A letter from Katie Griffin in Argentina
March 19, 2013
I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy,
and executes justice for the poor.
Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name;
the upright shall live in your presence (Psalm 140:12-13).
Dear Friends,
News from Argentina during this Lenten season is filled with a pregnant waiting, hoping. We are travelling the Way of the Cross laden with uncertainties, yet convinced that God’s will shall be done and God’s reign provide blessing to all who strive to bear their cross.
By the time you receive this note, it will no longer be news that Pope Francis is the former Cardinal and Archbishop of Buenos Aires. This is certainly an event that puts Argentina before the world’s eyes; however, many of the real needs in Argentina will be covered over. Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) and President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner have had deep disagreements about social, political and economic concerns. In some issues I tend to agree with CFK, and in others with Bergoglio.
Brian (6) and Noelia (9) in their new school uniforms, February 10, 2013, in our front garden. Photo courtesy of Grammy, Barbara N. Griffin. School started on Feb. 25.
I am concerned about what an Argentine Pope will mean for minority religions in this country. I do not know what Bergoglio’s ecumenical record is. Many conservative members of various religious groups agree with Bergoglio’s hard line on questions concerning birth control, abortion rights and same-sex marriages. Yet they are concerned about the tremendous political and economic inequalities between the Roman Catholic Church in Argentina and other religious groups. (Legally the only “church” in Argentina is the RCC, whereas other religious groups are nonprofit organizations with religious intentions. This is why I say “other religious groups” rather than other churches.) More progressive religious groups are willing to dialogue with the more progressive elements of the RCC that strive to make human rights a priority in ministry and public dialogue. Some of the human rights issues being debated include a woman’s right to chose what happens to her body, and any person’s right to chose a compatible life partner, as well as the rights of a person to know his or her birth origin—a major debate with Bergoglio in terms of the children of those who were forcibly abducted during Argentina’s “Dirty War,” 1976-1984. Only time will tell what the papacy of Pope Francis will mean for religion in Argentina.
In other issues, I present to you an urgent prayer need. The school year for elementary schools in Argentina started on Feb. 25. In the public schools children have only had seven days of classes since then, averaging two school days a week. This week the teacher’s unions have declared a 48-hour strike for today and tomorrow, followed by an indefinite strike if the provincial government does not meet their demands. The news coverage only mentions the salary demands; however, teachers and school principals constantly insist on greater state provision for building safety, repairs and improvements, more classroom space, and an increase in the number of teachers so that overcrowded classes can be divided.
I thank God that the Presbyterian Mission Agency is able to cover the cost for my children to study in a private school, where classes have not been affected by the strikes, and where the student-to-teacher ratio is appropriate for the children’s educational needs. This is the first year that Noelia (4th grade) and Brian (1st grade) have been in a private school. They miss their friends from the public school terribly. And my husband and I, although relieved to know that our children will receive the education they deserve, continue to feel the pain of our friends whose children are falling further and further behind in their studies. Argentina’s poor are NOT poor because they are lazy!!! They are poor because their children lack adequate opportunities for growth from the moment they are conceived! Noelia especially has two best friends, Maira and Abril, who are good students, hardworking, and very bright. Their parents are convinced Christians who will not lower their arms and give in to hopelessness. Yet their whole class finished the third grade three months behind the regular curricular level. We were able to send Noelia to a private teacher to get her up to speed so that she could be integrated into her new 4th grade class. Her friends, however, will not finish 4th grade this year. They are already four months behind. What is in store for them in the future? How long will it take them to finish high school? Will they feel like the school system has given up on them, and thus give up on school?
This happens to many of the teenagers in the poorer neighborhoods around the church where my husband is pastor. This Pentecostal church’s ministry to youth and children is fundamental for providing the strength that only the hope of the gospel can give so that struggling families, or children and youth in violent domestic situations, can keep on going. This past year one young woman finished her tertiary degree in kindergarten education. Another young man finished high school and is hoping to make his way through medical or nursing studies at the university. Yet another is hoping to finish a technical degree as a computer technician—if the public school system will let him get back to his studies. These three youth are testimonies of what Christian faith, hope and love can work as the church seeks to be faithful to God’s mission.
The principal at the public school where Noelia studied last year is a remarkable, committed woman who does everything above and beyond her means to provide her school’s teachers with the elements they need to teach. She has been very resourceful in figuring out how to improve the learning environment in the classrooms, and the solidarity among the teachers there is tremendous. It is an exceptional school. Yet the resources are not enough without the adequate political will of the province’s educational policies and priorities.
Please pray for the public school system and the government’s educational policies and priorities. Please also remember the tremendous amount of money that the Presbyterian Mission Agency spends to help mission personnel provide adequate education for our children. Everyone can pray. Some can financially support the needs of mission personnel.
I was very happy in February to learn that more people and congregations have been sending financial support for my work. Gifts of $25 or $50, given from the heart, are a tremendous blessing for me! Some of you have also sent brief e-mails or notes of encouragement. These also lift my spirits and help me to know that God has MANY loving arms to surround us with. When I can respond by e-mail, I usually do so almost immediately.
I write to you in the hope of the resurrection, in the love and companionship of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Katie
The 2013 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 36
Read more about Katie Griffin’s ministry
Write to Katie Griffin
Give to Katie Griffin’s sending and support
