Travels in Narnia
Catherine Drayson, wife of Bishop Nick in our link diocese of Northern Argentina, has updated her blog but you can read the entry here...
'It is hot, and very sunny ...the north wind is pounding , and we have closed and shuttered doors and windows as best we can…..an ideal time to begin to write a blog entry.
October has been an interesting and challenging month for me, as I have travelled to several Indian communities to encourage and do some teaching and training both for Children's and Women’s work…
Mercedes Tarragona and Carolina McLean from St Mark’s Church in Buenos Aires offered to come and accompany us. They had visited previously with a larger group from their church, and at the time had been impacted by the life and ways of the Indian Communities and struck by the many challenges they are facing. Mercedes offered to return and accompany us in encouraging children’s teaching / Sunday-School type work. So together we braved the dust, and heat and harsh conditions, sleeping on floors, where the bathroom is the great outdoors, and meeting the surprises along the way with great humour and relish.
I had already had planned a Women’s conference in Santa Teresa, a fairly isolated village in the province of Formosa (the Wichi Christian women try to meet twice a year at different destinations, to encourage one another and to receive some teaching) so we combined children’s work and women’s work!
Mercedes is a highly talented communicator, with a great gift of encouragement and a rare gift of managing to involve everyone, whatever their cultural background, ….so she set about providing learning environments which perhaps were rather different from those experienced before by the Wichi and Toba women, but which seemed to really cut through even language barriers (one person commented that she was convinced that Mercedes was speaking Wichi!)
Using many multi-sensory methods of teaching and communicating the Bible, (eg. making use of wool, drama, movement, songs, skipping, games, painting, simple crafts , naturally found materials …….) she somehow opened up new possibilities of teaching and enjoying the word of God at the same time as teaching its principles. We travelled with a team, taking with us both Toba and Wichi translators who also have a heart for children and it was with great joy that we saw them leading the skills training and teaching!
Some communities are doing some sterling work, they have had many training courses over the years, with very basic tools, but we noticed that many of the communities had neglected to teach their children, saying "because we cannot teach the way the missionaries did…." We hope and pray that this brief visit will have encouraged and challenged many to develop their own culturally appropriate ways to cherish and teach their children who are being influenced by so many outside influences, especially TV, visitors, etc ……and to begin to recognise the need to teach Christian values at home as well as for an hour or two on Sunday….
The women’s Conference was a challenge: we had planned to take two vehicles but the Indian driver needed a lot of convincing to come with us as he had been invited elsewhere. But some “persuasive charm” managed to convince him and he not only came and drove, but also helped and sang! I also got a really nasty flu virus just days before leaving……but we still went, and the main day was focused on the Book of Ruth. Teaching was about “The Family” and especially related to our family relationships, it struck a chord and it was a time of real blessing (even if the men did take over in the evening….)! There is much need of furthering literacy skills, and of encouraging the families (especially women) to resume a more active role in the education (spiritual and otherwise) of their children.
We sometimes think of our life here as being rather like Narnia. Like the children in the Chronicles we find ourselves in a strange land, where anything could happen or anyone/anything could appear at any time (we did not meet Mr Tumnus on this journey.. but we did meet a very cute armadillo, several pet/wild rabbits, and ostriches…who would have spoken I am sure if given half a chance…) But far from being just a story, like Susan and Peter we find we have been put here to exercise influence and fight battles that we never imagined, and it is all dangerously real! We also feel at times, (probably most of the time) that we don’t know how to do this. The Amerindians are often unfathomable, and their understanding of life, their ways, are so different from ours that we wonder if we shall ever be able to bring anything to them and to their situation , of lasting benefit. Fortunately Aslan is on the move!
There were definitely some Narnia moments on this trip: the day we arrived at La Mocha with a load of women (on the way to the Women’s conference) having organised a workshop for the Sunday-School workers in the area and to have lunch. Everyone denied knowledge of the arrangement and had gone fishing. Also at La Mocha some more “persuasive charm” was used to oust the men from the back of the truck who had decided they wanted to go to the Women’s conference instead of the women….!
Mercedes and Carolina also told the story of their visit to the Chorotes at Mision La Paz. Having sat through hours of baptisms (80 + of them!) and asking themselves, “What are we doing here?” a Sunday-School teacher took them to one side and said that she had been waiting for them to come, and knew that God had sent them just for her ………! They were able to pray with her and minister deeply to her.
The joy of seeing everyone, women, pastors, youngsters, learning how to use ”The Book without words” such a simple, effective tool, the privilege of listening to and praying with a woman, who said that she had waited some 8 years to tell someone her problem and to find help and healing. Finishing ministering at 1 in the morning and beginning to wonder how I would find my way back in the dark to our lodgings ….to be surprised by a couple of angels who had come to look for me to guide me home…and all the women were up waiting for me!
The fun of being together as women, laughing at most everything, sleeping as always on the floor, hearing the Wichi women in the dark, praying the Lord’s prayer and reciting psalms as they committed the safety of the night to Him…..some magical moments and such a privilege to be part of the Anglican church in the north of Argentina with its rich variety of styles and experiences.'