Posted 9:40 pm Saturday, March 13, 2010
Hunter’s Dispatch Speaks Of Hard Times, Hope, Redemption
By SUZANNE HUNTER
Special to the Tyler Morning Telegraph
Special to the Tyler Morning Telegraph
Last year was, in some ways, the best and worst year of my life.
My husband, John, went through cancer treatment, we uprooted our lives and at the same time, three grandchildren were born. So, yes, we have been doing this work in Namibia for 12 years, but never before have I known the deep poverty of my own heart until the last few years.
In the earlier phases, I struggled to face the poor on a personal level, even though I longed to understand how to help them. Now, I have more of a human identity with all people as I've identified our common problem: we are all impoverished. We are all on the same level, there are no platforms and everyone needs a savior.
Rock climbing provides a good analogy. Standing at the bottom of a cliff, one doesn't recognize how far it is to get to the top. Sometimes John and I rock climb with our boys, though I really hate the feeling of being halfway up, all beat up, broken nails, bleeding hands and exhausted.
Why would I ever want to do this to myself?
It's too late for someone to come get me and too humiliating not to finish. What would my boys think of their wimpy mother! The feeling I get from reaching the top and looking up at the sun is so good, a feeling of triumph, success, strength and maintaining my reputation as a Hunter -- one who doesn't give up.
It's too late for someone to come get me and too humiliating not to finish. What would my boys think of their wimpy mother! The feeling I get from reaching the top and looking up at the sun is so good, a feeling of triumph, success, strength and maintaining my reputation as a Hunter -- one who doesn't give up.
One time I asked God about poverty. He spoke to me that the way out was by learning to be generous. This was my key to open the door. The only problem is how do we convince people at the bottom that they have to exert themselves and learn to trust the ROCK?
My parents were poor during the depression, but along with hard work and determination became effluent and prosperous. Their example to me was a strong influence on my destiny. They never forgot where they came from and were always generous people. It has taken me years to discover how to use that key, but in the years to come, we will be assisting many children who really want to climb up out of the pit.
