The Distance $30 Can Go

*note that there have been 3 new posts now in the past 12 hours. i apologize, it is just easier to write them in my room when i think of them and then come to the common room to post them. so be sure to check them all out when you get a chance.



After telling Mchungaji (Pastor) how much we love Baraka and Lucy (Luka’s nephew and niece) and asking if there was anything we could do to help them, Mchungaji told us that Luka had mentioned something about how he wasn’t sure how he would be able to pay for all their upcoming school needs this year. We asked Mchungaji for some more information and told him that we would love to help them out in any way that we could. Well today, in the wake of Luka’s wedding on Saturday, we all pitched in and gave about $30 USD (totaling $120) to Luka as a gift to spend on the kids and their schooling. Mchungaji told us last night that he had given Luka the money and he was so very grateful for our gift.
It is strange to think that $30 from each of us could actually make a difference – I mean, that is about the cost of a shirt at some stores in the mall. But here, it allowed Luka to provide Baraka and Lucy with some new clothes, books, shoes, and other supplies for school. In the States we take our education and our money for granted. Between the four of us we gave the same amount of money that many people will spend in one shopping trip to the mall (which they do several times a year). But for Lucy and Baraka it will mean money for a year of an education so they can have lives that will eventually give back to society. The last thing I want to do is ‘toot my own horn.’ I just am amazed at how easy it is forget how to give without expecting anything in return.
Peace.


P.S. I apologize for such a plethora of posts criticizing material culture. I guess it just reflects how trips like this make me really analyze American culture and our inherent ‘need’ for more. I promise posts like this will soon dwindle in number and be replaced with other subjects.