III. The Information Bunker

(The information bunker.)

I spent most of Thursday in an information bunker in Winton hall at Santa Sabina. I met up with Sister Rose Mary, O.P. around 8:30 in the morning, and we poured over copious amounts of materials regarding the Solomon Islands and their people. She informed me of the variable climate, including floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes in the region, and showed me the aftermath of the destruction through the many pictures she had taken while she was there. She very briefly taught me about some of the customs, and the “secret language” that I need to keep an eye out for, as well as some of the business venture in the region.

Most notable of these business ventures was a company called Kokonut Pacific, which sought to give the Solomons a higher profit margin on their coconut production. It was founded by a businessman from Australia, and he noticed that the Solomon Island coconut farmers were exporting their coconuts to nearby countries, where they were then processed into higher yielding coconut goods, such as oils and soaps. Having grown close to the Solomon Islanders , this businessman sought to bring some of that capital back to the Solomons by developing a coconut pressing factory. Striving to work with, and not for, the Solomon Islanders, he incorporated many of them into the business, teaching them how to use the presses.

I recount this story because I think that last distinction is important as to what it means to be a Smith Fellow. I am not meant to walk into the Solomon Island culture and dictate the solutions that I think would advance them to where I think they should be. Nay, my purpose is to walk with, to listen to, to learn from the Solomon Islanders, and hear what they need me to do with their community.

I think that this idea can so easily be applicable to life back home too. We often times assume that our perspective of the world is exactly the same as our neighbor’s, and therefore their “problems” can very easily be solved by our “solutions.” In order to become better neighbors, we need to become better listeners. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason, y’all! We should be in the business of providing for others what they think they need as opposed to what we think they need, as they might not be ready for, or even need, what we think they need.

Recently, I have often found God working in my life most tangibly through my interactions with others. Whether it is comfort, reassurance, or an answer to a big life question, God has always placed just the right person in my life at the right time, and has worked His graces through their words and works. I have seen this both through close friends such as Daniel, “opener of Doors”, and OJ, and I have now seen this most recently through “strangers” Martha. God calls to us in these little ways, nudging us as to how to proceed forward, if we choose to listen. What we think is best is not always what is best, and that is why we must listen for His guidance in others.

I hope to continue to grow in this virtue of listening while in Honiara, and I hope that you all can also experience it in your lives. Sometimes, we need others to read what was written across our hearts.