November 22, 2023
Recently my wife Kathy and I drove from Toronto Canada to Dallas Texas USA to spend a few days with our daughter Kate and her family. We drove because we love driving adventures. We spend enough time flying to Africa with WOW so we always prefer ground transportation!
We commented more than once on the beautiful condition of the various interstate highways. Rather than taking them for granted we found ourselves comparing and contrasting them to the roads we travel in Africa-potholes on potholes, off camber narrow low grade “tarways”, long gravel stretches, and gauntlets of goats, cows, pedestrians, and bicycles carrying huge bags of charcoal and anything else the impoverished owners can carry who knows where for a few kwatchas (currency). Perhaps the worst of the lot is the road from Lusaka Zambia to Siavonga near Lake Kariba on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. On the way down we passed three tractor trailers upside down in ditches and ravines, potholes the size of small swimming pools, and treacherous switchbacks that explained the presence of the wrecked vehicles beside the road.
We spent much of the journey holding our breath.
The fact is that most of us in the entitled West have no idea how most of the world lives. Bad roads, food insecurity, lack of medical care, rampant disease, and income of less than two dollars a day are “de rigueur” for billions.
There’s no need for guilt on our part, rather, gratitude is the best posture. But that thankfulness is most effectively expressed by generosity towards those who are destitute. This is why a commitment to faithful support of proven charities is vital. Like you I give to charities I know and trust. I look for integrity and sustainable ministry.
And, for what it’s worth, let me put in a plug to check out WOW on social media. You might want to become one of our faithful donors.
