poverty

I have had the privilege of visiting various countries around the world. Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Burundi and on Sunday I am heading to India. One thing all of these countries have in common is there is unrelenting poverty while we North Americans continue to consume and increase in so many ways.

I think of this young boy often. I met him over a year ago for a few brief moments but his presence has marked me in a significant way. Because of poverty he is likely blind now. Because of poverty and it's claws he will likely not live a very long life. I'm sure this is the only shirt he ever wears and it will eventually fall apart around him.

Conversations at work often turn to poverty because I cannot keep my mouth shut when people complain in the midst of their wealth. To quote an old pastor of mine, "If you get to choose what you are going to wear each day, if you get to choose what you will eat, if you get to choose how you will spend your time, if you never worry about where you will lay your head, if you can find medicine to help with what ails you, you are wealthy beyond imagination." What will we do with that wealth in the midst of poverty that has taken hold of so many?

One way to help is to sponsor a child or organizations that help children. Over time I have had the privilege of seeing children I have sponsored come out of the cycle of poverty eventually attending university. Looking at pictures of 'my kids' over the years shows them growing and healthy. Although he or she is just one child among the millions, he or she is a child who will become an adult who hopefully changes the face of the nation they live in. Try sponsorship. It is worth every penny.

Here are a few links to take a look at:

child of mine

compassion

world vision