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Poverty is at work here. She is cruel and heartless. If Satan had a favorite mistress, she would be Poverty. She steals dreams from mothers. She creates desires that are unattainable for young people. Then they give themselves over to her through addictions, prostitution, stealing, jealousy and many other immoral behaviors. Poverty eats away at fathers who are desperate to feed and protect their families. Poverty takes the health of the elderly and the very lives of babies. Poverty creates evil in the hearts of men who know they can gain what they want by manipulation of the hungry.And one of the worst things I have seen Poverty do is harden the hearts of families toward each other. It is easier to not feel the pain. Tenderness towards each other is a rare thing with these families. There is an outside toughness that looks a lot like apathy towards each other, but it's not. I don't doubt that they love each other but they must use toughness as a form of self-preservation. They cannot spend the time and energy it takes to coddle children. That would only make them susceptible to the influences of Poverty.
God is all about relationships. Dennis and I came to Belize for this reason. We love these people and we want them to know that there is hope. We know what Jesus has done for us and we want people to know the hope that we have is available to them also. Only the hope that Jesus provides can overcome the darkness of poverty. Light will always overcome darkness.
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Recently I have noticed another weapon of the enemy. The transient lifestyle of many who live in poverty. When there is no work, when you have limited skills, when your education is almost nonexistent then your options become very limited for feeding your family. We recently lost one of our favorite families from Buena Vista. Our friends that we spent the summer with left over the weekend. We had no warning. We came to school on Monday and one of the students told us that they had packed all their things and left. I thought they were kidding but when I asked one of their neighbors they told us it was true.
Dennis and I had spent many days with this family. We had so much fun as we worked with them on their English skills. We sang songs together, colored together, read stories together and when school was about to start we finished with a wonderful meal together. The kids made us laugh and the mother made us feel so welcome in her home. When school began all the kids were enrolled in school so we got to see them all the time. A few weeks ago Dennis and I went to Mennonite Beach and there was the whole family enjoying the day together. We ended up swimming with them and they shared their meal with us. We had a good time as they kept trying to get me to say Spanish words and phrases. We started laughing so hard that I had to give it up. One of the boys found an awesome rock for me which I will keep forever.
But there is another family who left Buena Vista on the same weekend. A young man that Dennis was feeling a real connection with is also gone. He had an awesome personality and he was very smart. You could say that he was one who could have made a difference. We were told that there were some interesting developments with his mother and they had to leave quickly. I am told that they went to Guatemala. Just like that, he is gone.
Yesterday, I visited the home of a young lady who is moving away...we think. Her circumstances are unknown to us and I don't think that the family who is taking care of her wants them to be known. She and her two siblings have been living with this family because their mother did not want them any more and their father is in jail. Recently I held this young lady in my arms as she cried about her mother. She told me how unhappy she was and how she and her sister cry together sometimes. We prayed. We prayed for strength for all of them. We prayed for her parents and the people who are taking care of them. And we prayed for God's presence in her life. That she would not be lonely because Jesus was always with her. She said that she knew that Jesus was with her but her eyes said otherwise. Maybe I will see her again, I don't know. She is supposed to be headed for San Ignacio. I got some phone numbers that I hope will work.
Three examples of how cruel "Poverty" can be. She arranges for families to fall apart. She steps in with desperation, sadness, stress and overwhelming odds and she creates a world where hope is nonexistent. Relationships cannot flourish in this world and Poverty wants it that way. Poverty counts the tears that fall as a victory. She rejoices in the overwhelming sadness and depression that comes from never establishing positive relationships. She does everything she can to keep the cycle going. I hate Poverty. God is allowing us to be involved in this world to make a difference, to be His light. Dennis and I cannot fight Poverty with money because we have none. But we can bring hope to them. We can allow God's love to flow through us like a fountain. We spend our days showering them with all the love we can give. And we never run out because God is the one doing it, not us. God hates Poverty more than we do.
Love you guys.
