Somehow I missed the memo and was not one of the students who learned how to crochet and knit during my college days (which was quite popular at my school). My friends would pull out their hook and yarn while we were watching a movie, chatting or when their brains needed a break from the books.
Well, now I'm heading to Cambodia in August to the village I visited in February. I am joining a team to help out with VBS there and in a neighboring village. Each year the boys learn a woodworking project and the girls learn a sewing project. This year, the leaders decided to teach the girls how to crochet a dishcloth. In order to teach the girls, it would be advantageous for me to learn to crochet.
I got several books from the library, some yarn and a hook and have been trying to teach myself how to crochet. One of the reasons I never picked up the art in college is that these kinds of things don't come naturally to me. But, I think I got the hang of the basic slip knot and chain stitch so I thought I was off to a good start.
But for some reason I have been lacking the motivation to keep going and learn the next step. Am I just lazy? Maybe. But I have been wrestling with this whole idea of teaching the girls to crochet. Perhaps it is a valid skill and could help them make money (by selling the items), or get a job more easily, or just furnish items they need in their homes. Okay, that works. But we are bringing in the yarn and hooks. So where are they going to get supplies once the ones we are bringing run out? Is yarn readily available in the village area, or would someone need to bring them supplies from the "outside", from Phnom Pehn or Bangkok or even the US? Is this a skill that can be reproduced: can they teach others and continue to develop their skills? Who will refresh their memories of the different stitches if they forget? Does this make them dependent on outsiders? Do they really want to learn this skill or are we deciding what is best for them?
Maybe I am over-analyzing this whole thing. Maybe I just need to buckle down and be diligent and learn how to do the single crochet. Or, do I need to mention something to the leaders of the VBS or the missionary there? Is there always going to be this tension when working with those in another culture (um, yes, I think so)?
Any thoughts?
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Out for Tea
Sometimes it is nice to have a break from the craziness of life to laugh and be a kid again. This week the ladies from the office went to a tea room in Plano to celebrate a couple of birthdays. We were about the only ones in the place, and they had some fun hats and accessories for when they host little girl teas. We decided to each try on a hat, and wore them through lunch. It was a blessing to share this time with the ladies and to "pretend" we were living in another era as we dressed up. Above are a few pictures from our time at the tea room.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Restoring Relationships
I have been reading an interesting book in preparation for my trip to Cambodia called When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. I know poverty exists. I have seen it in the US and in just about every country I have visited. So far I have been of the school of meeting the physical needs as well as the spiritual needs. Someone won't listen to the hope of Jesus if they haven't had a decent meal in days, but if we feed them and don't tell them about Christ, what good are we doing? Corbett & Fikkert offered some very interesting insights and questions in dealing with this issue.
Here's how they define poverty:
Poverty is the result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable. Poverty is the absence of shalom in all its meaning.
This makes a lot of sense if you think about it. We are all broken by the effects of the fall and our own sinful nature, out of relationship with God except through Jesus' saving grace. Because of this, we deal with breaks in relationships with each other. We lack the confidence or the dedication to continue on in the face of difficulty. The world is broken too. All of these factors contribute to the poverty in the world.
There's more to poverty than a lack of resources, but that is a very real aspect of it. It goes back to the brokenness of the relationships. A husband and wife encounter issues, and without the strength and wisdom of knowing Christ, the husband leaves. The wife is left to care for the children on her own and lacking the skills and confidence to find a good job, she struggles to provide adequately for her family.
As believers, how do we respond to issues of poverty? We often rush in, providing whatever needs are on the surface, and not taking the time to learn about the community and individuals. We provide relief to "stop the bleeding" when that might not be the appropriate response. There are definitely times when it is, such as immediately after a natural disaster or catastrophe. But once that short time of relief is over, the focus should be on rehabilitation and development of skills and discipleship so the people in poverty can move forward and be able to grow and go out on their own. The authors emphasized that people should get to the place where they are bringing glory to God and enjoying Him, through their work and life. It is about bringing restoration to people and bringing them back into right relationships through God's power (and not ours!).
Poverty is a very real issue and one that we as the church have often ignored or not responded to properly. I think we need to really think through how we are encouraging those currently in poverty, not in a paternalistic way, but showing the amazing love of our Heavenly Father who is already at work.
Here's how they define poverty:
Poverty is the result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable. Poverty is the absence of shalom in all its meaning.
This makes a lot of sense if you think about it. We are all broken by the effects of the fall and our own sinful nature, out of relationship with God except through Jesus' saving grace. Because of this, we deal with breaks in relationships with each other. We lack the confidence or the dedication to continue on in the face of difficulty. The world is broken too. All of these factors contribute to the poverty in the world.
There's more to poverty than a lack of resources, but that is a very real aspect of it. It goes back to the brokenness of the relationships. A husband and wife encounter issues, and without the strength and wisdom of knowing Christ, the husband leaves. The wife is left to care for the children on her own and lacking the skills and confidence to find a good job, she struggles to provide adequately for her family.
As believers, how do we respond to issues of poverty? We often rush in, providing whatever needs are on the surface, and not taking the time to learn about the community and individuals. We provide relief to "stop the bleeding" when that might not be the appropriate response. There are definitely times when it is, such as immediately after a natural disaster or catastrophe. But once that short time of relief is over, the focus should be on rehabilitation and development of skills and discipleship so the people in poverty can move forward and be able to grow and go out on their own. The authors emphasized that people should get to the place where they are bringing glory to God and enjoying Him, through their work and life. It is about bringing restoration to people and bringing them back into right relationships through God's power (and not ours!).
Poverty is a very real issue and one that we as the church have often ignored or not responded to properly. I think we need to really think through how we are encouraging those currently in poverty, not in a paternalistic way, but showing the amazing love of our Heavenly Father who is already at work.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
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