So yesterday I spent part of my day with Oliviah, one of the social workers for Buyamba. The social worker's office has been diligent about doing their visits to the homes of our sponsored children (both in and out of God Cares Schools). Sometimes I go with her on these visits. It's always an eye opener to see the conditions in which these children live.
Yesterday, we visited about 6 homes of the families or guardians of our children. The living arrangements of these families varied widely. Some lived in one room apartments (like a studio minus a bathroom and kitchen...maybe 10' x 10'), others in two room apartments and others were blessed with houses. The purpose of these visits is to check up on their lives and situations...whether or not they meet the qualifications to be sponsored or continue to be sponsored.
Anyway, I digress. The last family we visited was that of a single mother. As I listened to the person giving me directions to drive to the place I just recall hearing Kiwafu Estates. I guess really what I heard was something about "estates". I mean what do you think of when you hear that word. I think of pretty good sized homes and so I just wondered where we were going. It took us a while to find the place where this family stays. As we finally found the road, we parked and began to walk down an alley between two huge homes with massive brick walls on each side of the alley/road. Looking down the road you could see some very small buildings amongst the near mansions of the area. This single mother lived with her four children in a small room.
I just couldn't get out of my mind the contrast in this area. There were very wealthy Ugandans, Sudanese, Americans, British, etc. living in these houses enjoying many of the comforts we have in the U.S. The houses in this part of Kampala might rent for $1000- 4000 per month. (I know, I would have never believe it either) And hidden behind some of them were some small apartments the size of some of our tool sheds. There could be anywhere from 3 to 10 people living in each of them while struggling to pay their rent of maybe $25 per month. It deeply broke my heart that there are such extremes here...the very wealthy and the very poor. Whatever happened to the days of the early church where all shared and no one was ever in need. I wish we could go back to those days.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Keep it in Perspective
Yeah, I haven't been on here blogging in a while. I've got lots to share, but not a lot of time to sit down and share it with everyone. The past month has been filled with lots of challenges. One of the main reasons I haven't written here in a while is that I've been sick...It began with the flu which then transformed into a sinus infection or bronchitis. Now I'm still remaining with a cough and being lethargic sometimes.
But in the last 10 days, some crazy things happened. Last Sunday I found out that I had a major water leak/problem at my house back in CA. I was informed that the best choice would be to tear out the master bathroom and then cut into the foundation in order to replace all of the piping for the house. There was a lot more to this, but it seemed like a no brainer. I had no choice. If I tried a quick fix, the problem would return again and again until I replaced everything. In fact, this is the second leak I've had under my foundation thus helping me to realize what needed to be done. Then I was given a ballpark figure for this major upgrade...I about pee'd my pants. Where was this money going to come from. I'm a missionary and don't have a clue how this was going to get done? Was I going to need a loan? How was I going to be able to make payments on this additional cost in maintaining my house? So many different thoughts went through my mind.
Then just a few days all of that was put into perspective. One of my former youth group students that I mentored throughout middle school had a horrible accident playing an extreme form of hide and seek. He sustained head injuries that eventually required surgery to release the pressure to his brain that was being generated from the blood accumulating there. I am happy to report that he is slowly recovering from his injuries day by day.
The point though is this. There are bigger things in life than the problems with my house and the money that is going to be required to fix it. There are bigger things in life than the Christmas presents we receive, what phone you have, the type of car you own, whether you have a mac or pc, etc.
We need to value every day with every person in our lives. You never know when the last time you'll see someone is. Often, we prioritize stuff before our relationships. We need to value our spouses, children, friends, family, co-workers, etc. because life is about relationships.
We must realize that this life is fleeting. We're all going to die someday. At that point, we'll be posed with the question of our faith. We'll stand before God (whether or not we believe) and be judged for our sins. For those of us who have confessed that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that He truly is Lord, we will be taken to heaven. For the rest, well, you know where the other place is. Many people have confessed their belief in Jesus, yet their lives lack repentance and movement toward holiness. True faith is demonstrate just as much by what you do as by what you say.
The student with the injury should be an example to everyone around. He trusted Christ wholeheartedly and lived his faith in every aspect of his life. I've seen posts on Facebook as evidence to who he was to all people. Even those who were not close to him knew of his love for God and for others. He truly loves his neighbor as himself.
Here's the wake up call people.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
We need to put more value in our relationships than all the "stuff" in the world. Keep it in perspective.
But in the last 10 days, some crazy things happened. Last Sunday I found out that I had a major water leak/problem at my house back in CA. I was informed that the best choice would be to tear out the master bathroom and then cut into the foundation in order to replace all of the piping for the house. There was a lot more to this, but it seemed like a no brainer. I had no choice. If I tried a quick fix, the problem would return again and again until I replaced everything. In fact, this is the second leak I've had under my foundation thus helping me to realize what needed to be done. Then I was given a ballpark figure for this major upgrade...I about pee'd my pants. Where was this money going to come from. I'm a missionary and don't have a clue how this was going to get done? Was I going to need a loan? How was I going to be able to make payments on this additional cost in maintaining my house? So many different thoughts went through my mind.
Then just a few days all of that was put into perspective. One of my former youth group students that I mentored throughout middle school had a horrible accident playing an extreme form of hide and seek. He sustained head injuries that eventually required surgery to release the pressure to his brain that was being generated from the blood accumulating there. I am happy to report that he is slowly recovering from his injuries day by day.
The point though is this. There are bigger things in life than the problems with my house and the money that is going to be required to fix it. There are bigger things in life than the Christmas presents we receive, what phone you have, the type of car you own, whether you have a mac or pc, etc.
We need to value every day with every person in our lives. You never know when the last time you'll see someone is. Often, we prioritize stuff before our relationships. We need to value our spouses, children, friends, family, co-workers, etc. because life is about relationships.
We must realize that this life is fleeting. We're all going to die someday. At that point, we'll be posed with the question of our faith. We'll stand before God (whether or not we believe) and be judged for our sins. For those of us who have confessed that Jesus is Lord and believe in their hearts that He truly is Lord, we will be taken to heaven. For the rest, well, you know where the other place is. Many people have confessed their belief in Jesus, yet their lives lack repentance and movement toward holiness. True faith is demonstrate just as much by what you do as by what you say.
The student with the injury should be an example to everyone around. He trusted Christ wholeheartedly and lived his faith in every aspect of his life. I've seen posts on Facebook as evidence to who he was to all people. Even those who were not close to him knew of his love for God and for others. He truly loves his neighbor as himself.
Here's the wake up call people.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
We need to put more value in our relationships than all the "stuff" in the world. Keep it in perspective.
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