Embrace

It´s nearly the end of the year - and in the last couple of weeks I´ve been keen to finish a few things before the New Year. One of which has been reading a book that I´ve had on the go for a long time; Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, by Miroslav Volf. It´s a big book - and fairly heavy in every sense of the word, so it´s taken me more than a year to get through it - but given me lots of things to think on.
I began reading it, in one sense, seeking to reflect on the reality of living in a very violent society, and keen to explore more of what I learnt in Theology lectures about the 'myth of redemptive violence'. I guess I was already sold on the intepretation of Jesus as a passivist - as non-violent. But what did that mean in a society that suffers violence and lose on a daily basis. Now as I finish reading the book, the media is focused on the so-called 'right to bare arms' in the USA after another mass school shooting. (And for a really interesting take on that discussion have a look at.. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shane-claiborne/what-would-jesus-say-to-the-nra_b_2360543.html)  I guess the issue doesn´t go away! The book is written out of real life conflict and loss as well, the author being a native Croatian and having taught in Croatia during the war in the former Yugoslavia.  His experience saw both (multiple) sides of the conflict in which generational hatred for the 'other' grew, each 'justified' by their own suffering and loss.

The motif of embrace is a very powerful one. In our world, we have essentially been taught that difference is bad. And in extreme cases, somebody who is different to us, in whatever way, can become the 'other', or 'them' - those who are not like us - and from whom we must defend ourselves. This happens as much in high school playgrounds as it does between neighbouring countries or people groups. The author addresses this issue with a clear understanding of the gospel  - salvation as reconciliation - with God and with others. And the way in which we can be reconciled to 'the other' is through embrace. It may sound a bit too warm and fussy - but there´s nothing weak or weedy about it -- vulnerable, definitely  - but weak no.

He explains the drama of embrace in 4 acts.
1. Opening the arms  - it´s a sign of non-self-sufficiency, it suggests a pain of the other´s absence and the joy of the anticipated presence. It´s a sign that I have created space in myself for the other to come in - and a willingness to enter the space created by the other. It´s a gesture of invitation.
2. Waiting - An embrace is not forced - it must wait for desire to arise in the other and for the arms of the other to open. For the drama to continue, it has to be reciprocal.
3. Closing the arms - each is both holding and being held by the other, both active and passive.
4. Opening the arms again - the embrace does not end with the two as one. The other is not neutralized or merged into myself. The embrace must end with a parting - a recognition that we are still two people - two different people with separate identities - but yet enriched by the traces that the presence of the other has left.

In one sense, it´s very simple, and yet it takes great strength and vulnerability. The first stage of opening the arms is not to be taken lightly. It involves us recognising our own need - our lack of self sufficiency. It is a huge risk - for the other might reject us - or even harm us. But it is a signal of us wanting to see 'the other' as they are - humans - as flawed and faulty and damaged as we are - not as the pure evil that we want to portray them as.

I was reminded of this recently in the girls prison. For a Christmas event, a friend of mine came along with me. She herself had been a victim of death threats and extortion gangs in the area where she lives. But as we left the prison she commented on the girls (who could well have been the perpetrators of the threats she herself had suffered) - 'they looked so young' she said  - we talked of some of the typical elements in their life stories - broken families, poverty, a culture of violence - and it was clear that she had begun to see them as real people - not just the type who had caused her own suffering. In one sense her visit with me, was a symbolic opening of her arms.

And that gave me hope.
And got me thinking more.
What do I do? What can I do to open my arms to 'others'?  - not the 'nice' people or the ones that are just like me - but to 'others'. What can I do to really listen and understand their lives? To recognise differences and be enriched by them?

Christmas Stats...

Christmas Day
> Cooked Christmas dinner for 9 people
> Lost at arm wrestling
> Lost the After Eight Challenge
> Thrashed everyone at Racing Demons

Boxing Day
> Christmas dinner for (mostly different) 8 people
> Won Bancopoly

27th Dec
> Turkey Curry for 9 people
> Bananagrams -- won some, lost some

Tomorrow
> Still enough for turkey sandwiches!!! 

Statistics......

So it´s the end of the year (almost) - and also almost the end of the first year of the new government in Guatemala. The government got into power with a number of promises to improve security  - so I thought I´d have a bit of a search for stats to see what has changed. The governments own reports say that the murder rate has gone down by 13%, and this seems to be echoed by UN figures, which says Guatemala now has a murder rate of 38.5 per 100,000 people. Ever since I´ve been here in Guatemala, it has been around 45 - so this is a great improvement. (For the sake of comparison, Colombia has 33.4, South Africa 31.8, Mexico 16.9, USA 4.2 and the UK 1.2. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate for the full list.) Guatemala was also always in the top 4 on this list - but has now been relegated down to number 8!

Neighbouring Honduras and El Salvador´s rates have got worse - although I´ve also read elsewhere that El Salvador had improved because the 2 main gangs have a truce at the moment.
The British Embassy in Guatemala also report that the impunity rate has decreased from 97% to 72% in 2012.

So sometimes statistics bring good news!

Who am I?

Random thoughts this week.....
So I spend a whole morning at immigration office on Wednesday, and just thought you´d like to know that due to the very strict rules about the sort of photos they will accept, the Guatemalan Immigration Authorities think that I look like this.....

Then on Thursday, I visited my churches Kids holiday club. They´d had great fun all week - and every day had had a half hour missions slot. They´d learnt about some famous missionaries from the past. The day before I went, the leaders had showed the kids a photo of me (thankfully not this one) and told them that I was coming. When the kids were asked what they thought, apparently they said.....
Es canche  (she´s white)
Es bonita (she´s pretty)
Tiene ropa  (she´s got clothes) !!!!

So I am very pleased to confirm that I am one of those missionaries that does wear clothes!

Ads

So I´m sitting in the immigration office and realise that I forgot to bring a book (rookie error!). But whilst I wait, it gives me a chance to write about something that I´ve been pondering for a while - advertising. 

I´m no expert in advertising or communication strategies but it seems to me that generally adverts or slogans are based on the idea that we take things in sublimally - so adverts don´t tend to say anything clearly (ie "Buy this product. It´s great") but instead try to portray an image or scene in which your life is better because you´ve bought the item in question. Of course most of the time it´s completely untrue - but that´s what we expect from adverts. 

So with that in mind, I´m surprised by a couple of adverts or campaigns that I´ve seen recently in Guatemala. What got me thinking initially was a huge advert on a bill board on the main road in the city. It simply says in big black letters "No violarás" (Don´t rape). No gimmick or subliminal message - just a straight forward 'don´t rape'. No discussion or explanation ... perhaps the reasons are obvious - but then if it´s considered necessary to say 'don´t rape', then it´s probably also necessary to explain why. Guatemala has a high rate of rape (mostly unreported) and femicide, so there is lots of work to be done in changing attitudes regarding the value and dignity of women. 

The other advertising campaign that´s caught my attention was by the Bible Society of Guatemala, and attempts to highlight the long term effects of the violence in the country.

 Each shows the distintive yellow crime scene tape - but with pictures of who is left on the other side: children orphaned by violence etc.

They quote from Deuteronomy 30: 19 "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live". 

This campaign aimed to raise awareness of the effects of violence on our society and asks us to choose "peace instead of violence". 


And then there´s Ricardo Arjona, the most popular singer /songwriter in Guatemala. His latest album Guatemorfosis was released with an accompanying advertising campaign (sponsored by Pepsi!).

 It uses phrases like "El cambio solo empieza si vos cambias" (Change only starts if you change) or "El cambio sólo empieza si yo cambio" (change only starts if I change) or "porque el corazon de Guate sos vos" (because the heart of Guatemala is you). 

Essentially he´s saying that if we want change in our society, then we need to stop complaining (of violence and insecurity etc) and start doing something ourselves - looking out for neighbours, standing up to injustice etc etc. But surprisingly this message has been somewhat controversial and has received some critics. His message is clear - change starts with us - but whether advertising has any part in that change, I´m not so sure.

One year on.

It´s almost Christmas and coming to the end of the year aways makes you look back and reflect. I´ve been visiting the girls prison for over a year now and a few things lately have made me reflect on how things have changed in that time. The population of the prison has almost doubled since I began visiting, with the effects of the new govenernments 'mano duro' (firm fist) policy- which makes simple gang afiliation a crime. With a new government came a new prison director who is very positive yet firm in her interaction with the girls. New government also meant a new post - Director of Rehabilitation at the national level. And the post holder really believes in an integrated approach to prisoner rehabilitation and reinsertion in society - so there's support for faith based activities as well as vocational and educactional programmes which are being developed. On a personal level, I can see how the girls are much more responsive to my participative approach and enjoy getting involved in games and activities and dramas. The guards seem much more positive too.
We´ve prayed a lot this year - and my prayer has often been that inspite of it being a prison, that the girls would find rest there; that they´d meet with God and begin to rediscover who they are in him. Last week I found out that the building was originally the summer residence of a well-respected former president - and so is protected as a national heritage. The irony is loud and clear. A government marked by it´s 'mano duro' of punishment, but yet sends those in 'conflict with the law' to a place of rest. Of course it´s nothng like a holiday camp now but somehow I think that through it´s original design and purpose, God has got bigger plans for it than what the government thnks. I´m really excited to see what might develop in the future.  

Nicaragua part 2

 Whilst I was in Nicaragua, I stayed for an extra few days - and met up with some Latin Link friends there. We had a great afternoon visiting some local sites -- they know me - so found somewhere to swim! This waterfall was incredibly beautiful.

 As well as a nature reserve with these fantastic views.

Nicaragua Adventures

I´m in Nicaragua, where I have been participating in a TEARFUND workshop about the environment. It´s been great fun, seeing some of the same people as last years conference, and sharing experiences of working with this theme.

We also stayed in an amazing eco-hotel - with this view from the balcony of our room.

 Being with a whole bunch of people from different countries in Central America always reminds me that not everyone is as short as the Guatemalans!

 Jokes with Mike!

In Search of Step Projects

This time of year, I go in search of projects for the step teams who will visit in the following year. I really enjoy meeting churches and organisations who have a vision, and are reaching out to their community, who are working hard - and are keen to partner with others to complete their task. It´s those sort of churches or organisations who really benefit from receiving a Step team - but who are also really instrumental in caring for and discipling the team members that come.

 This time I was visiting a church with a very active after school programme for 250 children, as well as involvement in the local community with sustainable agriculture and reforestation projects. It´s in a village called Buena Vista (= Good view) - and it´s certainly well named!

 It was also a great chance for me to spend a couple of nights in San Pedro La Laguna - maybe my favourite place in Guatemala - and have a couple of swims in the lake.

It always amuses me to travel at this time of year as well. It´s more or less time for the maize to be harvested and from the bus window it often looks to me like there are shiny mirrors floating in a sea of maize -- it´s actually the aluminium roofs of houses which get dwarfed by the maize reaching the roof height.

15th Birthdays

As in most of Latin America, it´s traditional in Guatemala to celebrate your 15th birthday - especially for girls. Well recently I was invited to my friend Abi´s birthday celebration. 

But it´s not really like an equivalent 18th birthday celebration in the UK. Here, the birthday girl gets dressed up  - in a big way. Many of the Quinceñera dresses look more like wedding dresses than anything else - and the comparison with a wedding doesn´t stop there. (For the Chistians at least)  there´s a church service  - complete with a procession of the family (all dressed in matching/ complementary colours) and then the birthday girl. Worship and a sermon are then followed by asking the girl to make certain promises about her adult life. 

(Although talking to a few other people, the promises weren´t the normal part of things - and perhaps had more to do with the fact that Abi´s dad is also the pastor).

 Anyway it was definitely a family event, with each member of the family making a speech and giving a special gift.

On this occasion, it had a slightly 'Wimbledon' feel - as we started off outside in a beautiful garden - but then as the mist drew in, and umbrellas went up as the mist turned into rain, they eventually decided to relocate to the marquee prepared for the reception!

Hit the Ground Kneeling

Another great thing about Core Team meetings, is that Alan, (International Director of Latin Link) always manages to recommends some great books. This time it was Hit the Ground Running; Seeing Leadership differently, by Stephen Cottrell  - which I managed to read during the week that we were meeting together. It´s a great book -- small and easily digestable- making you question all the usual 'wisdom' that gets chucked around these days. He encourages you not to 'hit the ground running'  - but to take time to observe and listen and reflect, to reinvent some wheels, to count your chickens before the hatch  - and definitely not to develop a thick skin.
It was quite refreshing to hear something quite so counter-cultural in our world full of success-driven management speak and self help books.

Core Team in Ecuador

 

I´ve just come back from Ecuador, where I´ve been meeting with the Latin Link Core Team.

There´s been a couple of changes and additions to the Core Team recently so this was the first time the new team met together. It was great to get to know the new members better - and start to work together.

Core Team hard at work  -- or perhaps facebook!

 

 We were also meeting alongside the Latin Link Ecuador team for their annual conference - and celebrated a birthday with them.

 For me personally it was great to be back in the Andes again. I first fell in love with Latin America in La Paz, Bolivia - a city surrounded by mountains - making you feel like you´re not really in the city at all. In Ecuador we were staying in a beautiful Bible Seminary, outside of Quito - with fantastic views of snow -capped Cotopaxi in the distance. It has a really peaceful atmosphere  - in the still mountain air - so it was a great place to meet.

Step Tour Guide

I think one of the perks of the job of Short Term Coordinator is to organise the holiday time for the Step teams, and get to show them my favourite place in Guatemala.

 I never get tired of this view - and a swim in the lake is definitely the best way to start the day. I even managed to persuade a couple of people to join me.

 This time, I took 2 teams together to the Lake - watching them interact was quite entertaining!

 We celebrated David´s birthday altogether.

 The adventurous ones before their Cables Extremos (Zip wire) escapade!

My usual hostel. The downside is having to accompany so many people who want to buy souvenirs. In my opinion shopping is the most boring activity in the world! - but I took advantage of this - and managed to do all my Christmas shopping - and send it all home with one of the steppers who lives near my family! Bargain.

Amor del Niño Step Team

The final team to arrive, worked with the Amor del Niño (Love the Child) home. The home provides a temporary home for children (mostly babies) who have been abandoned, and are awaiting adoption. The team helped with the general running of the home - helping with the endless laundry (for 50 babies!), cooking and spring cleaning tasks.

 They also led some activites and games for the older children.

 They also did a mural on the garden wall. The castle was designed by one of the older girls in the home.

  

 This team lived in my house (and half of them in a friends house locally) so I got to see quite a bit of them.

 And of course the obligatory photo at lake Atitlan!

Zaragoza Step Team

 The Team in Zaragoza were working with Educando Para La Vida, an organisation focused on education for the whole community.

 The team got involved in the afterschool kids programmes, sharing Christian values alongside educational support.

 They also visited the local school, where Educando Para la Vida has very good links and taught the children English.

 Also at the school, they were able to repaint the walls with a mural.

 They also created and painted some dividers at the organisations centre, to be used when they have medical campaigns.