6days
New member
I have a problem. How can I live with the wealth we have in North America knowing a Christian brother is hungry, or needing clothes?
I have been back from Cuba for six days now, and I am struggling with the wealth disparity between us and our Christian brothers and sisters. I am struggling with my own lack of compassion I have compared to others. How do I live that New Testament church kind of faith where I freely share what I have... and get more excited serving God, and others?
Let me explain with stories....
FINANCES
Most pastors I met in Cuba live on about $20 a month. Even in Cuba, $20 does not go far. They, and their families live mostly on rice and fruit during the week. (Often fruit, vegetables and maybe even a couple chickens are grown in small back yards). If they have enough money, they might buy meat for a treat on weekends. Oh... And since it is difficult to buy land for a church in Cuba, most of these people give up their homes using a small portion for their own bedrooms.
An illustration / example of how little they live with. I washed dishes at one place using cold water, no soap and no dish cloth. I also noticed that Styrofoam plates and plastic disposable cups are saved.
Perhaps what blew me away the most... what has shaken me is an incident I had with Romano. He is the vice president of a denomination in Cuba that has about 120 Church. He traveled with our small group for the week and always wore the same pair of sweatpants. On the last night in Cuba I gave him my jeans which I had bought before the trip for $18 at Costco. He was wearing them the next morning and they fit perfectly. He told me that in his 52 years he has never had such a nice pair of pants. I literally started to sob.
PASSION
Ex. I met one woman pastor who often walks her neighborhoods from dawn to dusk visiting, sharing and caring. She mentioned she wish she had a horse so could visit even more people. (Our group of 14 pitched in enough to buy a horse). I met a convert of this pastor... Mary. Mary told me the pastor had visited her often presenting to gospel. Her and her Mom both accepted Jesus as their Savior on the same day. Mary had got permission from her university to take a few days off to meet us Canadians at her home church....a 7 hour one way bus trip. Mary said she hoped some day she could get an English Bible... she is working towards becoming an English prof. What a pleasure it was to give her the paperback I had brought... and to see the joy with which it was recieved.
There are many stories of passion... people who have so little but share what they have with others. One more ex. I met a pastor couple who live and serve a very small isolated community in the mountains. These people, like everyone else in Cuba, could get a job through the Communist government. But instead, they serve Jesus in a area with extreme poverty... So this pastor couple has virtually no income. But... such sweet and joyful people. And their kids.... Oh, I fell in love.
Anyways.... The point of this thread wasn't just to share stories. I truely am struggling with the issue of sharing. Am I to really sell all I have and give? I'm thinking not... but wrestling over many issues... a week has passed and I often find myself looking at pictures of the people from Cuba and shedding a few tears. Now what?
I have been back from Cuba for six days now, and I am struggling with the wealth disparity between us and our Christian brothers and sisters. I am struggling with my own lack of compassion I have compared to others. How do I live that New Testament church kind of faith where I freely share what I have... and get more excited serving God, and others?
Let me explain with stories....
FINANCES
Most pastors I met in Cuba live on about $20 a month. Even in Cuba, $20 does not go far. They, and their families live mostly on rice and fruit during the week. (Often fruit, vegetables and maybe even a couple chickens are grown in small back yards). If they have enough money, they might buy meat for a treat on weekends. Oh... And since it is difficult to buy land for a church in Cuba, most of these people give up their homes using a small portion for their own bedrooms.
An illustration / example of how little they live with. I washed dishes at one place using cold water, no soap and no dish cloth. I also noticed that Styrofoam plates and plastic disposable cups are saved.
Perhaps what blew me away the most... what has shaken me is an incident I had with Romano. He is the vice president of a denomination in Cuba that has about 120 Church. He traveled with our small group for the week and always wore the same pair of sweatpants. On the last night in Cuba I gave him my jeans which I had bought before the trip for $18 at Costco. He was wearing them the next morning and they fit perfectly. He told me that in his 52 years he has never had such a nice pair of pants. I literally started to sob.
PASSION
Ex. I met one woman pastor who often walks her neighborhoods from dawn to dusk visiting, sharing and caring. She mentioned she wish she had a horse so could visit even more people. (Our group of 14 pitched in enough to buy a horse). I met a convert of this pastor... Mary. Mary told me the pastor had visited her often presenting to gospel. Her and her Mom both accepted Jesus as their Savior on the same day. Mary had got permission from her university to take a few days off to meet us Canadians at her home church....a 7 hour one way bus trip. Mary said she hoped some day she could get an English Bible... she is working towards becoming an English prof. What a pleasure it was to give her the paperback I had brought... and to see the joy with which it was recieved.
There are many stories of passion... people who have so little but share what they have with others. One more ex. I met a pastor couple who live and serve a very small isolated community in the mountains. These people, like everyone else in Cuba, could get a job through the Communist government. But instead, they serve Jesus in a area with extreme poverty... So this pastor couple has virtually no income. But... such sweet and joyful people. And their kids.... Oh, I fell in love.
Anyways.... The point of this thread wasn't just to share stories. I truely am struggling with the issue of sharing. Am I to really sell all I have and give? I'm thinking not... but wrestling over many issues... a week has passed and I often find myself looking at pictures of the people from Cuba and shedding a few tears. Now what?