More Medation

Regular card games on road by our house

Last week’s blog “Accuse, Deny, Accuse, Repeat” was a bit of a downer.  The mediation had not gone well.  It seemed like there was little to be done in a “He said/She said” fight where neither were willing to back down to seek reconciliation.  But apparently there was something to be done.  Namely, make things even worse by escalating the situation!  So imagine my dismay to learn that one of the parties had taken the other party to court for defamation and was charging them for the equivalent of $1250!  That’s 6 months of pay for a manual laborer here on the islands.   Not surprisingly, this meant I was right back in the thick of it as each party came to me to express their anger.

Yuck!  It had all just gotten uglier, and I was being dragged into it. I didn’t want to be a part of it! I was already greatly tired of it.  My first reaction to the whole new mess was, “What can I do about it?!”  I didn’t do that good of a job the first time around and didn’t feel particularly equipped to dive back in. Thankfully, this is the very sort of mess where God loves to show up.

Going to Him in prayer, two things were revealed to me that offered a way forward.  One was that “taking someone to court” in this instance was not right.  If I was to stand for justice, then I could not stand by and do nothing about that.  Secondly, this fighting was not in line with our group’s values.  If these two parties wanted to continue to work with our group, they would have to find a resolution to the problem.

On the first point, why was going to the courts not right?  It’s a question of justice.  In the states we might take a case to court in the hope of finding justice.  But here on the islands, it is well known that it doesn’t work like that.  Rulings go to the powerful.  In this case, the party bringing suit was from an old, powerful family, held multiple respected positions in the community, and even had friends in the court system.  The other party had none of these connections.  The chance for real justice being done seemed extremely slim.  If we are to stand for what is right, then I must take a stand. 

Getting into Olympic Spirt

So I found myself in the uncomfortable position of offering an ultimatum.  Stop this court case and stop this fighting, or our group won’t work with you any more.  At the same time it felt freeing.  At least I had something to stand for. There was something to be done.

A few meetings later I had explained my position to the two parties.  It was a great opportunity to talk about forgiveness, justice, and returning good for evil.  In short, a great opportunity to share a lot of truth and the result was the two parties coming to the table.  In a little while the one party had agreed to put the suit aside.  One problem remained.  There was a litigation fee.  The party that brought the suit had already paid a lawyer (about $60) to draw up papers.  What about that?

It seemed like the right time to show just how far we are willing to go to find reconciliation and forgiveness.  To show how important forgiveness is. So I paid the fee.  “I have forgiven her.  That’s why I’m paying.  I am paying on her behalf.  Now you must forgive her.” I told my friend.  A few meetings still remain to be had, but it looks like some kind reconciliation is close.

Exploring our neighbor's torn down house

In the eyes of the world, I probably look like a fool.  The situation didn’t even involve me. But I had to give a great deal of my own time, effort, and even money to bring about peace.  And while I’m sure I made mistakes and could have done things better, the giving of my time, effort and money was the right thing to do.  I just hope I don’t have to do it again any time soon.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
One shortage has ended, the container with flour was unloaded! The whole island had run out of flour— meaning the bakeries couldn’t make bread or other baked goods (a staple for islanders for breakfasts and snacks). To quote one islander—“The population was suffering.” So they prioritized the flour— still waiting for relief from most of the other shortages, but we are very thankful to have flour and bread again. The family decided not to do a vision trip to the islands this month— which is a little bit of a disappointment but it also means our February won’t be as crazy. We haven’t gotten any specific updates but we know that our family member in crisis is getting some much needed care- we continue to pray. Our short-termer has her visa and plane ticket to come to the islands!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
The islands had huge government-wide meetings this past week to discuss changing the constitution and how the president is elected. Some have seen these meetings as good changes. Others see it as the president snatching up power and extending his term (perhaps even indefinitely). One major political party boycotted the meetings. Monday was declared a holiday by the president (with no reasons given), but we have yet to hear any word about what has been discussed or decided in these meetings. We pray for justice and freedom and a bright future for the islands. Pray with us. Pray for this mediation situation— Tom still has at least one more meetings to mediate. Our short-termer comes next week- pray that the final preparations for her stay will come together well.