The BIG Question

“Lisa, as well as looking after your family and all the effort that is in a developing country, you have also been able to assist various projects benefitting poor communities. What are some of the challenges the poor in Cambodia face and how can we help?”

This was the question asked by Ashley Withers, our missions pastor, at the morning and evening services at Gateway Baptist Church this Sunday. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest questions facing our generation. And with hundreds of people sitting there, waiting for what I would say, I was nervous. This is what I tried to say...

“Great question, Ashley. I think the biggest challenges that the poor face are the impossible choices they have to make. Recent research by the United Nations shows that the average Cambodian does not have enough income to cover life’s basics of food, clothing, shelter, education and health care.

One family we know were forced to choose between keeping their farm or selling it in the hope it would be enough to gain life-saving treatment in Thailand for their 21 year old daughter. (She died).

One man with severe back pain was unable to work and so took out a loan charging interest at 10 per cent per annum just to feed his family.

While these are extreme examples, there are also the everyday kind where a mother I know was unable to afford to use an electric fan throughout the night for years despite the pleas of her young daughter… they simply could not afford it.

So what can we do? A lot. You’d be surprised how much our lives impact the poor.

Gateway is a great giving church and I would encourage you to excel in this. But if we are serious about the poor, it has to go a lot further. We will need to make some tough choices of our own.

Firstly, choose to read with Bible with the understanding that we ARE the rich and take seriously the admonitions of God to care for the poor and not to oppress them.

Choose to live simply. If everyone in the world lived like the average Australian we would need seven worlds to support us. We are taking more than our fair share at the expense of others. (My heros in this are the generation of elderly people who grew up during the Depression and still now continue to live simply and give generously.)

If buying new, choose to buy fair trade where workers receive a wage they can live on. Our demand for cheap imports has serious consequences for the workers producing those items.

Choose to speak out for the poor. They have no voice and we can use ours to make a huge difference. Join the church Catalyst group and find out how. It is an election year here in Australia and everyone wants your vote.

And as we continue to take responsibility for our choices, it will change our prayers. We will pray more earnestly for the physical and spiritual poverty faced by millions.

Our lives and choices have a huge impact on the impossible choices of the poor. Choose well.”

It was longer than the allocated 2½ minutes (I had to pause a number of times to gather my nerves). Ashley was able to say it much more succinctly.. “Basically, it’s to love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with our God”. Exactly.