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Quite a contrast, I suppose, those two trips. I could offer some
sophisticated analyses or comparisons. Sweden's social system,
for example, that effectively eliminates extreme poverty, but
is based, in part, on the country's weapons manufacturing, which
frequently finds its profits from sales to countries such as India,
where government expenditures are diverted into war and away from
addressing the root problems of poverty. But I'll avoid such reflections,
because the main point for me of my reconnecting with these friends
is the fundamental importance of human connections. How important
to life to know about the small things which happen to each of
us: marriage, travels, new jobs, divorces, new babies born, older
friends passing. These are the points, the markings of the threads
of our lives as they pass amongst each other, intertwining, separating,
coming together again.
Silvio is one of the young men who works with me, who forms part
of the crew, "Trials and Investigations." Silvio bothers
me frequently. He is smart and quick-witted, but he frequently
seems to use his wits to questionable ends, sometimes to avoid
work. In the workshops that our crew is responsible for, we present
Silvio as one of the "owners" of the piece of land where
we model the type of production in small areas that we hope people
in the rural communities will begin emulating. The scenario we
give the participants is that Silvio is one of two brothers who
began working the small piece of land about a year ago, principally
to produce more food for their two families as well as to provide
a little extra income. Since Silvio and Danilo really do most
of the work in the area of land, the scenario is fairly realistic
and the rest we leave to the two workers/instructors' imagination,
to work with the group as they would, which usually works out
fine. Except one workshop group became very interested in everything
in what we call "The Patio" and began asking very detailed
questions: How much for the lumber? How many pounds of nails?
How much time did each animal shelter (rabbits, goats and chickens)
take to build? How long would the simple construction materials
last? After the exercise, one of the workshop participants came
up to me and asked if I could type up all the "information"
from the Patio and give each of them a copy. I looked at the extremely
detailed information that Silvio gave the group and was highly
impressed that Silvio had taken the time to get that information
from the farm manager. But when I mentioned that to Silvio, he
said, "Oh, I never got that information from Javier, I just
made it up."
In the end, it was a good thing, because I did get the information
from Javier and typed it up to give to the workshop participants.
And now we have that information at hand for future workshop participants.
And I'm impressed (as I mentioned) with Silvio's quick wits. But...
Last week, two other crew members and I were driving back to
the farm from a three-day workshop in Chinandega. As we passed
through Niquinohomo, the town nearest the farm, we picked up Silvio's
mother and gave her a ride to her house. As we were driving down
the pot-holed, eroded dirt road, she mentioned how sick Silvio
had been that week. She said he'd gotten up several mornings vomiting
and she had told him to go back to bed, to send word to the farm
that he was sick. But Silvio insisted on going, because he's in
charge of milking our goats this month and, moreover, there were
only two other crew members to do all the chores. Two of the days,
after helping with the chores, Silvio had to go back home and
rest. All of which we heard from other crew members as well, but
not from Silvio, who only said that he'd "felt" like
vomiting a couple of days.
I frequently feel unsure how deep Silvio's dedication is to the
project. Many of the other crew members have shown a dedication
that goes deeper than their wages. The project is improving because
of what they offer from their minds and their hearts, as well
as through their sweat. Silvio's wits have me wary, but last week
he overcame my cynicism with a devastating blow. Both a blessing
and a frustration, Silvio's life is currently wrapped up in mine,
in the work that I hope to be about. Even as I prod and poke and
push, challenging him to go beyond his limits, so he does for
me. We are sowing seeds in each other, which I pray will ultimately
be blessings to us both.
So many human connections, so many intertwinings. Seeds sown,
in my past, in my present, by so many people. Blessings that are
clearly blessings. Blessings that don't seem like such blessings
at the time. Christmas is, perhaps, a moment for setting aside
the cynicism and the criticism and to be truly thankful simply
for the life and human connections with which our Creator has
blessed us.
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those
who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come
home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
Psalm 126: 5-6
In this holiday season, may all your seeds of sorrow yield only
harvests of great joy.
In Christ.
Mark
The 2003 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 254
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