Processing Paris, Refugees, Fear, Neighbors, Terrorism and Tired Huddled Masses

When scary, horrible things happen, everything in us wants to react in some way. We feel out of control. We don't understand why. And it is a horrible feeling, so we as humans have a tendency to make hasty conclusions and decisions in our attempt to avoid feeling the pain of reality. Unfortunately, those judgments and decisions are not always in our or anyone’s best interests. I dusted off this dormant blog and offer these reflections as part of my own processing in hopes that they might help others process these recent events as well.

Along with most of my countrymen and women and many people in other nations, I am still reeling in shock about the killings in Paris. Yes, I am well aware of the horrendous bombing in Lebanon - I was saddened about that. The mosque bombings in Iraq, the ongoing Boko Haram violence in Nigeria, oh, and the many others that don't even make the first row of headlines on my news app. So first, I want to address this meme I am seeing as people process and jump to conclusions. I will be honest, even though I am a global citizen, have lived over 10 years outside the USA, and have friends in over 40 countries, yes, the Paris killings hit me emotionally more than some of the other recent tragedies. I expect that's true for many (certainly not all) of my countrymen and women. Does that make us shallow? Perhaps. Ethnocentric? Welcome to the human race.

My brother lost two sons in a car accident 9 years ago yesterday. The grief was horrible. I still nine years later feel grief and emotion about that loss. I do not have the same level of emotional grief about other young men lost in hundreds of car accidents across the globe since that time, but I still grieve my nephews. Does that make me hypocritical? Insensitive? Do I not value all life? There is a difference in the intrinsic value of life that all have as children of God and the relational value someone has to me because of our closeness. Grieving more for my nephews does not imply that I think other life does not have equal value, but just that I am more impacted by their loss.

I think the same is going on with Paris for many (not all) in the USA. Many of us have been there. France is our nation’s oldest ally. To many (not all) of us, Paris itself represents love and romance, beauty and western culture. So the image of shooters killing young people in cafes in Paris not surprisingly will have a greater emotional impact on many (not all) than a similar event happening elsewhere. That says nothing about the intrinsic value of life or the intrinsic level of evil – it simply says the connection is stronger for many of us, thus the impact feels greater. I would anticipate most Kenyans grieved much more intensely and had much more news coverage over the horrible massacre at Garissa University than they did over the bombing in Bangkok.

So my suggestion – let people grieve and process as they need. There is ample time later for us to discuss the global challenges and, yes, our media’s tendency to imply varying degrees of value to life based on country of origin or ethnicity. For now, let’s stand with people in their grief – not scold them for grieving incorrectly.

Now to fear – yes, this is scary stuff. But even if an attack like this happened weekly in our country, it would still not match the number of deaths to car accidents. Yet we all still drive and don’t write excoriating posts about the stupidity of getting behind the wheel of our cars. I’m not proposing we don’t try to prevent attacks. I’m just saying we don’t always apply cold logic to risk, but respond more in fear and emotion. People often ask about risk to our missionaries and I remind that the number one cause of death among missionaries is car accidents! But we still allow them to ride in cars.

I have seen several governors, including my own in Georgia, stating that they do not want any Syrian refugees in their states. Oh, my Facebook wall is full of posts praising these bold actions as well as snarky posts saying it is stupid. Yes, the fear is real. Yes, one of the terrorists in Paris did come with refugees. So I understand the reaction and the sentiment and will not call any one coming to that conclusion stupid and will avoid snarky reactions.

That said, I ask you to consider that these refugees are fleeing from the same systems that produced the violence in Paris, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, and other places. They didn’t leave by choice. Should tens of thousands of refugees be punished because of the actions of a handful? Are the famous words on the Statue of Liberty now to be amended so that “huddled masses” are no longer welcome because they might have a bad guy among them? Perhaps we should take a big, deep collective breath and consider how we can reduce the risk of the bad guys while at the same time offering hospitality to the thousands who are dispossessed and have lost everything. If we meet them with hostility, all we do is give breeding ground for more marginalization and despair, which is fodder for the bad guys. Further, we might lose our own soul in the process. If, like me, you are a follower of Christ, then our marching orders on such matters are pretty explicit – welcome the stranger and protect the alien. Hard to get around that one!

Finally, another area of fear. Muslims in general. I’ll try to keep this brief although I could write pages about this, but there are articles that do better if people will simply take the time to read them. There are bad Muslims and they do use elements of the Islamic religion to justify horrendous actions. No question. And they are very scary. But they are a very, very small minority of the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide. All the main streams of Islam and their scholars have denounced ISIS and Al-Qaida. All. They just don’t get much press since it doesn’t fit with the oversimplified narrative. There are many, many, many more Muslims dying at the hands of the extremists than Christians or westerners.

We lived in a predominantly Muslim country for ten years. We were embraced, offered hospitality and friendship. This is a very common experience for foreigners among Muslims except in those few places where extremists hold sway. It saddens me to know that Muslims who have suffered often at the hands of other Muslims, lost everything, spent years in refugee camps, and finally realize a dream of a new life in the USA are met with hostility and suspicion. And the irony is that it is hostility and suspicion that can lead to marginalization and vulnerability to becoming radicalized. That’s what the Paris attack planners hoped to create – more recruits.

This is not naivety – I know there are bad extremists who want to send people to kill. And they will do that until they are defeated. But I firmly believe they will be defeated much quicker if we can build bridges to the many millions of Muslims who just want to raise their families and live a peaceful life. If we think bombs are the solution, I’m afraid we are misguided – every bomb creates space for more extremists. The battle has to be fought equally fervently for the hearts and minds of these populations – and we have allies here among our Muslim countrymen and women if we will but reach out and build relationships.

Jesus said that perfect love casts out fear. And we know we are commanded to love everyone – neighbor and enemy. So if we are fearing our Muslim neighbors, that means we are not loving them and are thus disobeying another pretty direct command of our Lord.

Lots of stuff here – I don’t purport to have all the answers nor could I put it all down in two pages if I did. Only politicians can do that! But I do invite all to process thoughtfully, prayerfully, and reflectively. For believers in Jesus, what do His words and actions tell us? What do other words from the Bible speak in this context? Maybe invite a Muslim neighbor or coworker for coffee and listen to his or her story, what are his fears, what are her aspirations? You might find this exercise will help you process Paris, refugees. It might lessen your fear and help restore hope in humanity. And you might even discover a friend.

Final Reflections on Three Visits in Africa

Made it back home from the whirlwind trip to three African countries (and I managed to squeeze a day in France and a day in Uganda while at it). There were many observable differences in the three places I visited - South Africa (East Cape), South Sudan (Yei), and Tanzania (Morogoro). The people are visibly different in each location. Of course even though my eyes are getting better at seeing the distinctions, I still enjoy hearing the observations from various Africans that we white folk all look alike. It always makes me feel better to hear someone make that comment since, like many people, it takes me quite a while to get used to what are the distinguishing features between people of a given ethnic group if I haven't been around it much!

Each of these countries is dealing with different challenges. South Africa still dealing with the disparity that is an ongoing legacy of the Apartheid system, trying to deal with the disparity but not follow the path of neighboring Zimbabwe with has pretty much destroyed its economy. South Sudan is dealing with the aftermath of years of civil war. The country is only two years old and has minimal infrastructure or experience in government. There were no paved roads in Yei and most people do not have running water or electricity. Tanzania has been more successful than most African countries at forging a national identity and has been an example of peaceful relationships between their almost equal percentages of Muslim and Christian populations. Yet they deal with poverty and, unfortunately, are also dealing with outside forces that are working to foment militant Islam.

In each of these very different contexts it was good to see that the church in its various forms is working to address the challenges, both the church from within the country as well as the church from outside. It was clear to me once again how important it is that those of us from the outside LISTEN and find appropriate ways to be in solidarity to those trying to make a difference from within. We have to make sure our help is really help. We have to understand the legacies of these different histories, all of which have the common experience of colonialism as a backdrop. Yet I met so many people in all three countries from the inside and from the outside who are committed to doing the hard work of navigating these challenges. So I come home encouraged!

That will conclude my blog entries for this trip. I may do this again sometime as well as write the occasional blog entry in between, but I know better than to pretend that I will be a regular blogger. But it is always a helpful thing to reflect on experience and, for us extroverts, it helps us do it if we think there might be someone listening! So thanks for that.

Attitude Makes All the Difference

I am now in Tanzania in the city of Morogoro where we have worked for nearly 15 years with the local mission diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. The bishop is a wonderful Masai man who I met on my first visit here nearly seven years ago. This is considered a mission diocese due to the area being a largely unchurched region of Tanzania with several people groups that have limited exposure to the Gospel.

Today I met with the bishop to greet him and thank him for our many years of working together. A couple who has been here for several years recently returned to the USA, completing their time of service here. And a young woman who has served for four years is transitioning to work with a different ministry here. So I wanted to celebrate our years of working together and explore ways we can continue in relationship even if we don’t have additional personnel here.

He said many nice things about the people we have sent who he has worked with over these years. He said they were not like many foreigners, but that they cooperated well with him and did not cause troubles. It made me thankful not only for the caliber of folks God sends our way to serve, but also for the training we provide to help them serve with the right posture and attitude.

One thing that can get many well-meaning people in trouble when they go to help cross-culturally is that they start with answers before finding out what the questions are. Or they are quick to draw conclusions about observations before they have taken the time to understand the culture. The training our folks get encourages them to enter as learners and gives them the tools to discern the culture where they are. It was great to see our missionary Kristen just chatting away with the bishop in Swahili prior to our meeting. She took the time to do the hard work of language learning so that she could serve more effectively with better understanding. 

When I hear comments like today from the bishop, after fifteen years of working together, I am very thankful for the training I had and that all of our missionaries get prior to moving to serve cross-culturally!

White guy, Give Me One Pound

"Kawaja. Give me one pound."  This I have learned is a common greeting when a local child here in South Sudan greets a white person. In fact, today I heard it from a young man. Kawaja is the word for "white guy." Nothing surprising there - every African country I've visited has its word of choice that is used for white folks. In many places it is screamed out by children when they see you. I've finally gotten used to that. But the second part is telling - "Give me one pound." (Pound is their unit of currency).

Evidently this has become so much connected that it is almost a form of greeting - something you say when meeting a stranger that without giving much thought to its meaning. As ordinary as "how are you?" In fact, our missionary here said that he has asked children in the local language if they know what "Give me one pound" means, and they actually do not. They have just learned it is what you say when greeting a white person.

While at face value this is kind of cute, it suggests an assumption that the relationship between the western foreigner and the local person begins with money or at least something that can be given. Some of this could stem from the fact that much of the population here has spent time in refugee camps during the civil war, where they were dependent upon things being given or provided by outsiders. This has certainly been fanned by many NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) who do humanitarian work here. And even short term church teams are often known by the fact that they give out stuff.

In our efforts to help people, we need to give careful thought to how our "charity" is received and what it communicates. Does it say simply that we have stuff and are willing to part with a little of it, but that pretty much defines our relationship? Is it possible that charity done even with a good motive but in certain ways can inhibit relationship? How might we relate to people so we are first seen as a friend and fellow human rather than a source of stuff? And what must our attitude toward others first be for this to happen?

Some things to think about!

South Sudan - Signs of Hope

I arrived yesterday in South Sudan after an overnight in Entebbe, Uganda and then a flight on a small prop plane here to Yei. First time I've come across an international border to a dirt airstrip with a small, one-room building as "passport control" where they handwrote my visa and sent me on my way.   

This has only been an independent nation for just over two years and that was only accomplished after decades of civil war and pretty brutal oppression of the people of the South. Many of the population of this city spent years in refugee camps across the nearby borders of Congo and Uganda or took shelter in the forests away from their homes. So infrastructure is pretty much having to be recreated from scratch.

Today I got to meet a young man named Justice (appropriate, given the history). He directs a small children's home that provides a home for 18 "double orphans" (meaning both parents are deceased and no relatives available to take them). He proudly showed me around the facility with the various innovations they have, including solar power to batteries since there is no access to central electricity, a cooking stove that uses firewood with high efficiency, drying rack and washing stations that reduce the likelihood of disease, and beds for the children each equipped with nets. He is studying business administration on line. I also found out that he works with our missionary doctors here as they do public health training, especially focusing on husband responsibility in helping reduce the high rate of infant mortality and maternal death during childbirth. He has a strong faith and also hopes to study theology so he can strengthen the church.

It is a hard place and there are many years of hard work that will be required for this new nation to get on its feet. But with folks like Justice, one sees that the seeds are already here.

Thoughts on Apartheid and Change

I can't help but think about the Apartheid system as I am in South Africa. As a college student, I was part of a student group called "Students United Against Apartheid." That was the cause for many internationally-minded young folks of my era. So I had read a lot about it, had written a couple papers on it, and continued to follow developments in South Africa through the next decade until the system was given a much-needed burial. So it is interesting being here nearly 20 years after its end and learning a bit about the aftermath.

Unfortunately, as with any injustice or conflict, the legacy of it extends far into the future. Certainly we in the USA understand that, as do most cultures of the world. Yesterday I had the chance to ask a older gentleman named Tony about his experience. He is Coloured. (Lest anyone think I've lapsed into racist language, that is a formal, acceptable designation for people of mixed race. Fortunately it no longer has legal ramifications as it did in the past, although with some aggressive affirmative action policies in place, categorizing still makes a difference here). His experience has been interesting. Under Apartheid, Coloureds did not receive as harsh treatment and restrictions as Blacks. In fact, when I asked him how most Coloureds felt about the closing of Apartheid, he said it was about 50-50. Many were nervous about what their status would be under Black leadership. Would they find themselves again outside of the "favored race?"

He is very matter-of-fact about the situation. There still are enormous disparities in the country. As the post-Apartheid generation moves into adulthood, it will be interesting to see how much the economic disparities remain connected to race. I also can't help but have a deep appreciation for the first non-White president, Nelson Mandella. When I think of the disparity and injustice, he very easily could have ridden a wave of popularity and anger and done to South Africa what has been done in Zimbabwe. But he came in with reconciliation as his platform, and while there are still huge challenges, thankfully there wasn't the level of violence that was certainly possible.

Anyhow, nothing earth-shattering, but just an interesting place to be since this place and the issues here gripped so much of my attention as a student 30+ years ago.  

When Passion and Vision Connect

Today we visited some ministry partners of the Stotlers (our missionary family) who serve in Bizana. It is a good-sized city in East Cape province. Tembe and Lucky are their names and they have a ministry and church called Arise and Shine. These are the sorts of people that just exude passion for God and for ministry. As I listened to them share their vision, it was as if they had just been reviewing the latest writing on ministry approaches, good church planting ideas, missiology, medical missions, etc. They have a church that is made up of tin sheeting with tent material on the inside. It can fit about 700 or so chairs and they said it is full every Sunday. They also operate a school. They are developing a microcredit system (something Elliott Stotler is helping with). And they want to open a medical clinic. When they see needs, they think of creative ways to address them.

Lucky talked about how each time they start something, they start small. "If you are trustworthy in the small things, the Lord will bless. So we start small." They seem to be completely outwardly focused as a church - a refreshing thing to see since churches in so much of the world tend to be inwardly focused. They involve the whole church in the ministry rather than having a pastor-focused ministry, again running counter to what is common especially in the African church. They really have a heart to see transformation in their community and beyond - even using English in their service in addition to Xhosa as a way to be open to the many foreigners who live in Bizana (Nigerians, Chinese, Pakistanis, etc). 

This is probably my favorite part of my job. It isn't the sights, the food, or even the cultures as much as it is seeing how God has placed key people all over the world. People who have true vision and passion, who have anointing, who aren't waiting for someone else, and with whom it is truly a privilege to work.