Thoughts on the Bible and other thoughts on economics

A friend of mine lent me a book that's called "The Working Poor" that's really insightful into workers in America that live at or below the minimum wage. Really good book and I would highly recommend it if you want something that challenges both the right and left presuppositions about poverty.

Still keeping up with my Bible reading but am having a difficult time with God of the Old Testament. I know he's the same God as the God of the New Testament but He just seems so different in the Old Testament. It's almost like reading a book and waiting for the good part. This particular Bible is in chronological order so it's been interesting to see the progression of things but I'm definitely ready for the New Testament to come along. I've been reading this "Bible in a Year" now for a couple of years so I'm almost in September, which would be pretty good if I hadn't taken over a year and a half to get there, ha! I can't imagine being Jewish and not believing in the New Testament, I would have an extremely difficult time having much hope I think. I mean, there are parts that are hope-inspiring but it seems the vast majority is God sending outside armies to attack Israel to punish her for her unfaithfulness. Maybe it would be different if I were a parent and had a better idea about discipline but it just seems unnecessarily harsh. I don't mean to come across as sacreligious here at all, have just been struggling with all this violence. Definitely didn't hear about this God from growing up in the Church I'm afraid. I just checked and in this daily Bible you don't get to the New Testament until middle October. So why didn't I hear much about this God all growing up? It almost seems as we've emasculated God into Someone we can handle, ya know? Like I said before, I'm having a really difficult time reconciling this God I'm reading about now with Jesus the Son in the New Testament. Hopefully I'll gain some clarity once I finish the book.

I keep thinking about "Julio" and "Maryanna" and how I really need to become a better friend to him. One of the few ways out of poverty is to have a mentor to help you out and I think I could be that to Julio. I worry about him and Maryanna and the financial difficulties they face. Hopefully I'll be able to mentor him in that area as well as spiritually (the two go pretty hand in hand if you ask me.) I prayed all last year to become friends with at least one poor person and I think Julio is my answer to that prayer. Every time I read that book "The Working Poor" I think of Julio. There's got to be some way I can help him. But I also want to be careful and make sure I'm seeing him as a human being first and not just a project. While reading this book I've come up with only one solution to poverty and that's mentoring. We in the middle class learn a lot of common sense economics from our parents that people in poverty are never taught so how can they be expected to manage money and resources well? I've thought if there were some way we could hook up our more financially savvy people, like "Audi" for instance, with our people who are struggling financially we could really do some good. And of course not in the sense of just giving them money but tutoring/mentoring them on how to handle money and a family for that matter. I can't remember the name of that one guy, I think it might be "Jiovanni", who has come to our church a couple of times (was at Salvation Army and then got a job at Goodwill) but think if he were hooked up with a guy like Audi. Both would benefit tremendously I think. Audi would realize how much he has and just how difficult it is to climb out of poverty and Jiovanni would get invaluable lessons in budgeting and how to manage other resources like time. I'm not trying to put Audi on a pedestool here, quite the opposite. I respect him in his managing of money but think his heart needs to grow in compassion for those less fortunate, the same can be said of myself and most everyone else I know. But to me, that would be church at it's finest. People from different socioeconomic classes bridging that divide in order to become friends and ultimately build one another up in Christ by teaching each other about their different circumstances. Poverty is obviously hard but being well off definitely carries its own weights such as isolationism and a growing contempt towards those less fortunate.

Needless to say at this point but my interest in economics is growing. The girl I swim with is an economics major at Dartmouth so we've had some interesting conversations about economics as well as development. I lent her that Dead Aid book that I finished reading so I'm curious to see what she thinks of that. She said she really liked her economic development class so I am assuming she'll like this book.

Learning about justice and how to help people maintain their dignity is difficult but I think I might finally be coming up with some possible solutions in my head at least. One is to do mission trips alongside the natives, i.e. why can't Casas por Cristo be more like Habitat for Humanity? Habitat has the owners of the house work on the house themselves along with other volunteers so they have a vested interest and are more likely to maintain their own houses. Just something to think about. And I think we need a lot more Christian businessmen and women to answer the call to start up small businesses in third world countries to provide jobs to people. I like to think most people want to work and provide for their families, they just need the opportunity to do so. People need clean water but perhaps just as important if not more important they need jobs to restore their dignity.

1st week in Ecuador

Well, I'm in Ecuador and have been for almost an entire week. So far it's going really well, my Spanish is improving and I'm making some really good friends. I lost my luggage the first couple of days and had to wear the same outfit but it's all part of the adventure I suppose :)

Next week I start working for the foundation/school for street children. I met the people I'll be working with yesterday and am really looking forward to it now. I would've worked this past week but the lady at the foundation said that new people were required to be in the country for at least 5 days. How being in the country for 5 days makes you safe from swine flu I'm not really sure, but I made it through the week unscathed all the same.

The family that I'm staying with is great. They have a son named Hugo who I played soccer with last night and a daughter named Vivianna who I haven't seen but twice since I've been here. The parents are really nice people as well even though we have a language barrier. I've been spoiled with all the good food that the mother has been cooking this week. Every day is something different for lunch and I've liked all of them so far. Her daughter translated today that I will make a good husband because I'm not a picky eater.

Now I have a whole new appreciation for my students back home who are ESOL students. Learning a new language is incredibly difficult as I'm figuring out lately. I have had two Spanish classes so far and still feel completely lost with the language, even after being immersed in it. It is getting better though and I need to remember that. My vocabulary is improving all the time...now if I could just get the different tenses correct that would really be something!

Today, Saturday, was especially a good day. I slept in till noon which is good to do after playing soccer the previous night for an hour and a half. Then I woke up, did my homework for my Spanish class, read from some different books, and watched a local soccer game with Hugo and some of his friends. It was a great Sabbath rest I must say.

Well, I think this might be one of my shortest posts ever but that's really all I have to say.

Until next time...