My first 24 hours back in Quito

During the next year and a half, I might tire you out with stories.  An abundance of stories is what I have been given, they are what have made my experience unique.  These stories continue to change my life and therefore I feel that they must be told.....

After a wonderful 12 day visit to the states spent with family, friends and celebrating the marriage of Derek Swartz and Chelsea Reiff, I am now back in Quito.  I arrived on Monday evening and Tuesday it was back to work as usual.  As is normal and as I explained in my previous blog post, there were people waiting for me at the church front door when I arrived on my bike before 9am.  As is customary, I spent 5 hours that morning talking to people and doing my best to help them in their difficult situations.  However there were two encounters that I wasn't expecting to have that morning....

The fifth man that I interviewed came into my office like everyone else.  He began to explain his situation and we talked for about 10 minutes before I asked him the question, "what kind of work did you do in Colombia?".  He opened his jacket and showed me the t-shirt that he was wearing that had a picture of a clown on it and the title Ecopayaseando por la tierra (Eco-clowning around the world).  "I was a clown," he said.  My heart skipped a beat.  I recognized that clown in the picture and I recognized that title.  "I met you in Colombia," I said.  "You were at a meeting that I attended while I was on a Witness for Peace delegation.  Our group was wearing blue t-shirts and I talked with you and you gave me a free DVD of your clown show.  Do you remember me?" I asked excitedly.  "Of course!" he responded as he fell to his knees giving thanks that he had run into someone familiar.  The tone of our conversation changed after that.  We were both taken back by feelings of joy caused by the unexpected coincidence.  I had met him just one year earlier in August during the Witness for Peace trip at a community organizing meeting to help displaced people.  Since then his work with the displaced population and the local police force had gotten him into trouble.  After a car bomb went off at the police station in his hometown earlier this year and he was threatened, he was forced to leave Colombia and came to Ecuador.  Now living in a homeless shelter, he is trying to make a new life in Ecuador and we will be accompanying him.  It was an amazing coincidence.  The world seems to shrink with these experiences and the community of solidarity seems to grow, and I'm thankful for these stories.


As the clock approached 1 o'clock another man arrived to the church.  Since we still had more people waiting and all 8 interview slots had been filled, the secretary told him that he would have to return the next day because we wouldn't have time to speak with him.  Nevertheless, the man refused to leave the church.  After I finished interviewing all 8 families, I went down to the waiting area to see this man who had refused to leave.  It was a familiar face.  The man, Pablo, had come to our church 2 times before.  The first time that I met him over a year ago, he explained to me that he was suffering from testicular cancer.  His bald head from his chemo-therapies and his medical papers were proof of his sickness.  On that day (June 14 to be exact according to my journal from last year) I invited Pablo out to lunch and helped him with a bus ticket to the town where he was living about 6 hours from Quito.  Every 21 days he had to make the 6 hour bus trip from the town where he was living to Quito in order to receive free chemo treatments at a local hospital.  After that day in June when we ate lunch together, a whole year passed and we saw nothing of Pablo.  Then, about a month ago, he showed up at our church again.  His cancer had advanced.  He no longer could speak fluidly, nor could he walk without the help of a cane and even then he moved very slowly.  He had lost lots of weight and he now relied on a tube to go to the bathroom.  On that day about a month ago, I helped him again with his bus fare.  Two days ago Pablo showed up for the third (and likely the last) time at our church and refused to leave.  With tears running down his cheeks and in his stuttered speech, he delivered to me the news that the doctors had given him earlier that day: "he had only 2 weeks left to live".  His cancer had advanced to his stomach and he could no longer eat.  The 43 year-old Pablo, who appeared to be in his 60's, wept as he told me that he wasn't ready to die.  Pablo had been tortured by the FARC years earlier and had later developed testicular cancer.  He arrived to Ecuador 10 years ago and since then hasn't seen his relatives.  Although he had only been to our church 3 times, he sobbed as he expressed words of gratitude to me for having helped him and for having treated him with respect and dignity.  I cried with him.  He had come to say good-bye.  He had come to grant one last request for us to help him travel to Colombia to be with his relatives during his last days.  He had come so that we would pray for him.  With Cesar and Patricia, the pastors of Quito Mennonite and Alba, the church secretary, we anointed him with oil, laid our hands on him and prayed for Pablo.  It was a powerful moment.  After the prayer Pablo felt more at ease and we were even able to share a few smiles and laughs when Cesar and Patricia realized that they had some common friends with Pablo in Colombia.  I helped Pablo down the stairs and out to the front door.  We said good-bye one last time, hugged each other, and I helped him with one last bus fare: this time to Colombia.  I watched through the door as Pablo, with the help of his cane, slowly walked down the street and out of sight.


These are the stories that are changing my life.

A typical Tuesday morning....

As I arrive to the church on my bike at 9 a.m., there are already 2 Colombian refugee families waiting at the door to talk with me.  After welcoming them inside I head up to my office with one of the families while the other waits their turn downstairs in our makeshift waiting room in the sanctuary.  As I talk with the first family, I jot down notes about their situation: “family of 12, arrived to Ecuador 2 months ago, have been staying in a shelter since they arrived, came only with a few pairs of clothes, their son was assassinated in Colombia, all are unemployed, have been denied the refugee visa”.  The second interview follows and the scribble down these notes: “elderly couple, unemployed, live alone, behind on rent payments, sleep on bare wooden floor, were farmers in Colombia, had farm taken away by guerrillas, suffering from hunger”.  A third man arrives and shares his story: “man whose wife and 3 year old kid are still in Colombia, former cocaine trafficker since age 13, actively being persecuted in Quito for deciding to leave his job as a drug trafficker, lives in constant fear, has aspirations to move to Brazil to escape persecution”. 

It’s now 10:45am and 5 more refugee families have arrived and are waiting downstairs to talk with me.  During the course of the next 3 hours, I interview the 5 families and scribble down the following notes: “single mother of 4 small children, unemployed and suffering from serious medical problems; family of 4, children suffering severe discrimination and abuse in school from both students and teachers for being Colombian; family of 3, father needs medical attention-has various bullets lodged in his body, in need of psychological help; family of 5, father worked for a month and employer refused to pay what he owed, 2 adolescent daughters have run away from home; single father of 2 daughters, unable to pay rent, suffering from malnutrition.”

At 1:45pm I finally leave my office at the church to eat lunch at a corner restaurant.  As I sit and eat my meal in silence, I reflect over the 8 intense interviews that I had during the course of the morning.  Did I give them the correct advice?  How can I help these families resolve these situations of vulnerability?  What is the root of their problems?  How can our project be more effective for these people?

There are no easy answers nor easy solutions.  All of the families I spoke with have in some way been victims of the vicious and complex war in Colombia.  Now in Ecuador, they are part of a vulnerable population that suffers from a wide variety of severe problems.

So why do these families arrive to my office almost daily seeking help without the Mennonite church ever publically announcing that we help Colombian refugee families?  The answer that I hear personally from most refugees is that the Mennonite church offers them something that they don’t find anywhere else.  We attempt to offer an integral approach in order to aid these families during the rough periods of transition and instability that they are experiencing and through word of mouth people show up.  Of the 8 families that I interviewed in the morning, some will receive food aid, others will receive a small business grant, others will have weekly appointments with our professional psychologist, others will receive a mattress to sleep on, others will be registered to receive high quality medical treatment at a local private hospital with drastically reduced rates through an agreement with our refugee project, and others will be referred to organizations that specialize in legal advice.  All will be invited to our monthly workshops, all will be invited to participate in our church community and have a support system, all will be treated with dignity as human beings in need and all will be accompanied in solidarity.

Coordinating this project, as you might imagine, is a difficult experience.  Nevertheless, it has allowed me to open my eyes to the real suffering that war, inequality, discrimination and violence cause on a daily basis.  It is allowing me to grow in wisdom, compassion and solidarity.  But more importantly the humble effort of our project is allowing others to voice their suffering, recuperate from trauma, confront the ugly face of injustice, have food on their table, recover from medical problems, learn values of peace and respect, and begin a new life.  It’s a joy to be involved in this process and feel that I’ve earned the trust and respect of many refugees who have given me the undeserved name of “Doctor David” (something that makes me chuckle yet feel honored).

 

I’m excited to continue in this role during the next year and a half here in Quito….which reminds me, if you haven’t heard the news yet and you’ve read this far, I’ve decided to stay one more year here in Ecuador!  This means that I’ll be here until November of 2013.  I’ll be sending out a letter soon with more details so stay tuned.  Hope everyone is well, chao!

Here are a few pictures from a few recent activities:

Mini Goshen reunion with Joe Hartman and CJ Hague

A recent hike with some of the youth group

Enjoying the Colombia vs. Ecuador World Cup
qualifier game with the Moya family

Awesome visit to the mountain "Antisana" with
an elevation of around 18,800 feet

The most recent refugee workshop this past Saturday
with an attendance of 35 adults and 15 children.

In the refugee workshop working with the topic "Overcoming Resentment Caused by the Current Situation in Ecuador"

Playing some music with Cesar and Daniel Moya for
 the Father's Day celebration at church

Hey everyone!

I haven't posted a good update about how life has been recently...and I'm afraid this update won't explain much of that either...but I did want to share with all of you a radio story that was put together by a Virginia reporter who came to Quito.  She contacted me about doing an interview about our work with refugees and the link below is part of what she put together.  There will be another story coming out soon that will talk more about the work of the Mennonite church.  The story that I am posting now is about a family that I have been working with for a number of months.  They participate in our monthly workshops, come to church occasionally and I have visited their house 3 or 4 times as part of my accompany work with them.  I hope you enjoy listening to their story.  I'll try to write a more in-depth update soon!

Click on the link below and scroll down on the page to where it says "Captured by the FARC".  Below their picture, there is a link with smaller letters that also says "Captured by the FARC".  Click on that link to listen to the radio story.

http://www.dw.de/dw/episode/0,,15835560,00.html

Some thoughts...

I think the biggest challenge to having a blog is staying creative.  Here's a brief update of what life's been like recently in a bit of a different format...

What I just ate for dinner:
I just made a killer lasagna, which was a nice taste of home and which is why this is the first question on my update.

One word that describes the last month:
Superbusy

Best thing that's happened to me recently:
On the 6th of February, I was able to accompany, serving as the translator, a very international group of 7 people representing 5 continents to a rural indigenous village about 3 hours from Quito outside of Latacunga.  The group represented "La Red Ecumenica del Agua" (The Ecumenical Water Network).  We visited a site where the indigenous community has been building a water canal to supply their villages with clean water.  We learned about the dynamics of the water canal and how the presence of large companies that export various crops has affected the well-being of the communities and their access to clean water.  It was fascinating and being the translator for the group was great.

I also bought a 2012 agenda which I'm surprisingly excited about.

Biggest challenge thus far in 2012:
Transition with the refugee project.  The current coordinator of the refugee project is transitioning out of her position as she plans to return to the US.  I'm in the process of taking over more responsibility and becoming the main coordinator of the project which is very exciting but is definitely a transition that includes an increase in workload.

What I'm most looking forward to in the near future:
Spending a week in the jungle.  Another volunteer group is coming down from the states in about a week.  I'll be their guide/translator again and we'll be spending another week in the jungle working on the same construction site where we were last year.  It was a highlight for me last year and I'm looking forward to another great trip.

I also bought a plane ticket to visit the states in July.  I'll be back from the 4th-16th to celebrate my Mom's ???th birthday (I'll let you ask her) and to be at Derek Swartz' and Chelsea Reiff's wedding.  Definitely looking forward to it.


Biggest accomplishment thus far in 2012:
Learning more or less how to get our churches website running (granted I'm using "weebly" which basically creates the page for you...but still...).  I had been trying to figure out the best way to get our website functioning and got some help from Roger Farmer (a member of a recent group from Central Plains Conference that visited Ecuador).  I'm pumped to keep updating the website.  For now, you can check it out here:
http://www.anabautistasenecuador.org/

There isnt much on the website right now...but I did just write an article for those that are interested:
http://anabautistasenecuador.weebly.com/iglesia-menonita-de-quito.html

Most fun I've had recently:
Playing indoor soccer on Wednesday evenings and riding my bike around instead of taking the bus.

Toughest decision I'm facing right now:
Whether or not to stay in Quito past my 2 year commitment.  I'm on the fence...any advice?


Best thing about the neighborhood that I live in:
Stores are close by and the sense of community with my neighbors.  Within a two block radius of my apartment I have the following options of different stores:  3 fruit/vegetable stores, bike shop, internet cafe, 5 small convenience stores, meat store, clothing store, 2 bread stores, 2 laundry mats, 3 car mechanics (I dont have a car, but they're there if i ever need them), CD/DVD shop, copy shop, shoe/clothing repair shop, lunch restaurant and to top it all off, a big community park.

My neighbors/local store owners are also a highlight.  It's nice to know people and it's nice when people know you.  


Hardest thing about living in Quito:
Bus pollution.  Especially as an avid biker, the bus pollution is terrible.  Big clouds of black smoke.

Music I've listened to most recently:
Beirut, I've been enjoying listening to the album "Riptide" on my youtube playlist.


Best new habit:
Drinking a glass of water with lemon after getting up in the morning.  In our most recent refugee workshop, I invited an Ecuadorian friend of mine who owns a natural foods store to talk to us about nutrition.  He recommended a glass of water with a fresh squeezed lemon in the morning to start the day, and since lemons cost practically nothing here, I'm giving it a try.

Also watching "Democracy Now" in the morning while I eat breakfast.

Best way to relax despite a busy schedule and hectic city life:
Lie in my hammock for at least 10 minutes and look at the mountains.

Best advice that I've read recently:

The important thing is not to think much, but to love much; and so, do that which best stirs you to love.
Saint Teresa of Avila


People say, "What is the sense of our small effort?" They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time.
Dorothy Day

A Slice of Life in Pictures and Captions

Life has been busy recently.  I've been working lots but also have had great visits from various friends from college (Brian Wyse, Mauricio Chavez, CJ Hague, Juan Camilo Moya, and Jeff Stoez) over the past few months.  I've gotten to travel some and took some time off for Christmas and New Year's vacation.  Life keeps trucking along here and my days continue to be filled with work with refugees, youth, music, and farming.  There continue to be many challenges and unexpected situations in my daily work, but also much joy and learning.  Anyhow, I dont want to be too vague and general...but I figured some pictures and captions might be nice for a change.  Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a good start to 2012!

Some delicious lettuce grown in our greenhouse.  We had a great harvest with carrots, onions, lettuce, beets, cabbage, and radishes.  I sold some vegetables at our church and we included fresh vegetables in our food assistance program for the refugees.  We are now selling lots of eggs from the farm which has proven to be a good source of income.

My new apartment where I've been living since October 12th.  It's a comfortable place with a great view and is just 5 blocks from the church.

Having fun with college friend Brian Wyse and his friend Steve

The Christmas spirit

The first refugee family who benefited from a new program that I came up with.  Instead of receiving food assistance, families can choose to receive a $75 dollar investment in a small business project, which allows them to start up a small, no-loan project that has no affect on our annual budget.  This family decided to sell "candy bags" for Christmas, a popular tradition in Ecuador.  Since this photo in early December, two other families have also participated in this project.

Christmas Eve with the Moyas

A few fireworks at midnight on Xmas eve

Post Christmas hike up Pichincha--the volcan situated behind the mountain overlooking Quito--with college friends CJ Hague, Jeff Stoez and 2 friends from Quito.  We reached the summit that afternoon at an altitude of 15,406 ft.

The best new addition to my apartment

A great nap

"Año viejos" The tradition in Ecuador for New Years is to make "Old Year" dolls in the form of famous people/characters from TV, fill them with fireworks and burn them at midnight.

With Jeff Stoez and Juan Camilo Moya on the 31st

Welcome 2012!

2 thumbs up for 2012