My one-month orientation visit to the CRWRC offices in Canadian and USA has sped by very fast! As I sit to write about how it has been, a colleague passes by, pops her head in the office and says, ”Hmmm….Iona looks different today!” Then she laughs heartily, and we exchange some pleasantries before she goes on her way. This short exchange sums up my experience in both offices. I have been profoundly touched by the time people took to explain their work to me and to help me understand how the parts fit together into the whole. I have visited with some and with others I have shared a meal, and in all, I have gleaned a bit of what our work entails– the challenges and the joys–and I get a real sense of commitment to something larger than us all. The story of the different parts of the body from the Bible is the best way to explain how the fog that I had, as I came from distant Malawi, has cleared. It’s been wonderful unraveling the puzzles of faces and people. “Oh, so you are so and so,” was my common refrain.

My one-month orientation visit to the CRWRC offices in Canadian and USA has sped by very fast! As I sit to write about how it has been, a colleague passes by, pops her head in the office and says, ”Hmmm….Iona looks different today!” Then she laughs heartily, and we exchange some pleasantries before she goes on her way. This short exchange sums up my experience in both offices. I have been profoundly touched by the time people took to explain their work to me and to help me understand how the parts fit together into the whole. I have visited with some and with others I have shared a meal, and in all, I have gleaned a bit of what our work entails– the challenges and the joys–and I get a real sense of commitment to something larger than us all. The story of the different parts of the body from the Bible is the best way to explain how the fog that I had, as I came from distant Malawi, has cleared. It’s been wonderful unraveling the puzzles of faces and people. “Oh, so you are so and so,” was my common refrain. 

This morning a partner staffperson shared at a Wednesday prayer meeting. He is a preaching elder from the CRC in Honduras. He had a translator and despite this barrier, I could tell he was speaking from his heart about what God is doing in their midst with the support of the church here. I sensed such a deep gratitude and awe of the Almighty God who makes all things possible. He shared about how, when it looked impossible for his community to save any money, the CRWRC staff person who works with them helped them think through the idea. Then the elder quipped, “Today, I am the president of the savings association and the membership goes beyond the boundaries of my hometown–and we never thought we could save! Now we know that it is important to save for ourselves and our families. Many poor women have started small businesses, and there is real transformation in our midst.” 

My mind trailed off to a similar scene unfolding in Malawi where we are pioneering the Village Savings and Lending program with some women. A year ago, they thought they could not save but their modest savings of a minimum of 30 US cents a week has grown incredibly. Some brave group members have taken out modest loans of about US$30. Paula was one woman who took out such a loan to buy a family fishing net, and today the family sells enough fish to have a stable income. 

I was so inspired to hear the Honduras story because it brought home to me how God is touching lives through CRWRC around the world. New stories are being rewritten in remote far-flung places. These stories may never make it to the daily tabloids across the globe, but when you wear the lens of a development worker and view life from a village perspective, you know that these stories come from huge transformations in these communities and bring so much hope. 

My story would be incomplete without expressing my gratitude to the donors I met in the US and Canada. You are busy people with the compassion of Christ who give generously to CRWRC to enable us to become the hands and feet of Christ. It is in this unity that Christ blesses our work in accordance to his Word in Psalm 133. I have been truly enriched and blessed by my experience – thank you to all of you for making my visit such a memorable one.