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| Wendy turned 2-years-old this week and she is just now starting to walk. We are encouraged. |
This week I had several very disturbing conversations with government officials
and Heart for Africa volunteers who told me about people “trash talking” the
work that Heart for Africa and Project Canaan is doing in Swaziland. For those
of you who English is not your first language, the dictionary definition of
“trash talk” is “insulting or boastful
speech intended to demoralize, intimidate, or humiliate someone insulting
especially an opponent in an athletic contest.”
We are not in an athletic contest, and they are not speaking
these words so that we can hear them, they are doing it behind our backs,
spreading rumors that are far from the truth, and criticizing every level of
how we are serving God.
The part that was most disturbing is that these trash
talkers are people in Christian Ministry here in Swaziland. It’s not just one that was reported to
me, it was several, and it was people who have never been to Project Canaan,
never met us and have never been a part of what we are doing.
Why do Christians do that? Jealousy? Pride? Lack of self-control? Or they are just plain mean-spirited?
When I told Ian I wanted to write this blog, but didn’t want
to sound whiny, he suggested that I confess that I have had to put on my “big
girl panties” and realize that people are people, and we are to love them
anyway. But the fact that the
garbage is coming from people who profess to be Christians who are also serving
in Christian ministry in a foreign land, made it a bit harder for me.
As I was trying to identify the emotion I was feeling I
realized that it wasn’t hurt, it wasn’t personal offense, it was purely
confusion as to the motive behind such talk. What’s in it for them? Do they not know that Jesus hears
their words, and he sees their hearts?
The bible tells us to “encourage
one another and build each other up”. Let us all try to encourage one another
this week, and always.
Live from Swaziland … enjoying a
hot Saturday with the Project Canaan kids.
Janine
