July 25, Proper 12

Written by the Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton for ERD

7/25/2004

Genesis 18:20-33
Psalm 138
Colossians 2:6-15
Luke 11:1-13

"What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?" -- Luke 11:11-12 (NRSV)

Aristires (A-ree-ste-rees) has eight children to feed and educate. The feeding must come first for a family that size in Venezuela, and that has grown much more difficult during the current coffee glut: Aristires isn't earning nearly what he was just a few years ago, when coffee was dear. Maybe things will improve, he thinks: inflation in Venezuela was only 27.1 percent last year. The year before, it was 31.2 percent.

Things are indeed looking up. Aristires is working now on a new demonstration garden, the collaboration between Episcopal Relief and Development and the Diocese of Venezuela. Crop rotation, complementary planting, diversification into new, environmentally sustainable crops suitable for the local climate and soil, so that never again will all his eggs be in one economic basket—Aristires is learning a lot about his ancient craft in the new garden, and he's doing something a farmer hardly ever does: he's drawing a salary while he learns.

And the children? Against great odds, five of the eight go to school every day. They couldn't do that without ERD's help they'd have to stay home and help wrestle their meager living out of the earth, as everyone in their family has always done. Aristires lives far away from us; we will never meet him and his large family. But he is not so different from us. We dream of a better life for our children, too. Life for Aristires' family has changed now—life will be very different for them from what it has been for their dad. And not just different—it will be what every dad dreams of. It will be better.

Episcopal Relief and Development saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times of disaster. When the immediate crisis is over, we rebuild devastated communities and offer long-term solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS. For more information on ERD, call (800) 334-7626, ext. 5129, or visit our website at www.er-d.org