Belize, Day 4

I finally arrived in Belize! Margarita (Lincoln's wife) picked us up at the airport and took us the clinic at Burrell Boom. As soon as we got there she helped me unpack the crates of clothes that Lincoln requested. It was for a lady named Charlotte, a member of his church there. She had 6 kids and had recently been displaced because of flooding here. Rachel, Lauren, and myself went with Margarita to Charlotte's house to give them the clothes. It was about 5 minutes from Burrell Boom. The family lived in a house divided into about four rooms. There were two old chairs in the "living room" and nothing else. The "kitchen" contained a stove that didn't look like it worked, no fridge and no cabinets. A handful of groceries were sitting on the counter. Another room had pillows/blankets laying on a wooden floor.

I was thinking about how bad the living conditions were when Margarita explained, "This is not her house. Her brother is letting her stay here because of the flooding. That's her house." She pointed to shack out the back window. It's difficult to describe in terms that will help you understand. It was a literal shack. A leaning structure pieced together with odd shaped pieces of rotting wood. The roof was several pieces of tin patched together. It contained two rooms (one for eating and one for sleeping) and was maybe 10x20. I went out to see if there was anything we could do (build a floor, fix the roof, etc). There was nothing, short of tearing it down and rebuilding the whole thing. It brought home a Scripture that I read to our church on Sunday...

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
1st Timothy 3:17-18

What is America's responsibility in regards to this passage? Or maybe a better question is what is Western Christianity's responsibility? Or maybe I should just ask, what is my responsibility and your responsibility? Something for you to discuss while I'm in Belize. Just be nice. I can't moderate comments as easily.

We're headed to Banana Bank tomorrow. Not sure about the Internet service there so it may be the last post for a couple of days. We'll set up clinic in Belmopan the next two days.