If you are the type of person who wants to give money towards this without reading to the end of this long blog post, you may do so by finding the "AFRICAN FOOD AND SHELTER FUND" AT http://www.greatcomministries.org/
When Brooke and I give money or ask others to chip in, 98% of the time it is to an organization or individual who has done their homework. We give thoughtfully and consistently and only after some significant research into the effectiveness and precision of how our dollar translates into more good in the world. And then there’s the other kind of giving…
Like how we recently gave $500 to a man I’ve known since only September and spoken to for less than 1 hour. This kind is of giving is often knee jerk giving, inspired by emotions, story, personal encounter, self assurance, or even guilt. We think there’s a time and place for this type of giving. If you want to read more about the giving we try to do most of the time, the kind that is researched and analyze and consistent, keep an eye out for our upcoming post about where and why we spend money. If you want to see why we gave a one time chunk of our around the world trip budget to a man who lives and pastors in a country I’ve never been to, keep reading.
Here’s the story…
A group of youth we spent the weekend with
As part of our trip around the world, Brooke and I went to Zambia a few months back to visit her friends. We were not on a mission of any sort, we were quite literally visiting friends, there to help any way we could with normal life. While there, we were surrounded by people Brooke met back in 2009. One of them was Pastor Richard Kakuwa who rescued Brooke from a dangerous and scary situation 7 hours into the African Bush a decade ago. He is a man committed to the community and as selfless as can be. Through Richard, we found ourselves at a gathering he had organized of about 50 pastors from all over Zambia, Mozambique, and Malawi. They had gathered for 3 days of teaching and much needed R&R from their roles as pastors in communities with challenges foreign to us. This is when we met Pastor Tutu.
I remember specifically the message that was begin giving that day. It was a message about sewing the seed verses eating the seed. The teacher was trying to inspire better micro-economics and sustainable, creative, and lasting use of resources rather than a short term view of supply. A great message! It made me think of a mission trip I took my sophomore year of high school. On the trip 10 years ago, our main project deep in the jungle of Honduras was to refurbish a grain storage shed. Why? Because the year prior, the people were so hungry they ate the seeds that were given to them instead of planting them. So now the local pastor kept a lock and key to the storage shed and distributed seeds for planting. I understood where this sew the seed don't eat it message was coming from. I’d seen it. It applied not only to eating seeds rather than planting them, but to making long term decisions that yield a greater harvest for more people. Pastor Tutu seems especially inquisitive during the teaching. He even asked the question, “What if the people are so hungry they will eat anything given to them?” In essence he was saying, "this doesn't apply. We don't have the luxury to choose to plant." I didn’t realize how much he meant it.
After the message I asked him what his thoughts were and probed a bit more into the realities of his life back in Mozambique. He told me that his biggest challenge his church community was facing is poverty. “What do you mean? Poverty prevents people from attending church?” I didn't get it. He explained.
The last 2 years had been particularly dry in Mozambique. Drought dry. No crops, no food type of dry. On Sunday mornings, regardless of employment or lack of, they spent every spare moment searching for food. At the time, the only food they were eating was the poisonous root of a wild plant. After boiling the plant for 8-10 hours, changing the water every hour, the root had leached enough poison it became edible. This was the only food they had right now. This was a hunger I had never known and probably never will.
Church service in a building with a new roof!
After this conversation, I walked away with a mental battle. I had enough money in my pocket to feed his family for a month. One voice screamed, “Be sure to give money to people addressing the root of the issue, not the symptom!” But then another voice screamed, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” My effective altruism went out the window, even if momentarily. I stood in front of a person who was pastoring a community that was literally starving to death. This wasn't the first time I was confronted with the knee jerk reaction to give money after hearing a heart wrenching story during our 3 weeks time in Zambia.
We did not give money to Pastor Tutu right away. As a matter fact, we very rarely give money to people just after meeting them, as has been the case with Pastor Tutu as well. But right now, in this time and place, Pastor Tutu and his community are hungry and I can help them eat. Today. These are the reasons I carry an extra $20 in my wallet or have a secret savings account for out of the routine generosity splurges. It’s not going to solve the problem, but it is a signpost of hope, a message of love. That type of message can have lasting impact on a community where hope is a luxury and in high demand. Even still, giving to him was hard for me. You have to understand, Brooke and I are very contemplative and slow to make financial decisions. It’s friendship we are after, and when the cash is involved the lines between friend and strategic relationship can easily get blurred. Let me give two examples.
One church service in Zambia just three months ago, I was confronted by a very nice man that I had met the day before. I asked him if he was headed to lunch after church and he looked at me and said his family has no food for lunch. I said I was so sorry for that reality and continued to listen. He then asked me if I could give him some money. I told him I would talk to my wife about it and see if it was a decision we could make. We shook hands, he smiled, and we parted ways. The next day I saw him working in the yard prepping for the gathering of pastors that would arrive later in the week. He was volunteering for a church function– what a guy! I went over to him and he quickly asked again if I would give him some money. He was to ready remind me that I had promised him only one day ago that I would give him money. I strolled over to Brooke and wondered what to do. We had decided it was not where we thought we should put our money. Brooke challenged me to have a conversation with him, and so I did. I told this man that when I spoke with my wife as I promised. I also reminded him that I did not promise I would give money, but rather I promised I would speak with my wife. And I have done that and after praying about this, we believe it is not our need to fill. You see, although we're from America we are very careful with our financial decisions. It's not money we came here to bring, but friendship.” He was clearly disappointed, though I think he got the message: I am not made of money, and the money we have we use prayerfully.
And then there’s the young man about to graduate high school. During the week I noticed one sharply dressed fella who looked like he had to be about 17. I observed that he wasn't in school like his peers who would often meet us later in the evening. And I asked why. He was very bashful and dodged the question more than once. We had struck a sort of peer mentor relationship and I felt our friendship was truly growing. We talked about girls, school, food, sports. Unfortunately for him, I had overheard him tell one of the elder women that he had a problem earlier that week. I asked him what that was all about and he shamefully told me he did not have enough money to go to school that semester. It came to about $10 a month to attend school and he was in his senior year of high school having completed every level up until then. I also learned he grew up an orphan, more or less. This was a perfect opportunity to slip him a $20 bill in my pocket to complete a semester of school. this would elevate him above the vast population of his peers at least by education standards. But as I normally do when I'm considering giving money off the cuff, I silently prayed about this decision and decided it was not my need to meet. Rather, I rested my arm on his shoulder and asked if I could pray for him. We pray for provision, that God would honor his hard work up until now, and that God would give us both creative solutions to this problem of needing money. Wouldn't you know it, two days later he ran up to me with a huge smile saying that an uncle he hadn't talked in some time decided to put him through school this year. We still talk. He's doing well and finished the semester. He's got a job lined up for after graduation this spring. When we talk he never asks for money. He asks when I think we will see each other again. He’s my friend.
Somehow after leaving Zambia, we couldn't shake the idea of getting some money to our new friends in Mozambique so they could have food and shelter. Since we met Pastor Tutu, we have been talking some, but not much. He is back in Mozambique and has felt the effects not only of the drought but of the civil war back home. His church was burned and there is no roof, though rainy season is here. He told me his people have recently taken to a certain type of wild fruit for sustenance. I am not sure if its an upgrade from the poison root or not.
Saying a tearful goodbye to Nephtali, our faithful friend and one of the hosting pastors at the 3 day conference. Not a more servant-hearted man on the planet.
One difference with going to Pastor Tutu was trust I have in Richard Kakuwa, the man who saved Brooke years ago. I trust Pastor Kakuwa more than most people on this planet. He is the pastor of a Church but works full time for a salary in a full time job outside the church. He doesn't take a cent from the offerings of the church, but rather gives much of his own wages to help families in the community, build the church (literally - they got a roof last year), and develop leaders through education and training. When I asked Richard what he thought of giving funds to Pastor Tutu, he gave me the go to give under his monitoring of the use of funds. But still, was this really the most effective way to help with the hunger problem in Mozambique?
No.
Sometimes, we give because right now, we have more than enough and the person next to me is in need. It’s not a style of giving we recommend for most of the time, which is why we only do this occasionally. But it is a style of giving we would not ever eliminate completely. Most of the time when a homeless man asks for money, he truly needs you to give, but he needs you to give your time, your love, your relationships. But there are times when my silent prayer leads me to give money to a homeless man (usually joining him for the meal he is requesting). It serves as a binding agent between me and the people behind the organizations we give to. The needs we are trying to meet with our more well thought out giving have to become real to us. This means we need to touch and feel and know our brothers and sisters in different need, at least to some extent. In all reality, I am not going to commit my life to the issues in Mozambique. I’ve got other systemic and cultural battles I am committed to seeing light invade.
We ended up giing Pastor Tutu Money to use for a roof and food. I set up a one time donation page through a friend I know and trust very well. We hope to inspire a few things:
We are learning more and more to live a life of generosity. Be generous your time, your money, your attention, your love, your toys.
When are generous, especially with money, give in a way that is thoughtful, effective, and well researched. As you give, do it thoughtfully, and to organizations making a difference.
LEave room to give in wasy that don't make sense. This is the currency of forgiveness, grace, and sometime unexpected money. There's got to be room for altruism that doesn't check all the boxes of effectiveness, but is done in appropriated love. Sometimes, give simply because there is a want or need your plenty can fill.
We don't pretend for second I have the magic 8 ball of how to give, how to think about giving, or who to give to. If you have feedback, pushback, or greenbacks to spare, message me at the contact page and let’s learn from each other.
And finally, if you really want to geek out out the topic of effective altruism, wrestling with philosophies ot utilitarianism, moral dilemmas, and the like, this interview with William MacAskill and Sam Harris was helpful and fun for me. Maybe you'll like it, too:
https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/being-good-and-doing-good
“The less you have, the more you give. Seems absurd, but it’s the language of love.”
Mother Teresa