The Desolate Place

The Desolate Place

John and Elizabeth Sexton are different medical missionaries. They travel with teams to far-off places, as I do, but they focus on health education. The idea is to give our hosts overseas the knowledge they need to do their own medical care. Mission to the World medical teams travel to places that desperately need medical attention, so it is sensible to give our hosts the ability to carry on once we're gone. They have developed instructions that translate well into other cultures. Their classes are mixed with practical evangelism that the local churches can then use to reach out to their communities.

I caught up with John and Elizabeth at a Mission to the World medical meeting last week. The Sextons gave us an update, especially concerning their work at native American settlements. Where they work is a spiritual battlefield, where crime, violence, alcohol addiction and occultism intersect. Unemployment is reported at 80%. Churches there struggle to retain members and minister to wounded souls.

What's wrong at this community? Is the problem medical, sociological or spiritual? We don't help ourselves by putting problems in one box.. Rarely are such problems isolated. Medically, native Americans are more prone to problems of alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse. A neural reaction to alcohol produces a pleasurable state that leads to addiction. This can happen to anyone, but more frequently in native Americans. Historians cite alcohol addiction combined with smallpox for destroying native American culture in the 19th century.

Sociologically, addictive behavior leads to family dysfunction. The alcoholic and his family take on stereotypical roles, the alcoholic as a functional child, and others in the family as enablers of the alcoholic's behavior. Society as a whole suffers when there are so many holes in family structure, and children lack good parental role models. Government doesn't help when money is thrown around in the wrong directions, promoting dependency. Spiritually, the forces of darkness have a much easier time holding sway when Christians become discouraged from the constant bombardment.

The way out of this desolation is primarily spiritual. Yes, there are some medicines that slightly calm the cravings of the addicted brain. But no more effective treatment has been found than the overtly spiritual approach of Alcoholics Anonymous. Their twelve steps lead the alcoholic and the enabler into insight into the problem, repentance, and reliance on God. The best variations of these programs point toward Jesus Christ, whose walk to the cross brings transforming grace to the believer.

John and Elizabeth's strategy is to instruct families of younger children and teachers, helping them see a way out. The church plays a crucial role, as a safe haven and place for young people starved for role models to find them. The Sextons plan a trip in May of this year. If you're interested in helping, contact me at WSmithMd (at) aol (dot) com.