When Things Become Less Safe

 A man with money in his pockets is assaulted on the street by a gang of men. They beat hit, take his money and leave him for dead. The next morning the man’s body is found dead.   

Extra locks on back door

Such things have been happening for thousands of years, but they haven't been happening here.  As long as we have lived here, Clove Islanders have taken pride in the fact that Clove Island is a safe place to live.  But that seems to be changing.  We're not suggesting that we're afraid to walk down the street or that we feel unsafe.  We feel quite safe.  But we would be lying if we said we haven't noticed a change.

The story I told above happened in our city this past week.  We can hardly believe it.  Before a few years ago, we would have said, "Things like that don't happen here."  In fact, we spent our first 10 years here having never heard of a murder.  Then something happened a few years ago. A murder. Everyone said, "Nothing like this has ever happened here."  There was the assumption that this was a fluke, a rare event that would not repeat itself for decades.  

But last week, there were two murders.  Can we really say, "Nothing like this has ever happened here"?

Why is it changing?  We can only speculate.  The past few years have been difficult. Prices have gone up, but opportunities remain stagnant.  As an Islander said to us this week, "A few years ago you could say to someone, give me a few bucks, and they'd be able to help you out, but now, no one will help you out."  Are people becoming more desperate? Is that leading to more crime?

We also think it may be the harvest of a misguided political policy that has persisted for the last 20 years.  Islanders take their children to the French island hoping to give them a better life. If they get caught and deported, they leave the children behind. (The French government has policies against deporting children.) They believe that in so doing, their children will find a better life—go to French schools, become French citizens.  Instead, children live on the streets, or as household servants little better than slaves.  With no one caring for them and little hope beyond their next meal, they get involved in theft, drugs, gangs and violent behavior.  This problem has persisted for more than twenty years.  Now those abandoned children are grown, angry, violent, hopeless, lawless, forgotten, ignored.  The better life—education, job, French citizenship—was just a fairy tale.  If the police find them, they will be deported and sent back to Clove Island—a place they’ve never lived, with people they hardly know and ways that can be quite different from the highly French influenced culture of French Island.  They come off the deportation boat with nothing but the things they left with, plus a sandwich and a bottle of water.  They wander out of the port and make their way. Where?  Who knows? 

The port where the boat from French Island comes

Whatever the cause, the climate is changing.  Women don't walk home alone late at night from wedding ceremonies anymore. They make sure they go in groups (an easy precaution we would always recommend, but until recently it seemed like  a good practice rather than a necessity).  House and building security systems have become more advanced and more secure.  People don’t feel as safe as they used to.  It’s sad to see the decline.  It is sad to see a sense of safety swallowed up by suspicion and fear.

We have been blessed to live in a "safe" place for many years, but as the false perception of safety fades away, we don't see reasons to leave. Rather we see all the more reason to stay.  Clove Islanders need a redeemer more than ever.  We hope we can help them find Him.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
The women’s gathering went well last week.  People were slow to arrive, but by the end, it was a good time of fellowship.  The translation work went well too.  Thankful that they were able to get done everything they hoped for—achieving all their goals!  We are thankful that it continues to rain and keep the heat at bay.  We are thankful for returning team members to the small island, who have been away for medical reasons.  We’re so glad they’re well enough to come back.  We’re thankful that both of us continue to have good studies with Muki/Mtsa, and Hashiri respectively.  

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for the lost youth of the French island causing chaos and grief wherever they go.  Pray for changed lives among them. Pray that they could find hope.  Pray that policies and mentalities would change. The brand-new sister that we learned about at the end of Dec came to women’s gathering. At Megan’s urging, the other sisters that live in her same town made a plan for them to meet and study together. Pray that they would meet and grow together. The men’s gathering will happen this week— pray that many would attend and that they would be building trust with one another. Megan will travel tomorrow.  She will be seeing our older kids during their mid-term break and then travel on to a conference the following week.  Pray for good travels, nice times with the kids and meaningful learning and interactions at the conference.  Tom and our youngest will be on their own.  Pray for them as they work together to get through homeschool, work, and life without Megan’s help.