The Good Life Right Here Right Now... Next time you get a little hacked about something like, the lights going out due to a storm and it takes too long for workers to restore electricity, or your old mattress squeaks every time you move, or someone at McDonald's forgot to leave pickles off your hamburger... Stop for a minute and think, you have a delicious hamburger right in front of your face at nearly the snap of a finger. The lights are out for an hour? Good heavens! The grass in your yard grows so fast and you already need to mowe the lawn again. Oh the drudgery! It can be tough living the good life right here in the USA. When you flush the toilet, sometimes you have to shake the handle so the tank fills up. So let's see, I just named a few things: electricity, food at the snap of a finger, a bed to sleep in every night, a toilet with plumbing (I'm not going to mention air conditioning, and a car that runs so you can drive to your job where you're gainfully employed, and if you're not employed, you're probably receiving unemployment checks).
Recently, a team from Central Baptist Church went to Guatemala on a mission trip. Central has been sending mission teams to Guatemala for several years. They support and help improve a children's orphanage. They also build one room homes for local families who live in places like a hole. Yes, a literal hole dug in the side of a hill with a piece of corrugated metal over it for shelter. The team pays money for the round trip flight to Guatemala, then puts money and hard labor into building these one room homes. The homes have concrete floors, walls constructed of cinder blocks and corrugated metal, and a corrugated metal roof. They typically have a window. That's it. No electricity, no indoor plumbing, no air conditioning, no running water. The recipients of these one room homes are filled with joy when they receive the keys to their new one room home. Tears flow from both the new home owners and the missionaries that came to help.
From what I've been told, the recipients are extremely grateful and appear as if they were just awarded a new mansion in Kingwood. Starting to feel a little more fortunate with your lot in life? If not, you should. We live like kings over here. Stop thinking about what someone else has, and be extremely grateful for what you do have. Do you have a job? A place to live with a bed to sleep in? Air conditioning? Running water? A toilet and shower? A refrigerator with food? Congratulations, you live better than probably 90% of the rest of the world. You're life is rich with blessings. Remember that when you get to work and fill your coffee cup and enjoy that hot cup of coffee every morning. I don't mean to sound like I'm shaking my finger at anyone, but I as well as most of us, need to be reminded of these things from time to time. Have a happy Thursday everyone!
A family of 8 receives the keys to their new one room home in Panajachel, Guatemala on Wednesday, August 5, 2015.
If you would like to comment on this story, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at pctletters@gmail.com. Be sure to include the story subject in the subject line of your email, also list your name and town in your letter. Your letter will be posted in Letters to the Editor.
