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April 2000
Dear Friends,
Monire Mose (Hello to all of you)! Greetings from "the warm
heart of Africa," where the Grace of God is evidenced daily
in the midst of great poverty.
For instance: There is the "Grace of Maize." Yes, the
Grace of Maize. Maize is the main staple food of Malawi, one of
the nine poorest countries in the world. At this time of year
many go hungry awaiting the first harvest of the annual growing
season. The Synod of Livingstonia has grain reserves at its Ekwendeni
Mission Station to assist those who have not enough to eat. Still,
many in outlying villages go without food to eat. This is an annual
occurrence, a way of life, that has given birth to what I have
identified as "a biblical principle" of the "Grace
of Maize": God's "free gift" of grain, sustenance
for life for all of God's children.
In the Old Testament this is known as "gleaning the fields."
To glean the fields is to gather what is left in the field after
reaping and it also means reaping what is left standing in the
corners of the field. Hebrew law prohibited the owner of the field
from cleaning up his field, vineyard or orchard. The "gleanings"
were to be left for the poor, the widow, the orphan! (Lev.19:9-10,
23:22, Ruth 2:2 ff)
When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in
the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for
the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God
may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat your olive
trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the
orphan, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard,
do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan,
and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt;
therefore I am commanding you to do this. (Deut. 24:19–22)
Just as the Lord delivered God's chosen people from the bondage
of enslavement in the land of Egypt, so also God's chosen people
are to show the same mercy towards those who are in bondage to
the enslavement of poverty, bringing deliverance to them through
generously giving to them the "Grace of Maize."
I discovered this principle of the "Grace of Maize"
just recently. I have temporarily been living in the home of another
expatriate until the Synod home I am to live in is ready for occupancy.
The way seemed clear a couple weeks of ago for me to move into
this house. Then the unexpected snag occurred: The person who
owns the neighboring plot of land decided to build a home across
the only access road to the Synod's house. This brought my long-awaited
move to a standstill.
With Synod staff and friends I debated what to do. The area in
which an access road could be made has maize growing on it. A
person in one of the nearby homes has planted maize on this unused
portion of Synod land. It is an unwritten law that land lying
fallow may be used for planting by any person who needs some land
on which to plant crops to provide food and nourishment for her
or his family. If the owner needs to use this portion of land,
the owner must compensate the planter for unharvested crops or
wait until after the harvest to use the land. Even if one is able
to remit to the planter the full worth of the potential harvest,
it is close to being an abomination to cut down crops prematurely
in a country in which food is so scarce.
Malawi's monetary unit, the kwacha, has been devalued by 70 percent
over the past two years. Devaluation continues with a recent drop
in the exchange rate from 43 kwacha per dollar to 45 kwacha. Imports
exceed exports. Desperately needed national debt relief from the
global community seems to be only a glimmer of hope on a distant
horizon. Only 37 percent of the people have access to clean drinking
water. Death from AIDS, malaria, cholera, and malnutrition daily
take the lives of young and old alike. Yet, through this pain
and suffering of tremendous loss, hope remains in the hearts of
those who draw near to God as they generously give to others out
of their deep poverty.
We must not continue to close our eyes to the suffering of our
brothers and sisters in Christ. As U.S. citizens and as members
of the body of Christ, we must use our political power to move
our government, the international community, and the multinational
corporations to cancel the national debt of Malawi. We must make
sacrifices in our own lives, be extravagant in giving of our abundance
to provide means for self-development for our brothers and sisters
in Malawi. No matter how little we have or how much we have given,
there is still more that we can do, more that God expects us to
do. The people of the church at Corinth are reminded by the Apostle
Paul in II Corinthians 8 of his plea to them to assist the poor
of the Jerusalem church. Thus says the Lord through the Apostle
Paul (II Corinthians 8:13-15):
I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure
on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present
abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your
need, in order that there may be a fair balance.
As it is written: "The one who had much did not have too
much, and the one who had little did not have too little"
(Ex. 16:18). We will never be genuine partners with our friends
in Malawi until we are willing to do our part to redistribute
the wealth so that they might share in the abundance that God
intends for all God's children.
The renowned anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: "Never
doubt that a small, committed group of people can change the world.
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Will you and
I be among this faithful remnant of God's people? Will we remember
the Grace of Christ for us, and change our life style to give
to others the "Grace of Maize"? The value of a stalk
of maize! The value of each human life!
Ucizi na Mtende (Grace and Peace),
Rev. Deborah A. Chase
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