It's here! Blog Action Post Day 2008! The topic this year is POVERTY. Wow, this is a tough one ... especially with the problems in our economy over the last several weeks. It has hit most, if not, ALL Americans where it hurts the most - being able to take care of their families by providing shelter, food, clothing and the necessities for living, the basics. Jobs have been lost, homes have been foreclosed and families displaced, pension depleted, and people are scared!
Poverty falls across the board and shows no mercy to race, gender, religion, politics or economics. Persons with a lot of money have "lost it all" and have been placed in the Welfare system of the Federal Government. Some are able to get jobs and pull themselves up and out of "the system". The people in poverty that pull at my heart the most are those that have been in this "hell" for three generations and longer ... whole families - father, mother, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. It some areas the entire family is sharing a bathroom and sleeping in 1 or 2 bedrooms or on the floor, if they are blessed to have a house to live in. Others, are in shelters with their belongings in trash bags, carried from shelter to shelter - no privacy at all. Yet, they manage to get through the day, only to face the same situation when they awake the next day.
And then we find poverty in the lowest form and the hardest to help or understand, those living on the streets of ALL towns and cities across our country. Some (a few) choose this life, I think, because it is all they have ever known. Others have been removed from mental health institutions and prisons and left without any means of taking care of themselves - if they even know how! This section will grow as our economy continues to stagnate. Whose responsibility is it to change the conditions of people in our society that fall into this awful category of poverty?
EVERYONE ... that is the only way to help to eliminate poverty - the buddy system - every adult becomes the buddy of an adult in poverty. The BUDDY helps in this way ... when shopping for groceries purchase TWO of what they buy, bagged separately and taken to their buddy. Food is the first need to fill. If a person is not hungry, the chances increase that strength and health improve allowing the search for work each day until a job is found. Each BUDDY will check on their buddy each week, offering transportation to health care appointments, job interviews and church.
Our country was founded by very strong Christian men and women. Prayer was a daily part of their lives. Church is where you could find them on the Sabbath. What we have forgotten is this is what made us strong as a nation and what kept us strong. Now we have removed prayer from schools, we try to separate church and state, and we ridicule the beliefs held dear by Christians. This MUST be changed, freedom of religion needs to return. No one should be forced to pray, believe, attend, or practice something that is not what they want to do. However, my personal opinion, is one that feels in some cases poverty can be helped by having the strength of prayer and a home church to help person(s) and families.
Will we end poverty in a short amount of time? NO! Can we make a difference? YES!
Let's start today.
