A Young Woman is Dead

(Sorry, no pictures this week)
We were sitting chatting on the front stoop of our friends’ house. This is the village where we did our original homestay almost a year and a half ago. We’re back to visit and introduce people to Peter. Every once and awhile we hear a big cheer from the soccer match that is going on down the road. It was a calm and relaxed visit on a Sunday afternoon.

Suddenly the oldest daughter turned the corner and came running toward the house yelling. She scooped up Grace in a frenzy and ran into the house with her, telling us to follow her lead.

The soccer game was over and now there was trouble. Maybe there were bad calls, maybe the game was played really rough, maybe the visiting team/village was just upset they lost, but whatever the case there was fighting after the game. Still, the daughter is somewhat of a drama queen. So since after a couple minutes we didn’t see anyone else, we packed in the car and said goodbye. A grandmother stood on her porch with big rocks in her hand, motioning how she would throw them at any would-be attackers.

The main street was backed up as pedestrians covered the street on their way home from the game. Chris (our team leader) was driving with me (Megan) and Peter in the front, while Beka, Tom and the rest of the kids were in the back of the truck. As we neared the edge of the village we saw the crowds of young men, carrying rocks, sticks and clubs. They seemed to be stopping car and causing confusion. They were looking for people from the visiting village. Some men started to climb on our truck but with one look at Chris their friends told them to get off (Chris & Beka used to live in this village and are well-known). They waved to us with their weapons in their hands and smiles on their faces.

A few minutes down the road there was a similar scene. Young men armed with crude weapons. Chris recognized the visiting team’s jerseys. They were stopping cars headed in the other direction, hoping to find someone from the home team’s village.

It wasn’t until the next day that we heard that they had found someone. The visiting team and fans happened upon a young woman from the other team’s village and they beat her. She was taken to the hospital and this week she died from her injuries.

It is a ridiculous and sad story. Perhaps the saddest thing is that this story is fairly normal here. Soccer games often end with high-excitement that leads to violence. Many times this leads to serious injuries. Sometimes someone dies and the ultimate result is a feud. The other village is compelled to avenge the death of one of their own—meaning more violence. It will go back and forth, potentially escalating until some kind of mediator negotiates a truce. Islanders pride themselves on the safety of their country. You can walk around at night without fear. People are friendly. Things on the island are peaceful, and yet anger and violence, fighting and feuds are part of every day life here. Bad blood runs between countless combinations of villages and most times we’re told it started with a friendly soccer game.


PRAYERS ANSWERED
Abby and Jonny both made it back safe from their separate adventures. Language concentration week went well, we’re still learning. Tom had an exciting conversation with a group of students where he was invited to share with them his beliefs. We were able to find a pediatrician and most of the vaccinations for Peter’s 2 month check-up. Peter is healthy and growing. We had a good team retreat this past weekend.

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray that God would break this culture of feuding on the island. Pray for the family of the murdered girl. Pray for the continued healing of Megan’s cesarean incision (it is doing better each week but it is still oozing and not completely closed). This is a busy month for our team. There is an airport run every day this week as visitors come and go. Some are short-term volunteers and others are concerned/interested with future work on the island. Pray as our team hosts and helps them.