What is life really like for people who genuinely struggle for their day to day needs? Can you imagine your children growing up with no running water, no toilet and in many cases not even electricity?
In a touristy waterfront shopping village we visited there were children begging for money and food. Regardless if it was a scam set up by their parents or if there was a genuine need--I can never imagine asking my 3 year old precious baby girl to go and beg for money and food. There was a little girl maybe 4 years old that followed us down the street for a block or so just staring at the girls and kept saying, please Ma'am help me. I could hardly look at her, it broke my heart. She was dirty, barefoot and walking the streets begging for money. Can you even imagine for one second that we would ask our kids to do this--for even one second. NEVER.
I complain that my barnhouse is no where near the fancy house want. I complain about laundry duty to which I have machine that does most of the work for me. I whimper that I have nothing to wear- when my closet is bursting with great cloths. I grumble at cleaning up after little people, when the DVD in the van goes on the fritz, and when anything in my day does not go exactly as I have so carefully planned.
Jenna was having a great time and didn't seem to notice the differences, but Madie was fully aware Africa was different. I watched her eyes as she stared out the car window into the townships. Hearing her questions and seeing her genuine concern for the kids begging for money was remarkable. I huge part of me wanted to cover her eye so she didn't have the heart sick feeling of realizing that kids live this way. It was a remarkable experience to have with Madie. She is getting the sense that the world is SO much bigger than our backyard and there is so much we can do with the resources that God has in trusted us with.

Here are some pictures of the housing projects there called townships. The pictures aren't very good since they are all taken while driving. When you look at these remember that entire families sometimes 8-12 people live in one little shack.
While the girls and I were at the college for a girls event, Kory went into the townships. He wanted to buy groceries and pass them out all week and he finally got his chance. It was after dark--I was not about to go in the dark. I'm not sure I even wanted to go in the light if I am completely honest. Kory has a wild at heart spirit that forces him to do wild and crazy things with wild abandon. Did you get the hint that I think he is a wild kind of guy. Don't dare him. He will water ski naked in February on a frozen Iowa lake.
So my wild man Kory and Tom made a stop by the house so Kory could drop off his wallet, watch and any valuables he had in case they were mugged. You really are not advised to go in at night. He also told me after the fact that he did put his license in his shoe, just in case he needed to be identified. Wow, that's comforting.
Kory said it was such an incredible experience. Kory bought enough groceries to make up 7 bags with each bag having bread, milk, eggs and non perishables. He also got Oreos and candy to pass out to the littles. He drove around looking for women with kids. He said that everyone they come in contact with was so thankful and grateful. One women told them she had just left a prayer service and it was such an answer to prayer to have food. She kept saying, Praise Jesus, Oh thank you Jesus! He thought it was so cool that everyone excepted the gift unassuming any motive and with joy. Here in the states if he would try to offer groceries to a women on the street she would think he was a weirdo trying to drug her and call 911.

The point is...I am so thankful that our family had this slap in the face reminder of how incredibly blessed we are! Oh, and I am so thankful that God wired Kory to be a wild at heart kind of guy. He is wild enough for the both of us, I assure you!