Act of God?

Watching the news and hearing people's personal experiences of the earthquake has given us something to think about. We can't help but make comparisons, as CNN has done, between Haiti and Chile. While this quake was 100 times more powerful than the one in Haiti, the devastation has obviously been much less. Over 200,000 were killed in Haiti; in Chile, the count is just over 800. Better infrastructure, preparedness and a very organized government reaction can be cited as reasons for Chile's less devastating outcome. But, we would like to point out something more general as the differentiating variable, and that is injustice.

With natural disasters, we often lament that nothing can be done, that it is an act of nature that can affect anyone. While true, the devastating consequences have much more to do with poverty than with randomness. Haiti is a poor country with a highly corrupt government. Chile is the most economically successful country in Latin America and prides itself on very little corruption. Personally, we think the difference in consequences has more to do with apathy than with God's will.

As US citizens living in another country, we are reminded daily that we are economically privileged. Jesus clearly teaches that believers with wealth have a great task ahead of them, "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24). We have a moral responsibility to use our wealth wisely, to fight injustice and together with all Christians, to help build God's kingdom here on earth. What happened in Haiti is proof that we're not doing our job.

Our apathetic attitudes towards our neighbors in destitute situations has its consequences. We saw the same thing during Hurricane Katrina. Those who suffered most were the poor and marginalized. No one can prevent natural disasters, but we are capable of lessening their negative impact. The fact that Haiti suffered so much more than Chile is a result of our sinfullness and should serve as a reflection during this lenten season... Are we personally responsible in some way for the suffering of others? If so, how can we work to create a more just world?

Toilets in the Desert

It was odd the first time we discovered a toilet in the middle of the desert. Strangely, it has become a rather common find. These are the remnants of the squatter communities left behind, as people moved on into more respectable housing, with help from the Chilean government. For us, this scene speaks to our hearts of a disharmony between a man-made and natural world, of the consequences of a "developing" nation and most importantly, our relationship as humans with our Creator.

Loving God with Alternative Energy

About a year and a half ago, we met a woman selling plants in the local street market.  Her name was Marta and when she learned that we were missionaries with the Catholic church, she glowingly smiled and said, "Well, you can teach us how to make solar ovens then!". (Hmm, we thought... what an odd assumption.)  We continued the conversation with Marta, who is a native Aymaran woman who, like many of her indigenous family and friends, has left her land in the interior of the desert in search of an education for her children.  However, along with education, she has also found dirty, crowded city life filled with materialism and a disconnection from nature.  She explained that her people have a long history of respect and love for the earth, water, plants and animals.  She lamented that her children were losing that special relationship with the earth and asked for our help in teaching them.  This afternoon conversation was the impetus for us talking with another lay missionary, who is the coordinator of the Columban Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) office here in Chile.  We wanted to offer a simple workshop to the people of our community, where they could learn about solar energy.  We knew there would be interest because of the abundant poverty and the high price of gas, which they use here for cooking and heating water.  Plus, Marta was right - we are losing our connection to God's great creation and by losing this respect, we are also killing ourselves and other life with contamination and abuse of resources.  The JPIC coordinator was excited and promised to look for some resources.

The resources were found and the fruit of Marta's concern for her children began this past weekend, where we started a course teaching not just about solar ovens, but also about other alternative energies and encouraging our small Christian community to lovingly care for all of God's creation.  The facilitator of the course started us off with the "Cocina Bruja" or "Witch's Oven," named so because it allows you to cook with seeming magic.   The idea is to get a pot of food to the boiling point on a stove, and then to place the pot into an insulating container, where it continues to cook with no direct heat, simply by maintaining the hot temperature. Here's a video of what we've learned so far: