It's soooo easy! Just swipe your credit card through a little machine, sign your name and you are in debt. I had to learn this week how to use one of those little machines, now I have it down pat.
There was a friend of mine once, when I lived in Michigan, who was a truck driver and received a monthly expense check. He decided to put all his expenses on his credit card then pay that bill off when his expense check came. Unfortunately, his expense check first and he spent it on other things so he didn't have the money to pay the credit card bill. This friend eventually declared bankruptcy. Do the phrases "take responsibility for your actions", "payday someday", and "paying the piper', come to mind?
When I used to work as an escrow agent doing loan closings for people who were refinancing their homes in order to pay off some debts, it was astounding to me the amount of money some people owed to credit card companies. How could they let this happen? It is so easy. It is amazingly easy to obtain a credit card and even easier to use it, often times irresponsibly.
What is it about us that we almost think we are being unpatriotic if we are not in debt. You might say we are helping the economy when we buy things because if we don't buy, there won't be a demand. We have been demanding things for years and where is the economy.
Sadly, I see the same thing happening in Guatemala. More and more people are handing over the little piece of plastic in Maxi Bodega (Wal-Mart).
I heard on the news just this week that the average person has eight credit cards. My word! Why would a person need eight credit cards? I don't mind being below average in this respect. I only have one and have considered shredding it, but it is so convenient. Oh well, if I get too far in debt, my faithful government will bail me out.
Luisa
Apr 24, 2009
Apr 13, 2009
The Sky is Falling
What is that stuff falling out of the sky? There has been little to no rain in Guatemala since mid-October and the day after I arrived in the states, it rained all day. I'm sure the Easter egg hunters were disappointed, but it looked good to me.
Just before I left Guatemala, a couple of people came to me with needs for help in paying for medical exams. One was for a woman's son who needed x-rays and other exams on his back and another was for a lady who needed an ultra-sound to determine if she had miscarried. She got the results a couple of days before I left and it looks as though she has lost the baby. Whether this was brought on by stress or would have happened anyway, I don't know. It can be very stressful when men show up at your house with shotguns demanding to see your husband as they did at hers. She managed to close the door on them and no one was harmed, just frightened out of their wits.
As I spend these few weeks in my home country, I am reminded again of how blessed we are here with material things. If material things were all that we needed, America would have no needs. We don't know that we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and naked, and blind. But there is hope....in Jesus Christ.
Luisa
Just before I left Guatemala, a couple of people came to me with needs for help in paying for medical exams. One was for a woman's son who needed x-rays and other exams on his back and another was for a lady who needed an ultra-sound to determine if she had miscarried. She got the results a couple of days before I left and it looks as though she has lost the baby. Whether this was brought on by stress or would have happened anyway, I don't know. It can be very stressful when men show up at your house with shotguns demanding to see your husband as they did at hers. She managed to close the door on them and no one was harmed, just frightened out of their wits.
As I spend these few weeks in my home country, I am reminded again of how blessed we are here with material things. If material things were all that we needed, America would have no needs. We don't know that we are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and naked, and blind. But there is hope....in Jesus Christ.
Luisa
Apr 1, 2009
Joy, Joy, Joy
What a difference a few days and a little good news can make. Last week I received word that my residency has been granted for me to stay in Guatemala. It has been well over a year since the process was started to bring this about. What this means is that I can now stay in Guatemala for two years without having to leave the country every 90 or 180 days. After that I can apply for a permanent residency which I understand is a much simpler process. All that's left to do is go to the city Friday to pick up my passport from my attorney.
This probably doesn't mean much to a lot of people, but to me, it is a big deal. Without the residency there is always that time limit hovering around in the back of my mind like a little gray cloud. To me, it means freedom to think and to plan things that I was hesitant to do before.
There is a young man here who has become an object of my prayers. He has no job, no money and through the generosity and good graces of a friend is attending the seminary here in Chimal. This friend is looking for a way to set the young man up in a business in order for him to support his family and continue his studies at seminary. This bears more investigation and as I said much prayer. Please join me in praying for him and for direction and wisdom for me.
Luisa
This probably doesn't mean much to a lot of people, but to me, it is a big deal. Without the residency there is always that time limit hovering around in the back of my mind like a little gray cloud. To me, it means freedom to think and to plan things that I was hesitant to do before.
There is a young man here who has become an object of my prayers. He has no job, no money and through the generosity and good graces of a friend is attending the seminary here in Chimal. This friend is looking for a way to set the young man up in a business in order for him to support his family and continue his studies at seminary. This bears more investigation and as I said much prayer. Please join me in praying for him and for direction and wisdom for me.
Luisa
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