What’s Happening to the Islands?

When bad things happen, word gets around on these islands.  And it feels like recently, there has been more bad stuff than usual.  The islands have no big cities like Johannesburg or Nairobi.  Life works on a system of who you know—and everybody knows everybody.  As annoying as this can sometimes be, it is a great crime deterrent.  I can remember the time many years ago when a friend from the other side of the island came to visit.  I asked him what he was doing on our side of the island.  He said his motorcycle had been stolen and he had tracked down who had taken it and where it was!  I remember being amazed.  It’s hard to get away with things when everybody knows what everybody else is doing.  

Chatting about news after breaking fast

But in recent days we have heard some of the kinds of stories that we never used to hear on the islands.  I don’t want to be alarmist.  I still believe our islands are a safe place to live.  But some of the things that have happened in the last 6 months were virtually unheard of before.  They are still isolated cases at this point, but just the fact that they have occurred sets minds uneasy.  In the past few months, 3 armed robberies, a kidnapping, a murder and a rape have all been widely-known stories.  People on the islands are talking and there are signs of more fear setting in.

It was our teammate who noticed it.  When we first came to the islands we would have said that people here have an open door policy.  Front doors are always open and everyone is always welcome.  But our teammate told us that this was no longer true.  If they live on the ground floor, now islanders keep their door closed.  The fact is, you don’t know who might come in your house.  We confirmed with others, people don’t leave their doors open like they used to.

A podcast I was listening to reminded me that cities and  perhaps countries go through phases—times when crime rises and times when crime falls.  Not surprisingly, it is very difficult to know what causes these changes.  So we cannot say what the asnwer is, but we are aware of some factors that might contribute.  The capital city on the big island has grown a lot in the past few years, due in part to a centralization of government.  Its growth has certainly contributed to the possibility of anonymity for would-be criminals. Signs of increased crime are worst in the capital.

Chatting on our porch

Another factor may be the French island.  For years, islanders have been sending their children to live on the French island, putting them into the hands of distant relatives or even the state, hoping that they would find a better life.  But a majority of these children, without parents watching out for them, fell through the cracks, don’t go to school, might become servant slaves in households and are in danger of all kinds of abuse.  Gangs now plague the French island. Many would say it is a result of all these children growing up parent-less.  Islanders look at the crime on the French Island and shake their heads and blame the French government for being soft on crime.  But now the French Island was ravaged by a cyclone and lots of people left there to come back to these islands.  Could some of those lost and forgotten ones who have learned the ways of gangs and crime, be bringing the only life they know back to the islands?  

Or could it be caused by the slow deterioration of justice bubbling over as the local government withholds the rights of its citizens with increasing regularity?  Or is it the slow grind of economic forces—people desperate to get by as prices climb and the basics of life get more difficult to possess?  

Things are not better off than they were 5 years ago.  We perceive the change and although we aren’t trying to be alarmist and we don’t suddenly feel unsafe, we all wonder, “Will it get better or will it get worse?” No one knows. We join islanders in lamenting the changes for the worse and the accompanying increase in crime and the more serious types of crimes being committed.

One of our friends said, “And it’s just terrible that these [crimes] are happening during the month of fasting!”  Many in the group nodded their heads.  Then one young man turned to the first and wisely said, “It’s terrible that things like this happen any time.”  Amen.  

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The weather cleared and our colleague from the medical team flew safely back to Clove Island and got her bag too (after a couple days). Praise that power has improved this past week with fewer long outages (which means we have fans for more of the day). Megan got to share the story that was studied at the women's gathering with one of the island sisters that didn’t make it last week. Tom is co-teaching a new English course and it led to him getting to share truth with some new people. Another former student contacted Tom asking where he could read about the good news.  All of us continue to get more chances to share the good news as people ask us, “Are you fasting?”

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the islands— that whatever the factors, there would be an end to this rise in crime!  Our daughter is in a middle of a flare-up of her rheumatoid arthritis and they are in the last two weeks of her school term, which are full and more stressful. Pray for her healing and for encouragement for her heart. We are planning to break the fast with Muki and Mtsa and Mtsa’s family. Pray that this would be a good opportunity to deepen relationship with them. Our older kids’ school in mainland Africa jus posted their staffing needs for next year— pray that God would call the people to serve there. Keep praying for the increased chances to share during the month of fasting. We are already halfway through the month, but it is not too late to join us in prayer for the islands. If you want to get a special weekly email with ways to pray, let us know.