Meet Alura

Alura and his Mother in front of their new home!

I would like to introduce you to Alura and tell you his story.

Alura is 18 years old and currently an employee of the mission. He works hard in the orchard watering trees. He has the heart of a worshipper; sitting next to him Sunday morning, his joy and enthusiasm are contagious.

His life has definitely not been without hardship. Alura is epileptic with some mental dissability. His mother is blind. In this culture epilepsy is viewed as spirit possession.  Him and his mother were expelled from their compound and currently live under a mango tree. This is possible during the dry season, however it is fairly miserable when the rain comes (1-2 weeks from now)
 In spite of the physical handicaps, him and his mother have worked hard to harvest their small cashew orchard, and to make mud bricks for a new house. With the help of family and the mission, they will soon put the very last piece of zinc on the roof! Thanks to a new pill box/organizer, persistent reminders and weekly clinic appointments, he is now taking his medication regularly and his seizures are controlled. If you would see him today he has an (almost) constant smile on his face. He is very excited to move into his new house.

Church men helping to split palm trees for the roof

The inside of Alura's new home

“Poverty keeps people in moral equilibrium. Keeps hard-working families virtuous, sets limits to their desire for possessions, preserves humility in personal relationship, encourages them to be industrious, and nourishes hope.

I say “poverty” not misery.

Poverty is the happy medium between two curses. The one is wealth, which is nearly always the fruit of exploitation, injustice or extortion. The other, misery is evidence of an evil deed committed by you or a result of the sins of others." -Carlo Carrette

Here in Catel, I am forced on a daily basis to face the fact that I have much more material possessions than every person I see here. Sometimes I feel guilty, other times I don’t.

It is a constant struggle for me to find the line between misery and poverty. I often find myself applying my silly western ideals to this small village. They simply do not fit. Who says that you must have a closet full of clothes and a nice computer to have a good life?

“To have what we want is riches, but to be able to do without is power” – George McDonald

A world without television, internet, running water, electricity, cars, refrigeration…. The average American would not know how to manage, yet this is the life here in Catel and people here are happy. Don’t get me wrong. There is much suffering and misery. Lack of healthcare, mothers losing on average 1-2 children, lack of food, poor/non-existent education programs… these are all real problems that need addressing.

However, when I think of all the different small villages of GB who have never heard the gospel…. This is when my heart starts to race; this is when I feel a strong sense of urgency. This is an emergency. This is true poverty.

I pray that these stories and pictures would not evoke feelings of guilt, but they would instead raise up a sense of urgency; a realization that all is not right with the world and a yearning and striving for change. 

No, I don’t think everyone should be a missionary to Africa. But I believe as Christians, we are all called to care.

Psalm 82:3-4a

  “Give justice to the poor and the orphan;

      uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

  Rescue the poor and helpless.”

Alura with his new home