

Over the past two decades around 3.5 million people- roughly 80% of Colombia's population- have been driven from their homes, often at gunpoint, as part of the country's conflict involving its military, leftist rebels, armed gangs, and drug traffickers.

Across the country, hundreds of thousands of people displaced by paramilitaries and guerilla groups face great afflictions and danger in their quest to recover their land. some made forced sales after being told "either you sell to me or your widow will." Others abandoned their plots. Two thirds of the 3.3 million Colombians officially registered as internally displaced claim to have lost land upon fleeing.

Extremely unequal land ownership is both a cause and a consequence of the political conflicts that have plagued Colombia for decades. In 1954 fewer than 24,00 people (approx. 3% of landowners) held 55% of all farmland; by 2005, 16,350 landowners (0.4% of the total) held 62.6% of the land, whereas about 3.3million smallholders owned just 8.8%, according to official figures. Drug traffickers and paramilitaries (often the same people) snatched huge tracts of rural land in the 1980s and 1990s to launder their profits in what amounted to a violent and illegal agrarian "counter-reform."

In short, threats directed at civilians by the illegal armed groups have become the single greatest cause of internal displacement in Colombia. The violence is characterized by attacks and threats by armed groups against the civilian population. Shameful as it is, this humanitarian crisis is widely unheard of and ignored.

Colombia History (very abridged)

Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830, along with Ecuador and Venezuela. A forty year conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups and illegal paramilitary groups- both heavily funded by the drug trade- escalated during the 1990s. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and the violence has been decreasing since about 2002; however, insurgents continue attacks against civilians and large swaths of the countryside are under guerilla influence. More than 32,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006, and the Unted Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) as a formal organization had ceased to function. Still, some renegades continued to engage in criminal activities. The Colombian government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments.

The Beginning of the Background...

Over the next few days I will do my best to post information, quotes, and statistics regarding the situation in Colombia. All of the information I post comes from my Accompanier Handbook, but I will cite sources as specifically as I can. So here goes...

"Colombia is a rich country, where many people die of hunger.
It is caught up in a craze for land- for land on which to grow coca for the cocaine trade to cut down the mahogany forests, to develop oil fields.
It has laws but little law enforcement, so it lives by the rule of the gun.
It has four armies, which are fighting over the land.
Civilians are caught in the middle, and many are being killed.
It has about 4 million displaced persons, living in wretched camps.
And- if Colombians try to help- the government may declare that they are the enemy and put them on a death list."

The program in which I am participating falls under the category of "International Protective Accompaniment." The foremost practitioners of IPA have been small teams of international observers from Peace Brigades International, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Witness for Peace, and other related groups.

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship's Accompaniment Program, with whom I am serving, seeks to provide an environment/outlet through which churches and Christ-followers can learn how to be faithful to God in a violent context. "Although our governmental leaders attempt to resolve conflict and guarantee security through heavy investment in the military, sacrificing liberty and human rights, we hold to God's dream of a world that can live in peace."

Quick Little Update

Things are going well here at Camp Juliette Low. I'm the Unit Leader for the youngest group of girls, and they are a handful to say the least. I've also got two periods of archery that I'm lead-teaching, so that's excellent!

Just a quick update on my travel plans for post-camp:
June 27-29: Quito, Ecuador
June 29-August 1: Colombia
August 1-4: Quito
August 4-13: Argentina (Buenos Aires and Cordoba)
August 13-15: Quito

I am so very excited about traveling, especially my time in Colombia; however, I must admit that my excitement (coupled with the list of things to do and buy before I leave) is making it a bit difficult for me to concentrate on being here at camp. So often I find myself focusing on what is next rather than focusing on where the Lord has me at the moment. This is certainly something I would like to improve upon. 

"Signature" Conference at Montreat

I returned yesterday with Mom and our friend, Betty, from a conference at Montreat. Donald Miller was the keynote speaker, and he did a wonderful job. He is a talented speaker as well as writer. I'm sorry to say that the rest of the conference was not up to snuff. Montreat is a beautiful place, but energy and enthusiasm were lacking; also, I was only one of about four attendees under the age of 50. Donald Miller, I believe, is a voice that my generation gravitates towards (along with Rob Bell and Shane Claiborne among others), and Montreat really missed an opportunity to draw a younger crowd upon which they could capitalize; for if they do not draw in people my age, Montreat will likely cease to exist in the future.

Despite this, D.M. had so many great things to share. The following are two quotes from his talk: "Pain without a narrative context is hell." "In order to have an exceptional life, you have to have an extreme amount of pain." He talked, among other things, about the idea that God has a "specific plan" for each of us. Miller contends that this is just not a solidly Biblical idea/belief. He says that God has a general plan for each of us and that within that context we can make choices. I just loved hearing that! I am so excited to read his latest book A Million Miles in a Thousand Years - I am now the proud owner of an autographed copy!

My Big Brother's Wedding

Our family enjoyed a wonderful celebration for Vance and Lisa's wedding. Besides the crazy wind, it went down without a hitch, and for that we are so grateful. V&L are currently on their honeymoon in St. Martins; no doubt they're having a great time. Here are some photos from the ceremony at Santa Rosa Beach, FL...