Where Do We Go From Here

41 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? I was shocked by the string that held her in place. I was shocked by the lack of options she and her family had. I was amazed by the care the village gave her. I was profoundly ashamed that her circumstances were so far removed from the (relative) wealth of resources Australians might expect. (And this is in no way to underestimate the inadequacy of disability resourcing in our own country). When I was young, I dreamed of the ability to fly. Sometimes, as an adult, I would like the power to perform miracles. If that were the case, I could have prayed over this girl and she would have been healed. Everything would have been alright. Correct? Probably not. God is not ours to command. Had the miracle occurred, I would, no doubt, have felt better – and very godly too. But the village would have remained poor and all the ramifications of that would have continued to play out in people’s lives. Miracles are God’s province and I welcome them, but they are not band- aids for our conscience. The reason I was there was to see a grain mill that ABM had helped fund, after local, Filipino, Anglican clergy and development workers had spent months talking with the village to ascertain what would assist them most effectively. The grain mill was the miracle, one built on patient, disciplined,