Drawing conclutions in Ecuador

Meeting with members of the Quito Mennonite Church

This morning, or last morning in Quito, we had a meeting with some people from the Quito Mennonite Church and also from the Trisha from the Episcopalian Church in Quito who has partnered with the Mennonites.  We focused on three things.

• What the Episcopalian and Mennonite Churches there have been doing so far.
• What we heard from the various agencies and people we visited with in the last few days.
• How can we think about responding to the needs of refugees better

I think it was truly impressive to hear what the church has done with so little resources.  As is so often the case in situations like this, they saw far more need than they could respond to.  Of particular concern was meeting the "pastoral needs" of those whom they come in contact with.  They understand that while trying to help people meet the material needs of the church, it was important to help them make theological sense of what they were doing.  I think there are people well equipped to think about these issues, and it was interesting to hear their reflections.

As we looked ahead, it was clear that we are moving into a time with some uncertainty as the protection structure set up by the Ecuadoran government changes, and more Colombians make their way to Ecuador.  I think we agreed that this group could learn a lot from the Colombian Mennonite Church and how they accompany displaced people, and there was some interest in some consultation between the two groups.

Ultimately, it seemed like the most important thing that the group can do is to continue what they have been doing: to be with people who are displaced and to help them think about solutions to their problem.  Mostly it seem that just being with displaced people is most important.

The vegetables at the Quito Mennonite farm.

Chickens at the Quito Mennonite farm

Bogenvelia at the farm.

After the meeting, we were invited out to a project of the church.  They were offered a small farm for a fairly inexpensive rent.  They have been planting corn, green vegetables and they are also raising chickens for eggs and meat.  It was good to get out of the city.

Tomorrow we have a similar meeting with the Teusaquillo Mennonite Church in Bogota.  We will see where that discussion leads us.