What Makes A Country Beautiful

Clove Island Capital, is it beautiful?

When we first got to the islands, we were often asked by islanders for our opinion and impressions of the islands. What did we think of them? It was a common enough question that within the first month of language learning I memorized the line, “I like the islands because it is beautiful, the food is good and the people are kind.” Most islanders were very pleased with this response and happy to hear their home being praised by a foreigner. But more than once I had islanders argue, claiming that the islands were not beautiful! With my limited language I remember being confused by their reaction. “They live on a tropical island! Of course it is beautiful!” 

Once we had more language we realized that we were defining beauty differently. When we talked about a “beautiful country” we were thinking of the beaches, of the green hills and the ocean. When islanders talked about a beautiful country, they talked about signs of development like fancy buildings and good roads. “We don’t have any tall or beautiful buildings,” they would complain, “some people still live in homes of mud or tin. This is not beautiful.”

We have sometimes been frustrated with how much islanders take for granted the natural beauty of their home. We get frustrated by how they mar the natural beauty with trash and bad environmental practices. For many islanders protecting the environment isn’t even on the list of things they would want to improve on the islands. For them, the important things are development and infrastructure— this is what it would take to make the islands beautiful in their eyes.

Before we left for Madagascar, our good friend, an island sister, warned us, “You will find some beautiful things there and some things that are not beautiful.”

We thought this was beautiful

She went on to explain this comment by talking about all the material things people can find and buy there. So much more than the islands! Then she became sad. She was in the capital of Madagascar and encountered a level of poverty that you never see on the islands. She saw people rummaging through garbage and children sleeping in the street. One day she even passed a child who had died sleeping outside the night before. She said that multiple times the sight of these things drove her to tears as she imagined her own little girl reduced to such a life. This was not beautiful.

We don’t know if we’ll ever talk about what you can find in the shops when we talk about a country’s beauty. But we do understand the sentiment of our island sister— poverty and people suffering is not beautiful, so in that way we understand how signs of success and indications of a developed economy can be beautiful.

So is this beautiful?

If a Westerner were to ask us about the beauty of Madagascar. I confess that we would spend most of the time talking about the beauty of the beaches, forests, nature and wildlife that we encountered there. If an islander asked, we would know to talk about the state of development and poverty.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
It’s good to be getting back into the swing of things back on Clove Island.  Tom and one of our colleagues were at a ceremony this week for an English program in a remote village.  The ceremony went well and the drive to and from was not too difficult.  We’ve had some encouraging news about brothers and sisters meeting together, children’s programs and newly translated booklets with good book stories for kids being put to good use.  Our neighbors who have been traveling for the past two months are back too, and with a clear diagnosis for their daughter’s health problems. We are happy to reconnect with them.  Megan’s back is doing fine! A few weeks ago a brother and sister from our island went to the other islands to mediate conflict and encourage gatherings— it sounds like it went well and that everyone was encouraged by the interaction and the possible precedent it sets for confronting issues.


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Our friend (who we thought miscarried and then we thought was fine) has miscarried.  We are deeply saddened by this news, pray for her and her husband.  A number of friends also failed to pass the big exam that is necessary to go to university.  This was also hard news.  Pray for their studies to continue as they will not have a chance to try again until next year.  Pray for people around the world living in a state of poverty.  Poverty is less about money and more about hope.  May they be raised out of poverty and into hope and freedom. A former worker on the islands is back visiting— pray for him as he tries to teach and encourage old island friends during his days here.