The topic in my Global Poverty class today was slum upgrading. My professor introduced us to many of the slum upgrade/development projects that have been implemented in some of the world's largest slums over the years. When she addressed Manila's Community Mortgage Program, my mind was not filled with the faces of Onesimo girls, but with the slum dwellings surrounding my Philcoa home. The images of makeshift cardboard shelters and corrugated tin roofs toggled through my mind as we discussed policy after policy. This, however, does not mean that the faces and stories are forgotten.
At some point, we need to move on and start asking the practical questions. What would God want us to do with our convicting summer experiences? How effective can we be for the kingdom if we are silenced by sadness or paralyzed in pining for better days? I think God is transforming my personal approach regarding the act of remembrance.
The faces and stories are no longer images or ideas that instigate the unrelenting flow of tears, but the motive behind moving forward. They are the foundation to build on; the concrete slab of my "what now" future.
God, I'm ready to move forward. Lead me.
2 comments:
i feel like you really hit that right on.
it's interesting when that shift starts to happen in our minds/hearts...or at least when that recognition takes place with the "so now what"... wow. now that i think of it, that was one of the main processes that had to take place for me to come "out" of the post trek slump/feeling of despair. I never realized that was one of the catalysts. thanks rach :)
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