A pastor asked me yesterday, “What is the first thing you are going to get when you arrive in the US? Pizza? McDonalds?”
That was an easy question.
“From my landing gate in DC, to my departing gate to Detroit, there is a Starbucks. I’m gonna get a holiday drink. A hot, half-caf, mocha latte sumthin’ with whipped cream and 700 calories!”
And on the way home I laughed with Jesse about this.
“Yeah, for sure. An easy $40R to spend.” She turned to the nurse in the back seat, “Yeah, we drink $40R coffee at home.”
$40R
Something in that made me sick.
$40R is a Swazi daily salary. A maid or gardener work hard every day,- real physical work- to earn the price of one Starbucks.
It really bothered me. I guess I’d never done the math before, or at least had done it when the exchange was lower. So then I started doing more math.
We blow $4 on coffee and never think twice. Our $4 could buy a nice meal for a Swazi family. A month of Starbucks could send a Swazi teenager to school.
I’ve heard that returning missionaries really struggle with the wastefulness and materialism of the Western world. I think it’s already starting.
I can’t enjoy that Starbucks any more. Dang it Jesse!
1 comment:
Love you my friend! I'm so glad that you found the solution through Lauren how we can continue to drink starbucks!
May the Lord continue to train us to discern between conviction and guilt!
Love you and cant wait for your SA date!
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