I spent the last week in Southern Sudan on a survey trip, seeing if it would be a suitable place to set up a "kingdom development business".This little boy was one of several hundred people who came to see our plane come down out of the sky over the village of Lobone, Southern Sudan. The only planes they see in this village come from Catholic Relief Services, so they were all looking for supplies of some kind. All we did was ask a few questions and take some pictures. I hope they weren't disappointed.
Southern Sudan is one of those beautiful and tragic places. So much promise, so much hardship. The ground is so fruitful, but the people have so little to eat. Especially in the larger towns. The land around Lobone is exceptionally fertile, so these people are not starving, but you can tell by the bulging bellies of the children that they do need more protein.
Regardless of their food issues, I'll say this--Africans have not forgotten what community is. This is something we need to learn from them.
They cannot survive without each other. They enjoy one another.
I don't think I've ever lived a day without every need being met, with little or no thought on my part. But in Africa, it is community that sustains them. Most do not have jobs, so they have to take care of one another.
With our isolated family units, individuality, and mobility, we have lost something that we were meant to enjoy--deep fellowship with our extended families and communities.
I would love to go to Sudan. What did you do there?
ReplyDeletethose pictures are striking - what an amazing opportunity!
ReplyDeleteawesome pics jon,
ReplyDeleteThe Alaska trip went great. I didn't use my great and wonderful skills as a worship leader as I thought I would (those kids can play circles around me and my guitar) but I did go humbly before an awesome God and find out just what he means by the weak being strong. I had nothing to give them but my love, prayers, and an outside perspective. They thought I was nuts for camping out without a weapon (bears) and one local, a deist-naturalist, came and got me in a storm one night to move me into a cabin he owns. He and I had some wonderful conversation over many days until he left for the Salmon run. Jesus did use me. The last two weeks I was there I put up a sign that changed everyday. It was big enough to really draw attention. It would say "Pray for your village" or "Pray for your ex" or "Pray for your sister", etc. A differnt message every day. I later heard it was the topic of conversation at the dinner table every night for a group of construction workers working on the village air strip. I don't care what the outcome is I do know that my spirit was humble and my love was fierce and I met many friends. I'd like to take my wife next time to do a Bible School for the little ones. There were some parents open to that but I wouldn't try it as a single man going into a village like that. Thanks for asking.
That's cool, Sam. Don't you love those invitations from the Father to "come out and play"?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I've ever seen a true community in action...?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your back safe and sound.
Jon, please expand on you thoughts of the folks in the Sudan having a greater sense of community. I see acts of community here. Examples: My friend Chris Jones got a call from his parents that they had a water leak and he immediately hustled over and help them. When I was a child and our basement flooded our fellow church members came over and help my parents get it under control. These same folks helped my folks paint their old house out in the country. At work every month there is a more or less spontaneous food day and people bring in all kinds of good food for each other. I watch my neighbors dog when they are on vacation and they watch ours when we are on vacation. Another friend of mine helped me remodel my house. (I did pay him but it was a pretty good price.) I had another friend help me replace a window in my house. I often shovel my neighbors walk and they often snow blow mine.
ReplyDeleteNow, I suspect that there is a more meaningful experience of community in the Sudan than there is here. Our lack of community has been well explored (think Kafka et. al.) But what concrete examples would you give of how there is stronger community in the Sudan?
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteHere's a link about a community in Chicago which has been around since the early 70's: http://www.jpusa.org/meet.html.
that Alaskan village is one generation removed from that community reliance that you talk about in your post. It is a huge loss.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you see in the Alaskan village that makes you say that?
ReplyDeletecravings, cravings for man-made things, man-made excitement, man-made wealth, man-made experiences, cravings for everything that our "civilized" society has to offer. Their existence is proof that the land itself, God's bounty, can sustain them but instead of resting in that bounty they chase part-time jobs all summer - ending up with full-time worry about whether they'll make it through the winter or not. It was much simpler there 20 yrs. ago. One phone in the entire village, no television, no indoor plumbing, and very few with electricity. Wealth from commercial fishing destroyed their economy. Fish prices are 1/4 of what they were 15 yrs. ago (when that income supported the entire village)so they spend more time fishing for less return and sacrifice "community" to boot.
ReplyDeleteThey are still very social but more and more it is revolving around the television and less and less around the "steam". The steam was healthier for them. There are many issues that could be discussed but anyone that has lived outside (in the rest of the U.S.) for very long recognize the loss when going into a village like that.
So, to do "community" you have to have some form of a "commune"? Shared space. A "zone."
ReplyDeleteSomehow simply sharing the space doesn't seem to create "community."
The question is, what would you all unite around? "Commune" without "mission" isn't really a "commune," is it?
How about a shared goal, like self-sustenance?
How about sharing a farm, like they did in South Dakota 150 years ago.
How about a shared business enterprise? My company does some business with an Israeli company that's owned by a Kibbutz (a commune, Israel-style).
It might be worth reading about the lifestyle in a Kibbutz, Aaron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbutz
You call people on a kibbutz kibbutzniks.
ReplyDeleteI like that word.
kibbutznik? Gesundheit.
ReplyDeleteCommunity and commune. What's the difference? I guess I would say that there pretty close in terminology. Community is closer to the idea of just living in proximity. Community is more of a generic term:
a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage
Forgive me for being anal.
Commune definitely is more indicative of sharing a common interest. I would think that these third world country communities are living as a commune with a common interest of survival, or like you said self sustenance.
I guess when I was thinking about a commune I was thinking of like an agrarian commune. (left that part out I guess).
Now if I could still have a little personal space and share a central interest that would be cool!
I do like the idea of community or commune or whatever you want to call it but if there was actually a niche of people that felt like this why aren't there more comm****'s ?
I didn't really have a point I guess. I was just wondering out loud. I guess I should have typed this on the "wonderbread" post. Wondering what it would be like to commune with a group as diverse in personality as the people you work with or the guys I lived with in college. Even in a group with a central interest you'll have that diversity. And then having to count on those personalities to pull weeds and feed the chickens when I'm away. Would they do it with the same vigor I would. Or would my level of commitment be enough for them? And there comes in the dreaded comparing gene of mine.
Come to think of it. You would have to have a bunch of incredibly committed people. That's what it would take to come close to matching the commitment of someone who is trying to stay alive. Hard to find.
I'm glad I bounced back in...
ReplyDeleteThere is a community here in Carson City, Michigan that have joined together and call themselves "The church at Carson City". There are 400 of them now. They have their own school (Fish Creek School), own businesses (sporting goods, tire shop, body shop, piano building, repair, and lessons...a few more in-home businesses). They meet together to worship every Sunday, share their incomes and resources, have Bible studies during the week (they break into groups of 50 with an elder leading each group)... A community dedicated to honoring God. The men dress as most men of our culture that buy their clothes second-hand and the women wear their hair long and wear long skirts (usually jean). None of them have a television.
I was seriously considering joining in with them but I sat for hours one night with an elder and decided I would not fit in. For one they are too chauvinistic and secondly, have received prophecy that is not consistent with the Bible, namely they don't believe in giving or offering help to anyone outside their own faith community.
I can appreciate how the synergy they have works though. People out of work are put to work in service to the community and supported until they can find work. I'd like to find that kind of synergy in our own church family.