a ministry of presence

Just some of the countries represented at Amahoro Gathering 2009

My journal says that the 250+ participants came from: The Netherlands, Switzerland, USA, Australia, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Swaziland, Canada, Dominican Republic, D. R. Congo, New Zealand, Mozambique, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, England and South Africa. I hope I didn't forget any!

In this and the next few posts, I’m going to try and make sense of my scribbled journal notes to share some words and reflections from the Amahoro Gathering.  If they seem incomplete, or if you find yourself wanting to plumb these more deeply, they all come from talks given during the conference and the mp3s for all of them can be found HERE! At the very least, I highly recommend the ones I’ll be sharing on in these posts.

On the first night of the Gathering, Edward Simiyu inaugurated the proceedings and spoke on “the ministry of presence.” Edward is a pastor and new friend from Kenya with a powerful understanding of how people are best woven together.  He spoke to how Africans engage one another in life’s ups and downs, and what that means for any Westerners or conference attendees who hope to enter in to conversations, let alone work, that seeks restoration for the continent and its church/communities of faith.

Edward began by suggesting that Africans are only recently beginning to use watches and as such are becoming more beholden to the West’s tendency to be governed by the time of day and our schedules and our pasts and our futures…whereas “in Africa they walk with the time.”

Furthermore, in Africa if there is funeral for someone in a village, the people and neighbors go (rather than send a card).  When a new baby is born, you go.  Therefore, speaking to the Westerners (the minority at the conference, but see the list of countries above), Edward offered that to come here from the West is in and of itself a powerful ministry.

Oral communication is huge – but in person.  We in the West must be there physically first and foremost, just showing up and letting them know by our presence that we care.  These nuggets of wisdom were not untethered from potent challenges.  Edward challenged very specifically and by example that in the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo, praying is all well and good, but not enough to show you truly care.  You must come to stand with those who are suffering.  Email, phone…they don’t cut it.  Physical presence communicates everything.  Physical presence can be and is a  ministry to another.  A ’satellite conference’ does not work in Africa.  Sit – and hear thoughts, words and conversation.

Only then can you truly “dance with the other.”

-Seth-

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Again, I highly recommend listening to Edward’s actual short and powerful welcoming message, and then sharing your own thoughts below!

Township Stay in Cape Town

Hello Everyone!  Seth and I have a few days of rest outside of Cape Town, which is stunningly beautiful.  The Amahoro gathering was incredible and we will unpack it for you much more than this 8 minutes of internet I’ve found will allow.  I feel so honored to have friendship with people from all over the continent though, from Seth’s Amahoro roommate Mohindu, an incredible 26 year old Congolese leader, to Nicole, a Burundian Finance officer who studied and worked in England but loves her country so much she had to go back and be present.

As the gathering ended and Africans headed home, non-Africans were invited to stay and learn more about South Africa.  Our hosts even set up homestays in a township…historically the areas outside of cities where black and colored people were forced during the Apartheid.  Many townships are experiencing life and growth as people are allowed to own and are investing in the neighborhoods, but many are suffering greatly as they did even during the Apartheid, plagued by poverty, violence and gangs.  We visited and stayed with a young Xhosa couple in Guguletu (the township).  Loretta is getting her Masters in Social Work and works as a counselor at one of the main men’s prisons in Cape Town, so she shared some incredible stories with us.  They were so kind and excited to host us.  We have so much to learn from people like Loretta.

A very moving time for me was worshiping in the township at a church that was historically marginalized for openly doing HIV and AIDS education from the pulpit and starting support groups.  They are known as the “AIDS” church.  I was amazed as almost the entire gathering was sung, prayers, words, messages, testimonies, in one of the native languages (Xhosa).  It wrapped around us and was so redemptive and hopeful, even as they sang, “never give up” over and over to the woman with AIDS who was giving her testimony that morning.

OK, much, much more to come and pictures as soon as we have a faster connection!  We are so excited to get to Burundi as well!  Amahoro! -Tracy

Amahoro South Africa #1

Greetings from South Africa!  After two overnight flights and a 10 hour layover in London, we arrived in Johannesburg and were  transported to the Amahoro gathering site.  There are people from Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, D.R. Congo, Swaziland, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Burundi and South Africa here…there are “Western” leaders here to learn and converse and support from the U.S., the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Canada and the UK.  We will unfold more specific stories in the weeks ahead (when we have a bit more free time and more internet access), but we wanted to give you a brief introduction to this time.  (Pictures will come later too but we don’t have quite enough bandwidth to upload them yet.)

The most incredible thing for me has been having deep conversations with Africans like Muhindo from the D.R. Congo.  He lives in one of the most troubled regions of the world  and has been a refugee.  He eventually went to university in Uganda and now wants to work in international diplomacy.  I have also enjoyed speaking Portuguese with brothers from Mozambique.  The names of most everyone here carries great meaning and we have spoken a lot about names and identity.  Claude Nikondeha, the president of Amahoro-Africa shared some of his story and what brought about the Amahoro movement.  He recounted meeting a girl named “Nazina” which means “nothing.”  It was the name the parents gave because the baby came when they had nothing and they were sure the child had no future.  Knowing his deep connection to this child in Jesus, it was part of what led him to lead Amahoro-Africa.  You can listen to Claude’s talk on the Amahoro website here:

http://www.amahoro-africa.org/

I wrote a song about Nazina and was able to share it with the group yesterday.  It was very special.  I will post an audio recording and lyrics soon!

On to the Mid-West

Well, it seems a blur how it all fit in, especially the last three days where I went from Williamsport, PA to New Haven, CT, to Boston and then flew to Kalamazoo, but I did it, and I connected with some wonderful friends,new and old and growing, along the way.  I’ve really refined the group of songs I’m singing and the stories I’m telling, focusing on peace and connection with each other.  It has been really fun as I’ve pulled songs from all my different CD’s.

I’m really excited about my house concert in Milwaukee this Friday.  I haven’t been to Milwaukee in years, but the concert will also be streaming live online.  That means you can listen!  Just go to http://livingroomsessions.com.

Peace, Tracy

Princeton Songs

Hi friends.  I’m taking a moment in a quiet space with some wifi to get a few administrative chores done.  Of course there are bigger things on my list I think I probably won’t get to at all until I get home.  Somehow I alwasy think, though, “Oh, I’ll just do it a coffee shop on hte road.”  Anyway…

Last night I had a concert at Princeton.  The five people that showed up at the official start time were nervous that anyone else would come.  This has always been hte case, as long as I’ve been playing on University campuses…there are always multiple options for the evening.  But my friend Paul Raushenbush  made the investment and posters.  I had a great spot in the daily Princetonian, and a coupe of my firends, who happen to be seminary students at Princeton now, all helped spread the word.  By the end of the concert there was a good little group gathered in a circle.  I played for an hour and a half, interspersed with thoughts and stories and questions.  It was a great evening.

Today is a beautiful fall day too.  I’ve got to take the train back up to Manhattan now.  I left some stuff with friends up there, so I’ll go get it, and then I have a rehearsal before all the NY Faith and Justice events.  Public transportation tour is going fine.  Its a little tricky and you have to be ready to wait for a half hour everytime you miss a train, but its all good.  More to come…

Richard Cizik Coming to Colorado Springs

Hi Friends, I’ve been helping to organize these events in Colorado Springs and will even be sharing some songs at the Colorado College event. “Go GREEN for God’s sake!” Creating healthy dialogue, trust & relationship amongst the Spiritual/Faith/Evangelical Community, the Pikes Peak Environmental Community & our civic leaders. September 16th: 7pm at Vanguard Church “Stewards of Creation: Would Jesus go Green?” September 17th: 7pm at Colorado College Shove Chapel “Stewardship: Turning Our Environmental Passion into Practice” Admission is FREE (A voluntary donation of a non-perishable food item to Care & Share is appreciated.) Proceeds to benefit Care & Share, Habitat for Humanity’s Project ReStore & Pikes Peak Earth Day 2009.
Richard Cizik Richard Cizik, National Association of Evangelicals, will keynote both evenings. Time Magazine recently honored Reverend Cizik as one of “The 100 Most Influential People in the World” for his pioneering work encouraging faith-based organizations to embrace ecological practices.	Jim Hightower Another speaker will be Texas Populist Jim Hightower who devotes a chapter to Cizik’s work in his latest book: Swim against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow. (John Wiley & Sons, 2008)

Interview Posted at The Other Journal

Hey friends, The Other Journal just posted an interview they did with me over the winter. Its posted at theotherjournal.com.

The Work of the People

This film was created by Travis Reed, a film and friend maker. Travis and I spoke by phone and found we have some very dear mutual friends in Brazil. This video was actually shot in Curitiba, Brazil. Dago Scheilin, a friend and fellow musician also did some of the video work and Claudio Oliver, who is speaking in the video, is also a friend and teacher. We are delighted we got to collaborate through Travis’s work and friendship. The song in the video is “Come Out” from the new EP, Fill the Fields. Travis has used some other material from me in videos as well. You can check out all his work and resources at www.theworkofthepeople.com.

Reflections on the Everything Must Change Tour

When I started the tour, I had big plans to stay balanced, journal regularly, do my little yoga routine every day in the hotels, not over eat, and email on the planes. It wasn’t a complete loss…I did manage to go on walks regularly, and I kept up with a few friends, and I made a lot of new friends. But things never quite work out the way you plan.

It’s not just that the schedule gets twisted into the unexpected…like when you have to stay overnight at the Dallas airport because of a snow storm…in March. Or, when communication goes haywire with the local musicians and they show up ten minutes before the whole things starts. No, it wasn’t just the schedule that twisted into the unexpected, it was also the marvelous finding of friendship, and the deepening of mysterious things; Jesus.

The single biggest thing I notice…my heart seems to have grown in its capacity to love people. This is not to be confused with the capacity to do more things and visit more people in the course of a year…but my heart has expanded in its capacity to love. That is, I believe I love people more deeply. I care about people more than I did before. I’m interested in an individual’s story more than I was before. And it wasn’t any one thing…it was a transformation that transpired over a journey, with people that included joy and hard work, hearing really hard stories, and being inspired by really hopeful things, and Jesus. I’m especially grateful for Pam and Roger and Thai food in Florida…and Jay and Rick and Salmon in San Diego, Greg, the Aussie who walked around Green Lake with me in Seattle while it rained, and Vince, the dirty gospel piano player who added kindness and soul to the gathering in the Bronx.

When you’re heart expands for other people, frustration in your own life seems to dwindle. I have a great life, a wonderful life. But I have more dreams that have yet to begin. Different parts of my heart, that have laid dormant for a season, were re-ignited. The wonderful thing is that the flame added a different kind of passion to the work I have felt called to all along…I see there is more, it goes deeper, I am called to greater sacrifice, and the hope is more powerful than I believed.

And songs…there are new songs flowing out of my life, and songs that have yet to form. And I feel more encouraged than ever to be a songwriter…I am a songwriter. And I am interested in the music of peace movements and the music that flows out of and catalyzes transformation. I am interested in the songs other people write. I am excited to be a songwriter.

Each gathering was broken into five sessions. The over arching question was, “what does the message of Jesus have to do with global crises?” The Saturday morning session started us off by considering “which Jesus” we believe in. Brian gave a wonderful teaching about Jesus taking the disciples to Cesarea Philipi and then asking them “Who do you say I am?” He dug into the reality of the disciples to help us understand more fully what they might have meant when they used the words they did. He exegeted different passages and compared them to commonly known Roman inscriptions of the day. It was wonderful. We started on one list…and nearly everyone could identify with one or several of the following:

The Cute Baby Jesus
The Warrior Jesus
The Private, Personal Jesus
The Prosperity Jesus
The Fire Escape Jesus
The Second-Coming Killer Jesus
The Institutionalized Jesus

And as he spoke and shared, we moved towards one single answer for who Jesus is:

The liberating king who healed the sick, released people from the oppression of evil spirits, gave sight to the blind, gave hearing to the deaf, fed people for free, brought peace and calm to a turbulent storm, gave life to the dead, healed a paralyzed hand, empowered the lame to walk, included the excluded, confronted the hypocrites, turned the tables, died on Caesar’s cross, rose from the dead and sent the Holy Spirit.

It was the kind of message and Truth that continues to grow…so that even on the tenth time I heard the story…I was brought to tears. And I knew things were changing in me, or deepening.

So, for those of you, my friends, who try to keep up with me, I just say thank you. It was a great many different things that led me to this last season and I am so grateful. And, thanks to the team…Brian, Linnea and Eric, and so many other volunteers that I met along the way. Thank you to you, my friends. Shalom. -Tracy

Here is a link to Brian’s Reflections

Here are some links to people who blogged during the events in different cities:

Eli Renner blogged in Charlotte

Jeremy Del Rio in The Bronx

Compassion Plug

Hi all. Tour is still moving full force. I’ve been under the weather for several days. I thought I would take the opportunity to update the blog. I’ve been wanting to plug Compassion International for awhile online. I’ve been sponsoring children for eight years and it’s amazing. I’ve had the opportunity to visit one, Allison in Bolivia as well. I used to advocate regularly for compassion during concerts, and now am happy there are more online resources. This is a beautiful video Compassion put together, and if you want to meet some children right now who you can be in relationship with and help, click HERE. Blessings, Tracy