Crosscultural Communications #2

Many thoughts are heavy on my heart, so this might be a bit jumbled. I just wanted to get it out before I forget. While on my way to a new store, I came across a refugee looking, tent "town" under the bridge. My heart was so disturbed. How can I have lived here 15 years and this is the 1st time seeing this? How is it possible that in America there are such "tent cities"? My heart ached. I was glad to know that there is this ministry that helps this group and others: http://www.meetmeunderthebridge.org/about-us/. Do we care? My thoughts throughout this day were: why do we shy away from this? why do we not care? If Jesus were here, where would He spend His time? I am quite certain that it wouldn't be in the places we would think...didn't He say He came to heal the sick, not the well? Why are we so repulsed by those He would hang out with? Why do we run from His heartbeat? People often have no idea just how different it is here in the inner city. There are several different types of culture here...white, black, hispanic, "ghettobilly", and they all have more in common together than they would with me. I coined the word "2nd World County" as a discription of what it is like here. It's not like a 1st world culture - life and everything about it is difficult and different than mainstream American culture. This is the part most American's just can't understand - I have hundreds of illustrations of this, but here is just one. A mother was told (mockingly) at her daughter's school that her 6 year old daughter was too big to be in a stroller. In a 1st world country, that would be true. In a 3rd world county, a stroller would be a luxery and used for all sorts of things. In a 2nd world country...it is essential to a mother who is walking a mile by a busy street with 2 children, one of whom has severe ADHD to contain at least one so she can get from point A to point B and back. Another picture I saw today was a corner with 30-40 Hispanic men who sit on the corner of a busy street...just waiting for someone to come along to hire them so they can take a few dollars home. Reminds me of the parable Jesus told of the man who had a vineyard and went throughout the day to hire men who had assembled. Just my thoughts for the day...more to come another day.