Friday, November 13, 2009

The Good News

Brilliant whiteness and ebony skin, Laker Irene's smile and laugh are inexplicably delightful. You have to see that wide grin and hear her hilarious chortle to understand how infectious it really is. Laker Irene is one of several ladies who make up the MEND project for Invisible Children (IC). According to the Facebook site, MEND is an internationally inspired brand that seeks to provide innovative handbags while at the same time repairing the lives of women in Northern Uganda. Each bag bears the name of the woman who stitched it together. Each bag is story-driven. I like that. I really like that.

A friend pointed out that he disliked the arrogant, "America-to-the-rescue" attitude of Invisible Children. After listening to a few more videos, I agree that there is a current of America's hyper-confidence running through the medium, but I still love the philosophy behind MEND. Despite the bravo of IC's belief that Obama's word will speak rescue and recovery into existence in Northern Uganda, each clip of the MEND ladies was like a serving of sweetness, stirring up joy in my soul. These moms and widows are resisting despair and rising to dignity with each stitch they sew and every bag we buy.

A mom I know is so passionate about her homeland, that she struggles to live in Canada because her heart beats in Iraq. Recently she told me, "Other women, they spend their money on clothes and make-up. Me? I spend on phone calls to Iraq." Her visits to the Middle East are packed with service and heart-felt generosity towards the Church, the poor, the refugees, and to women and children. She can not stop giving. She gives when there is nothing left to offer. She is even giving her daughter away to live, marry, and minister there. Her tales have so inspired me that after Bolivia, my next trip could very well be Iraq.

The same article that saddened me with it's tales of girls enslaved to the sex trade in India also edified me through it's accounts of dignity restored. Not every story has a happy ending but sometimes the plotting of police and lawyers ends the nightmare for a few. The author shares this endearing scene,

"Thirty-plus teenage girls are excited today. They won't have to service customers, nor will they be beaten. Actually, these girls haven't had to service customers for months. They live in a privately-operated safe house, and today my colleagues, the IJM (International Justice Mission) social workers, are throwing a party for them....

The girls have been practicing songs and dance routines. They are eager to please the guests, they exude satisfaction when we applaud. They dance, they laugh, they bicker, and they chat - they're typical teenage girls. Yet they've endured so much."
(Brian Bevilacqua, Bombay Traffic)

The image of a mass of chattering teenage girls, buzzing around without fear, soothes and consoles me in profound ways. It assures me that in the face of atrocity, hope lives. In the darkness of hideous sins, a light shines and restoration shatters the confines of sin into pieces of a new puzzle that these young ladies can start to put together again.

Stories of restoration and light prevailing bring balance to my heart and mind. Prone to dwell on the worst, it does my eyes good to read about Ugandan women who beat the odds instead of being beaten or teenage girls who now dance for fun instead of man's sick pleasure. As for my Iraqi sister, she has shown me what true dedication and sincere sacrifice to a cause and a King look like as a lifestyle. There is no work more urgent, no labour more essential, and no effort more vital than that of bringing God's kingdom to earth as it is in heaven...Laker Irene's smile tells me so.