I did not have the privilege of watching the Super Bowl from Indonesia. The game happened during my Monday morning working hours, so I actually delighted in the real-time online updates from my friends. This post, however, is not about the Super Bowl. It is about some thoughts resulting from a commercial.
I saw the “God Made a Farmer” commercial that aired during the game, posted on Facebook. After watching it, I immediately thought about my students and their mothers. You see, in rural Indonesia, women do a lot of the backbreaking work to farm the rice. There are no government subsidies, no agribusiness, no tractors—all the planting and harvesting is done by hand. Some of my students go home on holidays and do not rest, instead they work in the field to help the family. Some mothers here raise their children, farm the field, sell the rice at the market, and continue after their husband has died because there is no other choice.
Take a moment and thank all the women all over the world that labor to grow our food. Thank you Lutheran World Relief for this reminder.
Megs the Wanderer 