Doing Freedom (TEAR Fund NZ)

“Can you help the young people in our village get jobs?” was the question put to me by the traditional and government leaders in the small West Balinese village I visited last week. The question came after I described the research I was planning in their community early in the New Year. Their expectations still weigh heavily on my shoulders. The goal of the research is to learn how rural villagers have cooperated in the past, and today to overcome problems that defeat them as individuals. It is one thing to go into such a situation with the backing of TEAR Fund, but this is not a project that carries the support of donors and expert technical staff. Likewise, as I may have mentioned last week, it is one thing to present a Master’s Research proposal to one’s supervisor and discuss the academic merits or otherwise of the content, it is something else to be face to face with the leaders of a very poor community who are desperate to find solutions to the problems those they are responsible for face.

I had to remind myself that this project is the culmination of a calling that came 26 years ago shortly after I was saved. One of the barriers to me seeking Jesus as my personal saviour was the inkling that when I did, he would say “You are now going to deepest darkest Africa”. This of course was exactly what happened and the scripture that made sense out that adventure was Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves; a cord of three strands is not easily broken”. I believe that it is God’s plan that we operate as the body of Christ, that God understands our personal frailty and failings, but that he puts us in families, communities and nations to build his Kingdom and overcome injustice and poverty. It was God that got me into this, I am confident that he will see me through the process.

The issue for those who live in rural communities all over the developing world are similar, if they are lucky enough to own land, rarely do they own enough to support more than their immediate family but not their grand children. Secondly the available land for agriculture is shrinking for a variety of reasons, climate change – that controversial topic – property development, roading, pollution, civil and international conflict. Lastly the lack of investment in small third world farms mean their productivity is low, so they cannot compete even with high wage nations like New Zealand. A good dairy cow under the best conditions in Sri Lanka may give 10-15 ltrs of milk a day, where as in NZ cows can give 40-50 ltrs or more. The same goes for crops, the mechanisation, irrigation and use of fertilisers by wealthy farmers increase their output and reduce their costs. The net result is that small third world farmers are going out of business. My thesis is that they can overcome these problems through cooperating with one another.

I am currently studying the ways in which different types of traditional and contemporary communities around the world cooperate. I hope that the learnings gained due the access we have in New Zealand to books and papers through libraries the internet which are largely written in English will spark conversation and new ideas as I meet with rural communities in West Bali in the New Year. Of interest in the communities I will be looking at there is that one of the villages is Christian, the only Christian village in Bali. It is also the place where TEAR Fund’s Christian Microenterprise development was started in the 1970’s by a well known kiwi David Bussau who noted that aid tended to benefit the less poor, and that loans and saving services are often more important than handouts.
Central to this topic is the servant hearted approach to living in community modelled to us by Jesus. What enables us to overcome natural self interest that works against the servant heart? I believe the answer is the Holy Spirit. I still draw on that scripture from Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves; a cord of three strands is not easily broken”. Discovering the God story woven into those poor West Bali communities will be the challenge and trusting God to reveal to all involved the answers to youth unemployment will require more faith than I have needed over the past 26 years of my walk with Jesus. I covet your prayers.

Prayer: Father in a world whose economy relies on putting individual needs and wants first, refresh our desire to live and operate as your body. As we struggle with headlines of war and oppression, enable us to live by the servant hearted example of your son Jesus. As we seek to communicate in a multicultural nation, grant us your grace and love to see Jesus in the face of all we encounter. Amen.
Richard Barter