{"id":43865,"date":"2021-08-03T13:28:44","date_gmt":"2021-08-03T18:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/?post_type=person&p=43865"},"modified":"2024-04-05T11:10:58","modified_gmt":"2024-04-05T16:10:58","slug":"alex-maldonado-lizardi","status":"publish","type":"person","link":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/people\/alex-maldonado-lizardi\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Maldonado-Lizardi"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Alex Maldonado-Lizardi serves with the Christian Centre for Justice, Peace, and Nonviolent Action (Justapaz) in Bogota, Colombia. His placement is with Justapaz: Mennonite Center for Justice, Peace, and Nonviolent Action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How would you describe the mission of our partner in Colombia?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justapaz is an anabaptist identity-based organization that serves communities, churches, and social organizations affected by Colombia\u2019s 50-year armed conflict. They strive for active citizenship in closely following our human rights while participating in developing a just, nonviolent, and peaceful society and creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four principles guide their service through a holistic y transversal service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Congruence with the Gospel of Peace: experiencing the values of the kingdom of God by living out the option for the poorest and the victims through reconciliation, forgiveness, equality, and community life.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Practice of respect for life choices: good treatment, nonviolence, and justice.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Community Discernment is the collective search for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in our being and doing as an organization.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Integral Peace is the practice of well-being (Shalom) in the different dimensions of the human being: spiritual, economic, social-relational, political, cultural, and environmental.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    JustaPaz<\/a> www.justapaz.org<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How do you fit into their mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I serve in Justapaz\u2019s area of \u201cMemoria hist\u00f3rica, derechos humanos e incidencia politica\u201d (Historical memory, human rights and political advocacy). We document cases of human rights violations in evangelical churches in the context of Colombia\u2019s historical armed conflict to provide legal and psycho-social accompaniment for people stricken by the conflict. Also, we keep an Observatory (OSEAS \u2013 JustaPaz<\/a>) to measure the conflict\u2019s reality in Colombia and its implications for the diverse faith traditions and practices.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What led you to engage in this calling?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The desire to participate in reconciliation processes considered not only a spiritual but also a political practice guided me into this calling.  Also, a yearn to witness and learn the multiple roads the spirit takes to be present to and participate in the history of humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Is there a passage of scripture that carries special meaning in your daily work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cSince then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, and we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are \u201cout of our mind,\u201d as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ\u2019s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people\u2019s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ\u2019s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ\u2019s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.\u201d  – 2 Corinthians 5:18-21<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What are some of the challenges facing the people of Colombia, our partner, or yourself?<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Colombian challenges<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n