Romans 8:28

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalms 37:7

I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

_Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.

Psalms 130:5-7]]> Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=40947 0 -22.9 -43.2333333 I'll be writing some grant proposals but this is a time-consuming process in which most attempts do not succeed regardless of the merits of the work proposed. In the meantime, I'll need to earn some income and return to the job market at what is now a particularly challenging time in economic history.
]]> Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=40613 0 -22.9 -43.2333333 Tarapoto this year and I've been blessed with these 2 months of working with and getting to know Jose and others in this jungle city. In the work of A_Rocha, Jose took the lead on the educational and inspiration programs with the church and the schools, but I was able to help make some contacts with various organizations and individuals who could help provide opportunities for education and service projects.

Software training session in Tarapoto

I also developed a couple of programs to supplement and convert the data available in the regional government so it could be used with the public domain software.

At this stage, the goal of the fledgling group of A_Rocha in Tarapoto is not to manage our own conservation projects, but to assist the existing projects of the authorities here in the best ways that we are capable. As a pastor with experience working with teenagers in the high schools, Jose is well equipped to spread A_Rocha's message of the biblical calling for creation care and to motivate the kids to join in the local conservation projects. With my background in software and in the projects I worked on earlier this year, I found an opportunity to help with my technical experience.]]> Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=38733 0 -6.5013889 -76.3655556
Chazuta and the Rio Huallaga

Site of the medicinal plant project

With Max and Gabriel

Laura, Alex and Nataly

Lamas vista

Sauce tranquilo

Just 2 weeks left here in Tarapoto. Between my work with A_Rocha and frequent visits to the dentist, I haven't had time to visit many areas in the jungle outside of the city, and would like very much to see more. Still I wanted to post a few photos of the couple of short excursions I've taken since I've been here - to the towns named Lamas and Sauce (pronounced "Sowsay").

Presentation at the church

In addition I've been serving the existing conservation projects with my experience in Geographic Information Systems, providing some much appreciated free software consulting to the regional government and a couple of associated Peruvian conservation NGOs that have offices in the city.

Jose, Angela and Joel

Visiting the deforested areas

Crossing the Rio Huallaga

Parade in Tarapoto

Still the intersection of politics and religion continues to be disturbing. For example, I read that 3 out 4 for white evangelicals voted for one candidate, and the overwhelming majority of black evangelicals voted for the other. Can this be explained by racism? Or could it be that the more privileged class does not give as much importance to the concern for social justice reflected in the statements and positions of the candidates? African Americans have a history of oppression that could have prepared them to be more sensitive to systemic injustice, so possibly the black church is less blind in this area.

This is no great revelation, but I believe that politicians of every party are controlled far too much by powerful financial interests. I also believe that the public is expertly manipulated, and recall a good example of this described by Thomas Frank in a Bill Moyers interview I saw online several weeks ago.

In the interview, TF argued that "conservatives" can use a social or religious issue to advance their economic agenda and its attendant evils to which people may be blind. For example, it's no sacrifice for the economic principalities and powers that be to support candidates who take a conservative position on abortion laws as long as the candidates also support economic policies that favor the powers that be above everyone else. Thus because of a hot-button issue, many people will vote against their own economic well being. The other catch is that the politicians only need to speak correctly about the hot-button issue, and in fact do not or can not deliver on their words.

I've been reading an excellent book by Martin Luther King called "Strength to Love," which is a collection of his sermons in the sixties. He remarked that the church was the most segregated major institution in America at that time. Is this still the case?

Searched for translations of MLK's works into Spanish or Portuguese and haven't been able to find any except his "I Have a Dream" speech, which is unfortunately about the extent of what most people know about him. It seems that all of the translated Christian literature in Latin America I've seen so far is by best-selling white authors who may not be very outspoken about the injustices of the status quo socioeconomic system.]]> Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=36255 0 -6.5013889 -76.3655556 Here most of the people seem very friendly and there doesn't seem to be much of a crime problem - at least as compared to other places I've stayed, like Lima and Quito. I like that I can take my laundry to a lady who lives across the street and buy fresh fruit from the house of another lady who lives on the same block. There are many restaurants with 2-course lunches with juice for a dollar or two. Some families serve dinner out of their houses on their front porches. Last night I had a juane (rice, olives, spices and a little chicken wrapped in a banana leaf), a few small humitas (like a soft tamale), yuca (a starchy root vegetable) and a small pitcher of cebada - a drink made from a kind of barley, like a dark beer but sweeter and without the alcohol.

One example of a difference, or inconvenience, here are the gimnasios. I visited a couple of these to get some exercise, and they are cheap but hot, dirty and stocked with equipment that almost without exception is comically defective. Many of the machines take a lot of contortions just to position yourself to use them. I've injured myself in some good gyms in the States but it would be so much easier to injure yourself here. Last time I broke the rope cord used in place of a steel cable on the pulldown machine. I have the impression that some enterprising businessperson found a pile of useless equipment about to be discarded, and had the brilliant idea of opening a business with practically no upfront capital costs!

Another interesting thing are the health food ("naturista") liquor establishments. These are also very informal - sometimes in the front room of someone's house - and stocked with homemade liquors from local fruits and medicinal plants. I bought a couple bottles of one "antigripal" concoction to help me get over the cold I had last week.

It's very hot during the day, but I feel relatively comfortable having a place to live with a clean bathroom. Can't complain about the price - just 200 soles/month, which translates to about $2/day. In contrast with many other places in town, including restaurants and the church, the water supply has been reliable there so far. The erratic water supply in other places is largely due to the deforestation in the area, which has caused less rain and more runoff of soils into the rivers. It's supposed to be the start of the rainy season here in the rainforest, but there has been surprisingly little rain so far. That makes for a lot of dust in the air, and in houses or buildings by the dirt roads, kicked up by all the moto traffic.

One of the things I'm adjusting to is that in this environment, it's not always possible to work as efficiently as I'd like. My laptop computer has been having issues again (sometimes it boots and sometimes it doesn't) and the internet access is not always available. It's also been difficult at times to reach people for meetings. However, in spite of the discomforts and inconveniences, I like the simplicity here - the openness and neighborliness that is lacking in the harried and more impersonal, car-centric environments of the big cities, especially in the US.]]> Sun, 19 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=34819 0 -6.5013889 -76.3655556 Yet Christianity has become so corrupted that most Christians ignore their calling to be stewards of nature, and pay their allegiance to an economic system that is destroying the planet. Furthermore, many environmentalists - be they Christian or of another persuasion - believe that the justification for conservation is the enjoyment, health or even survival of human beings. Peter Harris suggests that the justification is about all of creation, not just people, and about our relationship with God.

Whether we interpret the stories in Genesis literally or metaphorically, to believe in creation care means to understand that everything comes from and belongs to God - nothing exists apart from God; creation is the visible expression of the unseen God and we show our love for God by appreciating and caring for his creation.

Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites,
because the LORD has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.

There is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Because of this the land mourns,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the_field and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.

Hosea 4:1-3]]> Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=34535 0 -6.5013889 -76.3655556
Street scene in TarapotoIn a sense, it felt like returning home yesterday when I stepped off the airplane onto the tarmac and walked over to the small waiting room at the airport in Tarapoto. After a warm welcome by Jose Antonio, we took a mototaxi to his apartment where he lives with his wife Angela and kids Annabelén and Joel. The weather is hot here in the jungle and I'm now renting a comfortable small room (except for the lack of a fan, which I need to buy today) a couple of doors down from Jose's apartment.

Using the internet from the office in Jose's church, where there's a big window with a view of the street and a continuous stream of motorcycles and 3-wheeled mototaxis passing by (practically no cars here).

We'll be working on research and planning for environmental education and conservation programs in and around Tarapoto, involving the internet and activities with schools, churches and the local government.

View of mango tree and mototaxi from the office

Threat to the planet: one of many fires I saw in flight

One thing that people in our country should recognize is that however we might disagree with them, both Chavez and Morales (president of Bolivia) are not dictators. They were freely elected and have the support of a clear majority of the people in their countries, who mostly just want to be self-determining and not dominated by foreign governments, foreign businesses, or economic institutions such as the IMF and World Bank.

Also thinking about the upcoming elections in the US and I hope people keep in mind the positions of the candidates on policies that cause more poverty, death and environmental destruction in the rest of the world. From all I've learned, the trade agreements promoted by the big corporations based in the US and other northern countries are good for their profits but, in spite of the nice-sounding "free trade" propaganda, are very harmful to the vast majority of people and to the health of the planet.

For example, agreements that allow dumping of cheap food from abroad, even if the low prices are just temporary, result in farmers being unable to compete in local or national markets (and there are other problems with producing for export), so they lose their land and either migrate to slums in the big cities or to another country like the US.

This is not an intellectual debate for me now. Get away from the US and the vacation destinations, visit the third world, ask questions (for this it helps to speak the language) and you can see it. It's about callous greed and deception by those in power. This comes from many sources: from within the third world countries themselves, from the US and from other foreign countries.

It's not just the US. Maybe we've been unfairly singled out in the minds of some in Latin America, but I think we should seek to know the truth, not just what is comfortable to believe, repent of arrogance and take responsibility for our country's part in creating misery in other parts of the world. We should try to recognize when we're being lied to by the politicians and public relations experts.]]> Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=30979 0 14.5611111 -90.7344444 In one sense, time passes quickly. In another, my old life seems so far away now. It's been a year of constant change. The longest I stayed in one place was a month, and usually I stayed less than a week. I've taken courses in organic agriculture, Spanish and Portuguese, and worked in conservation and rural poverty alleviation with small NGOs in 4 countries (twice with the same one in Guatemala).

I have a lot more to learn, but I think the experience has given me a good overview of rural life and the state of agriculture and the forests in tropical Latin America. I've also learned something about how small NGOs operate, and how I may be able to use my computer background in conservation and rural development work in the future.

I've learned to live more simply, without some of the material comforts and conveniences I was used to, and with more willingness to accept the generous hospitality of my friends. I also made many new friends in places I visited, and have had many good conversations that have stayed with me.

The work continues. The effects of anything I've done may not be visible in terms of the actual living conditions in the communities. But real change takes more time, and it seems that the value may be in the heart that is put into the effort. This is a different way of thinking than that of the business mindset, with its emphasis on short-term "results." I think the important things are desire to please God and the quality of relationships formed in the work, even when external improvements are not obvious. It is a temptation to give up because our efforts seem futile.

I may have planted a few seeds this year but these will need to be cared for, by myself or by others, in order for them to eventually produce the desired fruit.

So how can I continue to be a part of this work? It seems that the things of greatest value can't be paid for. Nature and the poor can't pay, the small nonprofit organizations have few resources and the larger ones may be controlled more by their own bureaucratic and professional self-interests than the actual needs in the_field. I think that small is beautiful, but in the nonprofit realm this means submitting to much less income and a much simpler life.]]> Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=30201 0 14.6097222 -90.6569444
Companion planting of corn + med plantsReturned from El Salvador to Antigua on Saturday, then yesterday I travelled with Vico and Henry from the headquarters in San Lucas Sacatepequez to FUNCEDESCRI's community center in Cunén, about 6 or 7 hours away. Getting to know the work at the center as well as accompanying and trying to help Vico as he is filming a documentary on medicinal plant production and use in the traditional medicine clinic at the center. Learning about the use of medicinal plants in the process.

Got some good feedback on the proposal I wrote to use the internet and audio media to distribute information to the communities. This was discussed in a meeting at the headquarters last week, and the staff from the community centers liked some of the ideas and made suggestions about others to better fit with the social and economic realities.

The media center under construction

Myra and Vico

Harvesting plants at the center

Sorting and cleaning the rosemary stalks

One of the new wells in nearby Xemanzana

Sifting the dried linaza (flax)

This afternoon I visited 2 museums commemorating Oscar Romero, the renowned archbishop of this country who was killed in 1980 for his defense of the rights of the poor, and the 6 Jesuit priests and 2 assistants who were massacred by the army at the Universidad Centroamericana in 1989. Both of the museums were on the sites where the killings occurred (Romero was gunned down while performing mass at the church on the grounds of the hospital where he lived). Those events felt especially real and haunting at the university after I was shown some very graphic photos of the murdered and mutilated bodies in the living quarters I had just visited. The army responsible for these killings and for other massacres of entire villages of up to 1000 people - men, women and children - was secretly backed by the US government. In fact, several officials indicted in the "Iran Contra Affair" were subsequently appointed to high-ranking positions by the current administration, but few people in our country have learned about this.]]> Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=27904 0 13.7086111 -89.2030556
Light and shadow on the trailTraveling now for 2 weeks before returning to San Lucas Sacatepequez to continue the work with FUNCEDESCRI. I've been staying in Flores since Saturday, and left the hostel a little after 3 this morning to catch the_sunrise in Tikal, about an hour and a half away by shuttle. Had an amazing view and concert of sound from above the canopy as the forest woke up to the new day. Tikal is an amazing national_park best known for its gigantic Mayan ruins, but situated right in the middle of the spectacular rainforest that covers much of the Guatemalan department of Peten. To me this is like the Yosemite of Guatemala with all the awesome scenery, and has probably the best opportunities for viewing wildlife in the rainforest that I've encountered so far. Saw and heard lots of monkeys, a coatimundi and tropical birds including many toucans and big green parrots.

Rainforest of Petén

In the center at the headquarters, there will be internet access, a training facility, and access to translators to translate the materials from one community into the dialect of the others (with Spanish being the standard interchange language).

Initially at least, the content of the media developed at the centers is expected to have to do with topics such as food sovereignty (i.e. production for local consumption), sustainable development alternatives, agriculture, conservation, nutrition, etc. The idea is to facilitate sharing of experiences and knowledge among the communities and to allow them to work together to build an alternative economy that is better for the people. FUNCEDESCRI does not intend to direct the content of the media, but rather to provide the tools to allow the communities to plan, design, and manage the media production and distribution process themselves.]]> Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=27340 0 14.6097222 -90.6569444
Christmas Tree waterfallVisited Cañón del Sumidero, an hour an a half or so from San Cristobal de Las Casas, which was beautiful place but it was sad to see all the pollution in the reservoir and the excessive tourism (to which I contributed). Felt guilty riding in one of the many tour boats spewing the toxic chemicals into the lake. However, it was good to see this as an example of eco-tourism run amok. There's a cleanup project underway to remove the trash but this doesn't appear to be very serious since plastic bottles are being removed by hand without even basic equipment like nets.

Cañón del Sumidero

Crocadrilo

Trail along the north shore

San Pedro on the far shore

On Thursday I met Julio, a teacher at the Spanish school who is also the husband of Vila, my teacher from last year. He invited me over to their house so after class the next day, I went there with him and he and Vila described the work they're doing to help the kids in the community. She stopped teaching at the Spanish school and is now running a free preschool in their very small house.

In addition to working with a local NGO to help kids do their homework (which apparently many local parents don't help with), he has started building a library in his house to lend books to kids and encourage them to read. According to him the kids don't have another place to borrow books since the public library doesn't lend books but only allows them to be used for 2 hours at a time in the library. He also meets regularly with the kids to discuss the books they're reading.

I was really inspired by this couple who has so little and spends their time and the very little money they have to help the local kids. They also have a child of their own - a boy about 3 or 4 years old. Julio is trying to build his library and keep multiple copies of some books so the kids can read and discuss them together. He has worked out an arrangement with a local owner of a tourist restaurant and internet cafe that sells and exchanges books in English. For 2 used books in English the owner purchases one book in Spanish and donates this to Julio's library.

If anyone is interested in contributing used books to this project - in Spanish or in English - let me know and I'll send the address to mail them to.]]> Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=26203 0 14.7166667 -91.2666667 ]]> Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=26065 0 14.6833333 -91.2666667
Plaza in Todos SantosFrom what I'd heard I didn't think I'd be able to use the internet here in this small town in the mountains of western Guatemala, but it must have arrived just recently. Started another week of Spanish classes here yesterday, and last night at the Spanish school I attended a showing of a documentary on the war in this area during the 80's called "Todos_Santos: The Survivors." From the window of this internet cafe, I can see the church where according to the film the residents of the town were locked in while 5 of them were tortured and killed by the army.

During that period anyone who criticized the rich or the government was likely to be branded as a guerrilla supporter and terrorized or killed, often in the most horrific way possible to shock and intimidate the rest of the population. A lot like what has been happening in Colombia more recently.

Another disturbing aspect of the film was the enlistment of evangelicals in paramilitary militias to fight against guerrillas and anyone who was construed to be a sympathizer, including Catholics who were branded as sympathizers because of similarity between Catholic social teaching and the rhetoric of the guerrillas in regard to helping the poor. From the interviews in the film it appeared that many people may have converted to evangelicalism out of fear of further reprisals by the government. In the video clips of church services, I could see a lot of shouting and frenzied singing but not much evidence of humility or love for one's neighbor as oneself.

For fools speak foolishness
and make evil plans.
They practice ungodliness
and spread false teachings about the Lord.
They deprive the hungry of food
and give no water to the thirsty.

The smooth tricks of scoundrels are evil.
They plot crooked schemes.
They lie to convict the poor,
even when the cause of the poor is just.

Isaiah 32:6 & 7]]> Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?tripID=1261 http://www.blogabond.com/CommentView.aspx?commentID=24787 0 15.5166667 -91.6166667