Tears Made in China

I went to China yesterday and today.  It was a good time.  There was a group from America who was able to go and spend some time there helping out the center, and I was blessed to get to meet them!  They're from Omaha, so from around my neck of the woods!

But the story I want to tell is not from the time spent in China--it's the time that I was walking back to Macau at the boarder gate.

Let me back up this story.  The boarder gate is where people wait to get money from others--aka beg.  They have baskets to drop money in, and usually have a couple coins in it.  (I think they keep some money in a pocket, but still--they don't have much)

I always feel guilty walking by, not giving money.  But if you have seen August Rush, you have an idea of what kind of situation it is--the money goes to a slum dog, or whatever they're called.  I always want to give food, because that's something that they can have, and it doesn't go towards alcohol or drugs or a slum dog...but I always forget.  Then I feel guilty walking by, but I usually forget about it soon after I see the line and how full it is and realize that I'm gonna have to wait for a very long time.  Shallow of me, I know. This time, I was thinking about this guilt that I always feel passing by. (I especially feel the guilt after reading Deuteronomy where it says that that you should give to the poor and needy and such).  So I was thinking about this ever since I had decided that I was going to China this weekend.  While I was shopping with Lily, I decided that I wanted to get some crackers to put in the beggars' cans.   As I got off the bus, I took out the crackers, and self consciously walked through the mall.

I began thinking: they're gonna be like, "why is this girl giving me crackers?"  "I'm asking for money, not crackers...what good will this do?"  "This is not gonna help, so why is she thinking it will" or something like that.  As I struggled to open the extremely-difficult-to-open package, I thought...should I really give them this?  They might scoff at me in confusion.  But my answer came with the open bag.  I got ready: I handed a package of crackers to the first person.  A lady with a baby ran towards me.  I put 2 in her bin because of the baby.  As I walked by, they all noticed that I had the crackers. They looked at the bag with huge eyes, and looked at me with the biggest smile I've seen--even bigger than when I give them money on occasion.  Everyone aborts the plea for money and focuses all attention on me, saying "xie xie" (thank you) many times as I pass by and put a small package of crackers in their can.

I still had 7 left when I finished, but I couldn't walk back through the line.  I didn't know what to do with it.  I walked into the boarder, and I couldn't forget about it this time, because there was no line for me to wait in--so nothing to cause my mind to wander.  I actually got emotional about this.  I was fighting back tears.

How grateful were they for a small package of crackers?  How horrible was it for me to think that maybe I shouldn't do that, because they'd think of me strange?  Is that the only food they'll see today?  What in the world can I do--there are thousands, probably millions of beggars in China.  Probably hundreds or thousands in ZhuHai alone.  I have so much stuff, but I know I can't just give it all away to them. That wouldn't help anything.  I wish there was a way to help more.  I know that my one cracker wasn't a huge thing, but it made their day.  I didn't give enough.  I would recommend for everyone who walks through there to just bring a package of individually wrapped food of some sort to give--they appreciate it so much, and when they appreciate a small package of crackers so much, you know that it's needed.

Sometimes it's so easy to get annoyed with beggars, and we group them as a bunch of poor people instead of seeing them as people.  I urge you to look at them as fellow people who are in great need.

I just pray that God would provide for them, and would show them His love and that He cares enough to die for them and to sacrifice His love for them.