Thankful

I was listening to the radio the other day and they were talking about missionaries and being overseas "roughing it" (sorry if anything was understood wrong here - I was changing diapers and wondering if lunch was burning as I listened). One woman met a 10 year old girl, her younger sister, and older brother. Their mother had passed away - she was a prostitute. The middle girl does everything she can to provide for her brother and sister, working in an all day factory job for next to nothing in profit. Their home has no washer/drier, fridge, sink. . . . beds. . . . light . . . extra clothing, you get the picture. They have an outhouse 3 blocks from their home. 3 blocks. No "toilet" closer than that.

This woman asked how much it was to build an outhouse onto their home. 24 US dollars. She gave them the money and weeks later received a photograph in the mail with the 3 children with their new addition onto their home in the background . . . and they were smiling. This had changed their life. 24 dollars. Now, I can't help but shed tears when I think of what one of those families would do for the uncontaminated water that goes down my kitchen drain every day - from rinsing dishes before they go into the dishwasher. Running water for 10 seconds just to wait for it to get warm. . . that would be unheard of. They might not even have dishes to clean. And here I sit in a heated home with food in the fridge if I get hungry and a healthy husband and children. Not to get you down today, but why aren't we over there living that life? Why do we think we are entitled to everything we think we want? They were excited about a toilet for cryin' out loud! New clothes, fruit snacks, calendars, microwavable lunches, and heaven forbid us having to park in a full parking lot and walk 200 feet into Kohl's in the cold weather to Christmas shop for our healthy loved ones. We have vehicles to drive, resources of any sort, helpful neighbors, people that pray for us, and give us gifts on our birthday because we are loved.

How can I look at my surroundings and still have one ounce of unthankfulness? I spent 24 dollars on gas the other day. Groceries. McDonalds (although it's been a couple months). I'm a little torn this holiday season. How can I teach my children to possibly begin to fathom everything they have when I have trouble with it myself?