Working definition for this post:
Theodicy is the technical term for the branch of Christian thought that seeks to understand the nature of a good God when confronted with evil in the world.
I don't know why I was surprised; seminary taught me that reading scripture with the poor can change how we ourselves read scripture. Nevertheless, I was still shocked to hear an AIDS orphan explain how he understands God to be working in his life in spite of his parent's deaths. I know that these kids have faith - I have seen it in action. I had just never thought to ask how any of them can call God good when all of their parents have died from a dreaded pandemic that has left 3/10 children in this area orphans.
We were sitting under a large tree (not a baobab tree, unfortunately) listening to songs and dances performed by the Champions working group. This is the group that has Purity the farmer (She is the one that built a house for her mentally challenged older brother). They were great at their performance. The songs and the dances are normally used in their presentation to the community raising awareness for HIV/AIDS. They even had some of the younger kids out that were just adorable.
After the dances, the Champions group had a master of ceremonies that told us of the rules that their group has set as standards for their behavior. For example, one of the rules is that they don't date within the group so that they are able to all look after each other equally. He then went on to explain why they are grateful for the Giving Hope project and grateful that we came to join them for their presentation.
He said that all of their parents had died and that none of them would choose for their parents to die. None of them wanted that burden. None of them wanted that pain. And yet, he said, God did not desert us. Just as when Jesus ascended into heaven, God did not leave his people alone. Jesus sent down the Holy Spirit to be with his people. In the same way, God gave us ZOE Giving Hope so that we would not be alone. He said that God did not leave them, but gave them a way to live.
Never have I been more humbled than to think that he sees ZOE as God fulfilling his promise to not leave his children alone. That, my friends, is theodicy.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Greetings to the Gathered Orphans
I promised them that I would be back. The last post on this blog was about the gathering of working group leaders at the Maua chapel. I told them that I would come back in January, that I would bring others with me to hear their story and be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.
By the grace of God, I am back. (Hence the update on my blog).
And so as I type this, I am sitting in the back of the same chapel watching Moses - the one who lives on top of the mountain (see blog post about him from last summer below) - stand in front of his peers and listen to Reegan brag about how well he and his group have done. Moses has taken Robert - the child whose house I built last summer - under his wing and taught him how to farm. Evidently, Robert has been doing so well that he now has a cow. Last summer, all he had was a little baby goat named Mara and he was so proud of that goat. I can't wait to go and visit the same farm where I spent two days last summer and see this new cow. A cow means that he has bumped up to a whole new level. A cow means that Robert is doing well thanks to Moses and the support of Giving Hope.
It is hard to imagine the wonders that will be revealed this week and the lives that will be touched. We have already had a few people tear up. We have already said hello to old friends. I am merely glad to have fulfilled my promise - glad to have friends who are doing so well.
So until tomorrow, when I write about the group projects I will visit this afternoon, keep us in your prayers. Pray for Robert and his new cow. Pray for Lucy and her seamstress shop. Pray for Reegan and the staff in Kenya. Pray for the team - especially those who are experiencing Africa and the faith of these orphans for the first time. Maybe they, too, can be so changed that they have no choice but to come back.
By the grace of God, I am back. (Hence the update on my blog).
And so as I type this, I am sitting in the back of the same chapel watching Moses - the one who lives on top of the mountain (see blog post about him from last summer below) - stand in front of his peers and listen to Reegan brag about how well he and his group have done. Moses has taken Robert - the child whose house I built last summer - under his wing and taught him how to farm. Evidently, Robert has been doing so well that he now has a cow. Last summer, all he had was a little baby goat named Mara and he was so proud of that goat. I can't wait to go and visit the same farm where I spent two days last summer and see this new cow. A cow means that he has bumped up to a whole new level. A cow means that Robert is doing well thanks to Moses and the support of Giving Hope.
It is hard to imagine the wonders that will be revealed this week and the lives that will be touched. We have already had a few people tear up. We have already said hello to old friends. I am merely glad to have fulfilled my promise - glad to have friends who are doing so well.
So until tomorrow, when I write about the group projects I will visit this afternoon, keep us in your prayers. Pray for Robert and his new cow. Pray for Lucy and her seamstress shop. Pray for Reegan and the staff in Kenya. Pray for the team - especially those who are experiencing Africa and the faith of these orphans for the first time. Maybe they, too, can be so changed that they have no choice but to come back.
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