Loving Fearlessly

Dan Muthui

 In my previous entry, I highlighted the many issues our society and in particular the youth face. It appears darkness is on the increase by the day and that our places of habitation have become so treacherous. Men, women and children live in perpetual fear from daily threats and possibility of harm. Hoping for flourishing communities seems a vain venture.

Not even government machinery has the capacity to promise and realize safe communities. Here in Honduras (so is the case in other jurisdictions), murders and other forms of violence happens on a daily basis under the very gaze of government apparatus. I heard several references to the city of Tegucigalpa as the ‘murder capital of the world.’ The dysfunctionality of security, education, economic and social system is so pronounced that turning to the government to address the systemic causes appears unfeasible.

The frail social conditions are worsened by the fact that the church has been apathetic to the suffering of the vulnerable. Much of it is faulted for its cold and removed attitude towards social justice, or where justice is pursued, it is confined to the walls of the church in ministries such as prayer and individual spiritual experience.

I must note that such a critique is not only limited to Honduras or the countries of Latin America, but it is my guess that each jurisdiction (including North America) in one way or another locates the church’s lack of bold plunge into the messy world of justice. But, the scenario is not a hopeless one. Christ has called us into the broken world to bear the burdens of others in love. Here in Honduras, i have seen this fearless love expressed by some believers who have boldly stepped out of their comfort zones to confront injustices head on.  Such action is visible in the works of Association for a More Just Society (AJS).

Yesterday, we visited ASJ offices to hear the accounts of the staff and more about their work. The organization works for justice at an individual and systemic level. They carry the cases of victims of crime through the legal and the criminal justice system but also work to effect policy at a national level- a very difficult work given the context. One of their lawyers was murdered a while back for taking up a sensitive and prominent case. Employees receive threats of harm on a regular basis but this has only served to fuel their passion and pursuit for justice.

I could not help but think deeply about the expression of faith in North American context. In our environment, we do not have to walk in the constant and gripping fear of being harmed, neither do we have to stretch our faith for things that others struggle to have on a daily basis: food, safe neighbourhoods, health care, functional public service system among others. Our faith and trust can lack the stretching that makes us strong bearers of the burdens of others. Yet, this visit to Honduras has served to awaken me to the harsh realities of our neighbours even if they’re thousands miles away from my residence.

Our world is filled with brutality and we have no excuse for escaping or turning our backs towards the plight of our fellow men. To love one another and our neighbor in days of gross darkness calls for a bold faith. We at least ought to pray for the capacity to be brave and to be able to leap off the safety of our spaces and by trust plunge into the broken world that God seeks to heal and restore even if this may come at a huge cost. The one who has called us will be with us to the end.

Day 2: Restless Provocation

Dan Muthui

The day was characterized by an enriching exchange between participants from various jurisdictions. The Assembly brought together representatives from the countries of Guatemala, Haiti, Dominican Republic, USA, Canada, Nicaragua Mexico, El Salvador, Argentina, Costa Rica and of-course the host, Honduras. 

What is striking from the presentations and conversations we had is that regardless of the context, youth everywhere are experiencing identical challenges. While some challenges are predominant in some regions than they are in others, the challenges experienced by the youth in our days are plenty and often, the mountains they form appear enormous and insurmountable.

One example: members of a group discussion I was leading went on to describe the challenges in their respective contexts. They cited varied issues facing the youth ranging from identity crisis, violence, gang association, fractured family units, contemporary pop culture which has been globalized through the media, use of illicit drugs, teen pregnancies, under-age prostitution, high unemployment rates, low educational attainments, deficient criminal justice system, immigration and an array of other social, economic, cultural and spiritual concerns. While these did not strike us as new, the sharing reminded us of the grievous reality of youth struggles. Sadly, there was a sense of frustration that the church has not responded as it ought to, and where it has, its approaches have not been inviting or engaging.

Listening to the myriad of challenges could easily evoke feelings of helplessness that could lead us to slide to the ‘undisturbed’ security of our individual, community or church spaces. Although this may be an easier and safer option, we felt challenged and inspired to take the hard route of creatively confronting them knowing very well that the God who has called us to build the kind of communities He envisions will equip us with the tools we need to succeed; this assembly is serving that purpose. We awake to each day of the assembly with heightened expectations, open minds and hearts, and restless provocation.   

Impressions from day 2.

 Mirriam Mahaffy

The first day of the assembly draws to a close as echoes of inspiring presentations fade into subdued conversations between old acquaintances and new, and CRC politics are discussed in English and Spanish amidst rousing rounds of phase 10.

The first day of the assembly is really our second day of impressions: Dan and I arrived in the early evening yesterday, and  (after a harrowing reminder of central American driving) entered our armed and gated conference villa.

 Simply being back in Latin America--even if confined to a gated community—has been an equally refreshing and frustrating reminder for me. Such contrast to North America’s incessantly sterile organization reminds me that our (life, and especially our) youth programming is perhaps too “safe” to be real—we cannot continue our attempts to construct sanitary, controlled environments, expecting our youth to find meaning and value within them. The solution to death on the streets is not a dead program.

Our keynote speaker, Dana Bates, arrived today to share his work with I.M.P.A.C.T. clubs in Romania. IMPACT clubs aim to develop local problem solvers, rather than continually trying to recover from losses. The clubs run meetings based on three priorities: fun, spiritual/moral teaching, and community service learning projects. Youth choose and design their own community development project. Through team building activities, conversation, and service, participants grow in key skill sets to become more empowered and employable.

After sitting for several hours of meetings, my bottom may have been sleeping but my mind was racing with hopes: could a modified IMPACT club framework be embodied on 118 ave in Edmonton with success? How would the model need to be adjusted to fit a North American culture? It seems like a distant unreality.

 IMPACT clubs inspire me with hope because they offer (often) consumptive youth ministry in North America the possibility of redemption by the active ownership embodied in service learning. 

 So this hopeful head and a frustrated heart, while somewhat overwhelmed with questions and unknowns, are excited to visit the IMPACT club in Honduras tomorrow.

Peace,

The Assembly

By Dan Muthui & Miriam Mahaffy 

 

The title of this blogs is informed by the theme of an assembly we are attending in Honduras in August that is organised by Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRCNA) which will bring together regional young leaders, missionaries, and representatives from partner organizations and churches in Latin America to explore the subject of social breakdown, youth involvement in violence, crime, and other harmful behaviours, and engage participants in sharing about creative responses that are being carried out in their jurisdictions as well as conceive and birth other redemptive actions that the youth can take to tackle the challenges facing them.

The gathering presents a valuable opportunity for cross cultural exchange as representatives from North America engage in rich dialogue with their counterparts in Latin America. We have created this blog in order to share our reflections on the subject as well as invite friends and strangers alike in the conversation. Our hope is to move the insights gained from the gathering into our communities and to involve our communities in responding redemptively to the plight of the youth.