Wednesday, January 30, 2008

"In Other News..."

Here is just one of the many reasons that I am glad we no longer live near the armpit of America, Ga*ry, IN. My heart broke when my mom told me about this. After I got off the phone with her I looked up some more information about Josiah on the local papers website and found a horrifying article about a father carjacking a mother, the mother of his 7th child, shooting the mother, and taking the car with the baby in it. The car was later found down town with the baby still in it. He was shot twice, once in the face and once in the groin. He died in the emergency room. The mother lost her lung from the shooting, not to mention her son. I was in tears before I finished reading about it. How could a father do such a thing to his own child? And even worse, had that child lived, can you imagine the life he would have had, knowing what his father had done to him?

The worst part about it is that I get angry about the situation and automatically think that someone has to pay but the I realize that these people need Jesus. They don't know Him so they don't know right from wrong. In a way it makes me sad because I wish I would have done more while I was there. We lived so close to G*ary that I shopped at the same grocery stores as these people. I took my kids to the same mall (not that I went there very often) and the same movie theater. I even went to church there on occasion. Now I know that all I can do is pray. Things may be hard in other countries but I don't think people realize what it's like living in such poverty and hopelessness right here under our American flag everyday. We assume that the government takes care of them or the schools or at least some social worker has them on their list so they must be ok. We choose to see the poor staving kids and families in third world countries but what about the ones that we see at the park, playing with our children, starving not only for nourishment and love but for the only One that can really make them never hunger or thirst again?

4 Comments For Risa:

Amie said...

What a tragic story :(

I know what you mean about poverty and need. It's everywhere. Jeremiah sees it all the time working at the jail.

Jamie said...

That is so sad. It reminds me of the man down here throwing his 4 children off a bridge. It tore me apart.

And you are right. Poverty is right under our noses and what are we doing about it? I just started this AWESOME book called Passion Promise and though it doesn't talk on these issues directly, its kinda like, where is your passion and what can YOU do for the Lord?

Jodie said...

That is horrible. I have been thinking about poverty and people without healthcare a lot lately. Something needs to be done...

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Risa, two days late.
Aunt Debbie and Uncle Lyle