Singapore is still trucking along. We just finished our first full week of class, had the first quiz, got assigned the first paper, all that good stuff that I thought I left behind when I finished exams. However, I'm loving the subjects: history of SE Asia and political and economic change in SE Asia. We are just finishing a unit on Burma's political/economic situation which leaves very little hope, but I am incredibly excited about our group meeting with the exiled democracy leaders from the country while we are in Thailand.
Please keep the people of Burma (the name Myanmar is really only imposed on them by the Tatmadaw, or military leaders) in your prayers as they continue for the next few years to try to recover from the cyclone. Not only is the government not doing anything, they are stopping other groups (even monks) from helping, and have started kicking people out of shelters back to their destroyed villages. There is a horrible tendency for the media/governments/people to care about stuff so long as it is breaking news, but never bother to see problems through to their end. (watch Charlie Wilson's War for more on this)
There is not going to be change in Burma until the military leaders have a change of heart (which is where you come in). Paul tells Timothy in his first letter to him to make "requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving...for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1-2) So I encourage all of you to be informed (about this and all the other crazy things that are going on in this world) and to actually take up those causes in prayer (Especially in cases like Burma where there is hardly anything else that you can do).
As a Christian, I am called to pray for the Lord's will to be done "on earth as it is in heaven," and also to be a part of the "body of Christ" (ie part of what God is doing here and now to bring heaven to earth), and peacemakers get the pretty cool title of "Sons (or Daughters) of God." So where the earth has been made a living hell, how can we bring heaven? The answer is definitely through prayer, and then there needs to be the follow up of acting on God's response. I think that a lot of people, myself included more often than not, discount the power of prayer because they tacitly assume that through prayer God will make stuff magically happen (miracles do occur, but they aren't the norm).
Instead, I think that when we ask God why he isn't doing something about the state of the world, he asks us the same question. Is my life making the world better for those around me? Am I actually loving my neighbor as myself? Am I loving my enemies too? even when they persecute me do I pray for the? Am I humble? Do I consider others better than myself? Do I speak out against injustice like the prophets? Or do I blindly follow in corrupt paths to quick wealth and security? My life should be a blessing to everyone around me.
But is it?
Especially to the non-Christian readers out there, I want to apologize for my many failings and general inability to actually follow the teachings and the example of Jesus. I want to apologize for the Church's tendency to focus on the specks that everyone else is dealing with while ignoring the plank in their own eye. Any follower of Jesus should naturally bless the lives of those they encounter, and if that has not been the case then I'm sorry. I hope that the gospel can truly be good news to the whole world, not just a checklist to the "elect" or good news only to those who believe it. In the same way that Israel was set apart to be a blessing to others (Genesis 12:2-3), so too should Christians seek to be a blessing to others, not a hindrance.
Alright, well I ended up rather far from where I intended to go with this, but I hope you enjoyed it. I have a busy weekend ahead of me: homestay with my wonderful Singaporean friend, Yong Min. And then back to the grind: Vietnam next week (which is exciting b/c i'll be there in a month an a half). As always, I really want to hear reactions or questions about all of this, because I'm on a journey and trying to figure things out as I go.
ps - I'm really excited that our group has an opportunity to talk to a bunch of the pro-democracy leaders from Burma, who are currently exiled in Thailand, while we are in Chang Mai in early July. I'll make sure to post a follow up on some of this after talking to them and also after visiting Mae Sot (a refugee town on the border) and potentially popping into Burma for a day.
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1 comment:
I have enjoyed reading all of your blog entries! It sounds like you are having an amazing time...I am very jealous! This last one was particularly interesting and I appreciated the message of hope in light of how depressing the situation in Burma is. I hope you are doing well!
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