An eye-opening experience
It was the day of the Rugby World Cup final, and the All Blacks were getting to the last minutes of their international challenge. Meanwhile, a group of about 50 believers were getting ready to face a different type of international challenge! We were privileged to help Kim and Mary facilitate the “Cardboard Village” experience, which gives participants a small taste of what it is like to live in poverty.
In many ways it was a picture of chaos as everyone got their heads around how things worked and what needed to be accomplished in each twelve-minute “week,” things like constructing a cardboard hut, applying for a job, buying food and water, and deciding whether to send the children to school or to beg! Participants also had to be careful to stay out of the canal, so they didn’t get sick, and at times were hit with unexpected challenges such as fire or flood.
During our time of reflection one person said that “We were very self-absorbed, we had to be in order to survive.” Another noticed that “You had to lie, and you had to bribe.” Someone else mentioned that “just when you thought you were getting ahead you realised there was another hurdle to jump over.”
In reality, true poverty is much worse than what can be experienced in a two-hour simulation. However, we were all reminded of God’s heart to care for the poor and see them lifted up. This is part of the gospel message, which is not only about the good news of eternal salvation, but also the good news that God wants to see people brought out of degradation and into a life of healthy flourishing. This was part of Christ’s mission on earth and is still part of his mission today, which is why OMF has a number of ministries that work to bring about positive change in this way.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
(Lk 4:18–19)
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
