|
This
article, by LWR President, Kathryn Wolford, appeared in the May, 2001
edition of the Bread for the World Newsletter.
"Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
Romans
8:24-25
I have
seen a look of numbness cloud the faces in an audience when I recount
statistics on HIV/AIDS in Africa. I have watched empathy give way to
a shaking head of resignation when speaking of famine and war in Africa.
To be honest, there are moments when I find myself overwhelmed by grim
headlines and faceless statistics.
"Don't
give up on us because we have not given up on ourselves." Dr. Musimbi
Kanyoro, a Kenyan and the eloquent General Secretary of the World YWCA,
closed a recent presentation with these words. She wasn't speaking these
words to men and women on her home continent. She was speaking to us,
Christians in the United States. Her words invite and challenge us to
recommit to "stand together" with African churches and communities
working for social and economic change.
The statistics
on HIV/AIDS and hunger in Africa are daunting, but there are many examples
where concerted action by churches, citizens' groups and governments
has turned the tide.
Key roles
for US Christians include prayer, deep reflection on root causes, resource
sharing, and using our power as consumers and citizens. With vision
and the hope that comes from faith, we can be salt and light. And, if
we are to stand together, we can't operate with the mentality of quick
fixes. This race is not for the sprinters.
Kanyoro
and so many others in the Africa churches, well-known leaders and unsung
heroes in local communities alike, wait for what is not seen, with patience.
Not with resignation nor hopelessness, but rather the patience that
attends to the immediate while keeping a keen eye on the horizon. It
is the patience, perseverance, and dedication of the long distance runner.
It is a patience born of faith in God's promise.
Other
Articles of Interest:
What
Would Jesus Do About Aids?
by
Jonathan Frerichs, LWR Communication Director
"The
Reality of HIV/AIDS in Africa"
An article written by Asenath Omwega, LWR Regional Representative East
Africa
Stand With Africa: A Campaign of Hope?
Written by Cathie DeGonia, Stand With Africa Campaign Communication
Coordinator
|
