Its safe to say we/I get a lot of questions about why we're here. Why we'd want to leave America and Canada for ao hot, dirty place. The answer for most of us is that God wants us to be here. And in fact led us here or let us know this is where He wanted us. To help. To love as he's loved us - unconditionaly and sacrificially. And folks are so intrigued by a god associated with love and help instead of teachings of suffering like they've heard. We take for granted and even mock that Christ loves us, but to some, no one, especially a god, has told them they're loved. Or important. If you saw the brokenness and insecurities of these people you'd ache to tell them this too!

Christ validates the individual in a way Buddhism doesn't. He healed sickness, mingled with families, encouraged serving others, foregivenes, and patience, outlined moral laws, and gave advice on life. He let women have a role in a way they never had before and called them equals (pre 1st century!). The Buddha left his wife and child in the middle of the night to get away from life and people in order to understand suffering, and never returned (abandonment? really? now there's some suffering).

Life includes suffering, which we all know, but to accept it or to change it draws a line in the sand for me. There is a defeatest attitude here about everything, and I wonder if its not somehow rooted in the Budh. teachings of suffering - that life is suffering, and that its good to try to suffer now so you won't have to in a later life. Before I landed here I thought most buddhists were always seeking enlightenment, and I'm sure some/most are, but not the ones here surounding me. Just like so many other beliefs, its been distorted too? I don't know.

These folks are still recovering from genocide 30 years ago, and so a callousness to care for others is almost understandable. To care if people are hungry or dying or neglected is hard on your spirit and emotions, yet it brings me a fulfillment and happiness that a 40k salary, a new car, and periodical food pantry donations never did. And it should - Christ taught to love god and love others and everything else will fall into place. Case and point.

Even for this country's overpopulated NGO community, I haven't seen aid organizations by many other religions. Almost every Christian denomination is here, but no Hindhus, Muslims, or Buddhists... Why? I don't know enough about any of them to hazard a guess, but hypothetically their core beliefs could explain it? I'm going to google it... or maybe I should've done that before all these thoughts started pouring out.

I've met folks from these walks, and I like them. I'd venture we're all geared to want to have compassion or help suffering. From what I know religions don't discourage helping. Why are Christians more mobilized than others (at least here)?

Mock the goobers you see on tv that put on a show and want your money (remember that statement earlier about distorted belief?), but to call me closed minded just because I believe in a heaven? The core values and compassion that literally changed me into a new better person trump everything else I've seen to date that says to look out for yourself, you can't change suffering, life can't be any better, women are 2nd class, babies deserve what they get because of some kind of past life sin. That's closed minded to not even try, isn't it?

Helping widows and orphans, rectifying injustices from war and genocide, equality despite social class or gender, loving people genuinely, standing up to corruption, foregiving instead of losing friendships, good work ethic, not falling into a materialism that keeps us from doing so much, meeting physical needs.... not just good ideas, Biblical ideas. I heard someone say again this week that all paths lead to god... and I disagree, not based on spiritual arrogance, but because of what I've seen.

I don't know, I'm just thinking out loud tonight...