Last week Kristen and I had the wonderful opportunity of staying with a beautiful family from our church for four days. It hit me over and over again while I was there how rich I am and I don't even realize it. The easiest way for me to sum up how rich I am in comparison, is to look at the first hour and a half of my day.
First I wake up and roll out of my queen size bed. This family had one bed, without a mattress, and three small cots for 9 people to share.
The next thing I would probably do is turn on a light, which this family doesn't have electricity.
Next, I would walk around the corner to the bathroom. For me, the bathroom is inside and the seat is made of plastic, for them the "bathroom" is down in the valley made of sticks and sheets and the toilet is made of cement. I would then flush the toilet, which this family only has a hole in the ground, and no toilet paper.
I'd usually then wash my hands, but there is no sink, and no running water.
Next on the agenda would be walking into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator or pantry to make myself breakfast. However, this family wouldn't dream of a regrigerator or pantry and their "kitchen" is outside in the dirt where they prepare rice and beans for every meal.
Most mornings I would then sit on the couch, which they only have tree stumps for sitting on anways. I would turn on my T.V, which I doubt the younger children have ever even seen one. When i'm done eating breakfast I put my dishes into a dishwaser, something that i'm sure they would not even be able to fathom.
After breakfast I then enjoy hot showers, with running water. Their shower is out back, made of sticks and sheets and they use a bucket and small, broken, plastic container to pour water over themselves.
Once i'm showered and clean I use a blow dryer, a straightener, and put on make up before changing into a clean pair of clothes. This amazing family only had a few outifts each and have probably never seen a blow dryer or a straightener.
Once I am ready for the day I get into my car, which they would be blown away if they knew I owned a car. Then I drive off to my job, which a lot of people here don't have jobs.
So there it is, in the first hour to hour and a half of being awake each day, everything I do has something that they don't have. It blew me away. However, even though they have nothing, they are still happy, loving and welcoming and gave up their one bed to let Kristen and I sleep in it, while they slept outside on their horse wagon.
In addition to this perspective, some other moments that broke my heart while I was there were one, the first night of going to bed at 6:30 (because they go to bed when its dark due to lack of light) is when Kristen and I pulled out our headlamps and reading lights. I heard them talking to each other saying how rich and expensive those lights are, when in reality the reading light probably only costs about five dollars.
The second night we were there we were sitting around after dinner as the sun was going down and I was asking everyone when their birthdays are. These children had to ask their mom when their birthdays are and how old they are. Then the mom said yours Maria is April 11 and i said, "Wait a minute, today is april 11." This poor 10 year old girl did not even know that it was her birthday! On top of that, she had to ask her mom how old she was turning.
Another moment that touched my heart was on the last morning of being there, I was standing out back praying when "mama" walked up behind me. I then did my best to carry on a serious conversation in broken spanish asking her a little about herself. I had known that she was illiterate and she never went to school, but it really hit me when we started talking about how I had gotten to Nicaragua. An airplane flew over head and all the kids went crazy yelling "Avion, Avion" (which is airplane in spanish). She then asked if I had come to Nicaragua in an airplane. I said yes, because I did. She then went on to ask why I didn't just take a bus or van. And this is when it became obvious to me that she has probably never seen a map in her life, and even though she has known people from the States, she really has no idea how far away we come from.
Needless to say, this was a heart breaking and eye opening experience. It is one I will never forget and it is something I will treasure for the rest of my life. I thank God for the opportunity I had and I hope to be blessed with more opportunities in the future.
Here are a few pictures from my experience:
The House:
The Kitchen:
The Shower:
The Bathroom:
The Family:
Happiness!
