Crawford Market

Crawford Market is a wholesale market in town. You can get pretty much anything wholesale there. Its a busy, crowded place - and it can be hard. Today i went with one of my co-workers and a representative from one of the homes we work with to buy some goods that the home needs. I was thankful to go along...to spend the day with these two great ladies....but it was a long hot day.

It was crowded and it was a bad day for unwanted male attention. And i was in a car a lot - so there were lots of beggars approaching me for money. but the "low-light" was standing in crawford market watching our pile of purchases while they went to go coordinate the pickup of another purchase and the arrival of our car so we could head home. I hated it. I think I stood there for about a half hour at least (it felt like an eternity). The little boys selling "water balls" - these useless little tablets that expand when you put them in water came by over and over and over. every few minutes a "basket guy" would come to see if i wanted him to help me move all my stuff. Some came back more than once. Some i had to tell no multiple times before they would leave. One guy was this older man, and he stood by me for a long long time, asking for work, and asking for food.

every time someone asks me for money, or food...its hard, and i wrestle with how to love them, and what it would mean to demonstrate God's love to them. In some ways i feel like i do a pretty good job of living over here. The other day one of the other interns said i was an expert at living over here (i statement i do not agree with!). Today was just a hard day...when it comes down to it - at least for me...i see poverty, and human suffering every day - but it never gets easier. Today it felt a little overwhelming.