Tensions in Kovol

It would be great if everyone could just get along and stop offending each other. Unfortunately, that would be completely against our sinful human nature. And that is not natural here in Kovol, or anywhere else for that matter.

Currently there is tension between Kokoma and Eririm. Kokoma is the village we live in and Eririm is a village that is a 3-hour hike away. They are both Kovol villages and people from Eririm come over from time to time to see us and play soccer.

A while back, someone from Eririm stole a phone. The phone was recovered the same day and the matter was dropped. Then last week we heard of other thefts that have taken place. Betel nut was stolen a couple of times and then a big pig was stolen.

Stealing of the betel nut was aggravating, but when the pig disappeared it was completely unacceptable. So, our village has blocked the trails from Eririm coming to Kokoma. There have also been demands made for restitution.

This all sounds very one-sided. Has Kokoma done things to aggravate Eririm? Later I heard that about a year ago one of the guys from Kokoma shot one of the Eririm people’s pigs and hasn’t finished paying back the restitution demanded. Eventually the matter will (to some degree) be resolved, the trails will be unblocked and people from Eririm will be allowed to visit again.

Please, pray that they can work through these tensions soon without letting things escalate further. It often takes months to work through offenses and make restitution. And normally initial demands for restitution are exaggerated and made in anger. Some time is necessary for people to calm their emotions and talk productively about a solution.