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February 6, 2001
Child Sponsored!
I think god's trying to tell me something - the bus drove by the guitar man uptown, got me thinking about him
That night, we met Jay, another guy I've seen but never talked to. Got to know him better; he was in a coma for 30 years, walks everywhere, including long distance like Galt (which 'sucks'). He was attacked by two guys, called stupid... born in Sussex, England, that was cool. He just wanted a ride home, so Lisa and I escorted him. His coma left him slightly mentally disabled, so he communicated (amazingly well I might add) by a letter pad, spelling out his words.
I'm getting close to Lisa, forging a friendship. She was having problems with Nic, and I'm trying to help her through them.
I'm imagining actually going to mexico... on the plane, stepping into the heat... after reading the book Tortured For His Faith, what we could go through down there really is nothing, especially if god's right beside us.
Have to call Compassion today; at embassy last night I picked up a package to sponsor a child... kind of a last minute decision, but I felt God trying to tell me something, and I was feeling like I was 'hording' my own money. I wanted to do some good with it and make a difference in someone else's life, who is just as important as me, if not more, but worse off.
Angelo in Ecuador is 5 years old, and I've chosen to sponsor him. Lisa wanted to, but you have to be 18 or older, so I said she could help sponsor with me if she wanted to, and she really wanted to sponsor. It's only $31 month, and you can write as often as you want and send other things to help and encourage. 5 years old means a long way to go and grow and forge a relationship. I even stepped out of my natural instinct to sponsor a girl. A boy would help me better acquiant myself with befriending guys, since it's easier for me to be friends with a girl. I noticed that even when I worked at camp years ago. Girls tend to be more friendly, so it's easier to be friends with a girl; at least for me.
Of the 110,000 unborn babies in canada, we're lucky to be alive... not lucky, blessed. I think I'm already getting a taste of culture shock. At breakfast in the diner, I had one jam pack split for 4 pieces of toast, and others said that was paper thin, too thin, and seemed even amazed that I got one package to go that far. Even then I realized it didn't get as far as it could have gone. We argue over having too little of the small things, when that small thing is a luxury to those who have less. On the bus, I became aware of how much people here don't realize that our life isn't standard, or the real world. We are blessed in our culture to have what we have, and everything else is restricted to TV, and 'fantasy' in the movies. I catch myself imagining what it would be like in the position of someone on TV, less fortunate. Just the fact that we have to imagine how it is shows us that we are trapped. How can we be free if we don't know what the possibilities of living are? I almost feel trapped up here, because I don't have the freedom to experience a culture more deprived than us. I just opened a magazine and saw an ad for a musical. How many people sit at home, if they have one, or lay on the street while we are tuned out of reality sitting in luxury seats watching someone else perform for us for the extra money we have from working at jobs we love? I hope I can still enjoy the benefits we've been given in this culture, after we return from Mexico.
At Embassy, when the plate passed around, I actually for once felt regret that I didn't carry cash around. Even just that fact is sad - the 'cashless society'. I'm so well off that I can rely on technology to save me time and effort. And in that easy life, it cuts out those I could help. Having to say I have no cash or change when someone on the street asks for a couple bucks is like a big blow.
I'm curious as to what special is going to happen tonight. I feel like this week will be full of eye openers in some way. Praise Cel. on Sunday was amazing too. The talk about making an impact in life, about purpose and meaning, seemed a simple topic, but it hit home. And it passed on to embassy, strengthening that choice to sponsor, and helping open my eyes to what we take advantage of in our life and culture.
And I haven't crumbled to temptations yet this month, and only a few times in January. I feel like God is changing me as we speak, and hopefully it'll last beyond Mexico. I'm going to have to work a little harder on the book reports and learning spanish, but I'm getting closer every day, and I love it!
[ previous entry - December 28, 2000 ]
[ next entry - March 20, 2001 ]