{"id":839,"date":"2012-11-08T00:22:24","date_gmt":"2012-11-08T06:22:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/?p=839"},"modified":"2012-11-26T17:20:38","modified_gmt":"2012-11-26T23:20:38","slug":"como-los-antepasados-%e2%80%93-like-the-ancestors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/2012\/11\/como-los-antepasados-%e2%80%93-like-the-ancestors\/","title":{"rendered":"Como los Antepasados \u2013 Like the Ancestors"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Javier, Cristina and boys - heroes of the faith<\/p><\/div>\n

Today Javier and I took a break from working on the ministry property and spent the day working his milpa, harvesting maize \u2013 that is to say, we worked on his corn field, harvesting corn.<\/p>\n

I was impressed at how little has changed over the past thousands of years. Other than our use of a steel machete rather than a flint rock or something, I can\u2019t imagine how our labor today differed from that of the pre-Spanish Aztecs or other tribes indigenous to the Americas. Javier had planted corn between the rows of sugarcane and each now-ripened stock, or cluster of stocks of corn had to be chopped out with a machete and laid between the sugarcane rows. We then laboriously carried piles of stocks to the edge of the field on our backs where we piled them onto one large pile. While I carried out piles of corn stocks and piled them, Javier removed individual cobs from each stock, and using a pointed stick shucked the individual cobs of corn. These mostly dried cobs will be further dried and stored for later uses in making tortillas. When ready to be used, the kernels will be twisted off of the cobs by hand and placed into a container where they will be covered with water. A small handful of lime (the dry powdered mineral stuff) will be added to the water and the pot brought to a boil. It will then be allowed to cool and sit for the night. The next day the kernels will be washed well to rid them of the lime and the skins. At that point the corn will be drained and ground into masa for making tortillas. Usually these tortillas will be patted into shape between ones hands and then roasted on a flat surface over an open fire.<\/p>\n

There is nothing in any of this that is not labor-intensive. I happened to be wearing my Nebraska Corn Huskers baseball cap today. The contrast struck me as rather ironic. Theresa and I recently were in Nebraska where the harvesters were running at high speeds across acres and acres of corn fields, pouring tons of golden corn into trucks which drove beside them. No one ever stopped the moving machinery, not even to load the trucks.<\/p>\n

Javier has about five or six acres of corn to harvest. This may be nothing if you are sitting in the air conditioned cab of a $600,000 harvester and running it through the field. It is a very different matter if you are cutting each stock with a machete, carrying everything out of the field on your back, and collecting and shucking each cob by hand.<\/p>\n

As the sweat ran down my face and poured off the brim of my Nebraska Huskers cap I began to wonder if any of us born into the unbelievably blessed First World really has any idea of what God\u2019s pronouncement of Genesis 3:19 has meant for most of the men and women who have ever lived, or who now live on the face of the earth. Do we really have a clue what the words \u201cBy the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made\u201d have meant to mankind?<\/p>\n

What I say, I say, not to try to bring guilt to anyone. There is nothing meritorious about guilt or sympathy. Both bring only self condemnation and useless angst. However, there is great merit in reality and empathy. These can bring positive changes in our lives which can make us better human beings. They can also motivate us into changes in our lives which can impact the world.<\/p>\n

So, to continue my thought process \u2013 in our mechanized world where we (the blessed, tiny few) live; where we sit in<\/p>\n

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Corn harvest drying<\/p><\/div>\n

our air conditioned offices, and then go home from work to our climate-controlled houses so that we can go out to a nice restaurant for dinner before we return home again in order to take a quick swim in our heated swimming pools before retiring to our king sized beds for the night \u2013 in this bubble of unreality in a very poverty-sickened world, do we even have a clue how the 90-something percent of the rest of the world struggles to live \u201cby the sweat of their brow\u201d?<\/p>\n

I have pulled up some statistics from the web to put some of this into perspective:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Almost half the world \u2014 over three billion people \u2014 live on less than $2.50 a day.<\/li>\n
  • At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.<\/li>\n
  • The poorest 40 percent of the world\u2019s population accounts for 5 percent of global income. The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of world income.<\/li>\n
  • According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.<\/li>\n
  • Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.<\/li>\n
  • Infectious diseases continue to blight the lives of the poor across the world.<\/li>\n
  • Water problems affect half of humanity:\n
      \n
    • Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.<\/li>\n
    • Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.<\/li>\n
    • 1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. The highest average water use in the world is in the U.S., at 600 liters day.<\/li>\n
    • Some 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diarrhea.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • Number of children in the world: 2.2 billion. Number in poverty: 1 billion (every second child)<\/li>\n
      • For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:\n
          \n
        • 640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)<\/li>\n
        • 400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)<\/li>\n
        • 270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • 10.6 million children died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5, while 1.4 million children die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
            • Rural areas account for three in every four people living on less than US$1 a day and a similar share of the world population suffering from malnutrition. However, urbanization is not synonymous with human progress. Urban slum growth is outpacing urban growth by a wide margin.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                \n
              • Approximately half the world\u2019s population now live in cities and towns. In 2005, one out of three urban dwellers (approximately 1 billion people) was living in slum conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                  \n
                • In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%. The poorest 10% accounted for just 0.5% and the wealthiest 10% accounted for 59% of all the consumption<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                    \n
                  • The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world\u2019s 7 richest people combined. The total wealth of the top 8.3 million people around the world rose 8.2 percent to $30.8 trillion in 2004, giving them control of nearly a quarter of the world\u2019s financial assets. In other words, about 0.13% of the world\u2019s population controlled 25% of the world\u2019s financial assets in 2004.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
                      \n
                    • In 1960, the 20% of the world\u2019s people in the richest countries had 30 times the income of the poorest 20% \u2014 in 1997, 74 times as much.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                      I highly recommend two books in light of what you have just read \u2013 both written by K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia. Yohannan is a very godly man, and places the needs of a poor and sick world into a non-condemnatory challenge. I recommend that you find and read \u201cThe Road to Reality\u201d and \u201cNo Longer a Slumdog\u201d. Both are available through the Gospel for Asia website.<\/p>\n

                      But what does any of this mean for Steven and Theresa? Why am I helping my friend and Christian brother harvest his corn field? I thought that the role of a missionary was to preach the Gospel! And, for some indeed it may. Nonetheless, I would suspect that the number of people who God has called to preach in the typical building-focused setting is much, much smaller than we have ever been inclined to think.<\/p>\n

                      I am helping my brother Javier because he is a hero to me, and he lives a life that exemplifies godliness. I believe that Jesus, and the Kingdom of God will, and must touch each area of our lives. It is not enough to simply become religious and preach a good sermon. If Jesus is real he will affect how I live – how I talk to my neighbor, how I support my family, how I work for my boss, how I bless my wife and children, how I handle my finances, and every aspect of my life.<\/p>\n

                      Javier is a man that I see walking this out in his life. Besides being a fulltime pastor, he is responsible for numerous missions in poor communities where he preaches, visits the sick, and pastors those in need. He and his wife Cristina are also responsible for a children\u2019s work in a desperately poor community outside of town where they also are running a feeding program for the children. Besides this he is also the fulltime farm manager for the ministry Training Center, he runs his own farm in order to feed his family, he is a family man, and a husband. I have no doubt forgotten some of the other roles that he fills as well. But my point has been made \u2013 he is a man with the grace of God evident in his life. He is a humble man and walks quietly, assuming nothing. However, he exudes the love and wisdom of God. What is more, he desires deeply to be able to see Jesus formed in others \u2013 not in a religious way, but rather in their daily lives, and in practical ways.<\/p>\n

                      Last week Javier and I were sweating side by side on the landsite clearing brush and trees in preparation for removing the stumps so that we could begin cultivating. The trees were completely wrapped up and overgrown with vines, making their removal almost impossible until we topped the trees completely and then began cutting out the vines which had wound their way completely up each tree. We had been talking about religion and the bondage of tradition that it has placed onto so many people, when Javier stopped, and putting down his machete, he turned to me and said \u201cMany of our brothers and sisters are like these trees. Their lives are choked by tradition. They need to be set free from the religion that is binding and restricting them\u201d. What earthy, beautiful and profound wisdom. I had to think of what it must have been like to listen to Jesus as he spoke of the day-to-day things of his time and wove them into truths so profound that even the wisest of the wise (in the natural sense) missed them, but babes and children understood.<\/p>\n

                      It is so critical that we build housing for the Training Center very soon. As I mentioned in my last \u201cblog\u201d, this is top priority for Theresa and me. We need to have a place to disciple men and women in the walk of Jesus. This must go far beyond learning a lot of head knowledge, and it must touch onto real life. This is the vision for the Training Center.<\/p>\n

                      We are very much in need for finances to begin building basic accommodations to house a staff couple (who will live right on site with the students), and which will also be able to house the student body. Please contact me if you feel God tugging at your heart in regards to this need. The best way to communicate with me is by email at \u201csteven@vitwministries.com\u201d.<\/p>\n

                      Blessings,<\/p>\n

                      Steven and Theresa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Today Javier and I took a break from working on the ministry property and spent the day working his milpa, harvesting maize \u2013 that is to say, we worked on his corn field, harvesting corn. I was impressed at how little has changed over the past thousands of years. Other than our use of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":864,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions\/864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitwministries.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}