Since I tend to have a bit of free time on my hands these days I've been doing quite a bit of reading lately. So I thought I would share with you all a few things that I've been reading lately that have really touched me and will help explain to you better what I can not express in this blog.
This is from a blog by Dennis Smith and was shared at World Mission Connection 2009 recently. He does a very good job of succinctly describing the state of things here in Latin America and the role that mission work is playing to accompany our brothers and sisters here.
A Day in the Life of Latin América(a contribution to the Latin America plenary, World Mission Celebration 2009)
The day begins with a memory of what might have been. Memories that go back centuries. Memories of dignity and autonomy. Memories that nourish identity.
For some, it's the memory of la Patria Grande, the great Latin American nation dreamed by Bolivar and San Martin. For some, the memory of great civilizations centered in Cuzco or Teotihuacán or Tikal. For some, the memory of proud cities carved out of the Brazilian hinterlands by the sons and daughters of Africa.
But borders came to define our lives. Our differences became more important that that which we have in common: city folks vs rural folks, men vs women, indigenous vs mestizo vs african, landless vs landlords, powerful elites vs excluded majorities. We found that our divisions are not just personal; they are built into the structures, into the very fabric of society.
Centuries of injustice, exclusion, dependence; centuries of hard work, entrepreneurial spirit, profound creative impulse.
God is here. Here are untold millions whose first waking thought each morning is: “Thank you, God, for this day. Thank you, God, for the gift of life!”
Here are millions of peasant farmers. Existence itself determined by the cycles of planting and harvest, sun and rain. Armies of day laborers cutting sugar cane, picking coffee and bananas.
Here are giant agribusiness enterprises whose fields of soybeans and wheat are larger than some small countries.
Here are extractive industries processing oil, copper, nickel, gold. Is the profit worth the poisoned lives?
This small rural town has no full-time doctor. The school only goes through sixth grade. But they do have radio – their own local radio in their mother tongue – and television and an internet café. They understand that their lives are somehow intertwined with yours.
There is no employment for the children born here. They will leave for the city. Or cross borders – at great risk – in pursuit of a dream.
Then there is life in the city. Most Latin Americans now live in cities. How can one touch so many people? How can one hear so many stories? An endless sea of stories – such longing, such energy.
Here are those who can take refuge from the raw energy of the city by living in secure enclaves. Those who can't, learn to adapt somehow – learning to see without seeing, learning to embrace numbness.Here – in the city, in the countryside - is where people committed to the common good organize to challenge corruption and abuse of power, to challenge destruction of the environment.
Here is where God's people proclaim that violence in their midst – especially violence against women and children - is violence against God's own self.
Here is where people respectfully celebrate the presence of God in the other person, working ecumenically to build the common good.
Here is where our brothers and sisters offer the gift of wholeness in Jesus Christ.
When you come home in the evening you reflect, perhaps, on what you chose not to see that day. “Have I lost the ability to engage in random acts of kindness? Have I remained silent in the face of pettiness or injustice? Have I lost the ability to be shocked by cruelty or indifference?”
Your soul aches. You seek solace in your community of faith. There you have a voice. There you can testify to God's benevolence. “Today I was not alone. Today we are not alone.”
The Spirit is poured out; hope is nourished. Here ordinary people reflect on being the people of God. . .
These are stories from Latin America and the Caribbean. Presbyterian stories. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear. . .
- Dennis A. Smith 23 oct 2009 densmithfam@gmail.com
This next bit of reading is an article from the New York Times. I already posted it on my facebook page, but I want to make sure that you all who are following me read it, so I'm posting it again. It explains a lot of my passion for working with women and children and I agree with a lot of what the article has to say about giving aid to women and elevating the status of women in many areas around the world will help alliviate many of the world's problems. It's kinda long, but totally worth the time it takes to get through it. Especially enjoy the little Oklahoma connection on the last page, it made me smile and almost cry. Saving the World's Women.
Finally, please post comments!!! I would love to hear what you think about these articles. We can start discussions. And if just a few people start posting then it helps others post too. Also tell me what you think about the blog in general. Tell me what you want to hear about my life here. Everyday life stuff? or Stories and anecdotes? more MLIA? what? Ok well I hope everyone is doing well. I'm probably going to post again soon about my recent YAV retreat here in Huanuco and about all the fun times that were had.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Spreading the Peace and Hope
Most of you all reading this now know that I am working for a nongovernment organization over here called Paz y Esperanza. With offices in Lima, Ayacucho, Andahuaylas, and San Martin, P&E brings together psychologist, pastors, lawyers, journalist, and other professionals to be a force in the community that fights injustices and lives out a call of Christian social responsibility. Huanuco is one of the poorest regions in Peru and is also one with the highest intances of domestic violence and particularly sexual abuse against children. At the P&E office in Huanuco the focus is not just on human rights in general but on those of women in particular.
P&E offers many different kinds of services for the community; including counseling, both psychological and spiritual, legal help for those who wish to press charges or legally separate from their abusers, shelters, for those who have no where else to go, social services to help meet the basic needs of those who come to them for help, and many different classes and discussion panels aimed at educating the community on everything from human rights issues to safe sex practices. They are not only trying to respond to the problems of the community but also trying to build a better future through education.
I work in the Area Rehabilitacion Integral. Which is basically the Pscyhological counseling area. There are 4 full time staff in the department - Doris, who is basically the head psychologist, Cathy, Becky, and David, who are all either psychologists or have bachelor's degrees and are pursuing full accredidation. Apart from being very talented at what they do in helping heal the victims of abuse, they are all very kind and welcoming people and I'm glad that I'm getting the opportunity to know them and share with them in the work that they are doing.
One of the programs that I am working with is called the Tamar group. It's a group of girls, most of them around 13 or 14 years old, who have been victims of abuse. Every Saturday I get together with these girls and we do art projects and it is a part of their recovery therapy. Right now we are making these amazing Christmas cards using a traditional Peruvian design called filligree. 
The process of integrating myself with these girls is slow with the language barrier but I'm finding little things in common with them, like American pop music, which they all seem to know and like. I spend much of my time during the week preparing the materials for the Tamar girls and right now I'm just glad that I have something I can contribute to the work being done here. But I do cut a lot of paper, so it's a little humbling and a lesson in "being" when mostly all I do all day is sit and cut paper. That's not entirely true though, I do get to do some other things. This week I got to travel to a small town just outside of Huanuco to a school there with two of my co-workers. They were there to teach the kids about sexual abuse and what do if the find themselves in unsafe situations. It was very much like the "stranger danger" talks we used to get in elementary school. But I really liked the message they were teaching the kids. Besides the typical "always tell an adult" kind of advice they also demonstrated that a human life is invaluable and that we are precious creations of God. And as such we are to take ownership of our bodies and protect them and treat them with respect. I hope that by the second half of my year here I will be proficient enough in my Spanish to be able to teach these kinds of classes myself.
The process of integrating myself with these girls is slow with the language barrier but I'm finding little things in common with them, like American pop music, which they all seem to know and like. I spend much of my time during the week preparing the materials for the Tamar girls and right now I'm just glad that I have something I can contribute to the work being done here. But I do cut a lot of paper, so it's a little humbling and a lesson in "being" when mostly all I do all day is sit and cut paper. That's not entirely true though, I do get to do some other things. This week I got to travel to a small town just outside of Huanuco to a school there with two of my co-workers. They were there to teach the kids about sexual abuse and what do if the find themselves in unsafe situations. It was very much like the "stranger danger" talks we used to get in elementary school. But I really liked the message they were teaching the kids. Besides the typical "always tell an adult" kind of advice they also demonstrated that a human life is invaluable and that we are precious creations of God. And as such we are to take ownership of our bodies and protect them and treat them with respect. I hope that by the second half of my year here I will be proficient enough in my Spanish to be able to teach these kinds of classes myself.Alright well I think I will wrap for this post. Next time: Tingo Maria (the jungle), and YAV retreat! I've got pics up on Facebook, if you haven't already seen them, they provide a good visual context for all the things I talk about.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
My Average Life
So I've recently become a little obsessed with this website called MyLifeisAverage.com thanks to my sister. It's a website where people write about the seemingly mundane and normal things in life but that have a bit of twist or are non-sequitur in everyday life. It kinda makes fun of Fmylife.com. Anyway, go check it out so you know what I'm talking about and it will totally brighten your day! And since it makes me smile I thought I would share with you all some little MLIA styled moments from my time here in Peru. So here goes...
*Today, When the other YAVs and I first got to Peru we met our site coordinator's husband, Harry. Harry works at a seminary here as a professor and when he and Debbie first moved to Peru as he was being introduced to people he would say his name, and the Peruvians would say, "Oh, like Harry Potter." I'm glad to know that the HP influence is strong here, I think I'm going to like this country. MLIA.
*Today, during my first week of work I was trying to find things to do around the office, since I am new and don't know the language very well yet I've been doing very meanial yet neccesary jobs. I was asked to help color in some giant pieces of paper, which were essentially big coloring book pages, for an educational thing for one of the departments. So I start coloring the people, who are supposed to be Peruvian, a mixture of the brown and peach colored pencil color to give them all more realistic skin tone. I was really proud of my self for being so creative, until one of my co-workers informed me that they all needed to be "mas claro" which means lighter, so I was stuck coloring everyone the boring peachy flesh color. So much for self-expression and being culturally sensitive. MLIA.
*Today, one of my co-workers was listening to music on his computer. A Whole New World from Aladdin came on and he started singing along. Keep in mind this man doesn't know much english but nevertheless he was singing and I chimed in on the Jasmine part. He came over and asked me if I knew this song and I said of course! So we started the song over and proceeded to sing the whole song for everyone else in the room. He has now printed off the words to the song in English and sings A Whole New World almost all the time. I think I have created a monster. MLIA.
*Today, I was walking home from work as I usually do and there was a lot traffic, nothing out of the ordinary until I saw a man ride by on a Moto (motorcycle/scooter, a main mode of transportation around Huanuco) wearing a Spiderman costume and holding his Spiderman mask inbetween his teeth as he weaved in and out of traffic. I have never had so many questions. MLIA.
*Today, I was helping out with a local school's English competition. I was told to ask the kids in English what each person or thing in a series of pictures was doing and they would answer me in English. In one of the pictures is a group of boys celebrating and jumping up and down. In the spanish language a "j" is pronounced like the english "h." So when I asked what the group of boys were doing almost everyone of the students I quizzed said, "They are humping. The boys are humping" It was all I could do to not laugh and make the students keep trying until they correctly pronouced jumping. MLIA. **(Disclaimer on this story: I am in no way making fun of the students that were learning English. I know and am fully aware of my own limitations with the Spanish language and as soon as I have a good story about me mispronouncing or misusing a word I will not hesitate to post it for your enjoyment.)**
*Today, I was at a futbol (soccer for you Americans) game with some new friends and man came up to us who knew one of my friends. After he left my friends said he was little crazy. I noticed he had on Harry Potter Hogwarts shirt, so now I'm wondering if he's crazy or awesome? MLIA.
Ok so those are my MLIA stories. I thought it would just be a fun way to share with you all the funny little things that have happened to me so far. I realize now that I have not shared anything else about my life in Huanuco on my blog. Well so far I really like living here. The city brags about having The Best Climate in the World and it is known as the City of Eternal Spring. And so far my experience here has not negated that. It's sunny nearly everyday, all day, and the temperature ranges from the mid 70s to the mid 80s. It gets windy in the afternoons and as a consequence dusty as well so I try and make sure I have my sunglass to protect my eyes from all the dirt. There are a ton of mosquitos out especially in the afternoons and early evenings, and I've come to the conclusion they really like Gringa blood. My legs are covered in bites, but I'm getting better at remembering to put on repellent and it's getting better. Huanuco is what I would classify a small city (pop. 80,000 ) so I find that it is much more my pace than Lima. And despite the occasional calls of "Gringa, Gringa" (white girl), many of the people I have met and come in contact with are really nice and hospitable.
And speaking of hospitable, I really like my host family! They are so nice and while we are still going through a transitional phase where I'm trying to figure out where I fit in with them and getting used to living with a family again, I feel like we're really going to get along well with each other and I'm really glad to have been placed with them. In my host family there is Pastor Abdon, and he works at Paz y Esperanza as a pastoral counselor of sorts, his wife, Elena, who not only manages and maintains the household but also holds a number of odd jobs helping out at the church and with Paz y Esperanza, and then they have a daughter, Carla, who is my age (!) and she is studying psychology at the university (!!). They also have a son, Israel, who I have never met because he lives in Lima. I'm slowly but surely settling into their home and routine. One of my first nights here, Carla and I bonded over shared interest in music and watched the MTV Video Music awards. Pastor Abdon and I sometimes ride to work together on the family's moto. And Mama Elena makes the most amazingly delicious meals. I'm opening up more and more to them as my comfort level and Spanish language skills increase.
Well since this post is so long already I'll end it here. I still have more to write and tell, epecially about my job at Paz y Esperanza, but I'll get to that in the next post. I hope everyone is doing well, I miss you all and I pray for you all constantly.
*Today, When the other YAVs and I first got to Peru we met our site coordinator's husband, Harry. Harry works at a seminary here as a professor and when he and Debbie first moved to Peru as he was being introduced to people he would say his name, and the Peruvians would say, "Oh, like Harry Potter." I'm glad to know that the HP influence is strong here, I think I'm going to like this country. MLIA.
*Today, during my first week of work I was trying to find things to do around the office, since I am new and don't know the language very well yet I've been doing very meanial yet neccesary jobs. I was asked to help color in some giant pieces of paper, which were essentially big coloring book pages, for an educational thing for one of the departments. So I start coloring the people, who are supposed to be Peruvian, a mixture of the brown and peach colored pencil color to give them all more realistic skin tone. I was really proud of my self for being so creative, until one of my co-workers informed me that they all needed to be "mas claro" which means lighter, so I was stuck coloring everyone the boring peachy flesh color. So much for self-expression and being culturally sensitive. MLIA.
*Today, one of my co-workers was listening to music on his computer. A Whole New World from Aladdin came on and he started singing along. Keep in mind this man doesn't know much english but nevertheless he was singing and I chimed in on the Jasmine part. He came over and asked me if I knew this song and I said of course! So we started the song over and proceeded to sing the whole song for everyone else in the room. He has now printed off the words to the song in English and sings A Whole New World almost all the time. I think I have created a monster. MLIA.
*Today, I was walking home from work as I usually do and there was a lot traffic, nothing out of the ordinary until I saw a man ride by on a Moto (motorcycle/scooter, a main mode of transportation around Huanuco) wearing a Spiderman costume and holding his Spiderman mask inbetween his teeth as he weaved in and out of traffic. I have never had so many questions. MLIA.
*Today, I was helping out with a local school's English competition. I was told to ask the kids in English what each person or thing in a series of pictures was doing and they would answer me in English. In one of the pictures is a group of boys celebrating and jumping up and down. In the spanish language a "j" is pronounced like the english "h." So when I asked what the group of boys were doing almost everyone of the students I quizzed said, "They are humping. The boys are humping" It was all I could do to not laugh and make the students keep trying until they correctly pronouced jumping. MLIA. **(Disclaimer on this story: I am in no way making fun of the students that were learning English. I know and am fully aware of my own limitations with the Spanish language and as soon as I have a good story about me mispronouncing or misusing a word I will not hesitate to post it for your enjoyment.)**
*Today, I was at a futbol (soccer for you Americans) game with some new friends and man came up to us who knew one of my friends. After he left my friends said he was little crazy. I noticed he had on Harry Potter Hogwarts shirt, so now I'm wondering if he's crazy or awesome? MLIA.
Ok so those are my MLIA stories. I thought it would just be a fun way to share with you all the funny little things that have happened to me so far. I realize now that I have not shared anything else about my life in Huanuco on my blog. Well so far I really like living here. The city brags about having The Best Climate in the World and it is known as the City of Eternal Spring. And so far my experience here has not negated that. It's sunny nearly everyday, all day, and the temperature ranges from the mid 70s to the mid 80s. It gets windy in the afternoons and as a consequence dusty as well so I try and make sure I have my sunglass to protect my eyes from all the dirt. There are a ton of mosquitos out especially in the afternoons and early evenings, and I've come to the conclusion they really like Gringa blood. My legs are covered in bites, but I'm getting better at remembering to put on repellent and it's getting better. Huanuco is what I would classify a small city (pop. 80,000 ) so I find that it is much more my pace than Lima. And despite the occasional calls of "Gringa, Gringa" (white girl), many of the people I have met and come in contact with are really nice and hospitable.
And speaking of hospitable, I really like my host family! They are so nice and while we are still going through a transitional phase where I'm trying to figure out where I fit in with them and getting used to living with a family again, I feel like we're really going to get along well with each other and I'm really glad to have been placed with them. In my host family there is Pastor Abdon, and he works at Paz y Esperanza as a pastoral counselor of sorts, his wife, Elena, who not only manages and maintains the household but also holds a number of odd jobs helping out at the church and with Paz y Esperanza, and then they have a daughter, Carla, who is my age (!) and she is studying psychology at the university (!!). They also have a son, Israel, who I have never met because he lives in Lima. I'm slowly but surely settling into their home and routine. One of my first nights here, Carla and I bonded over shared interest in music and watched the MTV Video Music awards. Pastor Abdon and I sometimes ride to work together on the family's moto. And Mama Elena makes the most amazingly delicious meals. I'm opening up more and more to them as my comfort level and Spanish language skills increase.
Well since this post is so long already I'll end it here. I still have more to write and tell, epecially about my job at Paz y Esperanza, but I'll get to that in the next post. I hope everyone is doing well, I miss you all and I pray for you all constantly.
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