Hello, Friends,
The face melting moments have been scarce on this trip, but I think that God is still speaking. A pair of anecdotes may demonstrate sufficiently:
As a group of us were exploring the city of Sucre on our way to PotosÃ, an indigenous man with a piece of paper approached us. He was a Quechua man with a thin, square and well worn face--a feature that he shares with many of his people. In broken Spanish he explained to my friend Gonzalo that he needed 20 Bolivianos (about three dollars) to pay the fee to obtain his identification, and he asked if we could spare ten Bs. or so to help him out. The five of us stood around awkwardly for a few minutes while Gonzalo explained to us what he had said and continued to converse with him. We all seemed to have the same feeling of reluctance in regard to giving him anything (lest he should spend it on alchohol). Finally, Gonzalo offered to buy him something to eat (which he gladly accepted) and we went awkwardly on our way.
A few days later, a much larger group left the MCC house in Santa Cruz to go to phone and internet business and call home. The clerk at the phone place graciously allowed me to take a glass bottle of Coke with me when we left (normally I would only be able to purchase the soda and the glass bottle would be reused). When we stopped in a plaza to buy caramel apples on our way back, a little boy approached me with longing eyes and pointed at my Coke. Feeling partly the pressure of a cute little boys desire to drink Coke, and partly the pressure of the group of people around me, and popped the cap off and let him chug it down. Then I took a picture with him (almost like a real tourist).
As a group of us were exploring the city of Sucre on our way to PotosÃ, an indigenous man with a piece of paper approached us. He was a Quechua man with a thin, square and well worn face--a feature that he shares with many of his people. In broken Spanish he explained to my friend Gonzalo that he needed 20 Bolivianos (about three dollars) to pay the fee to obtain his identification, and he asked if we could spare ten Bs. or so to help him out. The five of us stood around awkwardly for a few minutes while Gonzalo explained to us what he had said and continued to converse with him. We all seemed to have the same feeling of reluctance in regard to giving him anything (lest he should spend it on alchohol). Finally, Gonzalo offered to buy him something to eat (which he gladly accepted) and we went awkwardly on our way.
A few days later, a much larger group left the MCC house in Santa Cruz to go to phone and internet business and call home. The clerk at the phone place graciously allowed me to take a glass bottle of Coke with me when we left (normally I would only be able to purchase the soda and the glass bottle would be reused). When we stopped in a plaza to buy caramel apples on our way back, a little boy approached me with longing eyes and pointed at my Coke. Feeling partly the pressure of a cute little boys desire to drink Coke, and partly the pressure of the group of people around me, and popped the cap off and let him chug it down. Then I took a picture with him (almost like a real tourist).
A felt a tinge of regret on both occasions. On the first, I realized shortly afterwords that I really believed the indeginous man who asked us for money. He may have been a scam artist (and a pretty good liar) but the only part of me that really though he was lying was the part of me that has been taught to hold onto its money because of what might be the case. Maybe I can use it to buy a coffee in the States later.
In the second case I realized that as much as it may have felt good in the moment, giving a Coke to a random kid on the street may not have been such a great idea. Besides the fact that he didn´t really need it, I risked contributing to a spirit of dependency and may have offended his mother, who I later realized was close by. Moreover, I gave in partly out of a desire to be seen by others on my team in an act of kindness rather than one of rejection, and ended up making a hero of myself to them and a fool of myself in reality as I took on the demeanor of a "benevolent" [North] American.
"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." (1 John 3:18)
Lesson learned?
Our God is a God who is concerned with the real needs of those who are in need. I hope I can learn to be a little more like Him.
Yeesh. It´s hard to tell what God´s doing. We´ve been about a week working at the daycare in Santa Cruz now, and I think our work is beginning to make more sense to me. I can see why it´s important (i.e. the little children), but the vertical connection has been difficult in the past few weeks. Keep our team in your prayers in that regard--that our service in these last few days would not be simply to people, but to God and through the power and with the energy of the Holy Spirit.
Because we don´t have anything worth blogging about apart from the work of the One through whom we´ve been crucified to the patterns and desires of this world.
Thank you, Jesus.
Blessings,
Sam
P.S. -- A few of my teamates and I are wishing right about now that we had taken the school nurses advice and gotten seasonal flu shots before we came. Keep that in your prayers as well.
Well written and well thought out! :)
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