¡Alerta! ¡Alerta! ¡Alerta que camina la marcha campesina por América Latina!
Watch out! Watch out! Watch out for the farmer march in Latin America!
This past Friday, November 23rd, I took part the Forum of the Earth. The Forum was a space for farmers, with, or without, land to share their struggles and to reflect with other farmers in other parts of the province of Misiones, Argentina, as well as from Paraguay and Chile.
During the forum, each community shared with the forum the issues that the community is facing, based on lack of land, water, or forest. Not only did adults participate in the forum, but the future generations of Misiones were also present. The forum was opened with music from children from the community of the Guarani (the indigenous people of the province). They sang about their hopes and dreams for a future where they can again live on their land peacefully, with their own land and rights. Students from a local school also attended. And sons and daughters of farmers and other solidarity workers involved in the movement were also present.
Of course, mate was present. Whenever this drink, filled with Yerba mate is shared, I always feel a greater sense of community. And I cannot think of a better place to drink it than with those who work the yerba of the red earth of Misiones. For me, mate is a symbol of how the Argentina understands what it means to be community. It is a way for all people to meet on an equal level and to share with one another. With the mate, farmers and solidarity workers were meeting each other, wherever they are in the struggle. Some have been involved in the movement for years, and for others this was their first forum or organized meeting with other farmers.
After each community shared, they marked their area on a large map of Misiones. After all of the communities shared, it was quite impressive to see all of the communities that are actively in the struggle to claim their rights to their land and their survival. It is amazing to me to hear about how deforestation due to outside multinationals is ruining the land and way of life of these people!
After each community shared, we took to the streets of Misiones, chanting, ¨¡Alerta! ¡Alerta! ¡Alerta que camina la marcha campesina por América Latina!¨ For me, this is a clear sign of how I am accompanying the people of Misiones this year. First, I had the opportunity listen to their stories. Then, I had the opportunity to walk with them, to be with them in their struggle.
It was impossible for me to forget that I am an U.S. citizen during the forum. One of the technicians that I work with in the Seed Movement kept telling his friends, ¨She´s a Yankee! Can you believe it?!¨ Yes, I am a citizen of the United States. Yes, my country is doing much damage to the people of Misiones. But, my role is to listen and then share these stories with others from the U.S. so that we can learn how to be better stewards to God´s creation, to be better neighbors. My friend later followed his Yankee comment with, ¨But she´s in the struggle with us!¨ This is the ministry of presence.
The forum has made me think even more about the ways in which my country’s consumption affects the lives of the farmers in Argentina, and really all of God´s creation. Issues of deforestation and global warming were mentioned various times during the forum. When I think about the amount of paper the U.S. uses, and how it contributes to the deforestation of this area, this alone makes me cringe.
As a Christian that is beginning to enter this Advent season, I am pondering how to bring awareness to my U.S. brothers and sisters about the contradicting message of consumerism that my country brings to the world during this Christmas season. Is this how Christ wants us to celebrate his coming to this earth? I encourage my brothers and sisters to meditate on this new reign of God that Christ promises to bring, and how we as Christ´s body can celebrate its coming with joy and hope. Let us prepare ourselves for this new year.
¨Help Me to Believe in Beginnings¨ by Ted Loder
God of history and of my heart,
So much has happened to me during these whirlwind days:
I´ve known death and birth;
I´ve been brave and scared;
I´ve hurt, I´ve helped;
I´ve been honest, I´ve lied;
I´ve destroyed; I´ve created;
I´ve been with people, I´ve been lonely;
I´ve been loval, I´ve betrayed;
I´ve decided, I´ve waffled;
I´ve laughed and I´ve cried.
You know my frail heart and my frayed history-
And now another day begins.
Oh God, help me to believe in beginnings
and in my beginning again,
no matter how often I´ve failed before.
Help me to make beginnings:
To begin going out of my weary mind into fresh dreams,
daring to make my own bold tracks in the land of now;
to begin forgiving
that I may experience mercy;
to begin questioning the unquestionable
that I may know truth;
to begin disciplining
that I may create beauty;
to begin sacrificing
that I may accomplish justice;
to begin risking
that I may make peace;
to begin loving
that I may realize joy.
Help me to be a beginning for others,
to be a singer to the songless,
a storyteller to the aimless,
a befriender of the friendless;
to become a beginning of hope for the despairing,
of assurance to the doubting,
to reconciliation for the divided;
to become a beginning of freedom for the oppressed,
of comfort for the sorrowing,
of friendship for the forgotten;
to become a beginning of the beauty for the forlorn,
of sweetness for the soured,
of gentleness for the angry,
of wholeness for the broken,
of peace for the frightened and violent of the earth.
Help me to believe in beginnings,
to make a beginning,
to be a beginning,
so that I may not just grow old,
but grow new
each day this wild, amazing life
you call me to live
with the passion of Jesus Christ.
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