Todo el Mundo, en sus Manos

Throughout the month I spent in Colombia I struggled to see how people could maintain hope amidst such crisis. The people of Urabá face a reality radically different than I do. They are imprisoned by poverty, living on land that is not theirs, yearning for the land that was taken away from them. They deal with political corruption which makes any corruption in the U.S. look like child's play. They face the threat of violence from paramilitary at all hours of the day.

I could not understand how they hold on to hope.

We spent a lot of time with kids while we were there, probably because kids are more bold and willing to talk to us foreigners. All of them were eager to practice their English skills and learn more. We found ourselves teaching them a lot of songs, one of their favorite being "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." We spent a lot of time in our apartment in Apartado teaching this song to a 6 year old whom I'll call Marcella. On our final day in the city, when the taxi pulled up to take us to the airport, Marcella hurriedly asked us to go over the words with her one more time. As we drove away I watched her out of the rear window of the cab, going through the hand motions, singing the song to herself.

I was grateful to be wearing sunglasses, as they hid the tears welling up in my eyes. This is the image of Colombia that I cling to, months after my time there. A young girl, immersed in a chaotic context, holding on to hope. Trusting in God's providence. Resting in the assurance that the whole world is in God's hands. I now realize that when a person lives in a place that is unstable, she won't put her trust in things of the world. She'll put her trust in God, the only constant, stable thing.