Thanks to my friend, Jill, who just so happens to write a blog (too) about her families walk with faith and Compassion International. Please check out her blog. She is truly inspiring! And if you are considering sponsoring a child she is a great resource, drop her a line!
You can find her at http://www.compassionfamily.blogspot.com/
This film quite literally left me speechless. I have been writing this post off and on since I saw the movie chewing on things (no pun intended) being that the film talks a lot about hunger around the world.
Before the film began I was sitting there in the theater looking around. I couldn't help but think, here we are getting ready to watch a film about ending poverty, hunger, etc and a good majority of the people are:
- Stuffing handfuls of popcorn in their mouth.
- Slurping down big gulps.
- Playing on their iPhones.
- Texting on their Blackberry's.
Now, I don't want to make a *mass* generalization here but we, me included, are so truly blessed yet often times we dont' give a second thought about how good we really have it. Don't get me wrong, I like nice things like the next person but I think my point really is, we take so much for granted so quickly and easily.
EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
- Most of us have clean water to drink everyday.
- Most of us have 3 meals to eat everyday.
- Most of us have a warm bed to sleep in everyday.
- Most of us have access to health care.
- Most of us have access to free education (K-12).
- Most of us have clean clothes, a hot shower, transportation of some sort.
Yet, we complain probably EVERY.SINGLE.DAY about the most mundane and trivial things.
- My coffee is cold.
- I woke up too early.
- I have nothing to wear.
- Will it be eggs and bacon for breakfast or pancakes? Man,I can't decide..
- Gosh, my job is so horrible. They actually make me work. Life is so rough!
The people depicted in 58: The Film are lucky if they have one meal a day.
The parents often times go hungry themselves in order to feed their children.
The mothers walk miles for water and there is no guarantee it is even clean.
They fight for their and their families lives (literally sometimes) and livelihood.
EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
They work themselves to the bone at the most back breaking and laborious jobs.
Some of the kids have to work to pay off debt and therefore can not go to school so the cycle of poverty continues onto the next generation.
They live in shacks no bigger than probably my laundry room sleeping on mats on dirt floors, keeping warm any way they can.
Their clothes often times are whatever they can find from day to day and rarely do they have shoes.
If you need a wake up call this film can really put things in perspective to cleary prove how blessed so many of us are in this country. Even those of us who live a more frugal and simplistic life by circumstance or by choice. We still have so much more than so many other people not only in 3rd world countries, but also in our own country.
In this day and age, if you have a job, if you have a home (even if you don't own it) you, we, are getting to be the minority. Be thankful for what you have, even if you don't think it is much, it is probably more than many others have.
You can view a trailer of 58: The Film here. Or you can look on the website to see if there is a viewing near you here.
For those of you who are local, in light of our viewing, we will be hosting a viewing of this movie at our own church in a few weeks. More details to come.
Fast.Forward.The End Of Poverty.
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