The poverty case of Mrs. Rudang:

Abstract

1. Introduction. “… you always have the poor with you” (Matt. 26:11a). What is meant by poverty? This question has universal properties and entails many different conditions. The general public has different views about poverty, e .g. Bipolar, bi-dimensional, objective, subjective and relative understanding. For a right Biblical understanding concerning the matter of "being rich" and "being poor", "contentment and thank fullness of the heart counts more, than "abundance in material wealth". All people, relatively poor and relatively rich both can be affected by bitterness and greed at the same time (1 Tim 6:6-10). It is clear that her poverty Mrs. Rudang doesn't have a holistic, and clear understanding about poverty. The poor in the world or those suffering from in capabilities and social injustice as well as inabilities caused by society's structure are not always unhappy people. The Bible tells us, "Blessed are you poor"(Luke 6:20a) and also "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt 5:3a) Luke was hinting more about the burdens of material poverty and i t s re la t io n to our redemption in Christ. The poor are people who are pushed out of society to live on its edge and who get "left behind" in life (Luke 6:20-21;4 :18-19 ; of Lev.25-27; Num.36 :4) .Poor in the spirit according to Matthew means putting one's trust and confidence in Christ Jesus as Lord rather than to rely on false self-confidence. Happiness is not given to mankind as wages for merits but because it is associated with obedience to Christ Jesus pines nor for salvation. Syalom as a basis for happiness includes salvation which has holistic qualities, the means to enjoy life in communion with God, with mankind, with the environment and with oneself. The concept of shalom is comparable to the Karo Batak opinion, which follows a holistic view of mankind in which there is co-existence or balance between inner and outer qualities as the way to a healthy, safe and prosperous life. In this case-study, poverty is not explained in the theoretical or intellectual sense but through this case- study the problems of poverty will be approached through the perspective o f a theological problem which needs pas- t o r a l care and counselling An endeavor is made to reflect on God's solidarity with human suffering in general and in particular with problems arising o u t of poverty as experienced by Mrs. Rudang, God shows solidarity with those who are suffering and poor, in order that every person who believe may become rich because of His poverty ( c f. 2 Corinth 5:19 and 8:9) " God's work in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior deepens and widens the dimensions of understanding with regard to poverty in this world. This case- study paper follow the four stages of description, analysis, interpretation and pastoral action. Two basic principles come into focus: a. To see persons in a holistic way. b. The bi-polar pastoral qualities of using God's Word as the only way, truth and life, while the temporal situation and experience of human life with all its challenges and tensions need adaption, correlation and renewal. To understand the bi-polar perspective is very important to connect "the truth of christianity" with concrete cases experienced by humans, in which other disciplines i .e. psychology, sociology, anthropology etc. are included in discussing Mrs. Rudang's case. 2. Poverty as experienced by Mrs. Rudang. Mrs.Rudang lives in the village of Simalem, situated in the Karonese highland of North Sumatera. She is a member of the Gereja Batak Karo Protestan (GBKP) where she serves as presbyter. Her husband, Adin, is a small civil servant in the local government. The family needs additional income, so Mrs. Rudang works as a small tenant farmer. She often borrows money from other farmers to finance her small farm but because the harvest is often small she has to borrow ever more money and thus her debts are mounting. Mrs. Rudang comes from a family that has very traditional religious belief s or prim al religion. When s h e was about 5 years old her father married for the second time. Thus she grew up with younger siblings while the functions of her father was taken over by her mother. After finishing elementary school Mrs. Rudang went to secondary school in the village of Kendit. There she met a teacher in religious education and she was converted to Christianity, against the will of her parents. Originally Mrs. Rudang wished to go to a nursing school in Jakarta but due to family pressure she married Adin instead. The couple was blessed with four children, the eldest, named Riso, being the only male child. Two of their daughters w ere active as Sun day-school teachers and an already had families of their own. Burdened by economic needs, Mrs. Rudang often pressed was common in her region. As a civil servant who endeavoured to work honestly in his office, Adin refused to do so. This attitude disappointed Mrs.Rudang very much. Mrs. Rudang often complained about her poverty. S h e often compared her poor condition with that of other employees of the same rank, who were able to buy more land and whose children could afford further studies, while Mrs Rudang's children had to discontinue school and had to work in the field in order to earn some extra money. Two years before her husband Adin, reached pensionable age, he died. Mrs Rudang was left without a house nor a rice field of her own. Often Mrs Rudang wrestled with questions such as: "Am I destined to be； poor; will my prayers be answered by God； is my family punished because of my sins? God is love but why does God not act justly to me, who is serving the church as a presbyter "? Ever since Adin died Mrs. Rundang's poverty continued. She did receive a small widow's pension which was however not enough to provide the family with reasonable living. Further-more her son, Riso, asked his mother to pawn her pension-card in order to start a small business. He promised to help his mother pay for the schooling of his younger sisters. Riso used this as a decoy to follow a modern lifestyle like the children of well-to-do parents. Riso often borrowed money at a high rate of interest, however, he got further and further into debt and eventually ran away to another town because he could not repay his debts. Each time Mrs Rudang thought about her poverty she said: “Fate, what else do you have in store to trouble me? Often she felt like breaking down. In response to some pastoral care she received, she was troubled and haunted by questions about the meaning of salvation as proclaimed by the church. Questions like these often occurred and she didn't find any positive solution inspite of some pastoral talks with church workers.