Leagues good and bad

Recently published studies from Brazil make gruesome reading. They provide numerical tables on the young people who die violently. In Scotland it is 2.7 per 100,000 people, but in Colombia the comparable figure is 73.4. This makes Colombia along with El Salvador the world's leaders in violent deaths, five times higher than the USA or Africa. The one consolation is that the Colombian rate has halved over the last 15 years.

It's in this context that the football programme was started. Initially Mark brought the youngsters from the streets into the Seminary to play football and this has finally developed into a 1200 youngster, 5 league tournament. On Saturday we went to watch the final game of the season and the awarding of the championship trophy.

Generous funding comes from Holland (along with orange tops), the USA and TEAR Fund. But the project has been affected by global economics and the shrinking $. The 26 Colombians working on the project haven't been paid since September and $160,000 is needed to finish the first stage of the sports complex.

It's beyond me how anyone can sleep with these kind of burdens. But God is sovereign even in soccer and maybe historians will eventually tell us that the downfall of the US-UK economies was the best thing for missions. Maybe.

Photo: Worried looking Mark (right) with a Colombian colleague. Dutch readers please note the orange tops.

Reprogramming thieves

It´s been a busy week: classes finished, graduation is tonight and there's been five celebratory meals and three speaking engagements.

But the start of the week began from a different perspective. We went to see the project which Free Church children are raising funds for. It was one of those strange trips into the fringes of this 2 million population. We were told not to speak English on the bus, to walk quickly when we got off it and not to give anything to anyone. Unfortunately on the bus Christine had trouble switching off her camera flash as she recorded the 45 degree uphill journey. Thankfully she still has it.

In such communities a different civilization exists. The ethic is that you get what you want by begging or stealing. Some locals are so poor that they have never taken the 20p bus ride into the city centre. The church work amongst the children uses a system of encouragments so they learn that honest effort results in rewards.

Later in the week the New Testament class were round for breakfast, and one of the students, more in touch with reality and Jesus than us, prayed that "our fridge would always be full". Lord help me to see life from below.

Photo: Christine sharpens pencils while a NewTestament is being read

Your money or your wife

It had to happen sometime with living in Colombia . And it did on Sunday night: being held up at gunpoint. What no one imagined was how it would end.

Early on Sunday evening we were walking along a quiet residential street when a motor bike and two youths drew up beside us. One dismounted, pointed at gun at Olwen and said, "I'm wanting necklaces and gold rings." For the first time ever Olwen was rendered speechless. Her mind went from the awfulness of loosing her wedding ring to being shot. Typically, I hadn´t being paying much attention: it was such a pleasant evening. So I hadn´t see the gun, thought the fellow was wanting to buy such stuff from us, and responded, "I'm very sorry, we don't have anything."

At this the assailant stared at us and then said, "You´re foreigners, aren't you". "Yes" I replied cheerily. He smiled at us, got back on the motorbike and they roared away.

If I'd seen the gun or if he'd seen my wallet and camera, I would be writing a different story. But this is what happened. Thank you Lord.

By the way, Murdo & Christine are getting on so well, we're thinking of hiding their return ticket.

Photo: Bikers everywhere in Medellín: but who are the goodies and who are the badies?

Grace in fried food

There is a dark side to the Seminary. Some seem to stumble into the First Year and by the end of it, stumble out, never to return again.

We first met Simmy in the Presbyterian Church where he led the worship. Having come from Pentecostalism he had a simple theology of worship: If it ain't loud enough to annoy the neighbours it ain't pleasing the Lord, and my job is to make sure the Lord is happy. Unfortunately applying this theology worked about as well as Led Zepplin turning up at a Psalmody recital.

He entered the Seminary, and left after a year. As someone who finds holy bruisers intimidating, I was relieved.

We now pass him several times a week at his fried food stand near the Metro. He's so relaxed and happy - even though he's been robbed of his stall and has had to replace it. I can't help but thinking there is more of Christ there for him than in his previous experiences. Not far away I see a man reading the Bible at his stand - he sells lottery tickets. I'll need to work on the theology of that a bit more.

Photo: Deep fried with grace