Starbucks or Rice?

I’ve had the opportunity to get to know
a woman named Marilou. She is the same age as me (28) with many hopes
and dreams. She and her husband work at the Children’s Home where
I’ve been this month. Her husband, Ricky, does maintenance for the
place. Marilou works on the weekends to care for the girls. She’s
thankful for this job as she said the family simply could not live on
Ricky’s wages alone. Marilou also is a vendor of the Jeepney
magazine, selling them in a mall twice a week. Ricky played in
the Homeless World Cup last year.

While cleaning together at the
Children’s Home one morning, Marilou was telling me how some girls
from the other squad offered to take her out for coffee (probably
Starbucks). She said she couldn’t imagine getting a cup of coffee
that costs more than 100 pesos (about $2). She said that would buy
half a bag of rice needed to feed her family. It made me think how
selfish I am. I go to Starbucks and spend that without thinking
twice. I know Starbucks is expensive so try not to make it a regular
thing; however, I have the money to get a mocha frappuccino
if I want, and it definitely won’t keep me from eating any
meals.

She told me more stories about four of
her kids having measles a few weeks back, and recently her 3-year-old
son Gabby has been sick again with side effects of the measles since
it wasn’t treated properly. She didn’t have the money to take all
four kids to the doctor when they were sick, but now she has to pay
for medicine for Gabby as well as have her other kids checked to be
sure they don’t get worse too. She was very thankful to find a
Christian doctor who made the treatment as affordable as possible;
however, she’s still not sure how she’ll pay for all the medicine and
afford to have her other children checked. She knows God will
provide, she’s just not sure how.

Marilou’s not looking for handouts, and
I know she is a hard worker. We scrubbed windows and screens together
at the Children’s Home, and I’ve seen how hard she works all the time
without complaining. She would like to stay home with her children,
but she’s able to hire a nanny to watch her kids during the day so
she can make some money.

The more we visited, the more impressed
I was with this young woman. She’s the same age as me, but I can’t
imagine having that kind of weight on my shoulders. She wants the
best for her kids, and she would love to provide more things for
them, such as trips to the beach since they love to swim. She’s
trusting God but sometimes wonders where He is when the bills keep
piling up and it seems impossible.

I just can’t imagine.

Before I left, I gave Marilou some
money to help buy the medicine she needs for her son. It wasn’t a
great lot, but she had tears in her eyes when I handed it to her. I
wish I could do more, but I told her I will continue praying for her
and her family.

God forgive me for my selfishness.
Forgive me for taking things for granted. I’ve been so blessed to
live my life not knowing hunger or going without. I pray for Marilou
and her family. Lord, please provide for their needs and grow their
faith in you.