There are no barriers in God

Ayda Maria Villalobos is 21 years old, from La Mesa, Cundinamarca, Colombia, currently serving with IVEP at Artisan’s Hope in Harrisonburg, VA.  This is copy of the testimony she recently shared at MCC US executive board meetings. 

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.

-Isaiah, chapter 61: 1- 2

I come from a rural area and my parents are witnesses of violence. My mom is a teacher, the kind of teacher that has seen her students killed by drug traffickers. My brother and I grew up, as is common in Colombia, as part of the Catholic church on a farm with our grandma. I changed to a Christian school (Americano Menno School) when I was 13. A classmate invited me to the Mennonite church and I realized that Christ is real. Nowadays, I’m the only Christian in my family. 

It would seem impossible to find a meaning in my faith, but God did it. God is the one who breaks down barriers, even incredible barriers.

Since childhood I have been interested in working with social justice issues such as the repression of minorities, indigenous groups, women, children, and the LGBT population that is seen a lot in Colombia, which is usually macho. So, I opted for social justice, even in my youth. I’ve always been interested in those issues of equality, building together a more just society, doing the work that Jesus entrusted us with in our community, with our neighbours.

Throughout my youth, I have been surrounded by incredible examples of people leaving their comfort zones, and how Jesus shows that his glory is above every name, above every situation, and above every barrier. Today I can see how the volunteers at Artisans’ Hope are concerned about the situation in my country, like sweet grannies learning words in Spanish to speak with me. Families are willing to receive, with love, other cultures, without even speaking the same language. Kurdish leaders invite me to be part of their family dance, even though I am a person from the western hemisphere. Today I can see God in you, what He does in us, in the actions that we do as Mennonite Central Committee.

There are no borders in God.

I would like you to think about this question: What barriers exist in our lives that feel too big for us to break through?

Many times we forget that we are with a God who is powerful. We forget our mission, we forget our humility and our tolerance, and we forget the privilege we have to know God and the great responsibility we have, “to announce good news to the poor” to “proclaim release to the captives” and to “heal wounded hearts.”

What happened in Colombia?

In 1964 Colombia, the revolutionary armed force, the FARC, was born with the aim of combating poverty and injustices of the government against peasant groups, but over time transitioned.  They made money from drug trafficking and running a business filled with deaths, rapes, robberies, attacks, and all kinds of atrocities. As a result, a group of ultra-right “paramilitary” dedicated to annihilate guerrillas, regardless of civilian presence, was formed. A complicated conflict between these groups, including state military forces, often in collaboration with paramilitaries, has given us daily deaths for more than 50 years. In this story every Colombian, regardless of where he or she is, has been directly and indirectly a victim of this war.

After failed peace processes and more than 8 million victims, new dialogues with the FARC began under government of Colombian President Santos in 2012 in Havana, Cuba. A final agreement was presented this year. 

The agreement would only became valid if Colombians voted to approve the accords. The Mennonite church worked tirelessly to support these agreements, partnering with both public and private organizations. Many Christian churches, however, strongly supported “NO” to the agreements because the agreements included the restoration of minority rights within the LGBTQ community. Conservative sectors also supported the “NO” given the likelihood that FARC members would join the political life of the country.

What happened there? What would Jesus do? What was his example with the Gentiles? 

The result of the plebiscite were Yes: 49.78% No: 50.21% In rural areas highly affected by war, yes votes prevailed, and in cities and central areas with less violence, most peopled voted no.

I feel helpless and sad being away during these important events taking place in my land. I listened to my parents mourn hopelessly because of the vote. I was sad listening to a local radio station interview a farmer who said: It is unfair that we have to beg Colombia to stop the killing of our children.

It’s inexplicable.

But that is not the end of history. There are no boundaries, even after these results.

Thousands of Colombians are together calling for peace and asking the government not to throw away the agreements with demonstrations worldwide. There are no borders. Then, unexpectedly, the international community gave the Nobel Peace Prize to Santos as a symbol of support for the construction of the long-awaited hope for peace.

There are no borders. We continue praying and working for the responsibility in Isaiah 61: 1-2, erasing those boundaries that we have created, disarming our hearts, recognizing the value of life itself, for ourselves and others, and cultivating a culture of respect for life, even amid differences of sex, race, religion, and political beliefs.

There are winds of peace.

At the same time we experience the hurricane of war. I don’t only speak of Colombia, but of the world in general. That is the stark reality in which we live, and it is worth it to put all our efforts into building the reality of a better tomorrow.

We have to humanize the relations between us. We need less cutthroat competition and more solidarity, compassion, tolerance, compassion and cooperation among all of us. For peace to be possible, we have an obligation that compels us to become multipliers of peaceful actions, creators of renewed opportunities, in which, in addition to hope, people are reunited with peace and fear is lessened.

Although there are many more nonviolent people in our world, the violent have cornered us, making us lose our daily tranquility, with a collective fear that paralyzes us and silences us.

I invite you in everything you do, to take the time to look others in the eye, to hear the music behind the words of the speaker, to put yourself in their shoes, to share their dreams, to understand their fears, and discover their capabilities.

I invite you to have a genuine interest in the people who are part of our daily life, to work together, and to understand that hope is stronger than fear, that compassion is stronger than anger, and that our commitments can exceed any indifference. I INVITE YOU TO ASK GOD TO HELP US REMOVE ALL THESE BORDERS, ANNOUNCING THE GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS PROCLAIMED.