Here are some of the folks who went on the poverty simulation at Mission Waco, giving their impressions. Our trip for April is fully booked but we've had enough interest to form another trip in the fall. Let me know if you're interested.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Simulated Poverty
I and seventeen others from Lifepath returned yesterday from what's called a poverty simulation led by the folks at Mission Waco. People come from all over the nation (believe it or not) to spend a weekend learning a little bit of what it's like to be poor.
So what did we do during the weekend? Well, we aren't supposed to talk about the details of what happened. I will say that it's a little like being on a reality television show: You are confronted with decisions and circumstances which challenge you. You always have a choice in how you cope with situations - you just have fewer options than you normally do. There were times during the weekend when we were uncomfortable and moments when I wondered why I was there. There were also times of great learning and insight. One of our elders attended and, at the end of the weekend, said that the poverty sim should be mandatory for all our elders, staff, and congregational leaders. I don't think we'll make it mandatory, but it's a great testimony to the power of the experience.
Why bother learning about poverty? Well, the Bible is pretty clear that God wants his people to care deeply about the poor. Deuteronomy 15, Isaiah 58, Matthew 25: 31-46, Luke 3: 7-11, James 2 and a host of other passages in the Bible indicate that a care for the poor is a marker for telling who God's people actually are. To be one of God's family is to care about those who are suffering.
And it's hard to care about people you don't understand.
So what did we do during the weekend? Well, we aren't supposed to talk about the details of what happened. I will say that it's a little like being on a reality television show: You are confronted with decisions and circumstances which challenge you. You always have a choice in how you cope with situations - you just have fewer options than you normally do. There were times during the weekend when we were uncomfortable and moments when I wondered why I was there. There were also times of great learning and insight. One of our elders attended and, at the end of the weekend, said that the poverty sim should be mandatory for all our elders, staff, and congregational leaders. I don't think we'll make it mandatory, but it's a great testimony to the power of the experience.
Why bother learning about poverty? Well, the Bible is pretty clear that God wants his people to care deeply about the poor. Deuteronomy 15, Isaiah 58, Matthew 25: 31-46, Luke 3: 7-11, James 2 and a host of other passages in the Bible indicate that a care for the poor is a marker for telling who God's people actually are. To be one of God's family is to care about those who are suffering.
And it's hard to care about people you don't understand.
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