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June 1979 Newsletter
COLOMBIAN CHRISTIAN MISSION
Dale and Jeanie Meade
In the jungle and prairie of Southeastern Colombia.
Volume 7, Issue 6 June, 1979
A SHORTAGE THAT COUNTS
Shortages are a way of life here in Colombia. Things that we take for granted in the States are considered almost luxury items down here. Waiting in lines for long hours may seem like a waste of time; but down here it is a necessary evil. At first we found such things frustrating. After almost five years living in Colombia, these things seem almost natural. Yet there is one shortage here that is very critical. It is one thing we will never get used to.
Let me give you a few examples of what I mean. My parents used to tell me about the "good ole days" when they had to pump all water by hand, or worse yet, go down to the creek and get it. As a kid that didn't impress me too much. I figured that things like that were part of a world that had ceased to exist. Now that we have lived in Latin America for a while, I know that things of this nature have not disappeared. Here in civilized Villavicencio, a city of 200,000 people, we get water only during the night time. Even then it is muddy river water that is badly contaminated. In an effort to get better water, we collect rain water in a cistern. We have a hand pump that we use to draw the water out for our use. A half an hour every day is dedicated to pumping water. Another example is milk. There has been no milk available for a long time. We buy powdered milk and mix it up for the kids. At certain times of the year is it possible to get small quantities of raw milk. During these times we pasteurize our own milk. When we first came to Colombia, we cooked on a gasoline stove. Then gasoline became scarce. For over a year it was almost impossible to get. We decided to avoid the problem by buying a bottled gas stove. That was great! We had no trouble getting fuel . . . for about three months. Suddenly white gasoline reappeared on the market and bottled gas disappeared. It has been over six months since we have been able to buy any. Now Jeanie is cooking on a two burner electric hot plate. Between the three methods, we are hoping to be able to keep eating hot food. Now regular gasoline is not available. The car that Mark loaned us has to be left parked. But you know, all of these things are not too important. A person gets used to a certain lifestyle and it no longer seems difficult. Certainly they do not affect our happiness as a family. In fact, I some times think we are better off when life is not too easy. We don't become so attached to material things. Spiritual things take on a new meaning.
But remember that I mentioned a shortage that really does bother me. It is precisely in this last area too. Even though Colombia has wrestled with a shortage of material comforts, it has remained bankrupt spiritually. We look around us and see alcoholism in an unprecedented scale. Homes are formed only for convenience. Love, peace, and joy are almost completely absent. Less than half of all children born here are legitimate. Corruption at all levels of government is so common. That it is practiced in an open form. Little if any effort is made to control it. Even the predominate religion here has contributed to the problem rather than helping solve it. Priests refuse to do anything unless there is a "tip." Many poor people don't get married legally because they cannot afford the $300 U.S. that is the going fee. In many cases it is equal to an entire year's wage. Their moral example is equally as poor. No matter how long we live here, we will never be able to gaze upon this shortage with the same resigned complacence with which we view the other shortages. When I sometimes get tired and think of returning to the "easy life" of the States, I have only to look around me. The sights of spiritual poverty give me the needed impulse to do more. It is not time yet. The real answer to the problems here are in our care. We must share the gospel with them. We must plant churches that will proclaim justice, morality, and love. We must train leaders who will; announce repentance and pardon with the same ferver and dedication that our forefathers demonstrated. They formented the "Great Awakening" that made America the nation that it is today. Latin America needs it's own "great awakening" to change and transform society. You are our partners, our co-laborers in this effort. We appreciate; and the Colombian brethren appreciate your efforts to increase giving and other forms of support. We give thanks for you always. Through these united efforts, we can begin to change the only shortage that really bothers me. And because of this, the shortages will begin to take care of themselves.
A BIBLICAL CONVERSION
On a recent trip to Cabuyaro and unusual thing happened. It has been quite a while since I had visited that particular church. Easter week was coming up and all of the churches wanted someone special to preach the Good Friday services. So I decided to kill two birds with one stone. I would spend Easter week with them and make a long over-due visit at the same time. The five hour bus ride down was uneventful. I had gotten to the bus station early and so was able to get a seat. By the time the trip was under way 20 people were standing in the aisle. The landscape crept by as we averaged 15 miles per hour. The trip and the daylight were both coming to an end at the same time. The boredom was finally broken by the realization that we had arrived. I called out to the bus driver that I wanted off. As the bus jerked to a stop I grabbed my backpack and jumped off. A long day with nothing to eat or drink was beginning to make itself felt. It was time for church to start so I pulled my Bible and Hymn book out of the backpack and sat down in a front pew to mediate and pray.
That night I preached on the event of our Lord's last supper in Jerusalem. The service had reverent overtone as the people in attendance pondered the real meaning of that tense period. With songs geared for the moment, it was a moving service. Soon after it was over, the preacher's wife served me a bowl of soup. The preacher and I planned the next day, most of which would be spent in good Friday services. We finished making plans and I unrolled my sleeping bag in a back corner of the one room church building. After stringing up the mosquito net I crawled in and was soon asleep. The next morning services started at 10 a.m. My sermon was on the traditional "seven last words (or phrases) of Christ." In between each five minute sermonette we sang a couple of songs. It was early afternoon when we finished. It was evident that everyone enjoyed the meeting, as all lingered on afterwards. That evening provided some time to rest and relax a little. I grabbed a towel and some soap and headed to the river to take a bath. The next day was not so tiring since there was only to be one service in the evening. That night I preached on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and compared it to Christian baptism; taking my text from Romans 6. It was during this service that the most unusual thing happened. During the previous day I had been preaching devotional type sermons. My purpose was to increase the dedication of Christians. This service was intended to be evangelistic in nature. After reading the Bible text and praying, everyone sat down, everyone but one young man that is. Thinking that he had not heard I again said that everyone could be seated. "But I don't want to sit down," he replied, "I want to know what I need to do to be saved. I want to become a Christian!" He went on to explain that he had been convicted of his need during the previous services. Since there was no invitation, he had been left in the dark as to what he needed to do. He didn't want this service to end without publicly confessing his new found faith in Jesus Christ. Another couple, inspired by his example, also accepted the Lord that evening.
It was the first time in my ministry that I had ever seen someone so moved that they could not even wait until the service finished. It was a truly Biblical conversion. I could not forget what was a very different conversion. Being Sunday, there were a great number of people traveling. I wasn't so lucky this time and had to stand for the trip. The bus broke down about half of the way home. We had to wait for over four hours while the driver tried to fix the . . . yes, you crew vets guessed it, the broken lug bolts! Finally we were on the way again. The driver was mad about the delay and so drove extremely fast for those roads. About ten miles out of town the bus blew two tires and left us stranded (he was carrying no spare). Since we were only 8 miles out of town I shouldered my backpack and started to hoof it. It was a cool evening and the roads weren't too busy. After such a long time standing in the cramped and crowded bus, it was nice to stretch. I was tired as I climbed the hill to our sector of town. Yet I was very contented. I could not forget the young man and his Biblical response to the preaching of the Gospel.