I was shocked to hear of the death of Miranda Harris, along with Chris and Susanna Naylor. Miranda founded A Rocha with her husband Peter more than three decades ago and Chris has been A Rocha’s CEO for the last decade.
A Rocha is my favorite Christian mission (along with Agros). It seeks to love God by loving the world God made, taking seriously the words of Psalm 24:1 — “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it; the world and all who live in it.” With that as mandate, A Rocha has engaged in conservation projects around the world, building community and sharing the love of Jesus as it does so. There are far too few Christian voices and efforts in the environmental community, but A Rocha has been one, doing so both graciously and effectively.
That graciousness came straight from Miranda.
When A Rocha was a tiny effort in a corner of Portugal that was struggling to get going, some much-needed funds arrived. So, what did Miranda do with the money? She bought a table. Yep. A table.
That table established hospitality as a cornerstone of A Rocha. It put meals and conversations at the very heart of their work. For the only way they would be able to save endangered ecosystems and the creatures which depend on them was in bringing people together to have friendly conversations. And what do you know? It works!
Even though it happened about 23 years ago, I remember the first conversation I had with Miranda and her husband Peter. I had heard all about them and A Rocha and was in my shy, fanboy mode. When I get that way, I pull back, not wanting to be a groupie and yet desperately wanting to be one at the same time.
But as soon as my wife Charlene and I were introduced to Miranda and Peter, we felt like the world had been reduced down to the four of us. They were absolutely focused on us, attentive to us. Miranda’s eyes were bright with wonder as she asked question after question of us. We felt like we were the most important people on the face of the earth. They were the important ones doing great things in numerous countries, and yet they’d quickly forgotten about themselves in their curiosity about us.
That single experience made a huge impression on me and carved the Harris name in my heart. There is a short list of people I have observed and knowingly said, “I want to be like them.” And Miranda and Peter Harris are on it.
The last time Charlene and I sat down with Peter and Miranda was several years ago at a lunch with them and our friends Tom and Maria. And just like that first lunch 20 years before, they turned their attention away from themselves and focused on us. They spoke wisely and clearly. They opened their hearts to us and we to them.
I can’t say that I was a close friend of either Peter or Miranda. But even in the limited times I spent with them during those 20 years, I felt known and loved by them.
Those eyes. So bright. So gracious. So engaging. The world feels less beautiful without them.
[Here is Christianity Today‘s article on Miranda.]