Thoughts of the day.

This is what I am dealing with today. Gonzalo, the father of my three friends, Efren, Adrian, and Adriana, just asked me if I could help him get a car. He is unemployed right now and so he was helping to do construction on the church until the end of this month when he says that he will work again.

I don't really know how to respond. He says that he needs 300 or maybe 400 US dollars to get a little four door sedan so that he can go to work and not have to pay the money to the taxi. He also said that he would pay me back, little by little.

This concerns me a little. First, I don't like to be someone who looks like I have resources. The problem is, I am. I drive a nice previously owned SUV and Erin and I live in a nice place and we have the ability to fly home every so often. So, I guess, I am humbled by this. No matter how little money I think I have, it is in a different category altogether to think about being unemployed with a family to feed and trying to find work. And to top it all off, they don't complain about it, they just are joyful and have given to us two chickens (which we ended up not accepting, but then gave them chicken wire to build a bigger chicken coup).

The second concern of mine is relationship. If I give money to someone, that creates a relationship where I am expecting money, it turns from friendship, into the lender. I don't want to change our relationship. I want to be equal. And I don't want to give it away, because that would change the relationship as well.

Lastly, I am concerned because I want nothing more than to help this family. I love them. Last night, after service, Efren, in his spiderman pajamas, came running to me to say hello, hug me and to invite me to come over and see the chicken coup. Then he ran away to catch the church suburban that was taking them back to their house. The family deserves every opportunity. They go to church, they are kind, they love their children. They are hard working.

I would appreciate any wisdom and prayer on this.