$10 in your pocket and you are wealthy!

I have been reading some blogs about minimalism and am in a study about being more grateful. I have been thinking about my trip back to America last year and anticipate my visit this year. It is hard going back to a world that seems so familiar, but yet so foreign. Some of the things that shocked me after living here was the materialism. I think everyone can admit how wrapped up America has become in their possessions. I know I was.

As I was getting ready to come here two years ago, there was a freeing process I went through of getting rid of almost everything I owned.  And then when I left Rwanda to visit America, I was in between houses, so I locked up the majority of my stuff in my office. I don’t have that many things and it’s nice. There are some differences living here—I can wear basically the same wardrobe all year around, so I don’t have to store seasonal clothes. But overall, I just don’t feel connected to things the same way I used to.

I live in a country where $1/day is the average wage. So people ask, why do I need more than that to live? I vacillate between feeling guilty of the things I do have here. I split a 4 bedroom house with 3 other girls, we have a projector to watch movies, we all have laptops; we have a fridge, a stove (and recently added a washer and dryer, which I haven’t had since I left America); some of us have cars (mine is 20 years old).

I explained this guilt to one of my Rwandese friends the other day. She has lived in Canada and understands “the western world”. We discussed what “wealth” and “being blessed” means. She described one of her sisters who is married to a “successful” man and they live in a big house; they choose to rent houses and cars so they will always have the nicest things. Her other sister has a small house with a tin roof in a small village and she and her husband walk to work because they don’t have a car. Who has “wealth”, which sister is “blessed”? The first sister lives enslaved to their things. The other enjoys the simplicity of life and has the freedom to enjoy what she has and the people around her. The first sister has access to all the processed food in the western world and the other eats a well-balanced meal of sweet potatoes, beans and some vegetables. Who has the better life?

Forbes published an article in November 2011, stating that if a person has no debts and $10 in your pocket then you are wealthier than 25% of Americans.

Most of our bills here are pre-pay, I buy phone credits in advance and electricity in advance. If I don’t have money, I don’t have power. It’s as simple as that. I really like the pre-pay mentality here.

So back to my stuff here, I asked my friend, “Should I get rid of my stuff?” She laughed and said, “Just do life. Just do life with Christ. That’s all.” She explained that if I get rid of my laptop to live like the average person here, I wouldn’t be able to impact the young women in the same way. Right now, I need money to make this project happen, if I get rid of my laptop I wouldn’t be able to email updates and give you the opportunity to sponsor girls in our next class, or research and apply for grants. I wouldn’t be able to make contacts with some of the people who are only accessible via email.

As I understand, there was an old school missionary mentality that required a missionary to get rid of everything and live with the poorest of the poor. My friend, who by the way is a minister’s wife, explained being a missionary is not about living with the poor, because everyone needs Jesus, not just the poor. And don’t fake being something you are not. "Just do life. Just do life with Christ. That’s all." 

I will never be able to understand what it is like being born and raised in a small village in a mud hut. That’s not who I am, or how I was raised. I was blessed with a family who provided a roof over my head. I have an education and have an obligation to share what I have learned and experienced with others in a way that can glorify the Lord.

Living minimalistically isn’t about getting rid of everything you own. In my opinion, it’s about living 1) within your means, 2) not in slavery of your stuff and 3) glorifying God with what He has blessed you with.

I can flat out admit, in writing, I have not lived this way the majority of my life. But it’s never too late to start. I also never had plans of being a missionary in a foreign country, look what God did with that.

In one blog post I read about minimalism, the writer said something that made sense—how much time do we spend cleaning and taking care of our stuff, how much money do we spend on not only our stuff, but on cabinets and organizational bins to put our stuff away, how could we use that time and money to glorify God? Then he wrote that if you haven’t used it in a year, you probably don’t need it.

I’m not saying that I have this 100% down and my life is totally transformed and I never spend a frivolous (franc) dollar on something that will sit on a shelf. But it’s something I’m working on—I’m a work in progress.

Just do life. Just do life with Christ. That’s all.