Puerto Inirida is a small town located in the jungles of Colombia.  The only way to get there is either by air or boat.  It is located near the border with Venezuela.  In the middle 1940′s a young woman named Sophie Mueller, a missionary with New Tribes Missions came to the area to evangelize the indigenous peoples who lived along the many rivers in the region known a Guiana.  The rivers were populated with 14 different ethnic groups, who all had their own unique languages.

Sophie was originally a reporter for the New York Times and a gifted artist.  She was converted when she stopped to listen to street preachers as she was walking along the streets of New York.  She eventually dedicated her life to God and felt the call to missions.  She wanted to go where no missionary had ever gone before and decided that God wanted her in South America.  She traveled to Bogota, Colombia and departed there for the jungle.

When she arrived in the Guiana area she met up with the Curipaco tribe.  The indigenous were animists and were led by witch doctors and witches.  The tribes often went to battle with each other over territory, and their religion involved getting highly intoxicated and dancing wildly.  Sophie met these people and told them about Jesus.  The witch doctor decided to test her and evaluate her god against his gods.  He put a poison into her soup and decided to wait to see what would happen.  She took the soup and eventually vomited through the night, but she survived.  A couple of dogs and a few chickens licked and pecked at the vomit and they all died.  The witch doctor immediately wanted to know about her God and she communicated as best she could about Jesus.  He was her first convert.

Over the years Sophie Mueller traversed the rivers of Colombia and helped to start hundreds of churches.  She translated the New Testament into 14 different native languages.  She taught the tribal people how to read and write and gave them pride in the fact that they were the indigenous people of Colombia and Valenzuela.  Today, she is revered by the various indigenous tribes in Guiana and Venezuela.  Sophie died in the late 1980′s, but her influence on the people continues.

A missionary from our fellowship met with one of the indigenous people while he was ministering in Puerto Lopez.  The man was from the Puinave tribe and told the missionary, Jim Gage, about the need for someone to come to the rivers and teach the people.  After hearing Jim preach, he said that he taught like Sophie Mueller, and that the indigenous leaders would be anxious to talk to him.  Jim made the trip to the jungle and met with the indigenous leaders and they told him that they would like to start a bible institute to educate their young pastors.  Along the various rivers of Colombia there are about 1,000 churches and many of the young pastors need a solid theological education.  Jim presented this need to his sponsoring church, Westwood Missionary Baptist Church of Winter Haven, Florida, and the leadership and people immediately responded to the need.  That is where I come into the story.  I surrendered to the call of the Lord to go to Colombia as a missionary.

I traveled to Colombia in February of this year and met with Jim Gage.  A week later, Jim and I traveled to Guiana and met with the tribal leaders from the four largest indigenous ethnic groups. We started the planning stages for the Bible institute.  My pastor and our missions director had made previous trips to initiate things.  We arranged a Bible conference, and the church printed out 1,000 New Testaments in the four major languages.  When we presented a few of these bibles to the leaders, they wept for joy at having the New Testament in their own language.

Meeting with these people and spending time in the jungle in the town of Puerto Inirida has been a wonderful and unique experience for me.  I have learned that you can live very simply and still be happy.  My little apartment there was very basic.  I had a bed with a rock hard mattress with mosquito netting.  We had plastic chairs and a plastic table.  The kitchen consisted of a sink, counter, and a portable gas grill.  It was not unusual to hear rats moving around the kitchen at night looking for food scraps.  I had to hand wash my clothes and hang them in the living room to dry. Life was good despite the lack of modern comforts and conveniences.

I came to Colombia with little knowledge of Spanish, so in Puerto Inirida I had to learn as I became involved in daily activities.  I became acquainted with my landlord, who was very helpful in my language development.  The lady at the little restaurant down the way was also helpful and taught me how to order food.  I like my coffee black and the Colombians like it with sugar, so it is important for me to order it “tinto sin asuca” which is black coffee without sugar.  Eggs are “huevos,” and if you want them fried you order “huevos fritos.”  I have not mastered Spanish by any means, but in the three months I have been in Colombia, I have made some good progress.

I had to return to the States because I do not yet have a visa.  I am only allowed to stay for three months without a visa.  I write this in Maryland at a Bible Conference, and I will return to Florida at the end of the week to visit my family and report to my church.  I’ll make a trip to Detroit to visit my brothers, and then on July 9^th, I will return to Colombia to focus my attention wholly to learning Spanish.  I am going to hire a tutor.  I hope that within a year I will master the language enough to preach and teach.  Once I have mastered the language, I will be making quarterly trips to the jungle to teach in the Bible institute.  We start our first classes this August, and I would covet your prayers for the success of this work.  We Americans cannot traverse the rivers because of the risk of kidnapping by the FARC guerillas. The indigenous people can travel the rivers without risk or fear from them, so it is vital that we train these pastors in both Bible and evangelization so they can go back to their people and spread the gospel.  We found out that the various tribes who do not live near the rivers have yet to hear about Jesus, and these dedicated indigenous pastors can go there and share the good news of the gospel to their brethren who still live in darkness.

I would appreciate your prayers for me personally and for the work that we are doing to help these people.  I would also appreciate prayer that our church can receive the finances needed to keep this worthy project going.  God has given us a unique opportunity that most missionaries do not have.  We have thousands of people just waiting to learn more about Jesus.  Our church meetings in the various indigenous churches surrounding Puerto Inirida have been packed to capacity with people and others crowded around the outside anxious to hear the word of God preached.

Apparently, back in 2006 Mike Jeffries, CEO of the retail clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch, said something stupid and insensitive.  According to the petition, “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” Jeffries said.  ”Candidly, we go after the cool kids.  We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends.  A lot of people don’t belong, and they can’t belong.  Are we exclusionary?  Absolutely.”

The Change.org petition points out, “Anyone who hasn’t been to Abercrombie & Fitch in the last few years has probably noticed that they don’t carry XL or XXL clothing for women and their waist sizes for men leave room to be desired” and urges A&F “to embrace the beauty in all sizes by offering XL and XXL sizes…”

Jeffries released this official statement on the A&F Facebook page:

Now, about that petition.

Let’s suppose that someone started a petition on Change.org urging the Big and Tall men’s clothing store to carry clothing for little people (aka, midgets).  How dare B&T exclude little people?  This may seem like a bizarre analogy, but the underlying concept is the same.  The problem is NOT that “specialty” clothing stores target certain segments of the population, the real point of contention is that Jeffries’ comment redefined “specialty” such that anyone unable to fit into A&F clothing is now not popular and not-so-cool. What people can’t and shouldn’t be okay with is the idea that too many inches or pounds means “people don’t belong, and they can’t belong” in that segment of the population that is “attractive” or “all-American” with “a great attitude and a lot of friends.”

Jeffries claims his comments were taken out of context and misinterpreted.  Yet seven years later, A&F only offers XL and XXL sizes for males.

We all say and do stupid, insensitive, offensive things from time to time.  We all need forgiveness.  We should extend to each other the same grace that we would want if we were in Jeffries’ shoes.

Let’s suppose that a lot of people sign this petition, and caught between a rock and hard place, A&F relents and includes size twelve and up in their female clothing line.  What then?  A voluptuous teenage girl discovers she can finally fit into A&F clothes, so she purchases a new wardrobe.  Does this mean that she is suddenly ”cool and popular,” “the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends,” who belongs?  What changed?  The girl? The clothes?  The attitude of her peers?  All three?

A&F clothing could lose its exclusive status if people see the label on bodies that don’t perfectly match the fashion industry’s airbrushed, magazine-worthy standards. This is the mindset behind the well-intended but misguided “Fitch the Homeless” campaign.

Greg Karber, who started the “Fitch the Homeless” campaign, wants to rebrand A&F clothing in such a way that people no longer want to purchase or wear it.  So he’s encouraging people who own A&F clothing to donate their clothes to the homeless.

What kind of message are we sending to homeless people?  Think about it.  Isn’t this just another way of saying to the homeless person, “You are the most un-cool, unattractive person I could find, and if you wear this, then A&F clothing will become a disgrace.”

So a situation that already stinks now reeks to high heavens.

I won’t sign this petition, I won’t go find A&F clothes to give to the homeless, and I won’t purchase A&F clothing.  And I do forgive Jeffries.  He’s not a monster.  Neither is Greg Karber.  They’re just caught up in a system of ugly that goes deep into the core of the human experience, a system that propagates this lie: You can feel better about yourself by tearing other people down.

I close with the words of Van Morrison, which, to me, speak the heart of God as He looks around at each us of, each a unique masterpiece, and grieves as we wound each other – even with our good intentions:

Down those old ancient streets,

Down those old ancient roads,

Baby there together we must go

Till we get the healing done.

Join Us for Venture Lounge, May 21, 2013!

I’ve also got some interesting plans for www.whatgoddoes.com, so be sure to check back over the weekend!

How?  Be careful with your anger.  Don’t use your anger to justify retaliation.  Recognize that people often mistreat others when they, themselves are hurting or experiencing tremendous emotional pressure.  Don’t obsess over your own rights.  Be willing to give up, give in, or lose, if God requires it of you.

2. Bless.

Don’t use your word like daggers.  Words have the potential to give death or give life.

The Hebrew word for blessing is b’rachot or berachah.  In the first century, the meaning of blessing God, someone, or something was, first, “that God’s people should identify themselves with what God is doing to bring more of the presence and nature of God into their lives” (see 2 Peter 1:4), and second, “that the things God creates are not completely finished being created until they are dedicated to the purpose for which God created them.  With the b’rachot people partner with God in completing parts of creation by agreeing to the purpose God intends…”

(from http://penei.org/concepts-blessing.shtml).

3. Do good.

Do what is right, even if no one notices or cares or appreciates the fact that your behavior is commendable.  Be honest in your actions, even if being dishonest is (seemingly) to your advantage.  Do the honorable thing, especially to/for those who don’t do the same for you.  Do your best to accomplish things that will benefit others.  Give other people an opportunity be the center of attention.

4. Pray.

Expect that God will, in His own time and in His own way, transform people who are hard to love into people who are easy to love.  Perhaps the person you are praying for is not a praying person.  Pray on his/her behalf.  What is his/her greatest source of stress?  What is causes him/her to fear?  What are some of the challenges he/she faces?  What does he/she want or need most?  Is he/she facing any difficult decisions?  Pray for him/her with the same passion and urgency that you would for your parent or child or friend.

5. Repeat.

This isn’t a magic to-do list that will instantly cause you to be surrounded only with people who you find agreeable or likable.  One reason that God has intentionally placed that person who makes you ball up your fists and grit your teeth into your life could be so that you can learn how to become who God created you to be, to see others as God sees them, and to learn how to transcend the ugly stuff: fits of rage, harsh language/tone, grudge-holding, back-biting gossip, bad intent, cynicism, resentment, etc.  Another reason could be that God is using you to help people who desperately need someone who will love, bless, do good, and pray for them.  Or maybe it’s a little bit of both reasons.

“Love your enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating you, and pray for those accusing you falsely, and persecuting you…” Matthew 5:44

“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him your friend.” – Abraham Lincoln

Related:

• Why Don’t We Recite A Berachah On The Mitzvah Of Zachor?
• No Such Thing As Wasted Time

• I received an award for “Outstanding Writer in the Community.”
• I was invited and paid to attend a meeting with the National Center for Creative Aging.
• I was invited to have lunch with the founder of the Pabst Charitable Foundation for the Arts.
• Many people congratulated me for graduating, I was treated to dinner and received gifts.
• A road-rage driver clipped the front of my car as I entered the left-hand turn lane.  He was behind me and decided to use the turn lane (and the median) to pass me.  I noted his plate number as he sped off and reported the incident as a hit-and-run, even though it only left scrape on my car and I wasn’t injured.
• The officer said, “Maybe he didn’t know he hit you.  There are no witnesses.  There’s nothing I can do about this.”  I assured the officer that he knew exactly what he was doing, but the officer acted as if the incident were nothing more than my personal, elaborate, grown-up version of tattletale.
• My boss informed me that the funds are not available to extend my internship at Voxeo when my contract expires next week.
• A generous donor (and it wasn’t Pabst – we haven’t had our lunch meeting yet) covered the expense to apply for tax exempt status for Alzheimer Chronicles, Inc., a non-profit organization I started last year.
• I was turned down for several freelance writing jobs.
• I was offered a freelance writing job.
• My kids showered me with gifts and words of affirmation on Mother’s Day.

If I were to attempt to find my sense of worth in life’s circumstances, then this what I’ve got to work with, based on the bullet list above:

• We like what you do.
• We want you around.
• We are interested in what you do.
• We are proud of you and happy for you.
• I wish you were dead.
• You don’t matter.  What you say doesn’t matter.
• We don’t need you.
• We support what you do.
• Other people are better than you.
• You are better than other people.
• We love and appreciate you.

Some people weigh the positive and the negative, and as long as the positive outweighs the negative, they feel good about themselves.  Likewise, if the negative outweighs the positive, they feel a diminished sense of self-worth.  Some people compare their perception of how others “score” on their equations with their own “score” so that even if they felt good about themselves, if someone else is better, then it doesn’t count any more.  And so on.

Thankfully, our true sense of worth is not found in what others say to us or do to/for us, it is found in God’s opinion of us.