For my first blog I think it good to give some of the pre-departure thoughts I've previously shared. Enjoy:
As most of you know, for the next two years I'll be in Thailand working with an organization called Servant Partners. Our motto is "Transforming Communities With the Urban Poor," the emphasis being on "with" to convey our coming alongside communities as neighbors working with them, rather than as "service providers" for them. This blog will be an unpacking/reflection of what that practically looks like for the next couple years. Look forward (at least once a month) to reading something personal, theological, informative, and prayerful. Here's my first entry (I'll keep it short):
"If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." -Attributed to Australian Aboriginal Activist, Lila Watson
I leave in 44 days. As I prepare for departure by raising funds, applying for a visa, and connecting with those whom I won't see for a while, I find myself humbled by the idea of relocating to live with another people group. Living among Western privilege for much of my life, I know that I will never truly understand the struggle faced by those I'll be with in Bangkok slums, thus the temptation I face is to stick to what/who I know, and operate within the socio-economic lot that I've been given. But I believe we are to work against the illusion that we are to remain separated; in some manner we are connected: either we work against one another by feeding into oppression, or we work together in liberation. When stepping into such a narrative, geographical borders are humbly transgressed and our (former) monolingual tongues are loosened---geography lines become blurry, perhaps formless, and, as we attend to our humanness by loving other cultures and languages, our lives begin to join with those words which create goodness out of chaos---with a type of let-there-be-light-in-the-darkness flavor.
It's this kind of thought that pushes me to go when I'm tempted to stay--namely, that there's a created world groaning in every language, waiting for that chaos-ridding word to be spoken, and lived. Perhaps as we let our bodies follow those words which create, there is a greater possibility for
a world, a world where the affliction of the weak and the order of the universe are inextricably joined, where the provision of grass for animals and the securing of justice for one falsely accused are most clearly understood as manifestations of a single reality, the work of God. It is a world where impossible things become possible, where things too difficult becomes the order of the day. (From Patrick Miller in *They Cried to the Lord: The Form and Theology of Biblical Prayer* p. 224)
I pray for a world of multi-cultural liberation; namely, living in (and working towards) good news with our neighbors. Maybe in such a world we won't just know one another as statistics and demographics, but we will know one another's names. It is my hope that the future writings here will be saturated with value of humanness, our connection to one another, and the good news which encounters us all.
This is a little bit of what I'm thinking about as I prepare to go. I'll cover more logistical stuff in email updates and reserve this blog as a merger between info on what we as Servant Partners are doing and my personal reflections.
As I walk this path for (at least) the next couple years: learning Thai, serving with humility, grieving with hope, and working tirelessly, I look forward to sharing my thoughts/experiences with you all. Ultimately, my hope for this blog is that it will function as a prayer--that is, as I update you all on what's going on in the urban poor communities of Bangkok, my words would communicate a certain hope, lament, and/or joyful praise.
Thanks for Reading!
Alejandro