Learning and Changing

If I learned anything from my reflections of education and teaching, it is that to be an effective teacher, one must be willing to not only share and give, but also willing to receive and be changed by those around you.  The more I think about it, the more I find that is true in nearly anything we do.  Perhaps that is one of the most rewarding parts of the jobs Drew and I find ourselves in now.  We learn a lot by those around us, the people we work with.

The Bolivian Church can be such a frustrating thing to work with.  They have a crazy hierarchy of apostles and healers, and it seems they enjoy an extremely legalistic point of view that doesn't show love to many people outside of the Church.   Even so, Dew and I have learned so much about our own assumptions about the North American Church through being a part of the Bolivian Church.  I realize the beauty of the image of the body of Christ, because both Churches have a lot to give and receive from each other, it isn't just individuals.  If the global Church actually acted like one body, listening and truly caring about each of its members, it would be quite powerful what would happen.

One reason why I love Peace and Hope so much is that it gives ample opportunity for us to do our jobs, and learn a lot along the way.  Before we begin any work, we do our research, to better understand the situations  we will be dealing with.  When we begin our work, we always coordinate with other team members, or even other organizations.  After we are done, we take time to reflect on what we did, what worked, and what didn't.  In doing this, we hope to work very intentionally seeking to truly serve the needs of the most needy.  It doesn't assume superior knowledge of any of its employees, instead, assumes that we all have room to grow and learn.

Cristina, our psychologist, has really grown and been challenged by her work with Peace and Hope.  Cristina was always a top student, academically.  She is very capable, and quick to learn.  We have been blessed by her presence on our team.  But we noticed that when it came time for her to meet with the women who have suffered from abusive or violent family situations, she seemed to freeze up.  As Cristina began to share more of herself with us, we began to hear the story of her sister who is currently living in an extremely abusive and violent situation.  We approached Cristina about her family situation, asking her if it was affecting her meetings with the women.  She realized that it was.  She saw a little bit of her sister in each of the women she was meeting with.  It had a sort of paralyzing effect on her because she and her family hadn't really dealt with the situation, instead they simply continued to watch it take place in front of them.  They were very hurt by seeing the things happening to their daughter/sister, but didn't know how to respond. (You must realize this is extremely common, because the abuse and violence is SO common, it is culturally accepted for the women to be treated like this.  Even if a police officer is called in, they may or may not do anything)

Last weekend, Cristina called a family meeting to talk about the situation.  She shared with everyone how her sister's situation was affecting her work, and she wanted to be the first to take a step in her family to start working through the situation.  She asked the whole family to talk about their thoughts and feelings (good psychologist, right?) and the way her sister's situation might be affecting all of them.  Then with her sister there, she asked how the family might help.  Her sister decided then to report her husband for the years of abuse and violence and asked for her family's love and support.  This week, they began the process of filing an official report.  Peace and Hope took on the case as one of our own.  It has been a joy to watch Cristina as she walks through this with her sister.  She seems like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.  We are so proud of her, and pray that this family will begin to experience peace and restoration through this horrible situation.