ABOUT OTHERS, 1 John 3:10, 16-18
The past couple of weeks have seen our immediate surroundings transformed into a picture-perfect landscape. The traditional dreich weather characteristic to this time of the year was exchanged for what is normally associated with more northerly parts of the world. I remember how for the past eleven years we have been in Scotland, every December, the media was trying to predict (read, hoped for) if we were going to have a ‘white Christmas’ or not and the disappointment which came year after year, when the weather refused to conform.
Because of this adversity, which we all had to face, we have also experienced an unprecedented sense of community. 4*4 owners knocking on their neighbors doors asking if they need a lift down to the shops, neighbors clearing each others driveways of snow, giving each others cars a push and phoning regularly to check that all is OK. I reckon that our communities have seen more of each other during this difficult time, than throughout the rest of the year.
Notwithstanding the beauty and sense of togetherness, the frustration this recent snowfall caused drivers, parents, homeowners, and generally those who have to travel in order to get to their work, is felt during casual conversations as well as in the media and on the Internet. Temperatures plunging to -16.5C (in our village) and below, significant amounts of snow to be shoveled away everyday, regular stocking of food and the general sense of uncertainty over plans and the possibility of traveling to and from work are only few of the many challenges this weather front has brought with it.
While this was going on around us, I used the time to flesh out our next summer’s youth mission project. From the possibilities available to us, and at the risk of turning away potential volunteers, I could not dismiss another trip to Romania as the strongest possibility. You see, all the projects we have undertaken previously involved building houses for poverty stricken families. All of them lived in shacks (mud brick houses, with broken and fallen roofs), without double-glazing (or no windows at all), no electricity, no central heating of any sort (some were heating themselves by burning tyres), no running water (let alone hot water), outside long-drop toilets, and most of them were families with at least one child. And if you can remember what it felt like to wake up to -5C during this past week, I wonder if you can imagine what it must be like to face winters when the temperature drops to -30C on a regular basis. Every one of our projects placed poor families with children, in a watertight building with running water, electricity, double-glazing and insulation.
The needs around us are huge in comparison with our capabilities, and yet, I am hoping that we could:
- Spare a thought for those significantly poorer than ourselves, and put some money aside for the upcoming project to alleviate some of these stringent needs;
- Show our gratitude for the greatest mission project ever undertaken by the Son of God, Himself, who left His comfort behind so that He could give us a hope and a future, by volunteering ourselves to share this hope in a tangible way this coming summer;
- Pray that the Lord will use us to help those who constantly have to face the uncertainty of not knowing where their daily bread will come from.
May you be grateful for the small things in life e.g. the running water, the kettle, the supermarkets, the opportunity to work and the (many) clothes available in our wardrobes!
May you show your love in practice, to your nearest neighbors as well as those further away!
May you live to the fullest, what it means to be a child of God and love your brother and sister (near and far) as much as He loved you!
Love,
M
