May 16, 2007

A glimpse of modern mission: Empty hands, open hearts

Dear Friends,

Since I arrived in Peru in late January, I have been working with groups that have arrived from the United States to participate in different types of mission work.  In my mission field experiences I have seen vacation Bible schools, medical clinics, and water filtration projects.

Many Presbyterian churches from the United States are involved in yearly mission trips that require investments of tens of thousands of dollars, most of which is spent on transportation.

In the context of globalization, where technology links us instantaneously to people thousands of miles away, what is the church of the North doing to expand God’s kingdom?

In conversations with other mission personnel, I hear about what shows up on the radar for most congregations. It’s the portion of God’s kingdom built with bricks and mortar, evangelism, and medical clinics, all done with a willingness to get dirty for Jesus. This is to say, we want to harvest the tangible fruit of our mission labor, a mission that sells in our local congregation.  But what kind of seeds are we sowing?  Are they seeds of God’s kingdom, or simply ideas that rally our congregations around a noble cause for compassion?

One concept that is clear in the gospel is that the labor is never ours alone.  We go about the work of the kingdom as a family of trust, noticing the strength of God and God’s people, and supporting others in their labor of love.

I believe that most churches want to participate in grassroots change in the world by increasing health services, creating access to resources, and aiding spiritual growth. However, difficulties arise when a group from the North arrives in the global South and applies a North American formula for holistic development. Much of the time, people from the North decide what the people in the South “need” without understanding the social and cultural reality.  Often, the means for addressing that need is decided without bi-national participation.  After a few years, when the project fails, people in the North start to ask if people in country X had really expressed a need at all, or were they just agreeable in order to satisfy our desire to make progress? These are the questions that are worth asking and engaging even when it hurts.  Do our ministries and missions have a sustainable vision that recognizes local initiative, transparency, and cultural sensitivity?

The youth group from Allen Park Presbyterian Church from Allen Park, Michigan, and their new friends in La Oroya, Peru.

Last month I traveled to La Oroya, Peru, with 35 teenagers from Allen Park Michigan.  The youth group of Allen Park is committed to forming a lasting relationship with the people of La Oroya in their struggle to fight against further contamination by a U.S. company. Allen Park began to get educated on the reality of La Oroya by sending a delegation last year to experience the practical reality of the contamination.  That delegation met with many groups working in advocacy and environmental protection.  When the delegation heard the stories of Peruvians’ suffering, they planned a solidarity trip for last month. 

Kirk Miller, youth pastor of Allen Park, was cautious about pitching this trip as a traditional “mission trip” because there is so much baggage that is associated with mission trips. He wanted the people at Allen Park to really engage the young people of La Oroya with their heart, and to share in their cultural and spiritual graces, and the environmental suffering.  According to a Saint Louis University Study conducted by the Department of Public Health, 97.2 percent of the children of  La Oroya have lead poisoning.

In the Coliseum of La Oroya, Peru: Jacob (left) plays a song composed for the occasion by the youth. He is accompanied by Scott, of Allen Park, Michigan.

The youth of Allen Park were partnered in work groups with Peruvians to raise awareness in La Oroya.  At the height of many years work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) with other NGOs in Peru, the bi-national youth groups painted a mural, composed a song, gave interviews on the radio, held a meeting with the mayor in the town hall, and presented a play and photography exposition in the coliseum. All of this took place within a few days time.

After accompanying the youth of Allen Park, I am convinced that they would invite other U.S. churches into this sacred place of sharing.  They would invite groups into the new age of mission.  They saw a glimpse of the kingdom being built as they arrived with empty hands and stepped outside of their cultural and economic comfort zone.  They entered into a holy place where they encountered God at work among the people of La Oroya.  The Allen Park youth group left Peru knowing that there was an appropriate way to show gratitude for all the hospitality of their Peruvian friends, and that was through continuing to use their voice in church and society.

Reflecting on the impact of the trip, one youth member said, “It was astonishing to see the passion that the people living there expressed about their environment. I hope that the government begins to realize that the contamination in La Oroya is not a problem that should be pushed under the rug, and that it [affects] the lives of many every day. I hope that the dream of a new [La] Oroya will come true.”  This is one testimony of someone who has caught a new vision for the kingdom, of someone whose reality is now forever intertwined with the people of La Oroya.  It is also a new reality for modern mission. 

Yours,