Some Things I've Been Thinking About...
So over the past while, God has put a few things on my heart that I would like to share and invite discussion over. One of the big topics roving through my head is the idea of advocacy vs. empowerment. To explain, advocacy is when usually Westerners come into a place, see a need and do something to fix it. Empowerment involves building relationships with locals and helping them to identify needs and ways to accomplish them that will work well in the context of that community. From my limited view, many organizations and relief efforts practice more of an advocacy attitude that can sometimes be rather ineffective. I do think that in the case of people in need of immediate relief effort, such as in the aftermath of a natural disaster, this method does fill basic need. I feel that the idea of empowerment is a much more Christ-like perspective. It is also much more costly, causing the person desiring to help to humble herself and recognize that she doesn't have all the answers and to pour into and partner will the people she is trying to help. It has been really encouraging for me because this idea first presented itself after my work with OCCCO over the summer and a similar idea was introduced at a talk during our eMi training. I was really encouraged by this because the work we do at eMi utilizes Western learned skills, eMi emphasizes working with and listening to the ministries we serve that have been a part of the communities they are in for many years.
Another thing I have recently appreciated is fellowship with Godly women. One of the wives of the eMi dudes is very pregnant and due in September. We had a baby shower for her yesterday and getting to meet many of the other wives there was very encouraging. This wasn't your typical baby shower, we didn't play silly games, but we listen to Jessy's(the pregnant one) testimony of how God brought her husband into her life and listen to the other women express their appreciation for them as a couple and their excitement to see them as a family. We also prayed over her for health and God's guidance in little Faith's life. It was a beautiful time and I hope I get to know these women better.
2 Comments:
I love YOU!
Yes yes yes. Empowerment. Yes. I think the conclusion that I've come to at this point is that a combination of the two is best. Advocacy first, in most cases, but always with the eventual goal of empowerment. I believe the ultimate goal of any mission organization should be to end up un-needed in any given place. Advocacy is necessary, I think, because if you just show up in a place and try to change things and get people to think and act differently without giving them any reason to listen to you, it doesn't work that well. But advocacy on its own can end up fostering dependence, dependence on missionaries or "the white people", and I don't think that's healthy for anyone involved. So advocacy first, just until you can get people to trust you and be willing to take steps with you toward empowerment.
And those are my two cents.
I also agree about fellowship with women... I have been missing that a TON this summmer (and last year, to an extent, as I pulled away from people), and I'm excited to see what God will do in that area of my life in the coming year.
I love you!!!
Heather, I think you are right on. I have also felt the same way. I think that it is really easy to just dump help on people- now that is all well and good. But it is way harder to really invest into peoples lives. Because that means that we have to be real, and really sure of our faith.
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