Reflections

Sorry that it has been so long since my last post, we have been having some internet problems and it is rather tough to get things together. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here more than a month and that things are already beginning to wind down. I’ll be heading back to the States on next Friday. It feels both like I just got here and that I’ve been here forever. The patients and their problems have been absolutely amazing to see and it is the kind of thing I would love to do in my future practice

One of the things that has struck me is just how much luxury we are accustomed to. Here I am, out in the middle of Africa where most of the people have never lived with have electricity or even used an indoor toilet, and I have the nerve to get annoyed when the water doesn’t work for a day, or the power shuts off for a few minutes (ironically like it just did), or the internet isn’t working. Being a student, I often have to live frugally and sometimes it is frustrating knowing how many loans I have to eventually pay off. But in comparison, going on a date (even a modest one) will often be more than what most of the staff pay for 2 weeks of rent.

As I talk with more Ethiopians and see more of the country, I come to realize that we are accustomed to things that they couldn’t even dream of and they deal with things daily that we would find completely unacceptable. I was talking with the nurses about the expense of medical school and the loans that I have to take out and they were rightly flabbergasted as my student loans are 200 years salary. And these are nurses who are “middle class,” I can only imagine the people who I cross paths with when I am running who likely fall into the $1 a day crowd. Most of us consider a car to be a basic necessity (aside from those dedicated bikers and the passionate city dwellers) but a rundown Chinese import cost $15,000 here and will have a 280% tax, that’s 40 years worth of pay!!! Some of the nurses live in house with dirt floors and have to walk over a mile to work each day, even in the rain and like I mentioned, there’s no way that they have a car. They eat the same type of food every day (injera), often for breakfast. lunch, and supper. Some of their meals are even injera with injera!!

On one hand it makes me feel sorry for the people here and want to provide for them in any way that I can, I mean really, even a student can afford to donate $1 a day so someone can eat. However, I know that this has been the approach toward impoverished countries for many years and it has done nothing for them. If anything, it has crippled them by removing the initiative to improve things for themselves.

Rather than more money or used clothing or free bottles of hand sanitizer, I am convinced that first and foremost thing they need is to hear the truth of the Gospel. Many people may discount the role that it played in the development of the US, and say that we are basically a secular country. But keep in mind that we are born out of an extremely concentrated wave of extremely passionate Christians who saw religious freedoms to be more important than the safety and comfort of home. The founding fathers continually noted their faith in God as an inspiration for making a more perfect nation. These Christian values held by rulers and the population at large allowed for basic morality and made life much simpler. Until basic morality and as one speaker at Dordt put it, “the rule of law” is established, developing countries will remain undeveloped. Once the population at large is moral, a host of changes can start to come forth. Governments will no longer be blatantly corrupt and will allow people and businesses to grow without ridiculous regulations that only serve to give them power. Besides having not having to worry about government, people will be able to start businesses without worrying about having their inventory stolen at every possible opportunity.  Banks would be able to offer loans (unheard of here) being relatively confident that their investment didn’t just disappear. Basically, development would occur.

By now, all of dem good luterans out der are asking that famous question: “What does this mean?” Do we in the western world just turn our backs, live our lives, and wait for the missionaries to convert the heathens? Should we all invade with our Bibles and holy water ready to baptize anyone who will sit still long enough for us to do so? (See Nacho Libre for an example.) You might have guessed it, but I don’t think so. Spreading the gospel requires more than just showing up and talking, it often requires an open door into a culture and must do so without damaging the society further. Oftentimes this is medicine and it is a great medium. Another great way is through teaching practical skills, especially in agriculture, but also carpentry, electrical, civil engineering, plumbing, or anything that seems basic and straightforward in the US. Elementary levels of education are also very important. But handouts and infrastructure building projects are doomed to failure because once the money runs out the society is at a worse place than when the frinjes showed up in the first place even if people are brought to Christ.

Well, I suppose that is enough reflection for now. Look forward to some pictures from Arbaminch, a local wildlife park with hippos, crocs that look like dinosaurs, zebras and all that good stuff as well as some pictures of a few of our patients. Hopefully I survive the former without being eaten to pull on your heart strings a little with the latter J

In Him,

David