To my friends and family,
So miracle #3 of my mission: simplicity. Simplicity has
forever changed the way I live and observe the world.
As I have been thinking about how I want to structure this
letter about the third miracle of my mission, I am inspired to start by sharing
about another family that is yet again impacting my life. I will change their
names.
Hermano Moreno is someone we met through his next-door
neighbor, a lesser-active member of the church. The first time I met Hermano
Moreno he was really sweaty. He had recently arrived home from his work as a maracuya (a.k.a. passion fruit) salesman. He has a little red truck and a
beard that results from shaving less than once a week. He leaves at 6am each morning,
drives his truck to the farms in the rural areas of Esmeraldas, buys 3
sacks each full of 100 maracuyas and then sells them 10 for $1 to anyone and
everyone willing to buy. Sometimes he parks his truck to sell them on the side
of the road. Other days he drives up and down the neighborhood streets
seeking customers. When I met him, he explained that he had made $15 for his
efforts, which was a good day. He explained that to feed his wife and daughter
each day, he needs $1 of plantains, $1 of eggs, $2 of rice, $4 of
chicken and $2 of vegetables to add flavor and nutrients. He was happy to have
made his $10 for the next day. “And the other $5,” I asked? "That’s to put gas
in the truck, so I can do it all again tomorrow."
Hermano Moreno typically gets home around 4:30pm, hugs his daughter,
eats a leftover maracuya, and is all smiles as he shakes our hands. He is a
great guy. His house is made of cinder blocks, stacked roughly 10 rows high.
The house has 3 rooms and a kitchen. He doesn’t have doors separating the rooms and the floor is concrete. He has a refrigerator, a stove and a microwave and enough furniture to seat 6. Instead of glass windows, he has holes
cut out of the cinder block walls covered by metal grates so no one comes in, and bed sheets hung for some privacy. He has enough clothes to only have to wash them once a
week. He has 6 plates, 3 cups, a few forks, knives, spoons and pots to cook and
eat, a pitcher to put some juice, a simple cell phone for emergencies, a bed, a
bed for his daughter, and some linens. And that is all. Like really, that is
everything he owns. I just fit everything he has owns in less than a paragraph. Think of how many things we have back in the states. How many pages could
you fill just talking about house things, car things, personal things, work things,
or school things? Just stuff?
I told Hermano Moreno that I am from California and he was
impressed. He said he would really enjoy living there. Hearing him say this is
what impacted me the most. I thought for a moment and then asked, “really?” I told
him that I would one day go back there but that I would be taking with me as
much of “here” as possible. He smiled again, looked at his wife, and said, “yeah,
we do live good here. But I’d still like to see California.” His daughter came
out of the backroom with another maracuya and hugged her father. The hug was
so calm, joyful, and satisfied.
I’m not saying that I want concrete floors or that
I’ll be looking for opportunities to wash my clothes by hand when I return home. And
I recognize the blessing of the millions of things that make life so great in
the United States. But I am saying that for the last two years of my life my
list of “stuff” hasn’t been much longer than Hermano Moreno's and I’ve really grown accustomed
to it. I appreciate more and see the practical purpose of everything I have. To
be honest, having so little gives me a lot of inner peace and satisfaction. I know
my place, I know my purpose, I know what I have to do everyday, and I have no
problems focusing on it. I feel really organized, efficient, and productive.
Miracle #3 of my mission is not that I’ve learned to live in
conditions like those of Hermano Moreno, but rather that I’ve grown to
appreciate the satisfaction and bliss that comes from living simply. Don’t feel
like you need to throw everything away to get your possessions down to a half-page
list of stuff, but do evaluate what you have and consider applying the
principle. I’ve become a really happy, simple, guy. I love you all!
- EE
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