Rejoice, Weep, Fútbol

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Dear friends,

One evening while combing my daughter’s hair I was mostly ignoring the news on the television in the background when a group of sisters from the Order of Saint Clare appeared on the screen, shouting and cheering, wearing yellow, blue and red scarves (the colors of Colombia’s flag) on top of their brown and white habits. This was a few days before the final match of the Copa America soccer tournament, and the country, in general, was on pins and needles with excitement, hoping for victory for the Colombian men’s team. Videos of the sisters’ enthusiastic support went viral and struck a chord with people around the country. And, as I watched the segment on the news, I heard one of the sisters quote Romans 12:15 in explanation of how fútbol connects to discipleship: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”

This wisdom immediately took me back to my experience as a YAV (Young Adult Volunteer) in Uruguay two decades ago. I lived in the small town of Rosario, and my mentor was the local Waldensian minister, Hugo Malán. His humor, warmth, and many pastoral gifts shaped, blessed, and instructed me in more ways than I can count, and he continues to check in on me via text every few months. Hugo introduced me to the writings of the great Brazilian theologian Leonardo Boff and taught me about the importance of human connection in life and in ministry. One of the ways he demonstrated this was in talking about fútbol.

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I was never a “sports person” and knew next to nothing about fútbol when I arrived in Uruguay. Fresh out of college, I was already planning to become a pastor, and it had never occurred to me that a pastor ought to know anything about sports. But then I saw time and again how effectively Pastor Hugo broke the ice when we entered people’s homes for Bible study by talking about fútbol. Honestly, at the time I did not consider that perhaps he was just a fan sharing his passion, which I now realize is the obvious explanation (and have confirmed is true!), but even though the interest in fútbol came naturally to him, the value and wisdom of sharing it was clear.

I took small steps myself to learn more as I attended games of the local team from the El Pastoreo neighborhood. The team members were fathers, uncles and cousins of the children who attended preschool at the community center where I was an intern, so it was a good way for me to take part in community life and get to know people, too. I didn’t learn much about the rules of the game that year, but I did learn to truly enjoy the experience of showing up to cheer them on.

It wasn’t until I moved to Colombia a decade later that I began to appreciate fútbol as a sport. I had my first experiences of watching the national men’s team on television with groups of friends and slowly learned the rules. While I wouldn’t necessarily call it a passion, I have been known to voluntarily watch the local and national teams on television when no one else is around. Even when it’s just me and my toddler at home, I find I care enough about seeing the match to convince her it will be more fun than her favorite movie of the month. Perhaps I’m becoming a “sports person” after all. Or, just leaning deeply into my love for this country where devotion to la selección (the national team) is deep and nearly universal.

The ups and downs of fútbol certainly provide ample opportunity to practice the epistle’s admonition to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” I suppose at the heart it is one concrete expression of accompaniment, another concept I began to learn about in Uruguay that has been refined during my time in Colombia. Accompaniment is at the heart of what is often called “ministry of presence.” It is the practice of sharing life together, learning from one another, encouraging one another, and celebrating together.

It’s hard to put myself back in the mindset I had when I first arrived in Uruguay, but I know it was a bewildering thing for me to discover that my host sister was happy to go with me on an errand to the corner store, not because she was going to buy anything but simply because she would keep me company. A few years later, the accompaniment program that first brought me to Barranquilla was founded on the principle that being present here with Colombian siblings would help encourage them and keep them safe, and also help us all find our way to a more peaceful future. As I recall some of God’s beloved children I’ve been blessed to rejoice and to weep with since that first visit to Colombia over 18 years ago, I am humbled by what a beautiful and sometimes challenging privilege it is to share life together in this practice of accompaniment.

Some of you have been reading my letters and reflections since those early days of my journey in God’s mission that took me to Uruguay as a YAV and to Colombia with the accompaniment program. Others have joined the list more recently. I’m profoundly grateful to each of you, and for the time and care you have spent simply reading this letter. Thank you for accompanying me in so many ways, through your prayers, donations, visits, and questions. We have a long way to go, but I continue confident that God accompanies all of us in our efforts and will guide our steps in the paths of peace.

Sarah