One thing that really stands out when you visit other countries and experience the culture there is that ideas and worldviews are quite different from the way we look at things in the United States. In Bolivia, 60% of the people are considered to be in poverty. Stats such as these focus on the material (or lack of) whereas Food for the Hungry (which I wrote of in an earlier post) really defines poverty much more accurately as being broken relationships with others, self, creation and God. Thus we are all in some form of poverty as a result of sin (Romans 3:23). It is just that when you see such abject material poverty as in Bolivia it is so blatantly apparent whereas in the United States our affluence often hides our other forms of poverty. For an example, you may have a father of a family here who is very successful in business but is a workaholic. He puts in lots and lots of hours at the office (or on the road for business trips) which ultimately wrecks his family relationships with his wife and kids. This is poverty of relationships with others, but it is not as apparent because the large amount of income he produces tends to hide the problems (Proverbs 14:20). On the other hand, in Bolivia, most people simply have nothing on a material level so everything is out in the open and their poverty is easily seen suffering in all areas of relationships. Sometimes this poverty is brought upon by the person while in many cases systems and oppression around the are main root cause. Whatever the case may be, these people are suffering greatly and in desperate need of help.
During our time in Bolivia, we spent our days in what is considered a barrio of the city of Sucre call Horno Ckasa B. The best way I can describe Horno Ckasa B is that of an outer edge suburb. In the United States, suburbs are usally more affluent, but in Bolivia it is the opposite. Out in the rural areas where poverty (I'm told) can be even worse, people believe that going to the city to find work will be the way for them to make it. So these people - with few skills and little to no education - come to the city with very little if any money. As a result, they often settle in the outer edges (or barrios) often finding little to no work available. Thus it appears that the further you go into a city the more wealthy it seemed to be. However, because of the overall amount of material poverty in Bolivia, it was quite common to see a "nice" house next to area where things were literally falling apart. With the outer edges suffering the most, there are invariably a host of social problems for those that live there such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, abandonement (of wives and kids), alcoholism, and pornography. The United States also has all of these problems, but the magnitude and pervasity of them in Bolivia was oppressive in the areas we were in.
Whether here or there in Bolivia, the need for Christ and the gospel is great. Please pray not only for ourselves but also for the people of Bolivia for their need is great.
"Blessed is he who has regard for the poor" Psalm 41:1
"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned, they did not help the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49
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