August 25, 2006
Newsletter #1
A calling to Sri Lanka
Who knew that when I went to Sri Lanka for my visa renewal in
February 2005, that I would be called to live and work there and
call it home for the next three years?
What is it about Southeast Asia that calls me back? Maybe it’s
the unique cuisine and eating platefuls of rice with my hand.
Maybe it’s the tropical feel of the humidity and palm trees.
Or maybe it’s the simple love of living in a different culture
and the adventures and discoveries that come with that experience.
But perhaps the one word that could best describe why I am going
to Sri Lanka, the teardrop-shaped island, eighteen miles southeast
of India, is hunger.
If I told you that this was all in my master plan, it would be
a complete lie. But who doesn’t enjoy a little surprise
every now and then? When I received a phone call from the Presbyterian
Center, saying that they were looking for a mission co-worker
to serve as the companionship facilitator for the new Joining
Hands Against Hunger (JHAH) network in Sri Lanka, and that that
they wanted me to interview, I did not quite know what to say.
But, in keeping all options open for my future, I took the interview,
and, after much thought, accepted the position.
I will be working under the Joining Hands Against Hunger network,
which is an extension of the Presbyterian Hunger Program that
introduces a new strategy for a holistic international hunger
ministry. The focus is to address the inequities and suffering
a globalization through community education, advocacy, alternative
economic activities, lifestyle changes, and spiritual grounding.
I will be working with the Sri Lankan network, which consists
of local grassroots organizations, NGOs, churches, and people
from Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and Christian backgrounds. We’ll
study the issues of hunger, poverty, and injustice within the
country and then propose strategies to address these issues, which
could be through hunger education, public policy advocacy, or
development assistance. The goal is to promote the self-sufficiency
of poor and marginalized groups and to confront and influence
the structures of exploitation and injustice. Some of this work
will be with groups affected by the tsunami—fishermen, and
women’s groups. I will also be responsible for providing
information about our work to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
This is an “accompaniment program,” which means that
when the network has established the issues on which they would
like to focus, we will be introduced to a “partner presbytery”
(a regional body of churches) in the United States. This relationship
will not be focused primarily on project funding but on simultaneous
campaigns of learning about root causes of hunger, analysis, training,
organizing, advocacy, spiritual enhancement, alternative economic
activities, and emergency disaster preparedness. The presbytery
will educate itself on the country and its issues and help mobilize
public support in its own area to challenge policies and practices
of national or foreign companies that may be responsible for these
situations. I will be the contact person who keeps the communication
channel open between the network, the partner presbytery, and
the PC(USA).
I have no idea what this will look like in Sri Lanka. JHAH has
networks in eight other countries throughout the world, all partnered
with PC(USA) presbyteries, all working on different issues, depending
on the country. The Sri Lankan network is newly established and
is still discovering who and what it is and what it wants to do.
I will simply be there to walk with them in solidarity as we discern
what that all means to our specific network.
Now you may have heard that there is a conflict in this country
between rebel separatists (Tamil Tigers) and the Sinhalese government.
The conflict has recently begun to heat up for the first time
since the ceasefire in 2002, which followed a 20-year civil war.
(If you do not know about this, I encourage you to research it.)
But I am going on faith that the Presbyterian Church is keeping
its eye on the situation and would not have send me if things
are too unsafe. I mean, a life lived in fear is a life half lived,
right?
So on September 11th, I begin this new adventure and calling
for the next three years of my life. Frederick Buechner once said,
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep
gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Now living
in Sri Lanka might not be my specific mission for the rest of
my life, but it is definitely where my passion for the world’s
needs meet right now. I look forward to sharing this new chapter
of my life with you in my monthly newsletters and hope it is a
way to keep in touch and continue to develop my friendships while
I am away. I do not yet have an address, as I will be living out
of my suitcase for the first month or so, but I know I will be
based in the capital city, Colombo.
And speaking of addresses, if you are someone in my life who
has moved, or has not given me your address in the last month,
or has not spoken to me in awhile, could you please send me your
mailing address? The Presbyterian Center will be mailing out hard
copies of my newsletters a couple of times a year and they need
the addresses in order to do that. Plus, who doesn’t want
a Sri Lankan stamp to add to their collection?
I hope this finds everybody enjoying the last bits of summer
vacation. You are on this list because you are somebody I want
to share my life experiences with, so I hope you will share yours
with me, despite the distance. So please keep in touch. Your support
and prayers are greatly appreciated and I thank you for who you
are in my life. If you have any questions, please feel free to
email and ask.
Peace,
Chenoa
If you are interested in reading more about Joining
Hands Against Hunger and the
Joining Hands Sri Lankan network. |
