Earlier I wrote about how peaceful things seemed here in Quyquyho. And to the unacquainted, it is. It is a town where everyone knows each other, where they wave to each other as they pass by, where they work in lush green fields and children play in the street. The people are poor, but seem happy overall. Not so bad, right?
Below that friendly picture there is an sea of darkness that goes unmentioned and unheeded, and our visit here is exposing some of this nasty undercurrent. Externally, there is tranquility, but within families, we are seeing themes of abuse and molestation. One girl endured five years of this, while her other relatives didn't believe her, until she tried to kill herself. During one of our presentations earlier in the week, a student asked what to do if you are raped by a relative and become pregnant. These are just two of the heartbreaking stories that are starting to come to light. Normally, nobody talks about these things here. There isn't much governmental infrastructure to address these problems, and what there is, is largely ineffective. Mostly it's just swept under the rug, producing damaged lives that stumble into adulthood and continue the cycle.
We knew that these issues existed before we came, but I was not expecting either the prevalence or the degree to which they occurred. We have been making a point of bringing up these issues in the hope that it will give people the courage and motivation to not accept this as the status quo. We can't do much in only two weeks, but we hope to foment the beginnings of change that will continue to grow after we leave.
Please pray for these issues:
Below that friendly picture there is an sea of darkness that goes unmentioned and unheeded, and our visit here is exposing some of this nasty undercurrent. Externally, there is tranquility, but within families, we are seeing themes of abuse and molestation. One girl endured five years of this, while her other relatives didn't believe her, until she tried to kill herself. During one of our presentations earlier in the week, a student asked what to do if you are raped by a relative and become pregnant. These are just two of the heartbreaking stories that are starting to come to light. Normally, nobody talks about these things here. There isn't much governmental infrastructure to address these problems, and what there is, is largely ineffective. Mostly it's just swept under the rug, producing damaged lives that stumble into adulthood and continue the cycle.
We knew that these issues existed before we came, but I was not expecting either the prevalence or the degree to which they occurred. We have been making a point of bringing up these issues in the hope that it will give people the courage and motivation to not accept this as the status quo. We can't do much in only two weeks, but we hope to foment the beginnings of change that will continue to grow after we leave.
Please pray for these issues:
- That God would work in the hearts of the people of Paraguay to change the culture of abuse.
- That conversations would start here in the village of Quyquyho on these topics, not just while we're here, but after we leave too.
- For energy and strength for us, to work with victims of abuse and hear their stories without exhausting our own compassion.
There are no words, except that it's heartbreaking. Certainly, all you can do in 2 weeks is to plant seeds that hopefully will find root and bloom after you leave.
ReplyDeleteEileen, finally I'm able to post my comments. You can see how I've been identifying myself of the rest of the group and more directly with your son. Jory gave me the link.
ReplyDeleteYou are familiar with this surface and then how the onion layers start to unfold, as was aptly shared by your son.
One tries to help, but in Christ only is the ability to address issues that become too big for strictly human effort. None the less, thankfully there is hope thru our savior and his ministry thru his people. The Lord's encouragement blessings thru all of us.//Janeen -- a friend of Jory', plus Daniel's parents