Dear friends, family and web heads, the Reeds continue to get accustomed to a land that presents new challenges almost everyday. Here are some tidbits from our world.
Item: For the last week we have been without much power in the evening, just batteries running dc fans, and candles for light. Our generator seems to be having serious problems; apparently the Liberian climate and what looks to be a mechanical flaw have conspired to take it out of action. Our solar panels and batteries are running smoothly however so we have all we need from about 10:00am to 4:00pm. During that time, we charge batteries, cell phones and computers, compose emails for later sending, write the stuff Renita and I need to write, Hannah and Noah play video games, and ready ourselves for quiet darkness. Three mechanics have looked at the generator since we began experiencing problems a month ago, and although we think we can affect something like repairs, time will tell if it will functioned as designed.
Item: George Weah, the football player who lost the presidential election to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, last week declared himself president of Liberia, and has created all sorts of disruption because of it. The BBC reported that UNMIL uncovered a coup plot being orchestrated by some of Samuel Doe’s old cronies who have aligned themselves to Weah. Doe was the corrupt president who murdered president Tolbert in 1980. After his video taped torture and murder, Doe was replaced by the despot Charles Taylor. We feel safe in the midst of this craziness, and firmly believe with the strong international backing Sirleaf has, she will be inaugurated on January 16. The latest news is Weah denied claiming to be prez and met the other day with Sileaf, hopefully to make peace.
Item: We have an agreement from the orphanage at the beach that it will close and allow us to facilitate the transfer of the thirteen children there to a healthier, safer facility. Thanks to some of you, we will have the funds necessary to make this happen within three weeks. Our task now is to find a safer facility in the area. That is a challenging task. We have look at three in the area so far, and all three are only a little better than the one at the beach. The most promising is just down the road, and has a safe well and sanitation, but is still very poor. Anyway, I told Renita that if even if we left next month, transferring these kids will have justified the trip. We will have more on this transfer, with pictures, over the next few weeks.
Item: Renita roped me into leading workshop last Saturday on our home church’s beliefs and structure to about ten area congregation reps who have requested the teaching. I did not think I was here to do this kind of work, but He with Renita’s help doth work in unpredictable ways. I think it’s ironic that a guy like me, who has gotten in trouble several times for challenging the dumb ideas and assumptions of my denomination, is now about to teach church theology and structure. More evidence of God’s existence, or at least Somebody’s sense of humor.
Here are a few shots to meet your image needs.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Thursday, December 08, 2005
What are We Doing Here-- Part 1
We know we have been giving updates all along on our work, but as time passes, our focus improves and our tasks become clearer. As we meet and listen to people in various organizations, we see better and better where we fit. Renita and I are involved in several activities, some independently and some together, so we thought you might like to see us at work. This peek includes some pictures from work that we each are doing fairly independently of each other: my work at Mother Patern College of Health Science and Renita’s activities with two local elementary schools. Well, they are not exactly pictures of us at work, but these are the schools and some MPCHS images. As time goes by, we’ll get you more shots of us actually doing something. Coming soon: Renita’s work with LEAD, Inc, and Bob’s work on the government Mental Health group.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Sticking, Part II
I have received a few questions regarding my last entry, and I think they are great questions. Mostly, they have to deal with this notion of “The end of the matter” which Solomon referred to when he said “The end of the matter is better than the beginning, and patience is better than pride.” The questions go like this, “When is the end of any matter?” “How will you know when the matter is ended in Liberia?” “Does this mean you will be in West Africa forever?” I’ll venture a response.
When Solomon was referring to “the end of the matter,” I think he was speaking generally, not about any particular matter. Some endeavors, like fixing a flat tire or making a really good pizza (O, pizza!) require patience over a relatively short period, maybe a few hours or less. Other endeavors, like being a good husband or becoming spiritually mature, take a lifetime of patience and we never see the end of the matter while here. In between, there are all kinds of projects, tasks, and endeavors we may take up to advance justice and peace.
Regarding peacebuilding in Liberia, the principles are the same. Smaller projects or efforts, like developing curriculum, training others to be people helpers, creating a business development group, or digging a well, can be measured and the “end of the matter” relatively easily determined— albeit anything can be tweaked forever. This is the work Renita and I, and others like our brother-in-law Brian are engaged in during our time in Liberia. There will come a day when we will see “the end of the matter” as it relates to our efforts. We will know our work is completed when Liberians are using what we have brought in order to empower other Liberians. When that time comes, we will leave, knowing others will continue the work. Other efforts in Liberia, like reconciling conflicting factions, or overcoming the culture of corruption in the government are beyond the Reeds, and Liberians may patiently work for decades before seeing the “end of the matter.”
The peacebuilding work in Liberia, the United States, Canada, or anywhere else continues on and on until that Day when the One Who Brought us returns. In the meantime, we work toward “the end of the matter,” on many tasks, whether or not the task will end in our lifetimes. We do them because they are good to do, we do them because of what doing them does to us. So yes, while the Reeds will see the end of our work in Liberia, the work will not end, either for the Reeds or Liberians.
Hope that helps.
When Solomon was referring to “the end of the matter,” I think he was speaking generally, not about any particular matter. Some endeavors, like fixing a flat tire or making a really good pizza (O, pizza!) require patience over a relatively short period, maybe a few hours or less. Other endeavors, like being a good husband or becoming spiritually mature, take a lifetime of patience and we never see the end of the matter while here. In between, there are all kinds of projects, tasks, and endeavors we may take up to advance justice and peace.
Regarding peacebuilding in Liberia, the principles are the same. Smaller projects or efforts, like developing curriculum, training others to be people helpers, creating a business development group, or digging a well, can be measured and the “end of the matter” relatively easily determined— albeit anything can be tweaked forever. This is the work Renita and I, and others like our brother-in-law Brian are engaged in during our time in Liberia. There will come a day when we will see “the end of the matter” as it relates to our efforts. We will know our work is completed when Liberians are using what we have brought in order to empower other Liberians. When that time comes, we will leave, knowing others will continue the work. Other efforts in Liberia, like reconciling conflicting factions, or overcoming the culture of corruption in the government are beyond the Reeds, and Liberians may patiently work for decades before seeing the “end of the matter.”
The peacebuilding work in Liberia, the United States, Canada, or anywhere else continues on and on until that Day when the One Who Brought us returns. In the meantime, we work toward “the end of the matter,” on many tasks, whether or not the task will end in our lifetimes. We do them because they are good to do, we do them because of what doing them does to us. So yes, while the Reeds will see the end of our work in Liberia, the work will not end, either for the Reeds or Liberians.
Hope that helps.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Sticking
About three thousand years ago, a man purported to be the wisest man who ever lived, a Hebrew king named Solomon wrote this couplet in the Hebrew Scriptures book of Ecclesiastes:
The end of the matter is better than the beginning,
And patience is better than pride.
One of the things my Moody Bible Institute education taught me was that in Hebrew literature, the two lines of a couplet illuminate each other by addressing underlying principles in a parallel way. In this couplet, “The end of the matter” is parallel to “patience,” and “the beginning” of the matter is parallel to “pride.” As I reflect on what is happening here in Liberia, and with so many efforts to help Liberians help themselves, Solomon’s words come back to me over and over.
Everywhere in Liberia, large international NGOs have been initiating great sounding projects to help Liberians. USAID, Medecins Sans Frontieres, World Vision, World Food Programme, Catholic Relief Services, World Health Organization, and so many others are here, and all have started big, top-down interventions. But when these organizations pull out with their funding—and they will-- what will happen to their great programs then? If history is any indicator, the programs and the impact will fade away, and the big NGOs will not look back, because they will be engaged somewhere else. These big organizations are much better at starting projects than finishing them.
I also think of American Christians like myself. We are full of ourselves and our noble projects. We get charged and excited about efforts designed to help others, but when the progress inevitably slows, we become frustrated or simply bored. We like the quick fix, and in our culturally bound pride, we expect things to be fixed quickly. We too often “begin matters” out of an inflated sense of our ability to make an impact, but when the reality of the situation presents itself and progress slows, we find ourselves becoming impatient. We label the project “unfixable,” and allow ourselves to get distracted by the next great project. Reframing a good effort as “unworkable” or “a poor allocation of recourses” allows us to justify abandoning it. That I think is what Solomon was referring to when he said “The end of the matter is better than the beginning,” because finishing a project or a work well requires the virtue of patience. Finishing requires character. Any prideful fool can start something. The patient soul, the wise soul, sticks around to see the finish.
In Liberia, the great work ahead of us is called peacebuilding. Whether we are counseling torture survivors, developing curricula, digging wells, helping young businesses grow, or contributing from afar, we are engaged in peace and justice work. However, the problems here are macro, complex, and interdependent. Those of us who have “begun the matter” in this war weary country must keep in mind the progress will be slow, incremental, and at times almost imperceptibly slow. The words of Solomon are like a drumbeat in my mind, urging me to stay the course.
The end of the matter is better than the beginning,
And patience is better than pride.
With God’s help, pulling together, we may see the “end of the matter” in Liberia.
The end of the matter is better than the beginning,
And patience is better than pride.
One of the things my Moody Bible Institute education taught me was that in Hebrew literature, the two lines of a couplet illuminate each other by addressing underlying principles in a parallel way. In this couplet, “The end of the matter” is parallel to “patience,” and “the beginning” of the matter is parallel to “pride.” As I reflect on what is happening here in Liberia, and with so many efforts to help Liberians help themselves, Solomon’s words come back to me over and over.
Everywhere in Liberia, large international NGOs have been initiating great sounding projects to help Liberians. USAID, Medecins Sans Frontieres, World Vision, World Food Programme, Catholic Relief Services, World Health Organization, and so many others are here, and all have started big, top-down interventions. But when these organizations pull out with their funding—and they will-- what will happen to their great programs then? If history is any indicator, the programs and the impact will fade away, and the big NGOs will not look back, because they will be engaged somewhere else. These big organizations are much better at starting projects than finishing them.
I also think of American Christians like myself. We are full of ourselves and our noble projects. We get charged and excited about efforts designed to help others, but when the progress inevitably slows, we become frustrated or simply bored. We like the quick fix, and in our culturally bound pride, we expect things to be fixed quickly. We too often “begin matters” out of an inflated sense of our ability to make an impact, but when the reality of the situation presents itself and progress slows, we find ourselves becoming impatient. We label the project “unfixable,” and allow ourselves to get distracted by the next great project. Reframing a good effort as “unworkable” or “a poor allocation of recourses” allows us to justify abandoning it. That I think is what Solomon was referring to when he said “The end of the matter is better than the beginning,” because finishing a project or a work well requires the virtue of patience. Finishing requires character. Any prideful fool can start something. The patient soul, the wise soul, sticks around to see the finish.
In Liberia, the great work ahead of us is called peacebuilding. Whether we are counseling torture survivors, developing curricula, digging wells, helping young businesses grow, or contributing from afar, we are engaged in peace and justice work. However, the problems here are macro, complex, and interdependent. Those of us who have “begun the matter” in this war weary country must keep in mind the progress will be slow, incremental, and at times almost imperceptibly slow. The words of Solomon are like a drumbeat in my mind, urging me to stay the course.
The end of the matter is better than the beginning,
And patience is better than pride.
With God’s help, pulling together, we may see the “end of the matter” in Liberia.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Meanwhile, Back at the Homestead
With all the elections hubub, bub, we assure you life continues at home. Included: one of the neighbor girls, 12 year old Victoria, extracts a living bug-creature and its eggs out of Renita's big toe... I discover new ways to do two things at once in the humidity... the kids are piling on... hannah and Noah's class pictures... and so much more.
By the way, the world press has indicated there have been troubles here after the elections. Just like the press to ruin the beautiful by looking for the sensational. The elections were model for the world, and as for demonstrations, I've driven through two of them, and they are an inconvenience to be sure, but UNMIL has the situation fully in control. I believe things are going to get much better around here real soon.
By the way, the world press has indicated there have been troubles here after the elections. Just like the press to ruin the beautiful by looking for the sensational. The elections were model for the world, and as for demonstrations, I've driven through two of them, and they are an inconvenience to be sure, but UNMIL has the situation fully in control. I believe things are going to get much better around here real soon.
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