“The inevitable consequence of poverty is dependence”

Hey!

Do you know, that when people have less two things happen. Children become very aggressive about their possessions, and priorities are righted. But all of this happens in a very strange way, that I wouldn't have expected. Because children FIGHT for things, to get a ball or to play with a toy, or to get food. But once they have it, they are surprisingly willing to share. Once a child has money, he doesn't hoard it, but will go out and buy lollipops for everyone. If he buys a packet of biscuits, they are common property. If he gets the ball, more than likely he will round everyone up to play. It's strange, because I expected way more hoarding. In the 'west' I am used to children offering things, but rather sparingly, and grudgingly, so I really really expected something else.

The thing about priorities is interesting. Hannah and I are a part of a church plant, and our church has about a 40 members (we don't really do membership, but about 40 regulars) sometimes more, sometimes less, and the largest part of these are under 18, and the ones over 18, about 1/3 are in paying jobs, so it pretty much goes without saying that our church is plenty poor. So, when we get money, it goes towards the things that matter, it goes towards supporting other poor churches, or poor people. Most of our finances are to pay some of the teenagers who are out on their own, to work for us, and to pay the water and electricity bills of the space that we use, and all the rest goes to buying grape juice for communion service. It means that when all our chairs break, we sit on the floor for services, it means that all of our instruments are hand-me downs, it means that everything we have we take care of, because after we've used it, we give it to another church. Some how it makes me smile that this is how we work here, because it puts your own priorities in order. When you are struggling the most, that's when you see that actually one your kids families with 3 or 4 children is struggling so much that they don't have food, so you don't stop to think too much (maybe twice, but only because the money hoarding factor hasn't totally been erased from my cultural understanding) about using what you have left, in your cupboards and pantry to fill theirs. And that is how the larger part of the poor live out here. They do in fact look out for each other. Living more simply and handing over things that they don't use, or have too much of, to those who are in need of it. When there is no money there is no pressure to have more of it, and you realise that everything that you have, well is from the grace of God. Good lessons, learnt from children.

One thing that I find strange about these things too, is the fact that kids do not take care of their stuff, it's like once you have it, you've got to use, and use it hard so that you get the most out of it, and then you throw it in the corner, or maybe onto the street which at the moment seems to be the communal dumping grounds after we started building the wall around the seminary...

Mango trees ripe for the picking soonish. very exciting. Life continues on, fast and sure. The kids are nightmares, as usual, but ones that make you smile (but only behind their back, because you have to seem firm). Had a football tournament on monday, which went the way of all football tournaments. Lot's of exciting fights. SO that was an interesting day, and next week were taking 70 of the kids to a water park!!!

Much love.
EMs

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