By Isaac Dahl Leer en español Sister Yineth is a very important lady in the Mennonite Brethren Church of Chocó. She owns a bakery and caters food for events, and is constantly serving and sacrificing her time to share her gifts of cooking, baking, and hospitality with others. Yineth grew up in a small town,…
By Diana Castro Leer en Español In Montes de Maria, which includes 15 municipalities in the departments of Sucre and Bolivar, the “Festival of the Reconciliation of Montes de María” is presented every year, in order to strengthen the processes of collective healing, repairing of the social fabric, and providing reconciliation through dialogue. This year,…
By Emma Gordon Leer en Español Every time I go into a community, I learn so much about plants and their different uses. So many are used for medicinal purposes while other are used to eat and still more are used for other purposes. For example, there is a type of blackberry tree that produces…
By: Jacinda Stahly Leer en Español This month the people of Chocó endured a 19-day-long protest which kept both main roads leading into the department closed, shutting down the importation of gasoline, medicine, fruits and vegetables, meat, and other basic goods. By the end of the protest even hospitals no longer had sufficient gas to…
By Isaac Dahl Leer en Español On June 19, 2022 Gustavo Petro of the political party Pacto Histórico (a left-wing party) was elected as the new president of Colombia. For many rural communities, it is a welcome change as the right-wing parties have ruled for a long time and many people in rural populations have…
Leer en Español By: Diana Castro This year during the Colombian presidential elections, there were more social movements than in previous election periods. I want to tell you about a small group of young people from the village, in Montes de María; this group was more restless during this election, because they have been able…
Leer en Español By: Emma Gordon Imagine you are taking a taxi to the nearest big city. You’re just a passenger trying to get from point A to point B in a tranquil manner, but the taxi driver and the two other passengers are discussing politics. The taxi driver is making his case for the…
By Jacinda Stahly Leer en español Before the June 19, 2022 second round of presidential elections in Colombia, I spoke with two women from the Mennonite Brethren church here in Chocó about their process of Biblical discernment regarding their vote, how important it is for the church to maintain unity in the body of Christ…
By Emma Gordon Leer en Español Should young people be involved in making decisions about their community? This is a question that has many different facets and has many people wondering if young people have the capacity to be involved in community decision making. Do young people have the capacity and wisdom that older members…
By Diana Castro Leer en Español Judith Robles Rivero was 16 years old when she began to live in a community that, despite being in the middle of two water tributaries, does not have drinking water in the homes. Initially, they used an artisanal well, Judith had to load the containers on a cart to…
By Jacinda StahlyLeer en español What is the role of the church in its community? Church is an organizational structure set up to worship God together; church is a community with a mandate to share among one another and act as the hands and feet of Christ to their neighbors; church is each individual member…
By Isaac Dahl Knowing how to endure difficult situations is one of the main characteristics of Chocoanos,and dealing with floods is one way they put it into practice. Not only do they have to manage living ina complex climate, under the control of illegal armed groups and corrupt politicians; they also live withthreats from the…
By Emma GordonLeer en Español People are especially extraordinary when they come together for the common good. The common good can be exhaustive, underwhelming, and tiresome most of the time, but working towards a common goal can be a little less lonely and burdensome with other people. Although working towards a common goal is tiring…
By: Diana Castro Leer en Español One of the things that happens when you become a volunteer is that you work with many young people in the community. This is something that I really like and fills me with joy. It also gives me the opportunity to get to know many passionate youth and their…
Leer en Español By: Isaac Dehl In the past six months of our time in Chocó, Colombia I have welcomed the challenge of building relationships and understanding the context of the communities of San Juan and Medio Baudó. This includes building friendships with the brothers and sisters of the Mennonite Brethren Church as well as…
Seed Colombia 