A STORY

Saturday October 15^th  

Approximately 12:30 PM

So today and tomorrow are days I can catch up on some blog entries and school work. I was just writing a blog when I was interrupted by one of my housemates, who I will call Roshni. I spent an hour talking to her about a personal financial issue of hers. She is the mother of two, and is pregnant with her third. She is due in December. I will not reveal much about the situation on this blog, but I will say that it is pretty serious and involves care for her unborn baby. She asked for 1,000 rupees, the equivalent of about $7.70 in US dollars.

As I consider her story I cringe at my loose spending habits back home and here, because I just spent almost that same amount so I could indulge myself and my two friends with “hamburgers” at the local Wimpy's in Kathmandu. Who would've thought there'd be a Wimpy's here? Who would've thought I'd be stupid enough to go there too? Well, for my part, I was really craving a burger after two weeks of nothing but daal bhat (soup and rice).

Lesson learned: DO NOT BUY A BURGER IN A COUNTRY WHERE COWS ARE SACRED.

I felt a little sick later on, although luckily it passed quickly (no pun intended). But the point remains, my money used to appease a “need” for a hamburger that would make me sick could have been better used by helping my friend with her far more serious problem.

We talked for a time, and I actually learned a little more about the situation here, the interactions among people, and the lack of money these people deal with. Not that we don't have the same problem in the States, and things are always difficult to address, especially among family members and especially among non-family members. But I got a better understanding of the complex web of relationships here at the house, some good things, some not so good things. Living in intentional Christian community is always difficult, I just didn't think I'd be put in the position of counselor so quickly. I tried to encourage her and to remain as neutral as possible, while not being neutral to her particular situation (whatever that means, sounds like a politician's words, right?).

At some point action is required but I need to wrestle through the appropriate actions to take. They told us in class we'd have situations like this where people would ask us for money. The woman I was talking to is a “missionary” who came from India to do ministry for girls and children who have been trafficked. She is “living by faith” and I respect her and her family. I told her I didn't have the full story, that I wasn't sure how much I could afford to help her and that I did not want to develop unhealthy dependency. I prayed for her out loud, at the end, and I told her I would continue to think and pray about the situation. I do think I can afford $7.70, at least for now, and I truthfully can't see how I couldn't give it to her after considering the Wimpy's factor.

There is a lot to think about when it comes to these direct person-to-person interactions, especially when money is involved. It makes me really think about the importance of issues like income generation, micro-finance, and economics in international development. Things are just different here in the developing world. They're less organized and the culture is more laid back than in the States. It's hard to explain. I just really hope I can soon get to work in helping to make Agape more streamlined and organized, so I can achieve that feeling of accomplishment and success that I and my friends from the West crave so much.