A New Democracy

A friend of mine recently solved our political problems when she said:

If you don't like abortion, don't have one.If you don't like gay marriage, don't have one.If you don't like guns, don't buy one. 
I know I know, it's genius. They clearly need me in the world of politics right now. 

     -Missy Glasenapp

As simple and as silly as it sounds, I think there is some truth to what she said. I feel that we have turned democracy into a game of power and force. Rather than doing good for all people, we have turned democracy into a struggle to persuade others to take up our cause, and in doing so, we force our desires on those who don't agree with us. In other words, we have become focused on creating the right political climate for our individual lifestyle, and each one of us is fighting to impose this political climate on all people, despite the fact that doing so will actually be detrimental to many other people. This climate has made the powerful more powerful, and the weak more weak. Historically, large corporations have used political influence to buy their wants at the expense of their laborers and smaller businesses. Similarly, enforcing traditional marriage on homosexual individuals only makes these people feel more ostracized, shamed, unloved and unworthy than they already feel. 

Although about 4 percent of the general population is believed to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ), numerous studies and surveys during the last decade have shown that sexual minority youth become homeless at a disproportionately high rate, with shelters in some cities reporting that they account for up to 40 percent of their residents.*

My point is that although conservatives are only trying to uphold traditional marriage - a noble cause in itself - doing so may hurt those who are already hurting deeply. Thus, we should not only keep ourselves in mind during politics, but others too, even our "enemies."

Forcing our political desires on others is a problem for our society and nation, and a problem for those of us who claim to be Christ-followers. Jesus never told us to force others to do what is morally right - whether that be enforcing a proper marriage, banishing abortion and guns, etc. Instead, he taught us to love through personal relationships, and he saved us to live free of the chains of injustice. Our salvation may mean that we are living without guns and violence, our salvation may mean that we are pro-life, and for some it may mean upholding traditional marriage, but being saved does not give us the right to dictate the lifestyle of others. If anything, doing so only angers others. Outside of a friendship in which giving advice is acceptable, people do not want to be told by others how to live. In the words of Art Alexakis (the lead singer of Everclear):

I hate those people who love to tell you Money is the root of all that kills They have never been poor They have never had the joy of a welfare christmas 

               [Song: I will buy you a new life] 

As Christians, I believe that the poor and marginalized should be dear to our hearts. Rather than recruiting a majority to side with us and win political battles, I believe that we should engage in politics with the marginalized in mind. We should not only do what we think is right for ourselves, but for others, too. This can allow us to lift others up through politics, rather than just crushing our opposition. Besides, (for those of you who are conservative,) helping the poor can aid some republican causes in the long run. If we focus on taking care of neglected kids, kids in foster care, high-school drop-outs, and others without a strong support system, the rate of teenage pregnancies will decrease, as well as the number of abortions. 

The route to decrease abortion and strive for other political victories is not going to be direct. We won't solve the problems of the world and change other peoples' hearts with the cast of a ballot. However, deciding to engage in personal relationships and voting for programs that are relationally based can go a long ways to impact the world and save others from injustice. I think we should give people the freedom to decide on guns, abortions and marriage; not because every decision for these choices is morally acceptable, but rather because we should allow our love to transform instead of making our ballot force. 


 *Ryan, Kevin, and Tina Kelley. Almost Home. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012. 184. Print.

Guatemala

     One week ago I returned from my trip to Guatemala. The trip was short - 13 days - but it was very sweet. The trip was a great intercultural experience, a short Spanish immersion experience, a crash course in Christian missions, a friend-forging experience with great people from the U.S. and Canada and Guatemala, and a retreat with my God.

     In Guatemala, we worked with a long-term missions organization called Students International. Students International is a terrific organization that is organized in a beautiful way to bring about God's work. I might write more about the organization at a later time, but for now you can get more info on Students International (SI) at: http://www.stint.com/about/si. SI has had a presence in the community of Magdalena which is nestled in the mountains of Guatemala for around 15 years - give or take a few years. SI employs long-term missionaries who work in various ministry sites in Magdalena throughout the year, and each summer students from the U.S. and Canada come to assist the ministry during 9-day or 13-day stints.

     I traveled to Guatemala with a team of 8 from Colorado Christian University. We were joined in Guatemala by a team of 10 students from a school in Montreal. Each one of us was placed in a ministry site - such as education, art, microfinance, media, etc. I was placed in the Child Sponsorship ministry site. These ministry sites were our work locations during each day of our time in Guatemala. At night, we would stay with host families - 2 or 3 students stayed with each family.

     To give you a better idea of what our time looked like in Guatemala, here is a brief overview of our daily schedule. Each morning we would wake up on our own and get ready for the day - i.e. brush teeth, possibly shower, possibly run, and hopefully pray some. At 6:30am, we would eat breakfast with our host families. At 7am, we would meet with the rest of the American and Canadian students at Pastor Mario's house - the pastor of the local evangelical church - for an hour and a half of worship, devotional, quiet time and group prayer. Then, we would work in our ministry sites from 9am-3pm. Sometimes we would have a group activity in the afternoon - staff testimony, group game of fútbol, or a team meeting - and other times we would just hang out with our host families until our 6pm dinner. Following dinner, we usually talked with our host families for an hour or so, and would then fall asleep early - 9pm or so.

     The highlight of my trip was the time that we spent with our host family, and the resulting relationship that was developed. However, I also  had a blast in my ministry site. In the child sponsorship site my main activities were the following - attend recess each day with the the two local schools who have students in our sponsorship program, deliver birthday presents to students in the child sponsorship program, translate letters from kids into English for their sponsor families in the U.S., etc.

     Now that you have a gist of what my trip looked like, here are some of the cool ways that I heard God speak (taken straight from my travel journal)...

5/28/13

Augustine [the father of our host family] said some really cool stuff. He talked about how he wanted to go to high school when he was growing up, but never could because his family did not have enough money. While he was not able to go to high school, he decided that he wanted his kids to one day have the opportunity to have an education and he made sure they did. He worked hard and was able to pay for the education of all three of his children. Furthermore, we also heard about how he built his family's house. The family started out living in one tiny room - about ten years ago. Bit by bit, Augustine built the first floor and then the second floor, completing the house 5 years ago. It was cool to hear him speak about God's blessing. He said that some years are tough and challenging and other years are full or blessings. Both the years of challenges and of fruit are part of life and we must be patient through it all.

5/30/13

Though the family lives humbly compared to the lifestyle of most Americans, Augustine is willing to share what he has with others. In reference to hosting us and helping others, he says, "It is a blessing to share with others the gifts that God has given us."

6/3/13

Listening to Augustine pray for breakfast this morning had a great impact on me. He has done this before, but it really struck me today. Not only does Augustine thank God for the blessings he/we have and ask for God's care in this day, but he also prays for the poor and suffering. Specifically, Augustine prays for those without food, sick children in hospitals, and orphans. He prays this with such humility and sincerity that I am awe-struck. I over look the suffering people in the world that I do not personally know. I do not think about or pray for them. But, how necessary it is that these people be dear to our hearts. Praying for these people also puts life into perspective. There is so much greater things to worry about in the world than my little discomforts. 

6/6/13

I felt especially blessed to have been a part of the two home visits we went on today... The second home visit was to inform a family that one of their sons was now going to be sponsored. When we arrived to visit the family, they were in the process of shelling peas and had to finish within the hour. So, we sat down and began to help them shell the peas. The family is large, but it was a blessing to meet them all. They are struggling financially, but they have a joy within their hearts. First of all, their hospitality was amazing. Despite their economic hardship, they brought us juice and crackers. This was a true blessing. 

Second, it was really cool to see what the mother was doing with her two oldest children - who are in 4th and 5th grade. She had given both of them money as an investment for a project. One of the sons used that money to buy 6 chickens for 7Q a piece. He raised the chickens for 6 weeks and then was able to sell them, making close to 50Q on each chicken. Now he has bought 11 more chickens. The other son, bought a pig and is in the process of raising it. In any case, it was amazing to see the innovative lesson that the mom was giving her children, and the results that were being brought about from their projects. 

Furthermore, it was really cool to hear the mother's gratitude for the sponsorship of one of her sons. She said that the family had been hurting financially last year, and then God had provided by having someone sponsor her two oldest sons. Unfortunately, that sponsor was unable to continue sponsoring the kids and backed out. Now, the family is struggling financially again, but once again, she recognizes that God has provided by sending a sponsor for her son. 

All in all, I had a great trip and a great experience. I fell in love with the people of Guatemala and their culture. I am deeply touched by the love that they have for one another, for their visitors and for God. They are the hardest-working people I have ever met, yet they never complain. They are always content and grateful to God for all that they have. They also place a huge importance on their family; it was amazing to witness how the strength of their family unit was the basis of their success in life. Furthermore, they have a deep sense of love and desire to help others - students visiting from abroad, the poor and hungry, sick neighbors, etc. The people I encountered in Guatemala had tremendous servant hearts. They loved others deeply, and always loved and recognized God before all things. I certainly have some lessons to learn from the lifestyle of the Guatemaltecos. Thank you God for this experience.