Out of the Mouth of Babes

One morning during Christmas break, my 10-year-old Maraya went with me on a sea glass experience. We have two experiences on AirBnB and a sea glass hunt and jewelry making is one of them. I meet guests at the giant Puerto Plata sign on the Malecon (boardwalk) and we go to a secluded spot that has lots of sea glass. After they have found what they want, we go to the art shop and make jewelry. We stop on the way for some juice. When the art shop is fully set up, we’ll serve the juice there and have other treats for sale, but that’s still in the works.

It was a special occasion that Maraya and I went together. Normally going on outings with me includes watching her brother Gabriel, who is 4 years old, and she prefers to stay home if she has the option. But today, it was just Maraya and I.

She knew that she had $50 of Christmas money from her grandmother, (Gabby), and as we drove to the shop to get the baskets and clean up a bit before meeting the guests, she pondered how she would spend it. She had previously talked about buying clothes, but the first thing she said on the topic that morning was, “How much does it cost to do one of those things for your students?”

“Sponsor a student?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she replied.

I told her it cost $150. Did she want to sponsor a student?

“Yeah, but I don’t have enough money.”

My heart melted. I exclaimed, letting her know how nice that was of her and how proud I was of her. We then continued chatting as I drove.

I couldn’t contain the tears.

“Are you crying?” she asked.

“No!” I replied as if I didn’t know what she was talking about and turned my head toward the window a bit. But I just couldn’t get it together and hide the tears by the time we got to the shop. She caught me in my blubbering. I’m a bit of a sap! I couldn’t get over the fact that this was the largest amount of money she has ever had control over, and that was what she thought to do with it.

I spent years of frustration, not understanding why people make the decisions they do, regarding how they manage their finances. I don’t wish to toot my own horn, but I am highly convicted to live without much of what others live with and invest my time and resources in service, benefitting those less fortunate than myself. It’s not something that I do once a month, on Sundays, or what have you, but it’s my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I see that this confuses and perhaps frightens some people. At the least, it seems to make many uncomfortable. When I say people, I am mostly referring to folks from the U.S. and the developed world. Many appreciate the work of Project Esperanza and my dedication to it, but when they see how deeply it is ingrained into my life and how I live in what they would consider poverty, they often draw back.

It took me years to let go of that frustration and perhaps judgment and just accept that everyone has their own choice. My frustration will not necessarily affect the choices of others. While there is extreme value in sharing resources and I wish everyone had a generous attitude and could know the joy of investing in the inherent untapped potential that is human beings that are withheld opportunity, there is also value in building an organization from the ground up with limited resources, and God’s hand has been over Project Esperanza in that way since its beginning.

In conclusion, I’ll quote myself from February 2011 when Maraya was in my tummy. I wrote a blog post called Consumerism vs.Practicality and ended by saying,

“While our future plans are not set in stone, I conclude that I can bring better formal education to my kids here in the Dominican Republic, but the consumerism… in the U.S. seems to pose a serious threat to practical education, which, I think, holds just as much value as formal education. So, while I am ever so grateful for the opportunities I have received and continue to receive as a U.S. citizen and I tear up at the pledge of allegiance and the singing of the national anthem, at this point, I have little desire to go back to live full time in the U.S. I would rather use my blessed life to bless others where blessings are much scarcer.”

I was using blessings and wealth interchangeably there, but those are very dangerous waters, as wealth can bring about distractions that keep us from enjoying the sweetest of blessings in life. However, I do think that the power that comes from wealth is a huge blessing, and one that should be managed with much consideration. As someone from Arizona who recently came on an experience here with us said, “We [Americans] were all born on second base. We need to give back.”

“I assure you,” he said, unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

-          Matthew 18:3

To learn more about sponsoring a student, read here.

Maraya's sea glass earrings she made that day.