Over the years, I’ve been blessed with the
opportunity to participate in a handful of international mission trips… I truly
love the experiences, but always come home with such conflicting emotions
regarding the vast contrast between my daily life and the lives of others
across the globe… particularly those in countries that we would classify as developing
or third world…
I’ve been wanting to download my experience in
Africa – to share with you an image of what I experienced… But I’ve been
struggling with how to do that because I want to avoid making comparisons or
contrasts. Other countries and cultures are SO very different than life here in
suburban America. When describing the differences, I don’t want one or the
other to necessarily sound good versus bad… because the truth is, they’re so
very different that a comparison isn’t even adequate. And different can be OK –
it doesn’t have to be a good/better/best thing.
When I had the opportunity to experience rural
China, it was like going back in time hundreds of years. Dirt roads. Clay huts.
Wandering animals and shepherds. No electricity. No modern conveniences. Primitive
and undeveloped. It was a simple existence.
During our trip to Nigeria, the area we visited
was impoverished in infrastructure, but not in spirit. There was an energy – a buzz
in the air. My memory is that people were upbeat and joyful. We met individuals
with vision… people who loved their culture and had hopes for their country’s
future. The overall atmosphere was dynamic to me.
The country I visited this year felt so very different than
these others…
The city had a buzz, an energy. There was a
hustle and bustle that seemed consistent with all cities. I saw wide disparities – a divide between people, conditions, status. What struck me
most, though, was that it didn’t feel undeveloped like you’d imagine a third
world country. It had been developed, or at least on that path, and then development
was abandoned. The words devastation, destruction and deterioration come to
mind. They had been on the brink of something that had potential and promise, so the current condition held a sadness for me.
Our children live about 20 miles outside of this
city, but it’s about a 2 hour drive (for those privileged to have
transportation) due to dilapidated roads...
It’s one thing to live simply… to have small
huts as shelter, 1-2 articles of clothing, modest work, etc… I felt like I saw
that in China and Nigeria. That’s where I want to avoid comparisons to our
lifestyle, because while I would call that poor or humble by worldly standards,
I wouldn’t say it’s "unacceptable".
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| Market in Nigeria |
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| Village Road near my children's home |
What I saw in my children's village was beyond the
poverty I had witnessed previously… Little to no naturally available drinking
water. Limited access to food (especially food that has the vitamins needed for
nourishment). Bugs hovering on food and bodies. No transportation (not even bikes) to work, go to school, go to
hospitals, etc. These scarcities create hindrances to hope for the future –
what do you dream about? work towards?
However, I would go further than using the word
“impoverished” to describe the people I observed there. I would say “desolate”
is more accurate… because there’s a layer of emotional deprivation, too. These
people have seen civil war and disease like we can’t even imagine. I felt a heaviness…
a weariness… I saw a darkness in their eyes... It was distressing to
experience and disheartening to see the complexities of poverty. How could I even begin to help???
On this journey, I met some REALLY AMAZING people who are helping by using their specific gifts and
passions.
The facilitator that I spent much of my time
with LOVES his country and people. He’s not just doing a job, his heart and soul
is with the families for whom he advocates. And as if working and raising his
own family isn’t enough, he’s dedicated to starting a school to teach
technology to the next generation. He has a plan and it’s beautiful.
The man who runs the foster home where our
children are currently living is the most joyful person I have ever met. I
physically felt his joy when he walked into the room for the first time. He
knows the value of education and is working to make sure it’s available to
children. He has vision, creative ideas and is getting things done by collaborating
with others. And did I mention his energy and joy?!
And the attorney working on behalf of our
kids? Wow. She fights for those who can’t fight for themselves. She is a trailblazer
on issues of social injustice. Many culture changing laws have been established because of her
persistence. When she shared her story with me, I felt like I was experiencing
greatness. Amazing, amazing woman.
In the meantime, I am praying for the world changers that He has already called into action.
Learn to do right; seek
justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the
fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
Don’t put your life in the hands of experts who know nothing of life, of salvation life. Mere
humans don’t have what it takes; when they die, their projects die with them. Instead,
get help from the God of Jacob, put your hope in God and know real blessing! God made sky and soil, sea and all the fish in it.
He
always does what he says— he defends the wronged, he feeds the hungry.
God frees prisoners— he gives sight to the blind, he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers, takes the side of orphans and widows, but makes short work of the wicked. Psalm 146:6-9
God frees prisoners— he gives sight to the blind, he lifts up the fallen.
God loves good people, protects strangers, takes the side of orphans and widows, but makes short work of the wicked. Psalm 146:6-9
