Corazon por Colombia, South America
"Unknown" Colombia
In a conference about indigenous tongues that was held in the United States, the panelist invited
those who were attending to take one piece of paper out of the many that were contained in a jar
made by indigenous people. On these pieces of paper were the names of many of the tribes of
the American continent who had been persecuted or were extinct. "Name: Chimilas, Country:
Colombia, South America, Zone: Northwest, State: In extinction." From that moment on, the
man who chose this piece of paper dedicated a great amount of time to praying for this
indigenous group. Without knowing much about them, he tried to find out more, but there wasn't
much information about them available. Some months later I met this man and, in an informal
conversation, the names "Colombia" and "Chimilas" became a passion for God's mercy and
justice for Colombia.
At the same time, on the streets of Santa Marta, a tourist city in the north of Colombia, two halfnaked
little boys were walking quickly to a place where they knew they would find something to
eat. Among the population of northwest Santa Marta the name of Pastor Jaime was well-known.
He was a multi-faceted man who preached the love of Christ in practical and simple ways. "Love
your neighbor as yourself." Pastor Jaime Leal, together with other members of his church, have
dedicated themselves during the past ten years to walking with the poorest people of Santa
Marta, and on their pilgrimage he came to know the reality of the unknown Colombia, that which
is full of stories of men and women persecuted by the violence generated by groups who seek
power by their own hands. Many of these stories are from women whose husbands were
assassinated. Many of them were raped, and many became pregnant, giving birth to children
who will never know their true fathers. But all of this is only a small part of the story. Colombia
today is a country full of violence and pain, but also of hope in people's hearts, hope of making
Colombia a place of reconciliation, but also a country that lives out God's forgiveness. It is there
in this land between hatred, vengeance, hope, forgiveness and love where Pastor Jaime and his
ministry move: taking care of street kids who flee from the country's interior, persecuted by
groups who want to do what they call "street cleaning"; serving many men who survived torture or
persecution and who beg for bread for their families and seek a place to live near the streams of
the rivers on the outskirts of Santa Marta; and serving indigenous tribes to whom Pastor Jaime
was led by the feet of these two little boys after they had arrived and been fed at the ministry's
base, the "Home of Refuge".
For Jaime it was one of the longest walks of his pilgrimage. It lasted four hours, during which
time Pastor Jaime asked the boys over and over again if they really knew where they were going
or not. The boys' answer was blunt: "Only a little farther." When Pastor Jaime finally arrived at
the place from which the indigenous boys had come, his eyes could not believe what they saw. It
was an entire tribe that lived there among the lower part of the mountains that lead to the Sierra
Nevada of Santa Marta. And there was absolute necessity. The name of this tribe: "The
Chimilas". They had almost been exterminated by the persecution of paramilitary groups in the
lands of northwestern Colombian. They were only able to establish for themselves a few miles of
land that remained in the hills of Santo Angel near the border between the states of Magdalena
and Guajira. It is under the government's protection who, until that moment, had believed the
Chimilas to be exterminated. Even so, those who were re-located in Santo Angel are still
threatened by paramilitary groups who want to take their land for their own benefit. Many of the
families with whom Pastor Jaime works have fled Santo Angel, and their condition today is
precarious.
The story of the Chimilas, as well as that of the boys on the street, like that of the displaced
women and men, like that of the orphans, is the story that gave way to the work begun by Pastor
Jaime in Santa Marta, that of feeding and caring for more than 250 children and establishing
families, teaching them job skills. This same work opened the way for Pastor Rafael in
Barranquilla, where the same number of children are served, children from the same background
of persecution and violence. The work was extended to Bogota, where Elías, a friend of Jaime in
ministry, works with more than 100 children of impoverished families. As of today many men
called to serve God travel to or receive visits from Pastor Jaime Leal in the areas of Uraba,
Medellín and Cúcuta, where new works could be started. The potential to serve is great, because
the necessity is great. More than 40% of the population of Colombia lives in poverty. Of that
figure, 30% are women and children.
Today we need to support people like Jaime who wish to serve Colombia in the love of Christ. There are many needs, but the main one is raising funds to feed around 600 children in Santa Marta, Barranquilla and Bogota. A daily lunch costs $3000 Colombian pesos, which is about $2 per day, or $45 per child per month. This is an invitation, one for you to consider your support in feeding one child or more per month. You may give to this mission by giving to Oasis International Ministries and we will give 100% to Pastor Jaime. God bless you and thank you for your consideration. Mark S. Akers President/Founder of Oasis International Ministries.
