Thneedville

I don't have a lot of money.  In fact, I tend to think of myself as poor.  I'm not, of course, but it's funny how comparing yourself to those around you can really distort truth.  My car is over a decade old, and while i own a home it's near lilliputian in size.  Both are in need of repairs that I don't have the money for, and I'm in debt up to here.  But my kids are fed, & clothed, tucked into a warm bed at night and read a story.  Every need is met, and vacations are taken.

So it's weird that I would, but I do have a sense of being like that young boy peeking through the crack in the wall of Thneedville to see the wastes beyond.  By contrast to many lives lived outside my wall (and some within), I am enjoying some of the greatest comforts and luxuries in human history.  Yet somehow I usually feel as if I am living in poverty.  *Sigh*  At least someone took the time to make me aware of it.

Knowing this makes me feel pretty selfish and guilty, so when an opportunity came along to travel to Tanzania and see how the REAL 99% (or rather the 99.99999%) live, and to maybe even do some good while I'm at it, I jumped on it.

A few years ago I became enamored with the work of Scott Harrison, a photographer-turned-philanthropist who founded Charity: Water.  Their work is to drill wells to bring clean water from underground springs to villages that don't otherwise have it.  Over a billion people don't have access to clean, safe drinking water and it accounts for half of the world's disease.  Meanwhile, I have the world's cleanest water coming out of faucets in several rooms of my house, and I still spend extra money on water filters and fancy serving pitchers.

After learning about the work Charity: Water was doing, I became inspired and was involved to a very minor degree in a spin-off charity through my church.

The trip to Tanzania is not water related, I work at a school with the two men who organize it.  They are amazing guys with a heart for Africa, and for the poor.  I was fortunate enough that one of them took note of my interest in clean water, and seeing similarities in the mission, invited me to chaperone  the upcoming school trip to Africa.

I gave it a little (ok, very little) thought, talked it over with my wife, and Bob's your uncle- I was headed to Tanzania!

The travel expenses are paid for since I am chaperoning, which is great, but there is still travel gear, gifts (for the kids at the orphanage.  think of the CHILDREN!), supplies, and appropriate attire to be bought.  that adds up, and as I mentioned, money is an issue at my house.  I've been trying to spread these purchases out over the six months leading up to the trip.  Awesomely, Jesus hooked me up with a winning square in the Superbowl pool (which is ironic, since I know rocket surgery better than I know football), so I had some extra cash for this.

Today, April 28th, we are about five weeks out, and I have most of my gear already.  Everything i know tells me that whatever I'm expecting will be wrong, but I can't seem to help wanting to plan out everything anyway.  I've gotten some great advice from friends and coworkers who have done similar trips, but to be honest, I'm really just excited to be culture shocked.

I'm also told that the entire trip is physically uncomfortable.  I can't say that I am looking forward to that, but I know the experience will be beneficial to me, and besides, I really want to be a part of giving something important to someone who really needs it.

Next post will be at the start of my trip!