The Brilliant Young Governor

Once upon a time there lived a brilliant young governor who deeply cared for the rich coastal rain forest and the people of his state.

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If you could take the agility and precision of Shakira's hips and put them into social and interpersonal understanding. . .you would have Mr. Luis Gilberto Murillo . We worked together at LWR for seven years or so and I was very happy to see him last night.

Ahhh, Luis. I hope he won't mind if I tell you that around the office we consider him best telephone voice. As I said before, 100 percent pure Colombian. But it's his other voice that really makes Luis special. His voice for others.

Luis gets people. And he gets how to get people to change for the better. He's a masterful politician. And I mean politician in all the positive sense that it is supposed to be. Supremely relational. Profoundly respectful. Motivating people and groups to act for the common good. It's his gift.

That's why they wanted to kill him. Because he said NO to the paramilitaries and other armed factions who wanted to operate in the state he governed, Choco, Colombia. He passed a law that said NO ARMED FACTIONS HERE. And because he was already seen as a young, brash, charismatic governor his actions got a lot of national attention. It put him on a list. He was kidnapped, held captive, then returned with an ultimatum. Cooperate with armed factions or die. Luis didn't back down.

Luis calls it naivety. I call it brave beyond belief.

I said it once, I'll say it again. There is much goodness on this planet with so many people who act of the utmost highest of integrity.

With the help of friends Luis, his wife, and their young children went underground separately for a couple weeks, met at the airport and flew out of the country. A brilliant young governor gone. Exiled. Luis says that he is not brave. He was blessed with his life, he says. Many others do not have such a choice to escape.

"Their option is a bullet," Luis says.

The tragedy turned into something else because you know where he ended up? Washington DC. A place where brilliant young politicians could do well, if they can figure it all out. Which Luis did.

Luis has helped LWR to gain respect on Capital Hill. More and more, when congress needs advice about a developing country, say Sudan, they look to LWR for expertise. That's a good thing. But also, Luis has helped LWR to set up communities of Salt and Light, whereby we ordinary folk in good 'ol midwest USA can stand with other people in Colombia who get put on assassination lists and such -- oftentimes rural pastors -- and effectively protect them. To me, the Salt and Light program is like a living, breathing, organic connection to eachother, our faith, and this planet.

Meet an ordinary housewife. That's what Kathy Hollander (photo, right) calls herself. She's one of the LWR Salt and Light volunteer leaders. Well, whatever she wants to call herself, she has relationships with her congress people and respectfully chats with them regularly about US foreign policy and how to transform massive military 'aid' to badly needed social aid. She even traveled to the most dangerous regions of Colombia last year (with much precaution). You can see by her piles and piles of reports, maps, and documents that she's into this. Kathy can take the complexity of Colombia and package it into an easy-to-understand half hour. (Let me know if you want her or others to speak at your church on this.) She's the best volunteer ever and she's all ours!

I love ordinary housewives. Si se puede. Yes we can. Friends, this is democracy in high form. This is putting our mouth where our faith is. Caring for all. Thank you, Luis, for showing us how to do this and for showing us that we can do this.

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And the brilliant young governor lived happily ever after.

Ok, not quite that simple. Actually, Luis is taking some rest time. It's been intense for him. And in January he lost yet another very close relative in Colombia via senseless assassination. Luis is reading and researching. He's a visiting scholar at a university. He's spending time with his wife and kids who are growing older and who need him. He's trying to figure out what it means to be in exile. Do you go back home? Should you? Do you stay here? Where now is home?

I had a vision yesterday during my ipod walk. Imagine this: Luis as U.S. Secretary of State. Some of you know Luis. Can you see it?

'But secretaries of state must speak Russian and be Russian scholars,' you might be saying to yourself. He does. He is. Check that off.

I mentioned that to Luis last night. He laughed. But I'm serious. Luis IS diplomacy. It's his vocation. It oozes right outta him.

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Well, I just don't know how I get blessed by meeting so many interesting and wonderful people. And this weekend is jammed packed with them. More to come. Stay tuned! Me and my digital camera are going back out again today.

With love, T

P.S. The LWR Salt and Light project is always looking for more people, churches, and campuses to join the effort. Benefits include a reduced rate of rural pastor assassination, a lotta joy, and meeting people like Luis and Kathy.

More info on Luis here. Click his bio.