Thursday 14 February 2013

Day Three




"Us Revolutionaries are giving our lives for our country.  What are you Christians doing for Nicaragua?" This challenge during the war in the 1980's spawned the birth of what is now known as Christian  Medical Actions (Accion Medica Christiana) or AMC. Much of our day was spent learning about the work of this organization and the deep compassion and concern they carry for the welfare of Nicaragua.  

We are  learning about the complexity of life in Nicaragua.  Injustice, poverty, the threat of natural disasters, and longstanding polarization characterize life.To speak or even imagine restorative justice without addressing social injustices is impossible. It isn't difficult to get a pretty gloomy and pessimistic picture however the human spirit, especially when inspired by faith in Christ, rises to face these challenges in the belief that new life is possible.

We were reminded that as believers we have a common language and a common purpose.  One of the pictures with the blog is of the hands of all of us gathered this morning.  These are the hands of Christ, desiring to embrace his vision for Shalom for all, even Nicaraguans!  The concept of Shalom was spoken to several times.  Interestingly, one of the presenters actually visited Bowden Institution several years ago.  She said it seemed more like a hotel that the prisons she was accustomed to.

Connections were made between Nicaragua and the US and Canada with regard to social justice issues.  For example, how would organized crime in Central America be impacted if the demand for illegal drugs from North America and Europe wasn't there?  What is the church doing in Canada to address this problem?  How are we strengthening families so young people are less likely to engage in drug use.
This stuff gets hard sometimes!

A late afternoon encounter with a local gentleman as we were waiting to go for pizza at a lovely outdoor restaurant restored a bit of perspective as he was positive about life and grateful for our chance visit.

As we gathered for our evening meal, the date was not forgotten.  Happy Valentines Day!!!!

1 comment:

  1. Dear travellers,

    Thanks for another compelling blog post! The work of MCC partners around the world is really inspiring, and I'm glad you all have a chance to visit some of them, and reflect back to us what you have seen and heard. Makes me miss the good folks we met in Guatemala and El Salvador, who work with such tireless passion, purpose, integrity and vision, to make their communities safer and to heal the many wounds and years of violence and trauma.

    How's the humidity? Hope you are all well, healthy and energized by your days there!

    Kim

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