November 2001

Dear Friends,

Once again the time has come to send greetings for Christmas and New Year to all our friends and supporters, some we know very well and some we do not know at all. Last week was Dawali here in India. We were given boxes and plates of very sweet sweets, we set off fireworks, and the houses were decorated with colored lights. It was good to feel part of the community here, and it started me (Melanie) thinking of Christmas and strange thoughts like "if we put up our Christmas lights now will they know what we are celebrating?" How superficial, how difficult to get to something that matters in life. What is Christmas about? Two years ago Scott was asked to write something about Christmas. This is what he came up with: Luke 1:46-57, sometimes called the "Magnificat"—"My soul magnifies the Lord…."

Mary’s words have been one of the baselines of our life and work as PC(USA) community development workers, first in Bangladesh, then in Nepal, and now in India. Her words show us God’s real bias for the marginalized and powerless in society. It’s a totally upside-down value system. We are told by our society that we should be the first, the best, the most powerful, on top, better than all the others. Mary shows us that God’s face is towards "those of low degree." Shouldn’t we turn our face that way too? How can we do that? Should we spend our lives helping them to better compete in a world that seems by its nature to create marginalized people? Or should we begin to act
out of God’s upside-down value system. Are we to join the marginalized and poor in their world, where we are at the disadvantage? Seek to get rid of some of our armor, to put ourselves more in places where we can understand and even be in weakness? How does this "incarnational living" help the oppressed and the marginalized? I don’t know. I am not sure our society has the vocabulary to explain it. But that is the pattern set for us. And I don’t
have the vocabulary to talk my way out of it. It’s a step of faith that is not likely to lead to an obvious return on our investment. But if Mary was right and the popular culture is wrong, it’s how God works to "fill the hungry with good things."

Since coming to work for Emmanuel Hospital Association we have met some people who put this type of incarnational living into practice. George K is an Indian from Keralla. He graduated from Seminary with a degree in theology but didn’t feel working in a church was his call. Instead he joined EHA in the community health section. He is a smart, caring person and did well at his job as project officer, but he still didn’t feel he was doing what he should do. A year ago, after an empowerment-based development workshop, he moved off
the hospital compound to the village he had been holding clinics in. This was a difficult decision, as the normal routine is to go off in the jeep in the morning and return from the village about 4:00 p.m. A nice, comfortable existence. George wanted to change the perception that you can deliver medical (and Christian) care by jeep. He found a room to rent in a family village home and moved in. He spent hours listening to the villagers and got to know them and they really got to know him. Several months later he was a well-liked, respected member of the community.

A real challenge came when his landlord’s wife died due to a difficult delivery. The couple had several small daughters that were left. George said it was a terrible and sad experience but he was glad to be there to support his friend and cry with him. So much more meaningful than just holding clinics.

On a more personal note: Kelli and Daniel will be with us for Christmas, so we are trying to make our small house a little bigger, (but it will be warmer, with two extra bodies). I (Melanie) am getting more involved at Woodstock, working in the archives and a few other places. Life gets very full with school activities. Timothy is taller than me and Hilary continues to be very social. My father has been sick and in the hospital for several weeks with complications due to pneumonia.

Scott is away for three weeks. He is in Nepal and will be able to visit Surkhet, where we spent many happy years.

Please write or e-mail when you can.

Scott and Melanie Smith

The 2001 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 146