God is With the Poor

Posted by Terry McNichols


(This was scheduled long before the Haiti earthquake.  It is even more the case at this point.)


Bono, of the Irish rock band, U2, states:

"A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I was saying, 'You know, I have a new song, look after it… I have a family, please look after them… I have this crazy idea…' And this wise man said: 'Stop. Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing—because it’s already blessed.' Well, God is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing. And that is what He’s calling us to do."

Return to El Salvador

Posted by Terry McNichols

My husband, Ken, and I are on my 4th and his 3rd trip to a small village in the middle of El Salvador.  We are leading a team of Journey With A Village (JWAV) participants, a combination outreach of our local church and Agros, International.  Our village, San Diego de Tenango, is made up of about 125 people, originally displaced by the long civil war.  These people were exiled in a Honduras refugee camp for years before returning to land purchased by Agros.  They work the land and will someday own their piece of land outright.  Agros is dedicated to land ownership and sustainability. 

My first introduction to Agros was as a volunteer in their local office.  Over the course of two years, I became a cheerleader for the type of work being done and began to get excited about joining a team.  When the opportunity arose to participate with my church, I jumped at the chance.  Ken was a little slower to jump.  In the past he hadn’t really wanted to give up treasured vacation time for hard work in a hot and muggy place, so I decided to go on my own.  I had a lot of fears about the unknown, but had read enough about the JWAV service trips to know a little of what I was getting into.  My main fears had to do with my own physical stamina.  Would I get enough sleep?  Would I be able to do the work?  Did I really have anything to offer?  Would I be a hindrance to my team?  Would I be able to keep up?  Was I too fearful of the risks
involved?  Could I handle the intense heat and humidity?  Was I too old for such an adventure?

And what an adventure it was!  Our team sleeps in tents in an open community center at the village.  We share one very-appreciated shower and a self-composting outhouse.  On our first visit the villager adults were a little shy, leaving us alone unless there was a planned activity.  The kids, however, were another story.  From the early morning to lights out we had a swarm of kids, watching our every movement, hoping for someone who wanted to play.  And play we did!  It didn’t take long to realize that my gifts were in areas I hadn’t yet explored.  Although I wasn’t much help on the road repair crew or digging ditches, it turns out I am very good at bubblegum blowing!  And checkers!  And puzzles!  And making tortillas! And before long, I found I was also good at connecting with the people of the village, learning to love them over the course of just a few days! 

My husband heard my stories and saw my pictures and was convinced to join me on trips #2 and 3.  He is equally in love with the villagers and they love him.  He is the musical pied piper, connecting with the musicians (and children) of the village and anxious to return.  We can’t wait to see the new well that has just been dug to provide much-needed irrigation water and to see the steps toward sustainability – the new chicken coop, gardens and livestock.  We can’t wait to see how the village women are doing with the new craft project they’ve taken on.  We’ll hug the new babies, play with the kids, and converse in our limited Spanish with patient elders.  And we will add new names and needs to our ongoing prayer list!

And that long list of fears?  I now know that I can put aside the fears for the joys of the experience.   The villagers gave more to us than we could ever repay and I hope that I will never be “too old” to give back in the struggle to end poverty in the world in some small way.

God's View of Poverty

Posted by Terry McNichols

I recently had a conversation with a good friend who was visiting a Central American country.  I was upset by her perception of the negative influence that Christianity has had on that region of the world.   Several points in our discussion bear repeating here. 

1.  Not everything done in the name of Christ is or has been done for the good of the receiver.  Often it is for the profit of the person who is more powerful.
2.  It is impossible to lump all Christians into one pot!  I don't want to be blamed for the abuses done in the name of Christ in the same way I don't want my identification as an American to make me accountable for the many abuses promulgated by our government.
3.  Christians do "good" in the world because they are commanded to do so, and because they care deeply about the poor and the downtrodden.  Most of us are trying to make a difference in the world. Abuses have occurred, but well-meaning Christians have done much for the poor and downtrodden of the world, for the sake of Christ!
4.  The modern "health and wealth" gospel doesn't speak to the needs of the poor.  We mustn't believe that God cares only to bless America!   We have a duty to the rest of the world's poor.
5.  Christians believe that salvation isn't about doing good works, but about believing in Jesus as God's son and savior of the world.  But Christians believe in faith PLUS works.  Faith comes first and works flow naturally out of that faith.
6.  God had a whole lot to say about poverty in the Scriptures.  This is a subject on which He was anything but silent.   If you doubt this, please check out the this link which lists over 300 verses that show God's compassion for the poor and the commands we are given with regard to the poor.

This is all front and center in my thinking as my husband and I prepare to lead another Agros trip to our village in El Salvador.  And Leona has just returned from Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, and will be writing more about that experience in future posts.  Pray for and with us as we struggle with what these issues mean in our own lives. 

(Photo by venetia joubert sarah, shared via Flickr)

MOLDOVA

Posted by Leona Bergstrom

In just a few weeks I’ll be standing again on the pot-holed streets of Chisinau, Moldova! I’ll see the dear elderly ladies eating their watered down soup and thanking me for providing food that, in actuality, came as gifts from others. I’ll get swallowed up in doubled cheeked kisses and strong Russian bear hugs. I’ll hold children’s hands that leave behind a dirty, sticky imprint in my palm. I’m going back to a land that God has branded onto my heart- Moldova!

And this time we are taking along six leaders who will experience a country devastated by corrupt government, empty promises, and abundant scarcity. Our prayer is that our team will develop relationships with the pastors and officials of the Christian church and will partner in their outreach to their communities. I do not know what God will do, but I know he will do far more than I can imagine!

A friend recently wrote to me about an article in September’s issue of National Geographic. The article is about the most failing countries in the world and Moldova heads the list in Europe. The article states, "When a nation is failing, you see it in the eyes of its people.”

I can’t escape that line. Indeed, the eyes of the elderly, the children, the teenage girls-- are eyes full of emptiness, darkened by hopelessness. I’ve looked into those eyes and I believe that God wants me to tell them that there is hope. There are people on the opposite side of the world that love, care and pray for them. Their hope is in the One who sends us.

Trickle down poverty

Posted by Terry McNichols

On my recent trip to El Salvador, I was struck by the trickle-down effect that the economic crisis in the United States is having on poorer countries. Our consumption-driven lives over the past years of a bullish economy have given the poorer countries a false sense of security. Our willingness to spend money, rather than save and be prudent, has given work to the poorer economies. They have built factories to supply our extravagant desires. I remember seeing a shirt at REI that I considered purchasing for my first trip to El Salvador. It was just what I wanted for keeping cool in the very hot climate and for protecting myself from the blazing sun. However, when I looked at the $45 price tag and noticed that it was "hecho en El Salvador," I couldn't bring myself to buy it. Don't get me wrong. I still bought a similar shirt for the trip, I just made sure it was made in China! Certainly this was misplaced angst, but somehow it bothered me to wear my expensive locally-made shirt to visit the poor.

I was aware that several family members of our villagers were working in the United States and sending remesas (remittances) back to El Salvador to support their families. These families have been using this money to pay off their land loan. On this visit, however, we were struck by the worries that those families now have, as their loved ones can no longer find work and can no longer send the money. In addition, those loved ones cannot afford the pricey plane ticket to return to the village. They are stuck in limbo, here in the U.S. Last week's Seattle Times has an article discussing the impact of this problem on Mexico, as well as throughout the world. Remesas comprise 14% of the Gross Domestic Product of El Salvador and this is considered a very large percentage. Mexico's percentage is below 4%, yet still there is a huge impact. However, the same article cites Moldova, the poorest country in Europe, as having 40% of their GDP based on remittances. There is a mass exodus of guest workers throughout Europe, as well as the United States, finding their way back home, where there are even fewer jobs.

Once again, I quote Margaret Mead, from last week's post, and hope that I have indeed grown wiser and more able to scrutinize my own culture.

As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own. --Margaret Mead, anthropologist (1901-1978)

Travel

Posted by Terry McNichols

As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own. --Margaret Mead, anthropologist (1901-1978)

I am writing this in advance of my attempt to follow the above words of wisdom and travel once again to El Salvador. This will be my third trip in two years to a small village that I have grown to love. Our rerun post this week will give more information on that village. But I am looking forward to sharpening my ability to "scrutinize more steadily and appreciate more lovingly, my own country. " Visiting a third-world country immediately puts our wealth, our materialism, our many freedoms and our responsibilities into new perspective, and I welcome the opportunity. There are times when I question the wisdom of spending a lot of money to visit poor people, but the rewards are great and the lessons seem worth the expense. We go as friends and come back with renewed love and understanding of the role we must play in combating poverty in the world.
Hasta mi regreso!
(Photo by nep, shared via Flickr)

Yup, I'm amazed!

Posted by Terry McNichols

I wrote this post from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, whose website boasts that "you'll be amazed at the nine acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and an indoor river with its own Delta flatboat. Within this lush landscape, you'll discover fine dining and casual restaurants, unique shopping experiences, and a 20,000-square-foot resort spa and fitness center."

It is really too bad that my stay had to follow the blog post on poverty in the world. I find it more and more difficult in life to feel justified while enjoying the wealth that our country has to offer. Does anyone really need a glass dachshund to sit on a shelf? I didn't buy one. But then, I'm not a dog person. I might have been tempted were it something that interested ME! It just seemed to personify the excess cash that many of us have to throw around.

And yet I was annoyed that for the still-pricey conference rate this is the view out of our window. My husband and I rebelled at the cost of a bottle of water or a cup of coffee. This hotel is primed to charge you for everything you could possibly need. There is nowhere close to buy an inexpensive meal. We resorted to mining our conference exhibition space for free food and drinks. Don't get me wrong. We can afford to pay the exorbitant prices -- if we choose to. But we aren't comfortable doing so, and after 3 nights, we moved to a cheaper place, with free breakfast and free parking.

Addendum: Two nights in the cheaper hotel and we were seriously missing all that luxury! We are so incredibly spoiled! Where do we fit in as people who care about poverty in the world and people who also enjoy the lap of luxury? As children we were told to clean our plates because "people are starving in China." As if we were saving the world, just by eating our vegetables? What is our role in the world as it stands today?

Missions and Poverty - Terry

Lest you begin to think that we will only be writing about our aging bodies and the woes thereof, I wanted to start a new thread. This is about our shared interest in the area of poverty and what we as Christians can do in the world -- something we can do that will only be a small bandaid, but will at least be a step in the right direction.

If you watched Leona & Dick's film, you would have noticed that one of the doors that their seniors open is the door of missions. Both Leona and I have become deeply involved in a couple of mission endeavors. You will be hearing about them from us along the way. But I am about to leave for 8 days to visit a village in El Salvador. This is a village brought into being by Agros International. If you are interested in the work of Agros, please check out their website. I have been involved with Agros for several years now, first as a volunteer in the office and now as a person who cares deeply about a group of people in a small village in El Salvador called San Diego de Tenango. I visited this village last July and am co-leading a group that will return to the village this July. I am posting this on the day after my departure and can't wait to give updates of what we learned in the village on this trip.

What I learned last summer, however, is that there are people in many parts of the world who have so much less than we have, yet have more contentment than many of us ever achieve. Agros tells the story of a woman who suffered through many of the ravages of Civil War and lives a very simple life with no amenities as we define them. Yet, she stated that she had need of nothing and was happy and contented with what she had. That is the lesson for me.

I took this picture as we walked behind Rosalio, returning from planting cashew trees, in the hopes of getting the villagers beyond subsistence crops so that they could begin to pay back the loan from Agros for their land. In the end, they will own their land. I love this picture, mostly for what it brings to my mind. Please pray for our team of 14 members and for our experience in El Salvador.