Live like a poor man with lots of money.

“I would like to live like a poor man with lots of money.”

This experience has given us the opportunity to do this and it’s pretty nice.

We drive this old Nissan mini-truck called a bukkie while we are here. It is hysterical to see Andy get in and out and he says he is afraid his legs will cramp up and he’ll get stuck on the gas or something. All the vehicles are stick on the left and drive on the left. I get confused riding in the vehicles and wince often as we go on the ‘wrong side of the street’ and have huge semi trucks coming at us, so I have left the driving to Andy and Chrsitiaan. On the other hand, the Ark has a great combi van too. It has lots of miles on it but Christiaan takes such good care of it. Andy had to replace a headlight (oops) and it has been bruised many times but it is in great shape.

I got us wedding stainless steel wedding bands with an inscription from Song of Solomon inside them and I love them. I have seen a couple white people here wearing diamond wedding rings but I like our bands. I love the ring Andy got me for our 10^th anniversary but I am thinking about selling it. We have 2 families now that have young ones needing college educations, and we will need the funds when we get home.

I love having a small amount of clothing. I have a closet packed at home, mainly because I don’t want to get rid of things I ‘might fit into again someday.’ I find freedom in a limited number of choices that really fit and work together. I have 3 pair of shoes with me and am doing just fine.

We live in a little flat with it’s own bathroom and kitchen. I moved into the house that Andy bought before we were married so we never really did the crappy apartment stage together. This has been kind of fun. And…I don’t spend time maintaining all my stuff. We clean it in ½ hour and go live.

So, we are living simply and loving it.

On the other hand, we have money. We have had the pleasure of buying special meals or making meals with expensive ingredients like cheese and tuna, treating the kids to a trip over Easter weekend and game drive, and throwing a big party (sponsored by my sister, Julie). This weekend we take Rita and Christian to the airport. We will drop off many kids on the way there, some to take little minivan busses to different areas of the country to be with family. We are taking the volunteer from Belgium and a 19 year old from the Ark to a wilderness camp for 2 nights. The 3^rd night we will have Christian (office manager) and Heidi (college student from the Ark with us) too and go on a game drive Wednesday before we come back to Keetmans. We just found out we will have another 19 year old who grew up at the Ark joining us for Wed night too. We have been able to meet some personal pressing needs here and there, and that has been a thrill!

We brought $1675.00 from last minute donations people gave us and the garage sale proceeds. Here is what we spent that on in Namibia dollars which is about 9.25 to our 1.

Computer for Ark's college students and protective sleeve: 4945.85
Tools for Christaan at the Ark: 2100.00
Antivirus and MS Word software for computer: 1599.91
Electrical converter for paint sprayer  1200.00
Materials for wall of new OVC program in Keetmans: 6573.85
This comes to a total of about $1750 US. 

So I guess we’ve had the chance to ‘live like a poor person with lots of money.’ I have to tell you, though. I realize more and more that I have never really experienced any kind of physical poverty. 

For example, I find myself a bit shocked when I hear about people just doing without or waiting for what they NEED, because it simply isn’t there. I always have an ATM card with overdraft. We were with workers recently that couldn’t do their jobs because they had run out of prepaid Internet. So they don’t do it right then. It's a bit irritating as an American used to efficiency. It is also humbling. This can create much tighter knit communities because people need each other and share resources. A person told me her kids went to school hungry yesterday and people matter of fact-ly tell me they can’t feed their kids the last 10 days of the month.  Kids don’t always have jackets when it gets cold, so they wrap themselves in whatever they can find.

It is so different to do without because it simply isn’t there. We are on a ‘break’ from our lives so it is so easy to do without. Even fun. It's not fun when there is no other option. 

Here’s where the counterintuitive part comes in. The people wait and watch for God to provide. All of a sudden there is a couch being given away, for example, and a person has been sitting on the floor in their home. They are so grateful to God for providing a couch; they experience joy. When I work, get paid, and buy a couch, I don’t usually feel overwhelmed with joy to God for providing it, especially a discarded old couch. I am thankful for my job and for all God provides, but I don’t fall on my knees out of overwhelming gratitude over it. I suffer from the epidemic of Affluenza and I need a remedy, or I just want more and more and better and better. It is the natural state of humans.

CHI does not pay salaries except for a few employees at the Ark. Those who join this organization are signing up for just the kind of doing without and waiting on God for necessities that I've been talking about, relying on God and God’s people to support the ministries. Sometimes the money is just not there. Recently a 16 year old filled a ministry van with friends at another site in Namibia and went for a joyride. He crashed it. It is unusable and needed.

The fence they hit needed to fixed and we all prayed about it. It was causing friction with the owner of the house/fence. The money wasn’t there. Andy and I were able to help with that and it cost less than what we would pay going out for 1 dinner at home. It feels good to be used by God. It feels even better to see God provide. The ministry coordinator probably experienced more joy that we did, not because he was receiving help from us, but because he was aware that His Father is taking care of him and the ministry that serves the precious children!

It is all so counterintuitive. Living this way takes trust and sacrifice and a perspective that can only come from getting to know God on his terms. “The renewing of our minds” as scripture calls it. As soon as my eyes are diverted off of Christ Jesus, my human nature takes over and I am swept away again. I need God constantly. 

So, I want to live like a poor person. The part about having lots of money is a thrill but it can rob us of joy. Lord, can I experience the same joy as people here while in wealthy Orange County, California? Can I still learn to rely on You and You alone, even though I don't live in such a way as I need you moment by moment to survive?

I finally understand what God means about it being "easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." We miss God's kingdom when we think our security comes from our wealth or from anything else except our relationship with Him.