Poverty

July 18th, 2010 | Posted in » God at Work, My Life / Family, Pictures

As I’m processing what I’ve witnessed here in the Dominican, it’s pretty clear what jumps out about this nation and these people at first glance: this is a place of immense poverty.

It’s difficult to witness, let alone process.

I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials on television for Haitian relief, or for save the children, or for some charitable relief organization trying to make a difference throughout the world in places like this. Most of the time, when we see these things, we have no sort of emotional response… we’re more likely to simply change the channel to check out what else we can find to fry our brains, or to wonder if the scenes shown are staged. If we do have an emotional response, it’s usually of irritation… how dare these organizations try to wind us up emotionally to extract money from us!

But witnessing poverty first-hand?

There simply isn’t much that will move you more.

You can’t help but be affected by seeing families living in 4′ x 8′ shacks constructed of whatever materials they happen to be able to find. You can’t help but shed tears as you see children with distended stomachs, running around naked and playing in mud puddles. You can’t help but want to do something… anything you can think of to help. You can’t help but be overwhelmed because the need is so great… where can you start?

You can’t help but question how and why God would allow this. In the United States, even the poorest of the poor have a roof over their heads and somewhat regular meals. They’ve probably even got a television to watch, clothes to wear, maybe even an old beat up car to drive.

The contrast between “our” impoverished and the impoverished here is so dramatic. Here, the impoverished don’t eat for days. They pick through trash dumps to find whatever supplies they can for subsistence. They cobble together shacks for shelter made of old vehicle hoods, cardboard, scraps of tin. They have parasites living in their stomachs. Bugs and lice living in their hair. Scabs and scars arising from all sorts of nasty things we can’t begin to imagine.

Even the “average” person here rarely works, for there simply aren’t jobs available. We complain about a 9% unemployment rate, how “awful” our economy has gotten, how horrible our 401K has performed, how “health care reform” will ruin our nation. Here, unemployment is 75-90%. Savings and retirement are foreign concepts. Health care is virtually non-existent.

I could go on and on, yet never adequately communicate what I’m seeing. Take a look at some of these photos, though, and allow these images to move you emotionally. Consider how God would have you personally respond to what you’re seeing.