Friends and Family,
I hope and trust this letter finds you abiding in the grace and unfailing mercy of our King, Jesus.
This has been a crazy year already…
As you may already know, in January we were in El Salvador for the WMF Directors Forum. Following those meetings I was the featured speaker for “Impact Your World Week” at Anderson University in Indiana. We were encouraged by the student response and have continued to hear of on-going transformation taking place in the lives of many who were there.
February was supposed to be an “off month” for us, but I received a fax from the U.S. State Department inviting me to a conference in Washington, DC. The conference was titled, “Path-Breaking Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex-Trafficking.” It was fantastic. There were 300 delegates from nearly 150 nations, participants included international members of congress, senators, and members of parliaments; the Chief of Police from Delhi was there as well as a former Indian Supreme Court Justice; the General in charge of the police force in Lebanon; scores of activists and practioners from all over the world.
During the week there were 20 workshops that focused on issues of advocacy, legislation, care and after-care, as well as prevention, prosecution, and protection. I was able to make a number of international contacts that I feel will be strong allies of WMF in the fight to stop the sex-trafficking of persons and could offer us very meaningful direction as we encounter this in the communities we minister.
I am hopeful for what can emerge from this conference.
Shortly after my time in DC, Phileena and I found ourselves packing our backpacks again for a trip to Havana, Cuba. On March 2nd Phileena and I met up with S (WMF staff member focusing on starting work in Cuba) at the Miami airport. From there we spent the night at the home of a Cuban-American family that supports S. Monday morning, after offering plenty of good advice and a good background of the socio-economic situation in Cuba, the family dropped us off at the airport and our adventure began.
Upon arrival in Havana, the Caribbean heat was a sharp contrast to the cold and snow that Omaha has recently offered us. From the airport we headed to the Methodist Bishops church. Almost immediately upon arriving in the city we were confronted with the kind of repression Cubans face. In front of the church stood an armed policeman monitoring the activities of the church. Throughout our time there was always 24-hour police surveillance of the church.
The Protection Project out of Johns Hopkins University notes that prostitution is legal in Cuba and sex-tourism and the trafficking of children into the commercial sex industry is a growing problem. In Old Havana we saw some disturbing instances of prostitution, sex-tourism, and some boarder-line pedophilia.
Our time in Cuba was encouraging, we're not sure if/when WMF will be able to establish an on-going presence there, but as we've reflected on our time a few things have been clarified. Among them:
– S's call and God's leading for the WMF community to try and be a presence on the island was confirmed in all our hearts. Not only that, but S felt a strong sense of purpose for being there.
– The questions concerning timing, the possible role(s) of WMF, strategies and approaches will need to be continually raised and evaluated in context-especially with the local churches.
– The need to remain in a posture of learning is a must. It will be extremely difficult to secure visas and permission to minister in Cuba, but we believe the process in finding a way to make these things happen will be formative for how things can happen.
– Our assumptions about poverty in Cuba were challenged at every turn. Our assumptions about the repressive government of Cuba were also challenged. As we evaluate and re-evaluate our assumptions we hope that the conclusions we arrive at will give clarity for purpose and direction in ministry.
– Beggars, prostitution, and needs of the elderly are already areas that we can see WMF plugging into, but we hope that throughout this year of continued assessment we can see what other needs among the poor WMF can offer ourselves to.
– We're praying that there would be at least one more person who could join S in focusing his/her/their attentions on helping WMF serve among the poor in Cuba.
Reflecting on Cuba reminds me of a story that I'd like to share with you.
He was a dignified older black man. Dressed very nicely in a short-sleeved red shirt, a stylish straw hat, pleated pants, and black and white wingtips. Deep wrinkles carved into his worn face from doubtless hard years. I was sitting at a sidewalk café in Havana, Cuba enjoying a cup of stiff espresso when he nearly walked right up to my table. But he didn't come to my table, rather he stopped at a large, industrial garbage container and opened the lid. My first reaction was disgust, I was sitting down wind and the cool breeze was blowing the rotten smell of trash into my face. The smell ruined the moment, but it was about to get worse. The older man like most Cubans was probably highly educated but what he did next shocked me. He began digging through the trash. First he pulled out plastic and glass bottles to recycle. Then he started pulling out bits of wasted food from the café at which I sat. I tried not to stare as I'm sure he was humiliated. But I did see him set aside a piece of old dry bread and then what looked to be a soggy, half-eaten hamburger bun. Sadly, that's what it means to be hungry. He put the bottles and the bits of food in an old shoulder bag, closed the lid to the container, and as he walked away looked me in the eyes and with his head held high nodded at me. I'll never forget the look in his sad eyes. Men like him as well as women and children all around the world live off of what we waste. God have mercy on us.
We returned from Cuba on Sunday, March 9 and tomorrow, March 13, we leave for 2 weeks in Peru and Bolivia. Lots of great things are happening with our WMF communities in both of these nations and we're hopeful that our trip will be fruitful and inspiring. We return from South American on March 28 only to host our spring Board Meetings here in Omaha from April 3-6. You'll probably not get this letter until our South America trip and Board Meetings are over, but we do ask for your continued prayers and thank you for being such an important part of our life and ministry.
We always love hearing from you, so please write if/when you get a chance.
Take it slow, keep it simple, and bless God.
Peace,
Chris and Phileena