This week I have been attending the ECHO Agricultural Conference, a gathering of people from all over the world who are interested in the development of third world countries through agriculture. What a fascinating group of about 250 people are assembled from all continents!
Presentations to the entire group have occupied the mornings, while dozens of educational sessions have been offered during the afternoons and evenings. My background is not in agriculture. (I am tagging along with my husband who has been making presentations on drip irrigation.) However, there has been plenty to stimulate my curiosity, from a hands on workshop in use of fruits and vegetables not typical to the American diet, to a presentation on the nutritional benefits of trace elements.
I have greatly enjoyed lectures which focused on big picture concepts. As Americans our hearts are moved with compassion by a disaster we hear of in another country, and we open our wallets. Too frequently we do not consider that we may do harm through aid that goes on too long, and that does not morph into development.
The benefit of this conference to me, however, has gone beyond the intellectual. I have met real people who grapple with real issues, and who are expending their lives in service to others and to God. While not all attendees share the same commitment to Christ, most do. The morning devotional time has been very moving. One morning included a tribute to the man whose vision brought ECHO into being. Another morning included a tribute to a young woman, who had been an intern at ECHO, and who was killed in northern Afghanistan this past year while serving the people there.
It was humbling to stand in this group and hear them sing these words together:
You are the God of the broken
The friend of the weak
You wash the feet of the weary
Embrace the ones in need
And I want to be like you, Jesus
To have this heart in me
You are the God of the humble
You are the humble King
Oh, kneel me down again
Here at Your feet
Show me how much You love
Humility
Oh spirit be the star
That leads me to
The humble heart of love
I see in You
It is one thing to hear these words sung by a group of Americans who live a comfortable middle class life. It is quite another to hear the words from the mouths of those who have actually been in difficult circumstances living out the lyrics.
