Dangerous Love by Ray Norman

Author:Ray Norman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2015-10-01T04:00:00+00:00

8

THE QUESTIONS

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone

who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you

have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

(I PETER 3:I5)

IN ADDITION TO THE STRESS OF CARVING OUT NEW AND DIFFERENT routines in a familiar setting, the difficult family adjustments, the plethora of well-wishers and comfort-seekers at our home and office, and the experience of incredible acts of kindness from our Mauritanian friends, the first few weeks after our arrival back in Mauritania were a blur of endless meetings with staff, government agents, and embassy officials. These consultations were largely to assess the security and risks, as well as the status of our program. Their purpose was also to help us set the course for the months ahead, as my hope and intent was to keep our programs going.

But the issues were complex—with pressures, concerns, and questions coming from all sides. I did not want to be foolish and put people’s lives at unnecessary risk; but neither did I want to hastily react to warnings from those who were well-meaning but possibly poorly informed, or base our decisions on fear rather than a sense of how God was leading. One thing was crystal clear: these circumstances had forced me to carefully reassess how seriously we took our commitment to walk with the poor. World Vision would generally not work in a community unless it was able to commit to a ten- to fifteen-year time frame, which is the time needed to effect change and sustainable results, and to establish healthy, robust, and safe communities where everyone, especially children, could thrive.

But this was not a one-way street. Although the communities were the beneficiaries of our work, World Vision expected a significant commitment of will, resources, and shared responsibility from communities before committing to a long-term partnership. Granted, the assistance and benefits of World Vision’s child sponsorship and community engagement could be life changing; however, it required no small investment for the people and families of the communities where we worked.

Now the tables were turned, and I felt the steady, inquisitive gaze of our local partner communities watching to see just how far our side of the commitment went when times were difficult, not just for them, but for World Vision and its staff. How quickly would we pack up and move away when the lives of our staff, as well as their families and children, were threatened and at risk?

Myles Harrison, the program director for our urban projects and also our security officer, had served as my interim during our weeks away. He had carefully tracked the security situation during my absence and strongly supported continuing. He had spent hours on the phone with the security office at our international headquarters in California, briefing them on security-related matters. His assessment was a huge relief to me, as I valued his systematic and methodical approach to such matters. Most of our expatriate staff (Canadian, American, British, and Sierra Leonean) felt genuine concern and

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