September 7, 2005
Does it look different from this side of the border?
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Nicaragua and from CEPAD, the Nicaraguan Council
of Churches. After a very busy summer, in which we hosted about
200 people on various delegations from the United States, the
staff of the Nehemias office (who hosts all these visitors) is
breathing a sigh of thanks for a few weeks of respite.
My wife Penn and I are also breathing a sigh of relief and a
prayer of thanks. We learned yesterday that my wife’s aunt,
uncle, cousins, and friends in New Orleans are all well and safe.
Her aunt and uncle lived about a block and a half from the Lake
Pontchartrain levee, and we still have no idea of how seriously
their home was damaged.
The news here in Nicaragua has given us extensive coverage of
the disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi, which, combined with
the Internet, has kept us informed, and we join in the shock and
grief over the destruction of that beautiful and exciting city.
Actually, the newspapers in Nicaragua follow events in the United
States very closely, and the U.S. news is often the topic of discussion
among Nicaraguans. Lately, this has provided us with some interesting
conversations.
About two weeks ago, the news was about Pat Robertson and his
latest verbal outrage as he called for the murder of the democratically
elected leader of Venezuela. Robertson has since issued some kind
of feeble apology, but only for this remark, not for the other
equally appalling ways that he has tried to corrupt the Christian
faith for several years. The reaction among the Christians of
Nicaragua was amazing. Everyday for more than a week I was asked
questions like “Does he really speak for Christians in the
United States?” and “Why do U.S. Christians allow
such evil things to be said in their name?” From the offices
of the Catholic archbishop to the pulpits of the most conservative
and fundamentalist churches in the country, the newspapers were
filled with statements of Christian leaders expressing their dismay
that anyone would make such a dangerously violent statement and
their shock that it came from someone who poses as a Christian
leader.
This week, of course, the newspapers have been filled with the
news of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Everyone with whom
I have spoken, from co-workers, to pastors, to the mechanic who
works on my pickup, have had questions about how this could have
happened in a country so advanced as the United States. The people
here remember only too well the disaster of Hurricane Mitch. They
remember that the Nicaraguan president at the time (from one political
party) refused to respond to the pleas for help from the mayor
of a small city (from the other major political party), thus causing
the deaths of thousands of people. Some people here are even making
the comparison between this and the seemingly slow response of
the federal government to the disaster of New Orleans.
There are also two items of response to Hurricane Katrina that
have received scant mention in the televised news from the United
States that I’ve seen, but have received great coverage
here in Nicaragua. One of these was the offer by President Chavez
of Venezuela (not yet assassinated, as Pat Robertson wishes) of
over $1,000,000 worth of oil for hurricane relief, in addition
to a similar offer of heating oil for poor communities in the
northern parts of the United States. The other was the offer by
Fidel Castro to send 1500 Cuban doctors and medical supplies in
response to news reports of emergency shelters being unable to
provide medical care.
In response to the disaster of Hurricane Mitch, Nicaragua accepted
whatever aid was offered from any country, even its traditional
enemies. The United States has accepted 100 tons of blankets,
food and generators from Communist China. Nicaraguans are wondering
why the United States has not responded to the Cuban and Venezuelan
offers. So am I.
Then again, maybe things look different from this side of the
border.
Doug Orbaker
The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
57
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