1st World Vs. 3rd World Vacations
It has been about 2 weeks since our last post. The Bush family was on vacation last week, and it was great to get away. We did not really do much except play on the beach, swim in the pool, and eat good food. Pretty much the perfect recipe for a great vacation. The only thing missing was extra sleep, but when your children are 2, 3, and 4 you can't really expect that.
At the beginning of next week, I will update everyone on what has been going on in Haiti (school officially started) and with All Things New, but something struck me while on vacation last week.
A vacation is something that much of the world will never experience.
Spending a week or a few days at a resort, beach, ski lodge, cruise ship, etc. is second nature to many of us. In fact, for some of us, our year would not be complete without it. Also, that is not a bad thing. To be able to get away and recharge and spend time with family is an excellent way to spend your time and money.
After a couple of days of our vacation, I looked at Jessica and asked her what she thought some of our employees would do if they had the chance to "go" on vacation. The key word is "go" because they all get vacation time. Every single one of our full-time employees get 15 days of paid vacation. Do you know how each of them would want to spend that vacation time? Working.
At some point, the large majority of our employees have asked us if they could work during their vacation time and have us pay them what we would have paid their replacement. Marjorie and Lener both ask for vacation time when they know Lener's Haitian-American cousin is coming to Haiti and they can work for and with the teams that he brings.
They are not going to take those 3 weeks and spend any time or money on an actual vacation. Whatever money they have goes to provide for their immediate family, and any leftover money goes to provide for their extended families and neighbors. That's it. Most of our employees will not even purchase a car or a moto because how could they purchase that when their brother, sister, or parents are hungry?
What if I had even an ounce of that attitude and humility?
I am so glad that I was able to take my family on vacation, that we can occasionally get Chic-Fil-A, and that we have a nice air conditioned house in America during this pandemic. It is wonderful that we have a great house in Haiti and that our kids are comfortable in the orphanage home that we rent. It is a blessing to be able to do and have those things.
But I have to ask myself, what would I do if my brothers or sisters were starving? What if my friends did not know Jesus and were perishing apart from him? What if they were dying because of poor conditions or lack of healthcare? The answer to each of these questions is...
They Are!
The next question I have to ask is, "What I am doing about it?" Right now, I am disappointed in my answer to that question because I know that question should shape everything about who I am, how I spend my time, and how I spend my money.