• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mosaic MennonitesMosaic Mennonites

Missional - Intercultural - Formational

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our History
    • Vision & Mission
    • Staff
    • Boards and Committees
    • Church & Ministry Directory
    • Mennonite Links
  • Media
    • Articles
    • Newsletters
    • Video
    • Audio
    • Bulletin Announcements
  • Resources
    • Conference Documents
    • Missional
    • Intercultural
    • Formational
    • Stewardship
    • Church Safety
    • Praying Scriptures
    • Request a Speaker
    • Pastoral Openings
    • Job Openings
  • Give
    • Leadership Development Matching Gift
  • Events
    • Pentecost
    • Delegate Assembly
    • Faith & Life
    • Youth Event
    • Women’s Gathering
    • Conference Calendar
  • Mosaic Institute
  • Vibrant Mosaic
  • Contact Us
  • English
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)

Javier Marquez

Walking with Mosaic: A Historic Encounter

March 13, 2025 by Cindy Angela

by Javier Márquez

Between February 5 and 12, 2025, Medellín was the scene of a historic meeting that marked a new chapter in this process of transformation and movement that we are experiencing in the Mosaic Conference. A team of seven people from different countries—the United States, Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Colombia—traveled to the Colombian city to meet with pastors and leaders of Christian communities in Colombia, especially from the Anabaptist Community of Medellín, Resplandece Mennonite Church (Pembroke Pines, FL, Barranquilla, Colombia, and hybrid)—ministries that are part of the Conference—and the Shalom Anabaptist Christian Church of Cartagena. The purpose of the meeting was twofold: to strengthen ties between the communities and to witness the pastoral licensing of Manuel García and Carlos Sánchez as new pastors within Mosaic Conference. 

The visiting Mosaic board and staff members at the home of a sister of the Anabaptist Community of Medellín. Photo by Javier Márquez.

“The Colombian churches and leaders have been involved in God’s mission for a long time, Mosaic Conference noticed it, called them, and is walking with them,” reflected Leadership Minister Marco Güete. “The meeting in Medellín was an awakening guided by the Spirit of God.” From the beginning, the atmosphere was marked by fellowship, reflection, and the desire to share. 

“I discovered that God has a plan for each of these leaders and that they are ready to walk with Mosaic,” reflected Sandra Guëte. This feeling of walking together with mutual support was reflected throughout the visit. 

Pastors Carlos Sánchez (left) and Manuel García after receiving their credentials and mugs from Mosaic Conference. Photo by Javier Márquez.

The culminating moment was the pastoral licensing ceremony. Manuel García, pastor of Resplandece Mennonite, shared his emotion upon receiving his acceptance into Mosaic Conference: “The day I received the message that I was accepted to be licensed was unforgettable. I hugged my wife and cried with happiness. My mind traveled through the memories, the processes and the experiences that God allowed me to live until that moment.”

Likewise, Carlos Sánchez, pastor of the Anabaptist Community of Medellín, expressed, “Being part of Mosaico as a credentialed pastor and baptizing a small group of new brothers and sisters in the faith is an achievement for my life. It is one more step that God has affirmed in his mercy.”

In addition to these moments of joy and emotion, there was a space for community reflection led first by Ismael Conchacala Gil, a Wiwa indigenous Christian leader from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, and then by Nidia Montoya, leader of the Anabaptist Community of Medellín. First, Conchacala shared a message about Luke 18 and, later, Montoya guided us in an exercise of expressing our feelings about these relationships that were emerging. In this context, the group “Walking with Mosaico” was born, which brings together Colombian pastors and leaders.

Working meeting with all the attendees. Photo by Jennifer Svetlik.

The cultural exchange was one of the most significant riches of this meeting. “The trip gave us the opportunity to connect and learn from each other while we traveled to different places in Colombia. We enjoyed delicious meals, drank good coffee, and had meaningful conversations and moments of communion. We got to know each other better,” said Mosaic Conference Leadership Minister for Mission Noel Santiago. The visits to the homes of the members of the Medellín community, the touristic activities, and the fellowship further enriched the meeting.

Sister Keila Barrero, who was accompanied by her husband Santiago Góngora, also shared about the experience lived during this meeting: “The opportunity to share with the pastors and leaders of Mosaico in various settings made this a valuable and enriching time. In addition, the welcome and attention provided made this experience a significant memory for us as a family.” These words reflect the sense of community and human warmth that characterized this historic meeting.

Santiago Góngotra and Keila Barrero. Photo by Javier Márquez.

For many, this trip was unforgettable, not only for the cultural and spiritual context, but for the human connection that was established. “I will never forget these two and a half days together,” shared Malka Blanco.

(from left) Marco Güete, Eliécer Virola, Malka Blanco, and Haroldo Nunes. Photo by Javier Márquez.

Pastor Eliécer Virola also expressed with enthusiasm: “My experience of this meeting with Mosaic was spectacular. What God is preparing in the spiritual sphere, what God is going to do in the church, is great.” His testimony reflects the vision and hope that the group shared during their meeting in Medellin.

Thus, in this historic meeting, Walking with Mosaic was born, both as a group of leaders united by faith, and as a tangible expression of the work that God is doing in Colombia and throughout the region. As Mosaic Conference continues to grow, “Let us be attentive to the voice of the Lord, wherever He calls us to get up and go,” encouraged Noel Santiago.


Javier Márquez

Javier Márquez is Writer & Communication Coordinator for Mosaico Colombia. He is an Anabaptist Colombian pacifist and poet. He is based in Bogota, Colombia.

Filed Under: Articles, Mosaic News En Español Tagged With: Javier Marquez, Mosaic News en Español

Killing Butterflies: Get to Know Healthy Niños Honduras (Part IV)

October 10, 2024 by Cindy Angela

by Javier Márquez


Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of four feature articles on HNH, originally published in Spanish in 2024. All photos by Javier Márquez.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

It started with a bumpy journey due to flight delays that forced me to wait until the early hours of Sunday to travel from Bogotá, Colombia to Honduras. When I finally arrived, Don Felix was waiting for me at the small airport exit with a little orange paper sign with my name on it. Don Felix is a middle-aged man, short, with a gray mustache, who has lived practically all his life in San Francisco de Yojoa.  

Waterfall Pulhanpanzank

The Conference-Related Ministry Healthy Niños Honduras (HNH) is located in San Francisco de Yojoa, in the Cortés Department, an hour and a half drive from the airport. The journey there took us through colorful landscapes, between vast valleys and mountains. I was first surprised to see so many cornfields and factories along the road, followed by large areas of cattle ranching, all fed by rivers and small streams. The landscape is green, full of wild and exotic birds, with the magical and tragic element of yellow butterflies abundantly flying across the road. When driving at 80 km/h, they collide with the car’s windshield as if it were a shower of golden raindrops. 

Upon arriving in San Francisco de Yojoa, the classic structure of a Latin American town becomes visible, with its small, colorful houses, roads—some well-paved and others dirt or trail—a main park with the Catholic church, a communal laundry area located by a stretch of the creek, and small shops. 

When we finally arrived at the Healthy Niños Honduras building, the team was at the Nutritional Center, but I couldn’t join them until later, after resting from the long, tedious day I had endured from having my flight rescheduled. 

On the way from the airport, I had the opportunity to get to know Don Felix a bit. I asked him to take me to buy a cap, and we stopped three times along the way, with all his patience until we found the right one. After the second stop, when I didn’t take the cap offered, he calmly said, “I’ll take you to a friend.” We stopped at his friend’s place, a small market near San Francisco de Yojoa. There, an older man with a beautifully humble demeanor greeted us and sold me one of his caps. He had known Don Felix for many years, and not only him but basically everyone in the small market. 

It is me! And Doña Blanca! 

Don Felix is known in all the towns of Cortés after so many years of working with HNH. He walks or drives through these towns, performing a ritual resembling a greeting parade. 

During my visit to HNH, I met many people like Don Felix who are also the face of this organization. HNH stands at the top of the town’s mountain as a place of service to others, with people who dedicate their lives to attending to hundreds of people each day, building floors, or cooking for the volunteers, all to serve the most vulnerable and those in greatest need: the children. 

From my first night to the final report

On the eve of the workday, the team gathered to pray and pack hundreds of vitamins to be distributed during the following days in the communities. 

The team’s first night at HNH. 

After four days of work, with a team of 26 people, 14 of whom were volunteers, a summary of the results was made: 

  1. 517 people were registered. 
  2. 282 children were examined, of which 192 were in a state of malnutrition: 68%. 
  3. 46 reading glasses were donated. 
  4. Eight floors were built, benefiting 23 people, including 15 children.
  5. 17 water filters were donated. 

          Filed Under: Articles, Mosaic News En Español Tagged With: Healthy Niños de Honduras, Javier Marquez, Mosaic News en Español

          A Ministry of Water, Concrete, Corn and Gratitude: Get to Know Healthy Niños Honduras (Part III)

          September 26, 2024 by Cindy Angela

          by Javier Márquez

          Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of four feature articles on HNH, originally published in Spanish in 2024. All photos by Javier Márquez.

          Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

          In bottom left, a man from the community receiving medical assistance. In the top right, a family that has known the program for many years. In the bottom right, the construction of a concrete floor in a home.

          Three of the Conference-Related Ministry Healthy Niños Honduras (HNH)’s key services are represented by water, concrete, and corn. 

          The deep level of poverty in the mountains of Honduras creates conditions where people must live in precarious houses, with dirt floors and without clean water. When babies crawl and take their first steps on dirt floors, the bacteria and insects present start a cycle of gastrointestinal illnesses, which make children vulnerable to diseases that threaten their development.

          Without a potable water system, families build rainwater storage wells, which are holes in the ground filled with water that they use for bathing, drinking, and washing boots and dishes. Honduras faces diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika, which are transmitted by mosquitoes that breed and dwell in these water wells.

          To address these problems, HNH offers to build cement floors, which are donated to families and built by the brigades. Over the years, hundreds of these floors have blessed families and provided safer places for children to grow.

          HNH also donates small, simple water filtration systems that protect everyone, especially children, from diseases that can come from consuming contaminated water. 

          At the Nutrition Center

          Norma Gutiérrez and her daughters at the Nutrition Center. 

          HNH maintains a digital record of everyone it has served and offers professional follow-ups on each case. The families of children who are below the healthy nutrition line are invited to go to the Nutrition Center. 

          The Nutrition Center is a beautiful place that resembles a small village with colorful houses, a small school, a park, and a kitchen. Surrounded by bean, cassava, soybean, papaya, and plenty of corn fields, families who accept the invitation come here to help their children recover over several months. 

          The Nutrition Center becomes a small community where mothers work together to cook tortillas and coffee each morning, clean the center daily, and take care of their babies in a place where there is enough food to eat.

          Hundreds of children have been rescued at this center. It is a place where families receive nourishment for their stomachs and their hearts. Parents who have saved their children by admitting them to this center have become community leaders who invite other families to come. Some, like Don Félix, have even ended up working on staff with Healthy Niños. 

          Freddy brings avocados from his plot to thank the brigade for helping him build the floor of his house. That day, his daughter Celestin was celebrating her first birthday: “She is the apple of my eyes,” he said.
          Mrs. Blanca Isabelle prepares coffee for the brigade. Sadly, her eldest son passed away suddenly a year ago. For her, he will always live on in her memory.

          Filed Under: Articles, Mosaic News En Español Tagged With: Javier Marquez, Mosaic News en Español

          Starting to Shell the Corn: Get to Know Healthy Niños Honduras (Part II)

          September 19, 2024 by Cindy Angela

          by Javier Márquez

          Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of four feature articles on HNH, originally published in Spanish in 2024. All photos by Javier Márquez.

          Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

          In the top left, we can see one of the communities waiting for a medical brigade. Top right, one of the registration stations. Bottom left, a dentist and child, after performing a dental cleaning. Bottom left, a child with donations to take home.

          The Brigades

          Every morning, after breakfast, four vehicles leave from the main facilities of the Conference-Related Ministry Healthy Niños Honduras (HNH) toward a local community that has been previously selected and prepared by the staff. Among these vehicles are a team of volunteers and medical staff, along with the medical brigade equipment. When they arrive, there are nine stations organized: registration, vital signs and vitamins, deworming, height and weight, donations, medical consultation, pharmacy, dentistry, and construction. 
           

          To reach the communities, one must drive to pick up the doctors working with HNH, then travel a path surrounded by cornfields, cross rivers, and climb mountains. When the brigade arrives, the community is always organized, either at the town’s school or church. Sometimes they have prepared signs that read “WELCOME,” and community leaders are always ready, some with lists in hand and a team prepared to help unload the truck and set up each of the stations.

          Each brigade serves around 120 people per community, most of whom are children. The brigades provide families with donations such as clothing and toys, medically attend to the entire community, build floors in the poorest houses, and donate water filters. Undoubtedly the most important goal, though, is to identify children suffering from malnutrition, based on height and weight assessments. Once identified, the families—which often exceed 60% of those present—are invited to take their children to the Nutrition Center, a place designed for children to recover.

          Children from a local community; top left, a typical house in the rural area of Honduras; and top right, a child whose family is receiving a concrete floor for their home.

          The Volunteers

          The volunteer teams are a key part of this ministry. On each visit, a group from a Mennonite congregation in the U.S. volunteer for a week along with the medical team. Many of these congregations are part of Mosaic Conference. Last year, 56 teams from congregations volunteered.

          The teams are diverse. At least twice a month, people of all ages, genders, and professions arrive. They are students, pastors, entrepreneurs, and retired people, some who are here for the first time and others have been serving with HNH for years. Many have developed friendships with people from HNH or the community.

          They arrive enthusiastic, ready to lend a hand at one of the nine stations, prepared to learn and ask questions, to pray every morning before heading out to the brigades, and to pray and reflect with the Bible every night when they return.

          The Communities and the Medical Team

          It is amazing, even in areas where there aren’t many houses, how many people come to the school or church where the brigade will take place. That is how villages and mountains are throughout much of Latin America. Rural communities that, despite growing some crops, have a high level of malnutrition and poverty. Families who have been waiting for the brigade for months arrive clean and smiling. The brigade also strengthens community leadership and is a gathering time for locals. 

          The volunteers arrive alongside highly qualified doctors, nurses, interpreters, engineers, and community leaders. A staff person coordinates the brigade, including oversight of registering medical information, reviewing patients’ medical histories, attending to families, cleaning or extracting teeth, building floors, or encouraging families to go to the Nutrition Center. 

          Filed Under: Articles, Mosaic News En Español Tagged With: Healthy Niños de Honduras, Javier Marquez, Mosaic News en Español

          What is Healthy Niños Honduras? Get to know this Conference-Related Ministry!

          August 15, 2024 by Cindy Angela

          by Javier Márquez

          Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of four feature articles on HNH, originally published in Spanish in 2024. All photos by Javier Márquez.

          Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

          In the top left, Amanda Sagastume registers a family. Top right, Felix, Geron, and Herman Sagastume pray for the community. Bottom left, the Sagastumes lead a time of reflection with a volunteer team. Bottom right, Brendan Sagastume works at the pharmacy. Center, two children from the community.

          Founded in 1987 as Mama Project and growing into Healthy Niños Honduras (HNH) in 2017, this Christian organization aims to provide “much-needed resources and hope to children and communities suffering in adverse conditions in Honduras…[through] a network of partnerships across all sectors of society and organizations willing to join and participate with initiatives and programs that offer healthy alternatives to children and communities in Honduras, as well as hope for a sustainable future,” states their website. 

          Dr. Herman Sagastume and his wife Amanda Sagastume are the Executive Director and Business Manager, respectively, of the organization, which they joined in 2010.

          From East Greenville, Pennsylvania, they coordinate the various aspects of the project: medical care, supported by a team of professionals and a professional medical record system; connections with churches in the United States, volunteer groups, and community outreach; financing the medical center, and self-sustaining gardens.

          “We want to offer alternatives to families and children living in poor communities, so they have a better future and, most importantly, to save lives; so they don’t die because there is no food at home or because they don’t have access to good nutrition,” says Dr. Herman Sagastume. “We dream that one day no family will suffer from a lack of food.”

          “The organization in Honduras plays an independent role; we don’t want to be an organization from the United States that says, ‘As Americans, we’re doing this work…’, but rather we want the communities in Honduras to identify and name the support they need,” says Amanda Sagastume.

          Healthy Niños Honduras is a Mosaic Conference-Related Ministry. Over the years, various teams from congregations have developed that serve at HNH year after year. Additionally, HNH has connections with local Honduran churches who offer leaders for each community’s medical brigades.

          In the top left, a man from the community receives medical assistance. Top right, the community waits for an event. Bottom left, a family that has known the program for many years. Bottom right, the construction of a floor in one of the homes.

          Healthy Niños Honduras is a Mosaic Conference-Related Ministry. Over the years, various teams from congregations have developed that serve at HNH year after year. Additionally, HNH has connections with local Honduran churches who offer leaders for each community’s medical brigades.

          “At HNH, we offer a soft introduction to the missionary world,” says Dr. Sagastume. “People can see what we do in the name of God, serving those in greatest need. Universities have also sent students in pedagogy, nutrition, and health.”

          Another key feature of the program is the Nutritional Center, where children are rehabilitated nutritionally and where mothers receive information on essential nutrients for children’s development. The center also has gardens with nutrient dense crops like corn and beans, which serve both the center’s pantry and as a classroom where mothers learn planting methods and optimization techniques from professionals.

          “Little by little, we have been able to teach mothers how they can change the mentality of ‘my land does not produce.’ When they leave, we have seeds available for them,” says Dr. Sagastume.

          “We teach families that when they have extra money, they should buy seeds, bananas, and nutrient-dense foods, rather than sweets. Constant education is important for change,” says Amanda Sagastume. 

          Filed Under: Articles, Mosaic News En Español Tagged With: Healthy Niños de Honduras, Javier Marquez, Mosaic News en Español

          Helping Mosaic Connect with What God Is Doing in Colombia

          August 8, 2024 by Cindy Angela

          by Jennifer Svetlik

          Javier Márquez first became connected to Mosaic Mennonite Conference in 2019, through Mennonite Central Committee’s (MCC’s) International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP), a year-long work and cultural exchange opportunity for young adults. His placement was to work with the Conference communication team and record immigrant stories.  

          Upon returning to Bogotá, Colombia after finishing the IVEP program, Márquez stayed connected to Mennonites in the U.S., most notably as a writer for the MC USA MenoTicias digital Spanish-language magazine.  

          As Mosaic’s connections in Colombia have grown, most notably with the Anabaptist Community in Medellin becoming a Partner in Mission and the pastor of the hybrid Resplandece community located in Barranquilla, it became clear that having a Mosaic staff person in Colombia would be beneficial.  

          In July 2024, Márquez was asked to become the Communications Coordinator for Mosaico Colombia, as a Spanish-language writer and to provide some support and coordination for Mosaic’s partners in Colombia.  

          “I’m happy to reconnect directly with Mosaic,” shares Márquez. “I feel that God is doing important things in Colombia, and I believe I can contribute to that work in this role.”  

          Márquez looks forward to helping Mosaic connect with what God is doing in Colombia and Latin America, and reconnecting with the Hispanic church in the U.S.  

          Javi in front of a favorite coffee shop, the sign reads: OCD: Obsessive Coffee Disorder. 

          Growing up in Suacha, a city in the center of Colombia with an indingeous history, Márquez developed a special sensitivity for indigenous communities and intercultural relationships. He now lives in Bogotá, the capital. He has four siblings and his family is large, “like most Latin families,” Márquez says. He is part of the Anabaptist Community of Medellin, and he is proud of his community because they take very seriously the call to be peacemakers. 

          Márquez has also taken this call seriously; he refused Colombia’s obligatory military conscription for young men, which led him through a two-year legal process.  
          With the support of the Mennonite church in Colombia and the nonprofit organization Justapaz, Márquez finally won his case as a conscientious objector.  

          “I believe that the nonviolent path of Jesus goes beyond refusing to be a part of wars and violence but also to work for peace with passion and commitment,” Márquez reflects. 

          “Colombia is the land of coffee, salsa and Vallenato music, orchids and emeralds, traditional dishes litke sancocho (soup), aguapanela (hot sugary drink), arepas (cheese and corn flour cake), ajiaco (chicken, potatoes, and corn on the cob) and bandeja paisa (fried pork belly, red beans, plantains, and more),” Márquez says.   

          Outside of his role with Mosaic, Márquez works with indigenous communities around Colombia. He roasts his own coffee and sells a little of it. He also has a cat. He loves to dance salsa, read, spend time with his family, and sleep like a bear. 


          Jennifer Svetlik

          Jennifer is Communication Associate/Editor for Mosaic. She grew up near Houston, TX and spent a decade living in intentional community in Washington DC, before moving to Lansdale, PA with her spouse, Sheldon Good. She is a graduate of the University of Texas and Washington Theological Seminary. She serves as Children’s Faith Formation Director at Salford Mennonite (Harleysville, PA). Jenn has two elementary-school-aged children and loves biking, camping, gardening, and vermicomposting with her family. 

          Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Javier Marquez

          In Jesus’ Sandals: Blessed are the Peacemakers

          June 6, 2024 by Cindy Angela

          Part 2

          by Javier Márquez

          (The first part of this article is available here.)

          We continue the story of our visit to Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín (Anabaptist Community of Medellín), whose pastors Carlos Sánchez and Nidia Montoya carry out a ministry with more than 40 families in Medellín. It has been growing little by little through discipling and baptizing members of the community, who now also work extending the Kingdom of God in their families. 

          We headed towards sectors at the other end of the city of Medellín, where three exceptional people awaited us. 

          With Andrea and the group of ex-combatants of FARC-EP.
          With Andrea and the group of ex-combatants of FARC-EP.

          Andrea is a woman who for many years was a commander and nurse in the FARC-EP guerrilla group, an armed group that entered a peace process signed in 2016 with the Colombian government. She met Carlos and Nidia in civilian life and since then has begun a life of discipleship after leaving her previous one as a militiaman. She was recently baptized and is now part of Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín. 

          This time she invited us to her house, where her relatives and colleagues who had also fought with the guerrillas, and who had now been involved in the peace process for years, were also waiting for us. 

          We shared the word with them, we read about what the Bible says about peacemakers, and we prayed together, but above all it was a time of great listening: we heard their story, the reasons that led them to the guerrillas and the reasons they had for betting for a life in peace despite the immense danger they faced, and the great difficulties to survive. Andrea leads with love as part of Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín. 

          Commune 3, Manrique sector. 
          Visiting Karen, a community youth leader. 
          Portrait of María Victoria, Karen’s mother. 

          We also visited Karen Serna and her mother María Victoria Tirado in the Acevedo sector. To get there we took the metro and then a bus. Upon arrival to the area, there is a bridge, and under the bridge is a small theater used by groups to sell drugs. Past this bridge and down the stairs, there is a small stream running through the block. In this small community there is a group of girls whom the Anabaptist Community of Medellín has been accompanying for several years. 

          The community seeks to accompany these girls in their growth, advising them, trying to protect them from prostitution networks that tend to be very attractive in contexts of great need, and encouraging them to dream of studying a professional career and make the best possible decisions for their lives. Nidia especially accompanies them in this process. She is a psychologist and has also been working with children and adolescents for many years, so she is the face of Comunidad Anabautista to the young women of the community. 

          Among these young women is Karen, who is the oldest. She studies and works every day selling hot dogs near the university until two in the morning. Despite being only 21 years old, she is an example and leader to the rest of the girls. Carlos and Nidia met her many years ago when she was young, and ministered to her in the way she now replicates with her friends. She is a living testimony that Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín forms leaders in the community. 

          Members of Anabaptist Community of Medellín gathered in Nidia Montoya’s and Carlos Sánchez’s house.

          On Tuesday night, we met at Carlos and Nidia’s house for dinner with people from the community. We sang together, read the word, prayed, and had dinner. It was a special night because, for the first time, Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín fellowshipped with the Mosaic Conference team. 

          Prayer for the pastoral team and the ministry of Carlos and Nidia.
          Prayer for the pastoral team and the ministry of Carlos and Nidia.

          Before leaving Medellín we all prayed for Nidia and Carlos. We shared a time of communion where we all expressed our emotions and thoughts after three days of travel together. We felt like we had put on the sandals of Jesus, and our hearts were touched during each of the visits. In the conversations, we also managed to better understand the many needs and challenges of the church. The most immediate need is for a place to meet with all families, not only to officiate services, but also to have a meeting place for everyone in the community. 

          Carlos and Nidia opened the doors of their beautiful home in Medellín to us, shared their food, and set aside their time for Mosaic. It was a time in which we strengthened ties, deepened friendships, and began to share the challenges of this incredible community. 


          Javier Márquez

          Javier Márquez is an Anabaptist Colombian pacifist and poet and a writer for the MCUSA publication MenoTicias.

          Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín, Javier Marquez

          In Jesus’ Sandals: Bread and Milk

          May 16, 2024 by Cindy Angela

          Part 1

          by Javier Márquez

          From April 15 to 17, Mosaic staff members Marco Güete and Noel Santiago and I visited Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín (Anabaptist Community of Medellín), where leaders Carlos Sánchez and Nidia Montoya welcomed us and guided us on a tour to learn about their ministry. 

          We have prepared a short report complete with photos so that the Conference and its churches can learn about this wonderful ministry. 

          It is called “In Jesus’ Sandals” because our time there was full of tours and visits, allowing us to get to know the immense Colombian city and visit the living rooms of the families that are part of the church—a total of 40 homes. 

          Although we did not have time to visit all of them, we managed to meet and talk with many families and have a very special time. 

          Ascending by cable car to Las Margaritas, Commune 13, Medellín.
          Carlos Sánchez (Anabaptist Community of Medellín), Marco Güete (Mosaic Leadership Minister) and Noel Santiago (Mosaic Leadership Minister) in front of a mural in Las Margaritas.
          View of Commune 13 from Las Margaritas. 

          First, we took a cable car over the neighborhoods of Medellín’s Commune 13, until we arrived at the Margaritas station in the Robledo sector. There, Carlos asked us to wait while he went to get bread and milk that we would distribute on each of the visits. The agenda noted 14 visits, and the path between the neighborhoods was long and tedious, going up and down stairs, crossing small streams that ran through the mountain, walking through blocks and hills until reaching each of the houses. 

          Pastor Carlos carrying bread and milk accompanied by Luz Marina.
          Pastor Carlos carrying bread and milk accompanied by Luz Marina.

          For each visit, Carlos not only buys bread and milk, but also prepares a biblical reflection that he shares with the families. When he arrives in each sector of the city, he meets with members from the church who live in the area and are community leaders. They help him arrange the visits. 

          Whenever we arrived at a house, the residents welcomed us with love and joy. They prepared for the visit by making coffee or fruit juice, and brought out their best chairs, placing them in their small rooms so that we could sit. When there weren’t enough chairs, they improvised seats by placing buckets upside down, so that we could all be seated. 

          Each house was very humble, and on each wall were traces of people’s lives: portraits, gifts, souvenirs, paintings and posters, all with meaning. The houses also had display cases with products for sale, sometimes homemade ice cream or clothes for resale. These are families that struggle each day to earn a living. 

          At the time of prayer, there are common requests: for someone’s health, a job, for God’s care, and above all, for protection from the gangs and criminal groups. 

          Our first visit to the house of one of the members of the Anabapist Community of Medellín.
          Our first visit to the house of one of the members of the Anabapist Community of Medellín.
          In the house of the local midwife.
          In the house of the local midwife.

          Carlos’ Biblical reflections are usually deep and full of testimonies. For these visits, Carlos prepared the text of Matthew 5:9: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” 

          In each family’s house Carlos has a story, something to remember, and a word of encouragement to share. He knows all the people he visits very well and has known them for a long time, but the community continues to grow because many families invite someone new to participate in the visits. When we leave, Carlos shares the bread and milk with them. 

          In this way we went from house to house through the different sectors of the city: from north to south, east to west. Carlos explained to us the context of Medellín, the situation of the city and the specific situations of the families. They are almost always families surrounded by crime, war, hunger, lack of job opportunities, and discrimination. 

          A second article will follow, to share more of this incredible experience. 


          Javier Márquez

          Javier Márquez is an Anabaptist Colombian pacifist and poet and a writer for the MCUSA publication MenoTicias.

          Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Comunidad Anabautista de Medellín, Javier Marquez

          • Go to page 1
          • Go to page 2
          • Go to Next Page »

          Primary Sidebar

          • Home
          • About Us
            • Our History
            • Vision & Mission
            • Staff
            • Boards and Committees
            • Church & Ministry Directory
            • Mennonite Links
          • Media
            • Articles
            • Newsletters
            • Video
            • Audio
            • Bulletin Announcements
          • Resources
            • Conference Documents
            • Missional
            • Intercultural
            • Formational
            • Stewardship
            • Church Safety
            • Praying Scriptures
            • Request a Speaker
            • Pastoral Openings
            • Job Openings
          • Give
            • Leadership Development Matching Gift
          • Events
            • Pentecost
            • Delegate Assembly
            • Faith & Life
            • Youth Event
            • Women’s Gathering
            • Conference Calendar
          • Mosaic Institute
          • Vibrant Mosaic
          • Contact Us

          Footer

          • Home
          • Contact Us
          • Delegate Assembly
          • Vision & Mission
          • Our History
          • Formational
          • Intercultural
          • Missional
          • Mosaic Institute
          • Give
          • Stewardship
          • Church Safety
          • Praying Scriptures
          • Articles
          • Bulletin Announcements

          Copyright © 2025 Mosaic Mennonite Conference | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use