Ah, Consumerism

Everyone claims to not be a big consumer. Ben and I certainly try not to be. We drive old cars. We don't have cable or fancy gadgets. We live below our means. We basically try to minimize the stuff in our life and spend our energies on what we think is important.

But we're still American.

We pack light when we travel--1 carry on and 1 checked bag max between the 2 of us. We pack, pare things down, and pack again. But, we think, it's still important to be prepared. For our trip to Russia, we brought clothes to span many occasions (though I must say we weren't prepared for rock climbing in the village). For footwear, I brought a pair of flip-flops for inside the orphanage, some sneakers for physical activities, summer canvas shoes for every day, and a pair of nicer shoes for Moscow. All, I thought, pretty reasonable.

On the day we went to the history museum, Katya came in my room. She noticed my Moscow shoes, then investigated the rest. She counted . . . "Adeen, dva, tre . . . chetirye?!?" Four?!? she asked me. I was mortified.

It's not so much that I wish Katya had more shoes (though I am sure it would be nice). Russian culture is rooted in collectivism, much like the disciples in Acts who shared what they had. The orphanage has a shoe-shelf, and kids grab a pair as they need them. This is their culture, and it works, to a degree. (Notice Stas's shoes in the photo above--they're two sizes too small and purple.)

But Katya makes a point--no one really needs four pairs of shoes, let alone the ghastly number most of us have in our closets. While we can easily justify buying them, and different cultures have different requirements, this illustrated the fundamental excess and entitlement that is a part of our culture.

I see it in the way we give as well. Americans love to give stuff--I do. And, with our place at the top of the world market (at least for a time), this is good--we have a responsibility to share what we have. But abandoned children don't crave stuff. They crave human contact, committment, someone to look them in the eye and tell them they matter. They yearn for deep and abiding love.

Among all the wonderful gifts we brought to the orphanage, nothing brought more excitement than letters. Thankfully, the most primal needs of food, clothing, and shelter are met at Sovietsk, though that isn't true everywhere. Still, times are tight, and the staff was thankful that we eased some financial burden by bringing both necessities and extras. But they were absolutely delighted to hear that each child received 3 letters.

I can't exagerrate what your love can do for these children. Financial generosity is wonderful, and very much needed, and everyone is grateful for it. But the love in and around the giving goes so much further.