Economic Meltdown and Teenage Boys

Whenever I turn on the radio or TV, I hear about how bad the economy is and how it’s only going to get worse. The unemployment rate keeps growing. The value of most people’s investments is falling. Most people’s homes are worth less than they were just a year ago. The price of gas for our cars goes up and down faster than the stock market. Trying to decide when to fill up my tank makes me feel like a futures speculator. “The price has been going up for the last two days. Is it going to go up more before I go home or will it go down by morning?” Making the wrong guess can cost me ten dollars per fill-up.

The people we are going to serve in Malawi don’t have to worry about the price of gas. They don’t have cars. However, the price of gas is reflected in things they buy, like school uniforms for their children, shoes, even the little bit of food that they don’t grow themselves.

When you live on less than a dollar a day and prices go up, where do you trim your budget?

Another phenomenon is watching my son Andrew sprouting like good Indiana corn. Every morning his pants ride higher up his ankles. For his after school snack, he eats his way through half the refrigerator, and then asks, “What’s for dinner?” If you are missing a child or small pet, you know where to look.

In places where there isn’t enough food, adolescent boys must always be hungry. In Africa, rice is food for the rich. Meat is a rare treat. How does a teen ager have a growth spurt on a diet of millet and corn mush?

Times are tough in the US and the whole developed world. In Africa, where people are living on the edge of survival, as the cliff starts to crumble there is only one place to go.

Even when we feel like we have nothing to share, Jesus asks us to share anyway. I think He might say, “You really have more than you think. Plus, real giving means giving up a little of what you need so that others can have something. Please share even when times are tough, maybe even more now that times are tough. Don’t worry. I really will take care of you.” (Luke 12:22-31)

Premature Baby - It's Good to be Wrong Sometimes

It's good to be wrong sometimes. I thought the premature baby admitted two weeks ago was going to die. Shows how much I know. The baby at first lost weight and needed antibiotics, but now she is growing and getting ready to leave the hospital in the next few days.

Her birth weight and her Bilirubin, the chemical that makes people with Hepatitis look yellow, were horrible. She was born at 32 weeks. We have had babies 33 weeks of age die here. This tiny girl doesn't think much of numbers and statistics, she just keeps on growing and eating. When she was born, she weighed 1900 grams (4 lb 3 oz). During her first week of life, she dropped all the way to 1580 grams (3 lb 7 oz). Now she's almost back to her birth weight. She never developed any of the problems most premies develop, like pneumonia or other infections. She never ended up on a ventilator. I'm amazed.

If she can keep gaining weight and clear up her jaundice, she might get to go home to the jungle in a few days. That would be a great surprise and a time when I'll be very happy I was wrong.

Blessings,
Jerry