A Long Time Coming

It's good to be back. I haven't written anything in a long time and for both of my loyal readers I apologize. My last post was back in January about the death of a co-workers spouse and I'm not sure I've felt as passionate about something since. Well, o.k. there have been a few things.

In May of 2009 I wrote a post titled 'Changed Forever' regarding my trip to the Dominican Republic. Last month I had the opportunity to go back for another week working with the Kids Alive ministry in Constanza, DR.

All of the details I wrote about in that post are certainly still true, but how it affected me was different. Since it was my second trip the shock value from the enormity of the need wasn't as strong and my reactions to what I was exposed were very different. I absolutely believe God is working on me through these experiences. I'm still sorting through some of it but here is what I've been thinking about.

Being surrounded by the severe poverty in Constanza makes me look inward, and this trip really has helped me sharpen the differentiation between true needs and wants. Real needs aren't dependent on geography, your stature in your community, your job, or your family. I'm talking about the stuff of basic survival. These needs might look a little different depending on where you are, but without them we are truly lost. In our society we have a whole bunch of wants masquerading around as needs and I believe God is telling me I need to improve my discernment between the two.

Secondly, I need to do a better job of helping my children to understand this as well. I must be more diligent in helping them create this discernment. This is REALLY hard, especially around Christmas time. We are constantly bombarded with false messages about what we really need, a certain brand of jeans, a certain type of computer, the latest makeup trend etc. etc.

Finally, I really feel there is a piece about relationships. I'm not sure where God is leading but I am still working on it and I'll leave that for another post. The next trip will be in July of 2011 and I hope to be able to go and possibly take my 17 year old son too.