Remember that picture of all of us sitting on the bus? We’ve been trucking around the last few days in that very bus unable to figure out how to properly work the heater. The first few days we didn’t know how to turn off the heater. It felt like a sauna in there. Then somehow the heater got turned off and we drove around for a couple of days with no heat. It was so cold in the bus that we actually brought blankets with us. Today, we finally figured out how to control the heat by flipping a nondescript, inconspicuous switch somewhere on the front panel. Praise the Lord! Now we’re traveling in style!
Today was a very important day for all of us. We began the day by meeting with the people of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Dakota City. This church supports an Asian ministry which ministers to the large Asian population in Siouxland. Many Asians immigrated to this area as far back as the time when the transcontinental railroad was being constructed and continue to immigrate today to take entry-level jobs in meatpacking and other similar industries. The Asian ministry is led by Pastor Soriya Roeun, who fled Cambodia as a refugee in the 1970s. Pastor Soriya also works as a chaplain at the Tyson Foods plant in Dakota City. Tyson Foods normally does not grant tours to outside groups, but Soriya was able to secure a tour for us. Although he was able to gain access for us, cameras and other electronic media were strictly prohibited, so I’m unable to share any photos with you.
We were all struck by the sheer volume and enormity of the meatpacking operation. The plant employs 3800 people. Every day, 4884 cows are slaughtered and packaged for delivery to stores. Except for the actual moment of death, which is performed by driving a metal spike into the cow’s brain followed by the slicing of the cow’s jugular artery, we were able to witness nearly all aspects of the slaughtering process. The process is very methodical, using hooks, conveyers, chutes, ETC. to move the cows from one end of the plant to another. As the cows move along, they become progressively smaller and smaller, becoming the cuts of beef with which we’re familiar. This mechanized process is assisted by the 3800 employees, who slice and dice with knives and incredibly sharp cutting tools which I’ve never seen before in my life.
We reflected upon the experience throughout the day, and we all concluded that it was very sobering to watch the process. Although the overconsumption of meat in the North American diet poses humanitarian concerns, overall I’m not ethically opposed to the killing of animals for food; at the same time, watching this highly mechanized process made me realize how removed I am from the sources of my food. The industrialization of food has created a disconnect between the animal and the end consumer. When all we have to do is go to a store and by a package of meat, we forget that the meat was once part of a living, breathing creature, whose life was taken for our sustenance. When we no longer have to kill our own food, we lose sight of the fact that that the taking of another life, even animal life, is a profound event, a moment not to be taken lightly. The experience at the meatpacking plant made me yearn for a deeper connection to the earth and all its creatures, one in which I am more intimately involved with the sources of my food.
3 comments:
Matt, I love your comment about longing for a connection to the earth and its creatures after touring Tyson. It made me think of how, while we were in Nebraska, we saw different views on the land and people's connection to it.
I remember thinking, as we were preparing to depart for our immersion, that we would be seeing people all of whom would be exponentially more tied to the land than we city folk are. And, certainly, the land plays a more critical role in everyone's life out in Nebraska, but there are definitely differing perspectives. Land is an investment. Land is an economic input. Land is a life-giver. Land is part of the family. And, these are just a few of the perspectives, and all of them are valid.
I guess what I want to offer up here, other than my list of observations there, is this idea. A deeper connection to land and to all of God's creation is something, for which I think we all long. And, I would echo your desire for intimate involvement with the sources of the food that gives us life.
Dom
I was truly touched by the Asian ministry that the church was doing. After hearing from some people about the racial issues that exist in many rural towns in Nebraska, my heart went out to Suria and the churches that were making this ministry possible.
Growing up in larger cities, I am used to diversity and never thought anything of other ethnicities living in the same area that I do or worshiping in the same church that I did. So, to learn that racism was still a problem was hard and surprising for me to hear. I pray that God continues to bless Suria, the church, and it's ministry to other races in rural areas.
Like Gina, I too was impressed by the Asian ministry in Dakota City and Sariya's leadership. While the stories of ethnic groups in Nebraska and their struggle with racism are certainly disheartening, I think the presence alone of these groups of immigrants provides such an amazing opportunity for ministry and service to a largely ignored portion of the population. What a blessing diversity is!
At our meeting with the Wayne St. campus ministry, I think it is fair to say that we were all sobered by the apparently widespread problem of binge drinking and other actions associated. Being the only campus ministry still actually on the campus, I respect and am encouraged by the ministry's ability to provide a safe and welcoming alternative to high-risk nightly activities.
Post a Comment