Grouping Inspiration and Despair

A church leader shows his goats which originated from a
Pecusa church project.

It was an interesting experience to have the first large group of US supporters visit our church partners and learn about what the church and country is like. As La Maestra mentioned, it was encouraging to us and gave us a little window to remember the things that we might gloss over from having seen them so much. 

The first bit was reveling in the inspiring stories of faith that often come out when people meet a church leader for the first time and hear about their background. One such encouraging moment was when we were visiting with a leader in a city about half way between our home and the capital. He was able to show us the goat that he was given through a program from our home church more than 5 years ago, and one of its daughters and grand “kids.” He went on to tell stories of how the other recipients have spread the offspring around so that in one village all the members of the church had received one, and in several other places, the Muslim neighbors had received offspring as a gift of friendship as well. We do see disasters of “toxic-charity” that doesn’t seem to have any positive outcome from well-meaning gifts, but this was clearly an example of people carrying through on letting their blessings go on to bless others. 

A common, almost picturesque sight of plastic bags strewn
through the fields, catching the light of the setting sun. 

It also peaked my interest that a number of the visitors from the group immediately picked up on a sense of hopelessness in this country. A big clue was the vastness of the garbage piled up around towns and villages. No one has the vision of what to do with it or the belief that they can change it. Someone shared the image that stuck with them of a solitary trash picker-upper shambling down one of the capital’s streets with an old faded vest and little attention to detail in trying to deal with all that he was up against. This sense of despair pervades much of the culture and many of the issues that seem too big or too far off for people to mount an effort against, while they have so many other subsistence worries to deal with. Fortunately, the group could also see that the church was clearly an agent of hope and change in many areas, leading in education, treatment of women and girls, health, and work that empowers individuals to make better lives. May God continue to help the church be a leader and a witness!

-- El Padre