A typical dwelling in Bolivia’s altiplano
As we continue to install wells throughout the altiplano, it is not uncommon to be invited to eat lunch with the families we are helping. We follow them into their tiny living quarters and usually eat a small, simple meal.
As I duck low to enter the house, I’m usually greeted by a few crates full of the family’s worldly belongings, a bed with a straw mattress, and a few rough-hewn benches. The inside walls of the house are sometimes whitewashed, but often the mud, manure, and straw come out in large dark patches.
I’m humbled that families who have so little are willing to share a meal with me.
On these occasions, the contrast between an American lifestyle and the day-to-day existence of my Bolivian brothers and sisters often makes me sad. Something doesn’t seem right when a lack of food is killing millions around the world and consuming too much is killing thousands in the U.S.
I often fear that American Christians are becoming like the rich Christians in 1 Cor. 11:20-29 who feasted without sharing with the hungry members of the church. I wish more people would start to see the Church worldwide as one body. If one part suffers, the whole body is affected. Do we disobey God if we ignore the needs of African or Asia or Latin American believers?
Perhaps one good thing that comes from this guilt is understanding that I’m a steward of the resources I’ve been given. If I don’t use what I have to bring hope and justice to those who lack the basic means to survive, I’ve squandered what God has given me. And I know that one day I will have to answer for my negligence.
The beautiful aspect of my work is that I now find myself a character in the story instead of simply narrating it, something my original career choice of journalism mandated. I see now that my work with Samaritan’s Purse is motivated in part by the same reasons I chose to be a journalist. I saw journalism as an attempt to articulate clearly and objectively the stories of injustice that angered me. But the journalist is supposed to be an observer, and after getting a glimpse of life outside the U.S., I don’t want to be on the sidelines anymore.
All this may sound overly idealistic, but the truth is, that with every well I help install, every lunch I share, every word I exchange with the families of the altiplano, I’m encouraged. I realize that there are many people working toward the same goal—uplifting the poor and downtrodden of this world.
PROFILE
Sheldon Yoder
Program Manager
Altiplano region, Bolivia
After completing a five-month internship, Sheldon Yoder accepted a full-time position with Samaritan’s Purse as a program manager based in Bolivia’s altiplano region. As he works to provide clean water to indigenous populations, Sheldon is also learning how to live in a different culture and at a very high elevation.
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