Tolerance for Suffering

We must be off the islands, he's in jeans!

We have observed that islanders have a high tolerance for suffering, at least suffering that they believe will soon pass. In particular we are thinking about what they suffer at the hands of the government. The government-run utilities are constantly being mismanaged so that the population has to suffer under continual water and electricity cuts. Cuts severe enough to paralyze businesses and inconvenience everyone. Then there is the fact that the government does not pay its employees regularly. School teachers, government doctors, airport employees, police and others regularly go several months without pay.

We often ask ourselves and islanders… why don’t people get upset? Back in America, people wouldn’t stand for such poor service in their utilities and if they knew it was because of mismanagement and corruption- they would be livid. Employees would begin to strike and protest after a single missed pay-cycle. Islanders will go months without pay without a word of protest.

But sometimes even islanders are pushed to their limits. Usually after 6 or more months without pay, we hear the rumblings of strikes. After months of horrible electricity without relief, people will begin to get upset. In the past, angry mobs have thrown rocks through the electricity company’s office windows. Villages have attacked electricity company vehicles and not allowed them in their city. People have refused to pay their bills. Three villages refused to vote because their utilities have been non-existent. So islanders do have a breaking point.

Now islanders have been pushed to that point once again. As we were leaving the islands this week for conferences, we heard that teachers were striking on Clove Island. We also got worried as we heard that airport workers might be striking right as we were hoping to leave (thankfully they didn’t). Then we heard that on Volcano Island things were really heating up. Large chunks of the population were striking, including taxis (effectively paralyzing the society). Unfortunately we have even heard that it became violent and people were injured.

Enjoying guesthouse tire swing

We’re not sure how it is going to resolve itself this time. Other times, we have been disappointed. Islanders seem easily pacified and tolerant of continued and repeated suffering. Usually after a strike, workers will be given a couple months pay (even though they are owed several months) and they will go back to work. Life will continue again. Sometimes the government will be given a gift from some “benevolent” country and electricity will improve for a month or two. But inevitably, it all happens again. Electricity will get horrible again. Workers won’t be paid again. They were only short-term solutions. The heart of the problems is never dealt with.

We know it is often easier to treat the symptoms. The heart of the problems is complex and rooted deep in the society.

It reminds me of our own heart condition. If with our own power we try to stop our bad behavior, we may find short-term success but ultimately we’ll fall back into our bad patterns. We need God to fix our hearts if we really want to see change. Ultimately, we think the islands need the same thing. We hope that someday they will get tired of short-term solutions and aim to fix the heart. 

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Thankfully there was no airport strike and our travels went smoothly.  Both of our boys were sick for traveling but we are thankful that they are feeling better now. Our team completed a mid-term evaluation this week.  The time went well and we even got to have some good team fun playing “kick the can.”  We are also thankful to be united as a full team again.  It’s the first time all ten of us have been together since October (since team members have been away having babies)! 

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the islands and for real heart change in individuals and in the society. We are all looking forward to the conference coming up this week.  Pray that we would learn a lot, be inspired, make new friends, and be spiritually encouraged.  It’s a big conference, so pray for those in charge of all the organizing and that everything on the logistical side would go well.  Pray for our island family as almost all the workers are off-island- that they would be united and growing.