[en Espanol]
Hello, I am Jim Fitz. I sensed a call to do full time peacemaking in
the Fall of 2002, at which time I left my work managing Plow Creek
Fellowship's produce farm.
As a part of that peacemaking, I volunteer three months a year with
Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) in
Colombia. The presence of CPT gives protection from the threats of the
paramilitaries and guerrillas to
some eighty families.
Since many of the problems in Colombia originate here with our
government policy, I spend the rest of the year working to make people
aware of how our 1.6 million dollars a day in US Colombian military aid
is making the situation worse.
I promote peace and justice in the following ways: I
give slide presentations, talk to people personally, participate in a
weekly vigil, have booths at fairs, line up others to speak, write
emails to supporters, and pray regularly. I depend on donations and
your prayers to support this peace work.
I am available to give talks and slide presentations about my
time in
Colombia. Contact me at: jimfitz(at)plowcreek.org
or 815-646-4672.
Introduction to Peacemaking in Colombia
[en Espanol]
Jim's 2007 Peace Plans and 2006 Report
2007 Budget
Jim's 2008 Letters
An Army Visit 3-28-08
Land Mines, Cocaine, and the
Army
3-24-08
Spreading Peace in Taxis 3/19/08
Unexpected Answers to Prayer 3-4-08
The Repairman's Mother In-law 2-28-08
Good Friends Feb 22
Back in Colombia Feb 14
Peace Farmer Lasalle NewsTribune
article
Ex-Farmer Planting Seeds of Peace Peoria
Journal Star Article, January 20
Off to Colombia January 8
===========================================================================
Jim's 2007 Letters
Jim's 2006 Peace Plans
Jim's 2006 Letters
Jim's 2005 Peace Plans
Jim's 2005 Letters
2004 Letters
Jim's 2004 Peace Plan
2003 Letters
Jim's Letters from CPT team in Colombia 2003
An Army Visit
3-28-08 Letter #
7 from Colombia
Dear Friend,
“There must have been 40 or 50 soldiers from the Colombian Army who
came through here. They accused Jorge, my son, of being an informer for
the guerrillas. I was so scared. They took his picture and asked him a
lot of accusing questions. I was afraid to let him go fishing like he
often does. They were all around the house. I was afraid that if there
was a confrontation with the guerrillas, bullets might hit any one of
my children.”
“They asked our first and last names and checked them, with lots of
others from the community, against their list of supposed guerrilla
sympathizers. We are not guerrilla sympathizers, but there is nothing
we can do to convince them otherwise. They have guns, so I don’t argue
with them. Someone must be singling us out. I was so scared that I
called Pierre of CPT to let you all know about it. Then I was scared
that they might be listening in on the call. Pierre said it is was ok
and wondered why the army keeps using these fear and intimidation
tactics that make the people more afraid and less supportive of the
Army.” (This was a good thing for Pierre to say, as way of getting this
advice to the government, as we actually do have pretty clear evidence
that the Colombian government does listen to our calls.) We were
thankful to be able to listen for about an hour to this discourse as
Rosa shared her many fears.
Stu, the other CPTer with me, then gave Rosa one of our pamphlets with
our phone numbers on it. And I gave them a pamphlet from the Red Cross
that explained their rights and the fact that it was against
international law for armed groups to be near people’s homes because it
endangered the residents. Stu and I then told Rosa, “Show these to any
of the armed groups that might come by and tell them to give us a call
if they want to know who we are. If they know an international
organization is paying attention to you, they might think twice before
acting.” This could be a help for them, if it happens again. We hope it
will help them feel a bit safer.
This is Rosa’s second marriage, as her first husband was killed by one
of the armed groups a few years ago as he was riding his horse on their
farm. This explains some of her fears. The family seems to have
adjusted well in spite of this drama in their life. They milk 14 Brahma
cows and make cheese to sell. Everyone in the family is very friendly,
and I always enjoy visiting with them. For security reasons the names
have been changed and I was unable to include a photo of the family.
Pray for Rosa and the other families for their safety and peace of mind.
On April 1, I fly to Chicago. The adjustment period usually is hard and
it's easy to get depressed, so your prayers for me would be
appreciated. Thanks much.
Peace,
Jim
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Land Mines,
Cocaine, and the
Army 3-24-08
Letter #6 from Colombia
Dear
Friend,
Land
mines are one of our biggest problems here.
You know how children are. You tell them to stay on the path, but it
is so hard for them to realize the danger and obey. Just for them to
go to help find some firewood or go to school, it is so dangerous.
One was badly injured and we took him to the hospital in San Pablo,
and they said they could not treat him there. Then we had to take
him to Bucaramanga, all at our expense. There doesn't seem to be
any help from the government," shared one of the farmers.
Delcy,
from the Vice President's Office of Human Rights, answered, "If
they cannot treat a person in San Pablo, they are responsible for
transporting him to where he can be treated. I will have that looked
into."
Another
farmer shared, "The Army treats us like dirt. They have check
points on the paths to our fields, and they stop us and accuse us of
being guerrillas and detain us for hours at a time. They entice our
children with candy and then try to pump them for information. Is
that legal? Sometimes people just disappear and are never heard from
again"
Delcy
answered again, "I am sorry to say they can detain persons for 36
hours legally. If the Army is doing things illegally, write down
exactly what it is and their battalion, names, rank, etc…and when
and where as quickly as possible. Use your cell phones to call the
Defensor, me, or any government agency you have access to, and we
will contact who is in charge of the battalion to change whatever
they are doing wrong."
Another
farmer responded, "Many times they won't tell us what battalion
they are part of, or they come without shirts that identify who they
are. At times the illegal paramilitaries, the "Black Eagles," are
part of the Army too. Last week when the army was manually pulling up
coca plants, two homes were burned down. Things are horrible here."
Delcy
responded. "Then just give us as much information as you can as
soon as possible. The sooner you let us know, the more effectively we
can use this to stop illegal things from happening and prevent more
bad things."
"Another big problem here is the government spraying of our coca fields
with
extra strength Roundup (cocaine is made from coca leaves). Often they
miss their mark, and we lose our food crops, or they hit the springs
that are our water supplies, or our corrals of our cows or mules. And
when they miss, the government says they will reimburse us for any
damages, but they never do," shared another farmer.
The
Defensor (the government agent for human rights) responded, " Get
me the information as to when and where these mistakes happened, and
I will inform the authorities whose job it is to investigate and pay
you for the damages. If they don't do it in a timely manner, I will
have the information and pressure for an investigation myself."
This
was part of two meetings with various farm communities to share their
plight with a commission. We were accompanying them as a way of
providing the meetings and the commission with security. These are
some of the various agencies which made up the commission: The
Program for Peace and Development, The Organization of American
States, the regional Mayor's Office, and several human rights and
refugee agencies. Some thought perhaps 50 families would soon abandon
their homes unless something changes.
The travel to these communities was a horrendous, dusty, three hour
(one
way) trip through creeks and over football sized rocks and holes and
up and down mountains on the back of a small one ton truck. On the
one trip the truck was so full that two fellows rode on top of the
cab. I even developed an open sore from sitting on just a board as a
seat. The one village was named Paradise; I felt we had to go through
hell to get to Paradise. Despite the rough travel, I am thankful to
be able to be supportive to these people. Thank you for your part in
enabling me to do the trip. Wouldn't it be great if the million
dollars a day we give in military aid to Colombia were used for roads
instead?
Here
is a link to some more pictures of this trip:
http://www.plowcreek.org/paradise-photos.htm
These pictures will really
give
you a good idea of the remoteness of the area and how these people
live.
Pray for peace and security for Paradise and the other communities.
Pray
that the paramilitaries, guerrillas, and Army would see the light:
that violence does not work.
Peace, Jim
Here I am on the street having breakfast of an oatmeal drink and deep
fried mashed
potato ball with one of the farmers I
befriended. He
told me
"I lost my dad, two uncles and a brother to
the armed
groups.
My dad just disappeared; we never saw him
again."
On the
trip he pointed out once, "Those guys in the truck that just passed
us were paramilitaries."
The woman
in the picture is the food vendor.
Spreading
Peace in Taxis 3/19/08
Letter #
5 from Colombia
Hello friends!
"Would
you like something to read on peace?" I asked the taxi driver as I
had done probably a half a dozen times to taxi drivers in my trip to
Bogota. He responded, "Sure, I am always interested in reading." I told
him about Peace Pilgrim's 28 years walking and sharing
about peace in the USA and gave him a Peace Pilgrim booklet.
And
than I said, "You know I am sorry to say that I feel a lot of the
conflict here in Colombia is caused by the million dollars a day my
government gives in military aid to Colombia. Can you imagine the
lobbying being done to keep the war going by the big US corporations
who are supplying those arms?" He responded, "That has been my
analysis too. It seems your government wants to keep the war going
for the business it generates."
I
am reading Confessions
of an Economic Hit Man by
John Perkins. It is about Perkins' life of working to convince
governments of poor countries to go into debt to do large
electrification projects. Perkins would manipulate the numbers to
convince governments to accept the project, which would make government
leaders very wealthy. The interest from these loans would than
saddle the people of the country with a debt forever to the World
Bank and other such institutions. In the process, numerous big
corporations like Bechtel and Halliburton make the profits by doing
the work in the deal. This book is the story of Perkins coming to see
how his work was causing great poverty and suffering for many people,
eventually causing him to quit his job.
It
was a very depressing book at times, until I came to realize that
bringing this evil to the light is an important part of God's work
to overcome this darkness and transform the world. I've had to
remind myself several times of this in order to keep reading. I also
had to go back to the "what you can do about it" section so as
not to lose hope. Four times he started writing the book, but always
quit for fear of reprisals. Perkins only finished the book after his
daughter told him, "If they get you I will see that the truth gets
out."
I
give thanks for the negotiated settlement that was worked out between
the Latin American Presidents. Alleluia! Alleluia! Praise be to God!
People
here were glued to the TV watching the negotiations. The people did
not want more war. Pray this will help leaders see that talking is
much better for making peace than military action.
I
also give thanks for working things through with the CPT team. It has
given
me a sense of peace, and I sense this has helped keep depression
away.
Before
we came to a decision for me not to do presentations in Colombia, a
teacher told me, "You have a standing invitation to speak to my 120
students. Let me know when you can do it." So I asked the team how
I should respond and they said, "You should say yes."
So
pray for the three slide presentations I will be doing at a local
high school with the help of another CPTer and a Colombian friend.
Pray that the Lord would speak to the students in the presentations
and literature we will give them as they decide whether they should
comply with the mandatory military service required by the
government. Upon graduation, about 50% of the boys will join the
military. The military has been doing irregular recruiting here in
Barrancabermeja, by going through the streets in trucks and picking
up any male youth. They detain them if they cannot show that they
have completed their military service or that they are exempt for
various reasons, including being a conscientious objector.
Peace
to you today,
Jim
Here I am during a recent Opon visit in a
shelter where we sleep. It
was one of those sticky nights that did not cool off very much. When
we arrived it was pitch black, so the head light I am wearing (a gift
from my daughter Emily) really was a big help in putting up the
mosquito net and tent. You can see the school in the background. The
more than 25 chiggers and mosquito bites on my body I am still
nursing with Vicks, which stops the itching.
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Unexpected Answers to
Prayer
3/4/08 Letter #4 from Colombia
Hello friends,
This week, as the team and I met together to hear each other, I really
sensed that God was actively involved (as He always is) in our
lives.
I went into the sharing time a bit anxious, with notes to make sure I
did not forget something, but once I got started I hardly looked at the
notes and was able to just share from my heart in a sense of trust and
peace.
As a part of my quiet time, one of the things I read almost daily is a
truth I came to one time with a counselor as I was dealing with a
conflict. It is: "When I enter into conflict with a pure heart
and
trust and not as a power struggle to win, it leads to peace and us
affirming each other." I sense God has enabled this "peace and
affirming each other" to happen here with the team.
The team has very generously given hours in reading and meeting to work
not only on the issue of my desire to do peacemaking presentations
about CPT with the Mennonite Brethren, but also to working through the
misunderstandings and human errors that developed, all with lots of
care and consideration for me. And through this sharing I have come to
see that my hearing problems and level of Spanish could lead to
misunderstandings that could very easily endanger the team or one the
organizations with whom we work. One incident that really brought this
home to me was at church on Sunday. I gave an "Amen!" to a
brother
sharing his belief that the recent killing of the FARC leader by the
military was part of God's plan to end the war! Of course, I
deeply do
not believe is that any killing is in God's plans. I misunderstood him.
Thankfully, another CPTer was along to help me see my mistake.
So for now, it seems best to all of the team, including me, for me not
to do presentations here in Colombia. It is humbling to share this with
you, though I am also reminded that to be humble and honest is
good.
And I am also encouraged by Peterson's introduction to the prophets in The
Message
Bible where he says, "Judgment . . . can never be the worst that can
happen. It is the best, for it is the work of God to set the world and
us, right." (p.1196)
At the same time the team strongly affirmed my sharing on a one to one
with taxi drivers and street vendors etc, particularly using the Peace
Pilgrim booklet. This is a gift I feel I have and am being used by
God
in doing. It is real good to have this gift recognized and affirmed by
the team, as it was something that I was doing but I wasn't clear till
now that the whole team affirmed this.
I sense your prayers and concern have had a definite part in bringing a
space of peace and trust so we could hear and share with each other
very openly. Through it all, I do feel we came to a good
reconciliation between us and unity in agreement on what is the best
solution.
The newspapers and people we talk to all indicate that things are tense
in the government here with the situation with Ecuador and Venezuela.
Pray that through this crisis leaders might come to see the futility of
using the military to try to solve the conflict and that there be a
peaceful solution.
Thanks to each of YOU very much!!!
Keep praying.
Peace, Jim
Jim Fitz
"The
Repairman's Mother In-law"
2-28-08 Letter #3
from Colombia
Dear Friends,
"My mother in-law Nellie read that Peace Pilgrim booklet you gave me.
She was very moved by it, and she would like to read more by Peace
Pilgrim. Do you have any thing else? And she would like to talk to you
too," our repairman excitedly said to me. I responded, "I don't have
any thing else by Peace Pilgrim, but you can give her this book
Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr."
Later I got to talk to Nellie. Nellie then shared, "Oh yes, that was
really inspiring. We have to build peace person by person and house by
house by the way that we relate to and treat each other. What Peace
Pilgrim has to say is very important. And I really like the book
Restorative Justice that I am now reading. I especially like to read
stuff like that." I responded, "When you get that one finished, I can
loan you another book!"
The political saga continues in Barranca. A prominent Catholic priest,
Padre Francisco, a close consultant to the Mayor, who is a Pentecostal,
publicly mentioned the other day that he thought the City Council is
full of a lot of corruption. Many people know this to be true, but no
one of such prominence ever said it before. Council members responded,
"Where is the evidence?" He responded, "I have the evidence, and if it
comes to court I will show the evidence. However, maybe we should wait
and see if the Council will change and stop its corrupt ways, and we
won't have to bring it to court." They have been balking at not
following past ways in which they always received bribes from the
mayor. Everyone knows if it comes to court, the Council does not have
much hope of winning, so Francisco has them over a barrel.
Three days ago three persons who work in Human Rights were killed. In
January, 21 persons were assassinated in this region. In some ways it
seems the light is coming through the new Mayor and Padre Francisco's
courage to say no to corruption. And in other ways the darkness seems
to be fighting the light with these killings. Pray for the light to
overcome the darkness in Barranca and for the protection of the Mayor
and Padre Francisco.
I had a good talk on with one of the CPTers about how my peace
evangelism, as she called it, is different from many CPTers' way of
peacemaking here. However, I still find myself anxious and depressed at
times when I think about the issues. Pray that I could just somehow
simply trust God in the waiting and through it all.
Thanks much, and peace to you today,
Jim
"Good
Friends" 2-22-08
Letter # 2 from Colombia
Hello friends,
"Long time no see. How are you?" Manuel asked. I responded to my
friend, a 73-year-old street vendor, by saying, "I have been having my
challenges. My knees have been bothering me a bit." As he removed a
container of lotion from his market booth, Manuel said, "This will take
away your pain." "How much is it?" I asked as I took out my wallet.
Manuel answered insistently, "Oh, absolutely nothing, it's a gift."
When I visited Manuel another day he offered me another lotion. It does
work, too.
Down the street I came upon another of my friends, Govianno, a
tamarindo juice vendor. It was, as usual, close to 100 degrees so I
said, "I'll have to have a cup of ice cold tamarindo. How much is it?"
He shook his finger to say no, and said, "I am so glad to see you; it's
on me." He then refilled my cup as we shared how our families were
doing.
Another day I visited Alfonso, who sells reading glasses, and bought a
pair. His helper said it was 12 pesos, but then Alfonso insisted it be
8 pesos. He told me he hoped to visit his daughters in Bogota and that
takes a lot of money.
The generosity of these friends who are relatively poor compared to me
was quite moving as I reflected on our exchanges. Here the poor are
teaching me by example how to be generous.
Sunday after church, friends Eberthys and Roberto invited me home for a
meal. It was a good time catching up with each other. Then somehow I
got to sharing about my excitement about the book, "The Myth of a
Christian Nation" by Greg Boyd. I said, "Boyd has helped me see more
clearly than ever that as followers of Jesus we need to watch very
carefully that we do not align ourselves with any political party. We
must be suspicious of all parties and yet support any efforts for
peace, justice, mercy, and truth no matter what party."
My hosts then shared, "What is known as the 'Charismatic Church' in
Bogota has grown by leaps and bounds. Recently the Colombian President
Uribe and his family attended 'Charismatic Church' meetings as a way of
drawing more people to that church. The church, as a result, is giving
a lot political support to Uribe. Here in Barranca many evangelicals
are also aligned with political parties because of favors they receive
from them."
"I would really be interested in reading that book," Roberto said. I
gave them a copy of the book. Eberthys is an English teacher and will
translate for Roberto.
They also shared about the recently elected Mayor Contreras, who is a
Pentecostal, and stated, "Usually any time a new mayor is elected, he
is expected to give some special favors to each of the Council members
to get their cooperation. But Contreras publicly announced he was not
going to do that and that money would be spent according to people's
needs instead of according to political favors."
Another aspect is that Contreras is relatively poor and he was running
against a wealthy politician who owns the TV station. Everyone thought
Contreras did not have much of a chance against such wealth and power,
but Contreras won by just several hundred votes. Things don't have to
continue the same as they have always.
These experiences confirm the principles that Lynne Twist points to in
her book The Soul of Money. One truth is that the rich and poor both
really need to help each other in the journey to find fulfillment.
Another is that it is a lie that the rich and the powerful always win.
Please pray for wisdom and courage for Mayor Contreras.
Please also pray that I would be humble enough to admit my mistakes and
to forgive others for any hurts I have felt as I work with the Team on
my differences with them.
I am thankful for my Colombian friendships and the generosity they are
teaching me.
Peace to you,
Jim
Here I am with a
73-year-old friend
in the Opon looking over his 5 acre corn field, which he cleared with a
machete and
an ax. Notice the leftover stumps. He plans to turn the field into
pasture for cattle. It had just rained and the corn was looking good.
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"Back
in Colombia" 2-14-08
Letter #1
Hello friends,
In
the nine hour bus trip to Barranca from Bogota, I found my mind
going through tapes of defending myself before the team over the issues
we were going to be facing. Then I felt guilty, anxious and full of
emotional pain about this. While I was experiencing this mental
anguish, I was trying to keep from watching a shoot'm up movie on the
bus TV. Finally, toward the end of the trip, I thought to try to
pray, which gave me relief and peace. Thanks be to God for God and
prayer.
It
was really nice to be greeted cheerfully by friends Michele and
Charletta upon my arrival at the house in Barranca. I was also
grateful for the nice, simple meal which was ready for me.
The
next morning I found my fearful thoughts returning. Then Charletta, as
she led team worship, said, "We want to welcome Jim during this time.
Jim, can you share with us what your hopes are for your next two months
with us?" Since they did not know about my wanting to work on my
pain over my differences with the team, I hesitated as I wondered
what I should say. I then said, "Perhaps this is the time to put
some things out on the table. One of the purposes of my time here is to
see if the team and I can find a way that is agreeable to both of
us that I can share with the Mennonite Brethren. Also, I want to
come to reconciliation with the team over the pain and hurt that has
resulted from this conflict in the last months."
It
was a big relief to me to be able to share this, instead of keeping it
all inside me. Again, I felt the hand of the Lord working to make
things easier for me. Several times during this process I have recalled
Bo Lozoff's writing in It's a Meaningful Life, "When we
do hard things we are richer for it." Even though it feels very
hard, I believe working this conflict through face to face
is the right thing to do.
A
little later Pierre, Michele and I met to talk about how to
proceed. I felt stuck and was not seeing a good answer as
to how to proceed, till the next morning when the idea came to just
start from the very beginning and share what happened. This brought me
peace again. We will do that again in two weeks when Michele gets back
from vacation. Again I am thankful for what feels like a breakthrough.
Attended a Bogotá Mennonite church and saw lots of
friends. One expressed his thanks for my emails. I also had a
great five hours with a friend in Bogotá who has been
reading some of the same books as I have. We sensed the Lord's
hand in bringing us together to encourage each other in our journeys.
Pray:
For
my peace and patience as I work issues through one step at a time
with the team.
For
us, the team, as we meet some challenges in order to provide protection
to a person in the Opon. Sorry I can't share more.
Peace, Jim
Here is the team in our patio in Barranca. Left to right is Michele,
Nils (wife and husband), Jim, Charletta, Pierre, and Tim.
Charletta and Tim (wife and husband) and I are planing for our working
together at the Cornerstone music festival this summer.
Jim Fitz
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Off
to
Colombia
Jan. 08
Hello friend,
On February 2 I will head to Barrancabermeja, Colombia for two
months to be a part of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) working to
reduce violence in the 45 year old civil war. This is in place of my
former plans to work with the Colombia Mennonite Brethren Church
(MB). The change is because CPT raised security and other
concerns about my plan. I hope to discuss these further with CPT
leadership on January 16 in Chicago and with the team when I am in
Colombia. As my pastor reminds me, "The best way to build trust is to
work through conflicts."
This issue has made the last months very difficult for me as I
struggled with giving up the call to work with the MB's for now. In a
way this feels like this is a part of a process of the Lord doing
peacemaking within CPT. I hope you can say a prayer for us as we
work on these hard issues. We will need it.
CarlosContreras was inaugrrated as the new mayor of the Barranca
region on January 1. He is from the Penteclstal four Square
Gospel Church, His advisors, the Catholic Bishop and Carlos's
pastor, both spoke at his inauguration.
This could mean the beginning of a new Protestant/Catholic relationship
in Barranca. The election has been a slap in the face to party
politics. Contreras is a people's candidate and not part of any party
machine. It is a very positive event.
Here in Illinois, I recently had a very positive experience sharing my
slides with a women's study group. It has been meeting for 127 years.
Its impetus was to work on the getting women the right to vote. They
are a diverse group from the full political spectrum. Their dialogue is
building peace at the roots of our society. Last year they studied WWII
and this year they are studying peace. They had lots of good questions.
Please pray for my discussions on security and other concerns with CPT,
and for my busy time as I finish up some peace work here and prepare to
go to Colombia.
Peace to you today,
Jim
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