A rich India
"Is this the pastor's home?" I asked Eric with a bit of shock.
"Yep, this is it." Eric replied with a bit of non-chalance.
The home was one room, smaller than my own bedroom back in the U.S. The bed, room enough for one person, took up half of the room; no queen or king size beds here. Oh yeah, and this pastor has a wife and two children. The husband and wife would share the bed made for one and the kids would throw out some mats at night and sleep on the concrete floor, daily. And yet, the family was not lamenting the scarce accomodations. This is what they know and what is common. This is normal and allows the pastor to live in equal sized homes as many of the villagers they serve. Every church we visit while here has the same set up...the home as one room serving as kitchen, bedroom, and conversation space. It would be as if I, now married with one child, were still living in the space smaller than my first dorm room in college.
I as a visitor from the west might say in my mind, "Oh poor pastor..." but the pastor and his family don't think of themselves as poor. It is what it is. My comment could be taken as the pastor lives here because he hasn't "made it." Isn't it interesting that in America when we see the nice homes in New Albany or other places we immediately think, "Boy, they've made it. They're successful." Is this true? Are the pastor and the villagers any less successful than we who live in the U.S.? Do we allow possessions to become the symbols of success?
One thing is for sure, having such a small place to live forces people to be out in the neighborhood talking, laughing, arguing, and playing with neighbors. Instead of being holed up in a multiple room home with a TV and video games, the family actually relates with other people. In my neighborhood, it is rare to see people out talking to one another. The garage door goes up, the car pulls in, and the family, including mine, goes insided to spend the evening alone with little company besides themselves. We had a neighborhood picnic this summer and we had less than half of the people from the neighborhood show up. Are we too distracted, too busy to relate with others? Am I too distracted, to busy to relate and develop relationships? Do our possessions take possession of us? While in Western standards the people of this region of India might be considered economically poor, and this is true. What I have found, however, these people are rich in friendships, joy, and laughter. This is the true wealth that I desire too.
"Yep, this is it." Eric replied with a bit of non-chalance.
The home was one room, smaller than my own bedroom back in the U.S. The bed, room enough for one person, took up half of the room; no queen or king size beds here. Oh yeah, and this pastor has a wife and two children. The husband and wife would share the bed made for one and the kids would throw out some mats at night and sleep on the concrete floor, daily. And yet, the family was not lamenting the scarce accomodations. This is what they know and what is common. This is normal and allows the pastor to live in equal sized homes as many of the villagers they serve. Every church we visit while here has the same set up...the home as one room serving as kitchen, bedroom, and conversation space. It would be as if I, now married with one child, were still living in the space smaller than my first dorm room in college.
I as a visitor from the west might say in my mind, "Oh poor pastor..." but the pastor and his family don't think of themselves as poor. It is what it is. My comment could be taken as the pastor lives here because he hasn't "made it." Isn't it interesting that in America when we see the nice homes in New Albany or other places we immediately think, "Boy, they've made it. They're successful." Is this true? Are the pastor and the villagers any less successful than we who live in the U.S.? Do we allow possessions to become the symbols of success?
One thing is for sure, having such a small place to live forces people to be out in the neighborhood talking, laughing, arguing, and playing with neighbors. Instead of being holed up in a multiple room home with a TV and video games, the family actually relates with other people. In my neighborhood, it is rare to see people out talking to one another. The garage door goes up, the car pulls in, and the family, including mine, goes insided to spend the evening alone with little company besides themselves. We had a neighborhood picnic this summer and we had less than half of the people from the neighborhood show up. Are we too distracted, too busy to relate with others? Am I too distracted, to busy to relate and develop relationships? Do our possessions take possession of us? While in Western standards the people of this region of India might be considered economically poor, and this is true. What I have found, however, these people are rich in friendships, joy, and laughter. This is the true wealth that I desire too.
posted by Mike Weaver at 11:34 PM
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