Have you ever heard of the expression “money doesn’t buy happiness”? I believe this is quite a true statement. Our level of happiness is not determined by the materialistic riches we possess, it depends on our attitude towards life and what we make of it. Many times we hold on so tightly to our precious “stuff” and we think that if it were to disappear or be taken away from us, our lives would be over.
Here is a story from Michael, a young man who experienced what “true happiness” really is…
“Growing up into a well-off family in Northern Ireland, I haven’t experienced the lack of basic necessities, they were always provided by my loving parents. Little did I know that going on a trip to North Africa, God was going to show me how truly blessed I was.
On the fourth day of my trip, I was able to see the challenges of what it meant to live with “nothing”. As we were driving into the garbage city, I was able to see these men, women and children sorting out the trash. Not only were they sorting it out on the streets, but they were doing it in their homes as well.
Observing the activities of these people, I kept pondering on the question of; what if that was me, how would I feel? The words that came to my mind were depressed, angry, unhappy, something I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around. What shocked me the most and left me baffled were the people. Everyone whom we were meeting with, greeted us with a welcoming hello and a pleasant smile. Out of all the people we encountered, not a single one of them seemed to be unhappy.
As we were giving out food packages to some families, they were welcoming us into their homes with such delight all the while apologizing for the mess. One of the homes we went to, was the home of a father of four children whose wife had been in an accident and could not work. This man had both physical and mental problems yet welcomed us with such a delight and kindness as though he had everything.
One major shock that hit me, were the children. While we were playing with them and giving them candy, not one child came up to me and asked me for money or to take them away from this place. They simply smiled and their face light up as we were giving those high fives and fist pumps. It made me realize that as I was growing up back home, my two sisters and I had clean air and green fields to run about and we were still probably not as happy as these children running around streets filled with garbage as though they were a playing park.
After interacting with these people, different questions began to arise in my mind; am I grateful for what I have? Do I thank God daily for the food, my family, my clean house, my health? Even the job and our farm we have. How many times have I actually thanked God even for the small things? Unfortunately for many of us and myself included, we take it for granted and don’t even pause to think about how blessed we really are.
In conclusion, I want to challenge you as I have been challenged during my time here. Forget about the negative image you might have of North Africa. Forget the stereotypes you might have about the natives. The people of this country have welcomed our team and me with open arms. They have gone out of their ways to help us with whatever they could, and I have never felt safer or more welcomed in any other country I have been to.
I challenge you to take a step and visit North Africa. You will experience the real meaning of “hospitality” and get to share the love of God with these wonderful people. The need is real and you could always help. Even if you can’t help, you can still show your support in many ways;
- Pray for the families here
- Pray for the unemployed to find jobs
- Sponsor a child so they could attend school instead of sorting through trash
- Help with healthcare necessities
Challenge yourself and take the next step, I promise you will never regret it. There’s an adventure, waiting for you to join in.
** This story was revised and edited by Cristina Neculcea. Cristina is a published editor in North America and also serves as the Regional Administrative Coordinator for Hope for MENA Ministries.