I've never been good at bartering. There is a bartering system here at the markets for buying items and you also barter to exchange money. You can call me a sucker, that's fine, it's true. But it is also true that if I wind up paying an extra dollar here or there--I can afford to lose it, much more so than the people here. There is so little in this country. West Africa was quite poor pre-Ebola. The fallout of this widespread outbreak is further reaching than we can yet know. The job market was poor pre-Ebola. It is almost nonexistent now. They do hope to reopen the schools in March.
I want Ebola to end, I am praying for it to end. But I also know that when it ends, many of our national staff will no longer have work. What will they do? How often will they be able to eat?
I do not know. I reiterate a few posts back--be thankful you were born were you were--with the ability to gain an education and, for the most part, find work. Was it easy? No, but it was still possible.
World Vision has a microfinance branch.* Several other organizations do as well. Micro-loans are funded by donations that go to an individual that wants to start or expand a business such as raising chickens or goats or selling clothes but needs a small (in the US mindset, but an unattainable amount in extremely poor places) start-up fund. The loans are given out with the expectation that they are to be repaid as soon as possible. Say you give $100 to a farmer in Kenya and he buys chickens. When he can pay it back, that $100 goes to finance another micro loan, still in Kenya.
It is easy to be overwhelmed by the needs around you in your work environment and in your neighborhood, let alone the needs around the world. The need is massive and daunting. It is also easy to go too far in the other direction, and to ignore the need completely. Too often I think we use Jesus' words, "the poor you will always have with you," to allow us to do nothing, because after all, we will not end world poverty. It's true, you and I will not end world poverty. But you and I can make life easier on someone else. Not with a handout, but a hand-up. It can be as simple as volunteering to babysit the single mom's children a few hours here and there. It can be giving $50 a month to a micro-loan and foregoing something, be it a few movies or coffee & ice cream. Or it can be far more long-term, and it can be becoming a foster parent or adopting a child.
When Jesus said those words about the poor, He wasn't condemning an extravagant gift here and there. There is a time and place to give a lavish gift. He was commending a woman** who poured expensive perfume on the Savior's feet hours before He died on the cross for our sins, and a few days before He rose again.
But taking care of the poor is mandated throughout the Old and New Testaments. During my quarantine, I am planning on doing a study of references to poor/widows/orphans in the Bible. (Biblegateway most likely already has a list of references, as I am sure a google search will show) I will list the references I find once I finish.
Unfortunately, there is a lot of money that has been poured into poor countries over the years that the poor never saw. Political corruption has kept the aid money from them. Research the organization before you donate. But please, do not turn a blind eye to the poor.
I didn't work today (I am working tonight) and a few of us ventured into the local town to exchange money and buy some eggs & bananas. The market is quite a sight to behold! Many vendors in small spaces, and many fruits, vegetables, fish...One of my co-workers wanted to find pineapples but we sadly did not find any today.
Praises: My cold is gone! And a co-worker from Kenya gave me his jar of honey before he left for r&r. Honey lessens the chlorine cough substantially!
I am mostly holding up physically. Felt slightly sick-ish this morning but I am feeling better. (No fever!)
Thanks to your prayers, encouraging words, and letters I am holding up emotionally without becoming callous to the suffering. Please continue to pray for the emotional health of our team.
Please continue to pray for the peoples of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
*http://m.worldvision.org/micro
**the whole account can be found in Matthew 26:6-13
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