A post from Colombia, Month One:
Let me start off by saying I never felt unsafe. During the month in Colombia we were in a low income high crime area. In the time we were in the San Francisco neighbourhood 3 people died within blocks of us.
One was in the neighbourhood where we pickup kids. This was the first true exposure, as we walked down the street to pick up the kids 2 women approached our host.
I can’t speak the language so I don’t know what was said but I felt like we were being told it wasn’t safe and to walk down the street over. Our host didn’t understand the magnitude at the time so we continued to walk down the street. I knew something wasn’t right so I started to pray for the neighbourhood. That night we found out a kid had been brought to the hospital and died.
The last one was in our last week. We were talking when, for us it seemed like all of a sudden we were closing the door. The kids went to the window, so being the curious person I am I also looked, I saw police in riot gear walking up the hill. We didn’t really know what had come of that night but the next day my teammate Natalie and I tried to go on an adventure with members of our hosts’ family, people we had left the house with before. We didn’t get far before we were brought back. We saw their heart so had more issue with the thought that we didn’t even consider the safety aspect of leaving, than we were that we couldn’t go.
We got a true lesson in the safety measures and why. We had been living in a small living space with 7 people, the yard was fenced in and was locked as often as possible, the door on the street had a small porch that was gated and locked. We left for ministry, we left to go to the old city for wifi, and free time, and we left to play with the kids in the street right in front of the house. We “knew” it wasn’t a safe area but when you only see glimpses of the violence that exists it becomes easy to forget. Where the compound is located is essentially between 3 different gangs. The city put up a camera to monitor what is going on so that they can respond early enough to hopefully diffuse the situation.
Our host also is well respected in his community and in Cartagena in general, so when we are with him, it is easy for him to explain why he has Americans, Canadians with him. That inherent safety doesn’t exist with his family members and that was a big part of why we couldn’t go on our adventure.
God’s my safety net, but I love and appreciate the people God has put on this journey with me to keep me and my teammates safe.
