There has been a recent rash of criticism in the news towards Scotland for their release of terrorist al Megrahi. This terrorist was responsible for killing 270 people in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. He was holding a lifetime prison sentence for this attrocious act of murder, but was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. He has a very short time to live.
Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, has stated that the justice system demands that judgement be imposed, but compassion be available and that mercy be shown.
The US has voiced in with this comment by FBI Director Robert Mueller who headed the investigation and indictment of Megrahi as an assistant attorney general in 1991. He comments, "You apparently made this decision without regard to the views of your partners in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the Lockerbie tragedy. ... You have given the family members of those who died continued grief and frustration. ... Where, I ask, is the justice?".
I believe that act of terrorism - any act of terrorism - should be roundly, justly, decisively and quickly dealt with. I condemn any act of terrorism. Having said that, I believe that mercy can and should be a part of our own actions towards one another. Christ teaches forgiveness and as a model forgives the very ones who put him on the cross to die.
I am in agreement with Scotland on this one. Letting Megrahi return home for his last days is an act of compassion and humanity. However, I do believe the fanfare reception he received was almost as deplorable as the original act of terrorism. Letting Megrahi return quietly, without fanfare or attention, to spend his last days with his family would be an act of compassion. Celebrating his release in a way that looks like he is being rewarded is wrong, and a mockery of the families who lost loved ones in the bombing.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
They Had Other Plans
I don’t believe there are many in this world who start out their lives with a destination of poverty, abuse, homelessness, a life of crime, or addiction in mind. In fact when you ask the question of any child, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’? You receive an answer like: I want to be a fireman when I grow up. I want to be a football star. I want to be a ballerina… or as they get a bit older: I want to be a journalist, or a talk show host, or a movie star, or a pastor. I want to fly airplanes when I get older, be an astronaut or I want to be a stay at home mom and have three children when I grow up.
These are the answers we come to expect from the children in our lives and wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were as simple as this? Wouldn’t it be great if the plans we have when we are young would come about just like we dream? Yet, that’s not the way it happens, is it? Our plans don’t always take shape the way we want. Sometimes we make wrong choices with devastating affects that ruin our marriages, leave us addicted to drugs, out on the streets or even in prison. Sometimes the economy dictates what happens to our jobs – and we are left without employment. Sometimes we suffer abuse at the hands of others.
Many of us have our own stories of plans gone awry and many of us know someone whose life did not turn out as intended.
On June 20th five from our church had an opportunity to meet and talk with folks whose lives haven’t worked out as they had planned. We joined with twelve other missionaries in Fairbanks, Alaska for a week long missions trip where we heard first hand stories of lives that didn’t turn out. These stories were both heart-touching and eye-opening.
As we readied ourselves months in advance for this trip, verses from Peter came to mind for me. He wrote,
"Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
We readied our minds (and our hearts!) for action through much prayer in the months before we left, but we didn’t leave it at that – we followed our prayer with action of the body through fund raising, getting packed and then going – leaving our families and loved ones behind. We were called into action to help bring about the hope of God through Christ.
Peter talks about hope in Christ. It is a hope that is grounded in God’s holiness. Truth be told, I thought that when I was going to Alaska I would be sharing the good news of this hope with those whom I worked with and served, yet more often than not the very people who were homeless, hungry, in need of help around the home or needing a home built – had more of Christ in them than I anticipated.
Each night, as our mission team would gather for our evening worship, we talked about the ways we saw the presence of God in our day. Time and time again someone from the mission team would comment that they had expected to see angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
One of our team members who worked at the Rescue Missions Center said this of the people, “The homeless people at the shelter are happy. They are willing to help people where ever they can. They treat each other like a family. They hold the door for each other. They trust that when they come in they will be cared for.”
I spent most of my time on two main construction projects during the week, but on Thursday I took some time go to the Rescue Missions Center to meet some of the people I had heard so much about.
This homeless shelter is actually one of the best built homeless shelters in the United States. It even has its own room or kitchen for a butcher who comes in each day to prepare fresh meat. They have a separate computer lab for the homeless residents to learn computer skills. They have separate dining rooms for men and women – to keep them apart while eating.
These people were those who we might expect to see as angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
I met and talked with Manuela who is one of the lead workers at the Missions Center. She has very, very little and I believe she walks to work every day. Yet she is always happy, always smiling, and always appreciative. She blesses the people as they come in with a smile and encouraging word. She believes with all her heart that she is doing God’s work and she is so proud to be there.
I ate lunch with Tom who came to the Missions Center months ago with frostbite. For the first couple of months he was unable to do anything. Now he helps direct the kitchen telling people how to prepare the food. He spent years as a chef and cook, so he comes with a lot of experience. He shared his story of alcoholism and bad women with me. He fell off the wagon not too long ago, but is once again sober. Now he works at the Center and takes classes at the local school to better himself.
I met Lorenzo who is an engineer – currently in between engineering jobs – who helps out in the kitchen and is a musician as well. He was so excited about his music that he was going to burn a CD and give it to some of our team so they could play it.
One of the other projects I worked on was a Retreat Center that was being built on the side of a mountain by Chief Will Mayo and his wife Yvonne. I was at this site in 2004 when the project first started. Mayo, at one time the chief of forty-two Alaskan Indian tribes, has worked with the Alaskan governor’s cabinet – not Palin, but the governor before her as well as the White House on national level Native American issues.
One of the nights we had a big bon fire at the building site and he told us of his own personal story – when he was younger he suffered from addictions to drugs and alcohol. He suffered abuse, beatings and even torture. He also told us the story of the Athabaskan Indians of Alaska – who were abused, killed, villages wiped out when the white man began to settle into the country. He told us how children were separated from their families and shipped to far away states and cities – Chicago, California – as a way of defeating and debilitating the tribes.
The retreat center he is building is a place where not only Native Americans (or First Nation Indians) can come for healing and worship and retreat, but others as well. The main cabin was completed and now work on 12 smaller cabins has begun.
In addition to this, we worked on the home of Josh Kugler – a home that has not been lived in for 2 years due to mold and foundational problems. Josh and his family of five have been renting an apartment and paying mortgage as well. Josh also lost his job due to the economy about 8-months ago.
We worked on the lawn and garden of Ruth Vey – an elderly, very spiritual woman. We worked on the home of Jean – an elderly woman who suffers from back problems.
Our mission was to work for, to serve, to help and to build connections with as many people as we could – within the confines of our resources. And we did this. However, the most important thing of all was the relationships we would build with these people. Many of the missionaries that I talked to – from my church and the others – said they thought they would be doing more physical labor than they actually did. They thought they would work harder – but I reminded them that the most important thing they were doing was building relationships.
Our team was blessed to go on this trip and I can say without a doubt that it has changed our lives. One of our missionary ladies said, ‘this trip has changed my heart and very soul for the rest of my life’. Another said, ‘joining the church was my first step toward becoming who I want to be. Going on this mission trip was the second step.’
May God bless you and call you to missions work - one week a year (or every other year) isn't too much to ask, is it?
Until next time,
Patrick
These are the answers we come to expect from the children in our lives and wouldn’t it be wonderful if it were as simple as this? Wouldn’t it be great if the plans we have when we are young would come about just like we dream? Yet, that’s not the way it happens, is it? Our plans don’t always take shape the way we want. Sometimes we make wrong choices with devastating affects that ruin our marriages, leave us addicted to drugs, out on the streets or even in prison. Sometimes the economy dictates what happens to our jobs – and we are left without employment. Sometimes we suffer abuse at the hands of others.
Many of us have our own stories of plans gone awry and many of us know someone whose life did not turn out as intended.
On June 20th five from our church had an opportunity to meet and talk with folks whose lives haven’t worked out as they had planned. We joined with twelve other missionaries in Fairbanks, Alaska for a week long missions trip where we heard first hand stories of lives that didn’t turn out. These stories were both heart-touching and eye-opening.
As we readied ourselves months in advance for this trip, verses from Peter came to mind for me. He wrote,
"Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
We readied our minds (and our hearts!) for action through much prayer in the months before we left, but we didn’t leave it at that – we followed our prayer with action of the body through fund raising, getting packed and then going – leaving our families and loved ones behind. We were called into action to help bring about the hope of God through Christ.
Peter talks about hope in Christ. It is a hope that is grounded in God’s holiness. Truth be told, I thought that when I was going to Alaska I would be sharing the good news of this hope with those whom I worked with and served, yet more often than not the very people who were homeless, hungry, in need of help around the home or needing a home built – had more of Christ in them than I anticipated.
Each night, as our mission team would gather for our evening worship, we talked about the ways we saw the presence of God in our day. Time and time again someone from the mission team would comment that they had expected to see angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
One of our team members who worked at the Rescue Missions Center said this of the people, “The homeless people at the shelter are happy. They are willing to help people where ever they can. They treat each other like a family. They hold the door for each other. They trust that when they come in they will be cared for.”
I spent most of my time on two main construction projects during the week, but on Thursday I took some time go to the Rescue Missions Center to meet some of the people I had heard so much about.
This homeless shelter is actually one of the best built homeless shelters in the United States. It even has its own room or kitchen for a butcher who comes in each day to prepare fresh meat. They have a separate computer lab for the homeless residents to learn computer skills. They have separate dining rooms for men and women – to keep them apart while eating.
These people were those who we might expect to see as angry, upset, disgruntled people; after all many of these people had no homes, no work, were recovering drug addicts or alcoholics. Yet, these were the very people who were smiling and praising God all day long.
I met and talked with Manuela who is one of the lead workers at the Missions Center. She has very, very little and I believe she walks to work every day. Yet she is always happy, always smiling, and always appreciative. She blesses the people as they come in with a smile and encouraging word. She believes with all her heart that she is doing God’s work and she is so proud to be there.
I ate lunch with Tom who came to the Missions Center months ago with frostbite. For the first couple of months he was unable to do anything. Now he helps direct the kitchen telling people how to prepare the food. He spent years as a chef and cook, so he comes with a lot of experience. He shared his story of alcoholism and bad women with me. He fell off the wagon not too long ago, but is once again sober. Now he works at the Center and takes classes at the local school to better himself.
I met Lorenzo who is an engineer – currently in between engineering jobs – who helps out in the kitchen and is a musician as well. He was so excited about his music that he was going to burn a CD and give it to some of our team so they could play it.
One of the other projects I worked on was a Retreat Center that was being built on the side of a mountain by Chief Will Mayo and his wife Yvonne. I was at this site in 2004 when the project first started. Mayo, at one time the chief of forty-two Alaskan Indian tribes, has worked with the Alaskan governor’s cabinet – not Palin, but the governor before her as well as the White House on national level Native American issues.
One of the nights we had a big bon fire at the building site and he told us of his own personal story – when he was younger he suffered from addictions to drugs and alcohol. He suffered abuse, beatings and even torture. He also told us the story of the Athabaskan Indians of Alaska – who were abused, killed, villages wiped out when the white man began to settle into the country. He told us how children were separated from their families and shipped to far away states and cities – Chicago, California – as a way of defeating and debilitating the tribes.
The retreat center he is building is a place where not only Native Americans (or First Nation Indians) can come for healing and worship and retreat, but others as well. The main cabin was completed and now work on 12 smaller cabins has begun.
In addition to this, we worked on the home of Josh Kugler – a home that has not been lived in for 2 years due to mold and foundational problems. Josh and his family of five have been renting an apartment and paying mortgage as well. Josh also lost his job due to the economy about 8-months ago.
We worked on the lawn and garden of Ruth Vey – an elderly, very spiritual woman. We worked on the home of Jean – an elderly woman who suffers from back problems.
Our mission was to work for, to serve, to help and to build connections with as many people as we could – within the confines of our resources. And we did this. However, the most important thing of all was the relationships we would build with these people. Many of the missionaries that I talked to – from my church and the others – said they thought they would be doing more physical labor than they actually did. They thought they would work harder – but I reminded them that the most important thing they were doing was building relationships.
Our team was blessed to go on this trip and I can say without a doubt that it has changed our lives. One of our missionary ladies said, ‘this trip has changed my heart and very soul for the rest of my life’. Another said, ‘joining the church was my first step toward becoming who I want to be. Going on this mission trip was the second step.’
May God bless you and call you to missions work - one week a year (or every other year) isn't too much to ask, is it?
Until next time,
Patrick
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
