Vast needs
I correspond with a reverend in Kenya who with his wife is raising six children. He posts pictures of them in school uniforms, and occasionally he asks for help paying for school. The amounts he tells me are high, even for the U.S. I winced, thinking about it. So I suggested he teach them himself. I’m homeschooling, have been homeschooling for many years, and obviously he can read and type and has an internet connection. If it came to that, he has a working knowledge of English plus whatever his native language is; he has sticks and dirt and could teach writing that way if he had to. I think the idea of teaching them himself blew his mind. His reaction was, I think, shocked. It was hard to tell, not hearing his voice.
I correspond with a man who runs an orphanage in Haiti. He posts pictures of the many children around him, and occasionally photos with his wife. She’s beautiful. Naturally the pictures they post are of cheerful people in their best clothes. But he tells of not having enough resources to build a building to house the children he’s caring for. He asked me to put him in contact with my church, hoping my congregation of rich Americans would generously sponsor his orphanage, maybe even send visitors along with the money. I don’t belong to a mainline Protestant congregation; my church does lots of humanitarian aid, but he would have to contact people where he lives. He might not want to ask the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for help; it depends on his current religion and attitude. They would no doubt help him, but he might not appreciate the missionaries that would come, too. My church doesn’t just hand out help except in emergencies. Their objective is to help people learn skills and get resources to eventually support themselves.
During quarantine I sent money to my cousin in the Philippines. She was homeless, in lockdown. I sent what to me felt like a small sum, but it was enough to get a roof over her head and food to eat, enough to share with her neighbors. She tried to set up and run a business, using my funds. It went well for a time, but inevitably problems came up. The e-bike she bought to carry goods broke down and eventually began to wear out. Her neighbors are not much better off than she was; they couldn’t afford to buy a lot. She tried to sell a lot of different things, including distributing for a multi-national company. The multi-national had trouble getting product to her from other countries who were also in quarantine. Civil unrest in Thailand, restrictions, typhoons; her sister was severely injured and her grandson needed surgery for a birth defect. Always she tried and we both prayed. After quarantine ended, I reluctantly stopped sending money.
I could pour all my relatively vast resources into their needs, but then I would be homeless and in need. How would that help? All I can do is pray, educate myself, pray for them, teach as I’m able, and continue. God is in charge. He knows what He’s aiming for, and it’s not for us all to be rich. He’s teaching us by experience how to prioritize, how to work hard, how to share and how to be kind.
