All I Want for Christmas...

So, it's been interesting to me, gearing up for Christmas while living here in Nicaragua. I came to Nicaragua thinking of myself as a relatively non-materialistic person. And I still think that's generally true about me. I certainly tired pretty quickly of the required purchasing of things that goes along with moving to a new country and bringing only the possessions that fit in suitcases.

I expected my reaction to living in a country where extreme poverty is common to be developing even stronger feelings about living simply. And this has been true, sort of. For example, the house that was found for us to live in did not exactly meet every single requirement I had listed ahead of time. The budget could certainly bear more expensive housing, and we had the option of looking for another house. But one of the things that convicted me was driving past the houses that other people live in that are made out of garbage bags. It sort of took the joy out of house hunting, for me. (There were other factors, certainly, getting to know and like our neighbors here being chief among them.)

On the other hand, I've also gotten more materialistic, or focused on stuff in some ways. I find myself fantasizing about material things that will be available to me when we go back to the United States for our Christmas visit. So, here is my (mildly schizoid) wish list:

1) It would really make me happy if anyone felt moved to give to my favorite good causes. Partly because I have less extra cash to give out at the moment myself. I have a lot of favorites, but at this moment the top three are:

a) Global Ministries* - I guess the fact that I buy into their mission is obvious by the fact that I'm serving as a missionary on their behalf. I am just consistently impressed by their vision, and the number and quality of relationships they maintain with churches and organizations that are working "on the ground" in some of the neediest places in this world. One of the things that I see so clearly here and have heard about other partner organizations and churches in other parts of the world is that so much can be accomplished with relatively little money.

b) I will always have a soft spot in my heart (and, insofar as it's possible, my budget ;) ) for Christ House, where I served for a year as a full-time volunteer. They do amazing, holistic, compassionate work with sick, homeless people -- and they have been so successful in helping people move out of homelessness and into supportive community that they're starting a second building for their "graduates." They have also formed a lot of young people like myself over the years through their volunteer program, providing a safe space to serve and get to know people on the fringes of society and learn a LOT in the process.

c) Californians for Justice is an organization that Tim and I once volunteered for, doing impressive work in building power in communities of color in California. They have come to focus on public education, an issue I've been captivated by since I was coming up through that system myself. And they're doing it by organizing and empowering youth! (At least one of whom is a member of a church I served as sabbatical interim pastor for.)

I'm more than happy to answer questions about any of these organizations. :)

2) Okay, so that's the non-materialistic side speaking up there. :) The materialistic side has created a wishlist on amazon.com with desired books and music. Actually, I've had even more fun looking up books for Quinn. One of the things I miss the most about the U.S. is our library and the awesome children's book selection.

3) I want different clothes than the ones I brought. It was hard to know what to bring, never having been in this climate or social context before. I never wear my awesome summer dresses. I wear skirts most days. And short-sleeved cotton blouses are pretty much always appropriate.** I only wear T-shirts or shorts when I don't think I'll see anyone from church (and sometimes they stop by unexpectedly!) And I actually wear jeans way more often than I thought I would! (But the jeans issue will be resolved by digging through our items in storage while in Fresno.)

4) Umm, a hot shower? This is material but not shippable. :) I will be enjoying them greatly (and hopefully, daily) when we visit California.

5) A Club (you know, the anti-theft device) for our SUV. Not sure if this is practical to bring with us, because they are heavy, but I also don't know where to find it here.

6) Chocolate is always welcome and appreciated. They grow it here, but I think almost exclusively for export. We pay way too much money for Hershey's chocolate in the supermarket (although now we have a Costco membership, I think we may soon have a LOT Ghirardelli chocolate chips ;) ).

There you have it. It hasn't taken much "deprivation" (because, seriously, our lifestyle is not even that different, just a few more minor inconveniences) to arouse some materialistic longing in my spirit... but hopefully the balance remains (or even swings further to the solidarity/ appreciating how much we have side of things).

*If you're a member of a United Church of Christ or Disciples of Christ congregation that supports Our Church's Wider Mission (UCC) or Disciples Mission Fund (DoC), your church is already supporting Global Ministries in that way. So thank you! But over-and-above giving is also great. :)

**size 16 or XL, if you're particularly curious :)