You are NOT Superior

First of all,  this post does not just refer to one experience. It refers to 5 or 6 experiences just on this trip and many more abroad. 

When I was in Nicaragua, there were these two Israel guys that would walk around the common area in their underwear. The expression on their face was the usual, "I look good and I don't care what you think.

Did they look good? Yes. 

Did I want to see them in their briefs. No 

Of course, they had no regard as to how this would make other people feel. The guy in Guatemala who got denied by me could not deal with it. Most likely this is due to the fact that their egos are so large that they can't accept rejection.  

In Colombia, there were a couple guys and a girl(apparently they like to travel this way) and they were making fun of the man selling balloons. This just broke my heart because this man was the kindest, sweetest person. I had spoke with him before I went into the museum. I could not even understand their Hebrew, but I knew they were referring to him with their behavior.  They had to point and laugh and thankfully he did not see otherwise I would have to have a talk with him.  

This was completely uncalled for and ridiculous when they looked disheveled and filthy. In their minds, they don't need to take a shower because they are God's gift to earth. 


    Lo siento este no es verdad

When I was in Turkey working with my close friend, I recall his long discussion about Israel. Every single sentence expressed the need to define Israel as the best. The sites, the food, the people, the politics, the religion-everything was the best and there was no way to dispute this rather it was fact. It was fact in my friend's eyes that Israel was and always will be the best country in the world. The strong willed ways of giving examples, historical periods, and the beauty/intelligence of people. The military component was always a discussion with all their weapons.  In fact, I admit that I wanted to see this country and sometimes was mesmerized my his stories(and sometimes bored). He sparked in interest in my mind of how great this country could be. But the reality set, there is pride for a country and there is too much pride. This was a pride that was almost sickening to witness, to grow up with in my neighborhood, to see from travelers. This was the kind of pride that indicated a superiority that would not truly appreciate other cultures. How can you appreciate another culture when yours is the ultimate best?


There are so many beautiful cultures ranging from Japanese to India to Thailand to Turkey to Colombia to Ireland. Each culture has it's positive components that make it special. These cultures are just as beautiful as Israel and if their ego is not able to recognize that I feel some real empathy for them.  Israeli's travel the world with backpacks and many with money, but what do they truly gain. Are they gaining something positive or a continuous boost of their ego on how wonderful they are compared to the rest of the world? 


Intelligence is distributed among cultures and it is not given to just one.  News flash Israel you are not superior or the best culture in the world.  No culture is superior or inferior rather each one has its practices, people, and beliefs that make it special. Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianty all lie under one God and one is Not superior to the other.

Hope for Homeless

One of the biggest problems with the homeless population is that we don't acknowledge or believe in their being.  We don't believe that they have anything to offer the world and they are just wasting resources.  We don't listen to their thoughts, concerns, beliefs, values, or interests.  Instead we just watch them drown in sadness, sorrow, loneliness, and poverty.  We keep throwing money at the problem instead of just throwing a little bit of humanity. 

This population is completely lost in a sea of misery because they are hungry for connection. They are hungry for caring and acknowledgement. Instead of feeding them with food, they need to be fed a cup of love.  They need to feel love, belonging, and security.  Even with food distribution, what about the rest of it? This population is suffering from our continued ignorance and inability to connect with others. Just distributing food with no therapy, activity, discussion-this provides nothing to the soul.  The church is feeding these people, but they are craving love and attention. 

My first day at San Francisco Church, I made sure to make eye contact and smile with each and every person.  Of course, I might of missed a few, but the point should be understood.  These people need some recognition that they are humans.  They were confused with my presence and why I was even there. This shock happens when people give up on them. They have to stop and process why someone is there. Is she a social worker? Is she going to serve food? There were two unfriendly local women that were serving food and did not have any expression on their face. "Take your food and go so we can leave."  
It was not my job to engage in a rookie job when God had clear plans for me. The food that was distributed was rice, beans, and a chicken stew with tortillas. This food was given from a local organization.  They were fed Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Only on Wednesdays they could sit at the table and eat together. The other days they would take the food to go.  I asked Jose if it would be possible to eat inside for all three days to help build connections and engage in activities.  His answer was, "No, we don't do that." A great idea that makes sense can be completely rejected. The reality of this population is that you also work with organizations and other entities like the church who want to do things their own way. 

Fortunately, from Day 1, people were very receptive. Overall, it was the same group of people that were coming each week.  A group of
older men in their 60s who were open and honest about the difficulties of living day to day and not having the support they need. The goal was to build connections between the group members to utilize each others strengths, knowledge, and experience.  

There were different groups that were created- those with families, those elderly, middle age men, and youth.  It seemed that each group or each individual had a different story, but a similar theme-no support.  They would speak of addiction, difficulty finding a job, and not being able to get a job because the kids. There was one woman with such motivation to get a job and I connected her with a man who said he declined a bakery job because the hours.  I paid for them to take the bus and taxi over there and just like that she got the job. Two days later, she tells me that it was too far to commute.  She is then complaining and complaining instead of appreciation.  

Clearly, digging people out of the devaluing they experienced and the loss of their own being is difficult. The motivation, the support is down, and people become comfortable. The thought and positive intention is there, but the following through and staying consistent is the most difficult part. Therefore, this was definitely a challenge with my temporary encouragement and support, but sometimes believing in people makes them believe in themselves.  There was such inspiration and motivation in the air that I even inspired myself.  

-The architect from many years ago thought about putting his designs into action in the church. 
-The single mother thought about selling her specialty cakes in a street cart. 
-The addict who was sober for 49 days was inspired to keep going on. 
-The special needs child smiled more at meal time. 
-The man who always stays in the house thought about taking a 15 minute walk each day with serious motivational talk.  
-The woman who missed her husband shared her loss with another similar woman.
-Johnny demonstrated faith in seeing his children after they had been taken away 3 years ago. Johnny was a special man who played his guitar outside and he always ate right next to the tree.  He would call me "Indian Princess." 

          If you read anything, please read this

Many of these people are strongly holding on to their faith and it's their faith that keeps them alive.  They mention how thankful they are for their religion and the blessings Christ brings forth.  God was making connections and beings were being acknowledged. One person with 60 to 100 people can be just enough to smile, to believe, and to help out.  These positive ideas were moved into their conscious and it's an option to use them. With the work of the Lord, I hope they do.

In hope of educating others, I hope that people would understand why I chose to spend my time at that church. These people needed me in ways that are difficult to digest, but just think. Just think if you did not have those dinners out with friends, the supportive husband, the loyal pet for 5 years, the annoying mother, or the home to keep you safe.  

When we disregard this population, we are saying that these people do not deserve what we do because their choices. Some are veterans, some are victims of domestic abuse, some suffer from addiction, some lost a job, and some suffer from loss.  There are different reasons for their poverty, but we suffer from those same things. The only difference is that we have the tools to deal with the crisis, the break up, the job loss, the mom with cancer, the drug habit, the gambling problem, and the overall stress from society. We have the tools to deal with it and we don't share them with others? We just walk around as superior because materialism puts us on a pedestal?

This is not a religious life rather this is a life of a sad soul.  Those who are conscious of their behavior are worse than those who just have no awareness into their life or being.  It's sad that people can't help others in a real way rather they just help themselves, their family and their friends.

There are a world of people to help. Open up your eyes and create an opportunity for improving someones life.  PRIS