Putting EFO into Perspective

Truthfully, this reflection should’ve been written a while ago. Yes, maybe it’s a combination of procrastination and trying to get used to this new reality of living under quarantine. But as I sit in front of my laptop and try to find the words to describe EFO, I realize that beyond it being a training event, EFO was a time of testing, polishing, resting, and finding comfort of living in the tension. As many of you know, for the month of February I was in Colombia for a month long training called EFO. Every 3 years, IFES gathers new staff from all over Latin America for an intensive training equipped with 1 week of missions locally. To learn a little more click here to read my previous posts about EFO.

Although coming from Miami means I have friends that come from all over Latin America and the world, there is something entirely new in being immersed in a foreign country. To be honest my first thought about Colombia was coffee, music, and warmth. And although I wasn’t entirely off, I quickly learned there was so much more variety and depth to the Colombian culture. For one thing, Bogota was not warm, in fact its nickname is “the freezer”! Its gray and rainy weather was a stark contrast to the ever shining and humid Miami sun. After a while of being in the country I began picking up on words and customs, one being “tinto” o “tintico” to order black coffee. Breakfast is my all-time favorite meal of the day so I quickly learned: my breakfast wasn’t exactly a Colombian breakfast. One upgrade was having a warm cup of “tinto”, “aguapanela” (hardened sugar cane), or hot chocolate mmm…soo delicious! However, other things were certainly new like having a bowl of soup (interesting right?). I enjoyed eating the various local fruits and pastries like “almojabana” and “buñuelos” (various cheese doughs baked/fried). Food is certainly a tactile way to experience a new country!

One of the aspects of EFO was change. Every week was unique with its own set of speakers, location, and, housing. At first, I was a little uneasy to hear that the group we were placed with for the 1^st week wouldn’t be the same for the other weeks, we had really gotten along! But there’s something special in change and that is: you learn to readjust. I enjoyed each group and family that we were placed with, I truly felt that family atmosphere and care that can be easily missed at retreats and conferences.

Here I want to make a stop and just thank you. Before leaving I asked for you to keep me in your prayers and truly, I felt the presence of Jesus with us throughout the entirety of the conference. Thankfully a nurse friend gave me a helpful tip in preparing my health before and during the month and that was to take a daily dose of Vitamin C. I’m glad to report that I did not get sick! Week 2 I was sniffling a bit as I adjusted to a more humid climate but other than that, my health was great! As seen in Ephesians 6:12, we know our battle is not against flesh and blood but with darkness and the spiritual forces of evil. As staff working on college campuses in various countries, we knew there would be resistance and spiritual attacks, but we thank God for His goodness and protection. Considering the current social unrest found in Colombia (which mirrors the one found in most Latin American countries), we were bound to encounter it. I remember one night after our evening session; we were making our way back home in the “transmi” (public transportation) when suddenly various passengers began coughing and covering their eyes. We had just passed the campus of Universidad Nacional and the police had thrown tear gas at a manifestation. Thankfully, I didn’t feel any of the effects as my friends quickly moved into action and told me to cover my mouth and nose. Although I was assigned Bogota for my week of mission, the other groups had some difficulties in arriving to their cities. Days before we separated ways into our respective locations, the National Liberation Army (ELN), one of the most powerful criminal groups in Latin America, declared a national strike for 3 days. This caused national highways to close because of bomb threats. The organizers of EFO found it more prudent to relocate certain groups who would’ve been placed in cities where ELN had more presence and the rest were to fly instead of taking bus to their locations. This was my first time witnessing the effects the guerilla groups in Colombia. Colombia has had a long and difficult time in arranging for peace talks and disarming guerillas, sadly, these strikes are not out of the ordinary. We give thanks to God because all groups arrived safely to their locations! On another day, the teachers were having a national protest demanding just wages. Even though this was a peaceful protest, Colombia’s SWAT team rolled out on their tanks and guards covered the perimeter of campus. I remember one of the student leaders explaining our course of action if anything bad were to happen. Again, God protected us, and we were able to evangelize on campus without any interference. Thank you for your continued prayers, they were answered!

Latin America is a complex and ever-changing region with a context of Christianity that has been tainted with the violence and imposition that started with the Spanish conquistadors and continues to happen today. I was grateful for the various seminars that shared about the historical context and taught us about the most common theologies found within the local Christian church. I must admit, at times it was hard. Hard to have to juggle the reality of the brokenness missionaries from USA and Europe brought and yet the stories of legacy and true evangelization that others left. Until then, I hadn’t been confronted with my identity of being a US missionary. Here in the US, I am usually asked about my nationality, maybe because of the Spanish accent I have, maybe because of my name, or maybe because of my outer appearance. But being in Colombia, I was hit with the weight of what it means to have been born in the US. Without realizing it, there were stereotypes and privileges that others saw in me and that affected the way I was treated or considered. Before Colombia I had thought of it and talked it over with family and friends but being in EFO confronted me in a way I was not ready for but for which I am grateful. There was a real need to lament the ways those before me had gone into Latin America, representing their flags before representing the Kingdom of God. There was the need to evaluate if and how, I too could fall into the same trap. There was the need to accept these 2 parts of my identity, the part that was born and raised in the US and the part that is Chilean because the culture at home was so. Like all things, this continues to be a question and a topic I am processing. I find encouragement in Moses in his uneasiness of being sent to a people he belonged to ethnically but not in experience. Right after God calls him to the burning bush, Moses’s first question is about identity.

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”  Exodus 3:11-12

Just like Moses, I too have questions about my identity, but I am reassured to find my identity in God and to find my strength in His calling, He goes before me.

Confrontation is not something we naturally seek but it’s so necessary! Many times, I have taught about the importance of developing a healthy rhythm of spiritual disciplines, but I know how hard it can be to make prayer, fasting, Bible reading, and others a regular habit. However, these are essential in providing the space to know God and hear from Him. I’m thankful for the day we left to have a retreat of silence and the time we had afterwards to plan for the ways we would seek incorporating these practices once we were back home. We had Jorge Atencia, a highly respected and well-known Ecuadorian theologian, come and share his life experiences with us. I had heard of him but had never had the opportunity of meeting him and I can say, time seems to pause when he talks and shares valuable insight. One of the gifts he left us was the imagery of the Word as a book, a book to be opened, to be eaten, to be lit up. Opened, in reference to Luke 4:17 when Jesus unrolls the scroll to Isaiah. In order to know the story of the Kingdom of God and who’s invited into the Kingdom, we must open the Bible. Eaten, in reference to Revelation 10, so that we may prophecy and bring others into reconciliation with God. Lit up, in reference to Psalm 119:105, that the Word may be our guide amid the darkness in which we walk. I have much to grow as to my relationship with Scripture but what encouragement and wisdom it was to hear from Jorge in this topic specifically.

Being surrounded by a group of around 40 participants over a month period means, there will be interpersonal conflict at some point. Whether it was cultural, experience, or personality, we all had frictions at one point but as we’re reminded in Proverbs 27:17, iron sharpens iron. Oh, the beauty of healthy confrontation in the body of Christ! Hahaha and I don’t say it sarcastically but with the knowledge that it is not an exciting thing when it happens yet much of my growth has come from difficult conversations with friends and mentors. I struggle with people pleasing and of comparison. Instead of being satisfied with the things God has done in my life, I look to the side and end up wishing for the things I don’t have. I remember the first day of our final week and hearing the presentations of all my peers and the events they were able to hold all over Colombia. I felt jealous, jealous that they had so much creativity, that their campuses were operating, that they had results we didn’t. I hadn’t realized it until I talked with one of my teammates and then my shadow of comparison was exposed. I was throwing to waste a beautiful week, the conversations with our student leaders, the discipleship we had with them, and so much more! I was embarrassed, but that evening I asked for forgiveness and wrote out the blessings of the previous week. For years I have been struggling with judgement. I have made many mistakes in my life because I am too quick at judging. Although God has given me the gift of discernment, there’s a fine line of discernment from God and my human judgement. Until recently, I had not understood the weight of my sin. While in EFO, I had various situations where I was heavily judged. I felt so boxed, misunderstood, and observed. One of those evenings while I was processing with God my emotions, He reminded me of the many times I have done that with others. In that moment I understood God’s invitation in leaving the judging to Him.

There’s so much more I could share, so many stories that didn’t make it here. But that’s one of the beauties of EFO, it’s an event that I will continue to process in the months and years ahead. As I momentarily close this chapter of my life, I am beyond thankful for Chile and the invitation to go, for your prayers and support in this time, and for God’s goodness and provision throughout. To God be all the glory, may His Kingdom continue to make its way on earth and in our hearts!