Home school for a missionary kid by Gabriel Del Castillo

 

 Living in a 3^rd world county can get kinda of tricky sometimes.

Quickly you find out 2 things; one that every moment is an opportunity to learn and secondly finding time for school looks a lot different than the normal US classroom.

The other day I learned an economic lesson as well as what the Catholic Churches calls “social Justice” and the call, we all have to defend the poor. The Church teaches that all people of all nations have the right to the supplies, martials and goods of the earth, not just the educated or the rich. It brings to mind when Jesus says: 

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;  but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there

 your heart will be also.” Matthew 16: 19-21

Sure, man can own private property and secure and store items for his needs and for his family but that does not exempt him from helping his neighbors and the less fortunate. My mom explained to me that Thomas Aquinas an Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, Catholic priest, and Doctor of the Church taught that though it is not contrary to the natural law for man to possess and own private property and goods, but man should be careful and mindful not possess private property in such a way that hinders others and makes them suffer.

So, in other words he is saying, if man only stores up his riches and does not use his private property (riches) for the good of all man, perhaps he is not acting as Jesus desires of him.

You might ask how this lesson turned in to math and economic class well you see we were on our way from visiting Maritza and her children. Maritza is a single mom, and she is really poor. We try to visit her every week. We bring her food, and we even were able to help build her a house, because she lived in a small bamboo hut with dirt floors and no running water or bathroom. I asked how Maritza makes money, and she said that when she can find work, she works washing other people clothes by hand, or in the corn fields. I was happy to hear that until I found out how much she made.

 Maritza can easily work 9 to 10 hours in the corn fields a day and when she does, she makes 50 soles a day. That is the equivalent of almost $17 USD a day. Quickly I drew a more concern face. I asked my mother what people in the USA made and well she didn’t tell me; she told me to find out on my own. So, I did what I do best, I sent a message to my aunt and bothers and friends back in the states and asked them what they make so I could get an idea.

This is where the math comes in, I had to come up with an average salary between the people I asked from the States. Of course, I was thinking the whole entire time that If she would just let me google the average salary I would be done a lot quicker. But of course, my mom had to turn it into an opportunity to learn. But here are my figures I was given by those in the states of what they made an hour.

So here are my calculations 

$24.00 + $11.00 + $15.00 + $28.00 + $19.00 = $97.00

$97 ÷ 5 = $19.40 on average that is made per hour in the USA.

 That is a huge difference from what Maritza and others here in Peru make in an entire day!

So, after I went back to my mom with the answer to the average hourly wage in the states. She explained to me how as missionaries we are here to preach the Gospel and love people like Jesus would and that includes fighting for social justice for those who have no voice.

So what happen next? You guessed it my next lesson was to find scripture that speaks about the Preferential Option for the Poor and Vulnerable.

 

Here a simple list of the scripture I found that instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first. 

       You shall not oppress the poor or vulnerable.  God will hear their cry. Exodus 22:20-26
         A portion of the harvest is set aside for the poor and the stranger. Leviticus 19:9-10 
         The Lord hears the cry of the poor. Job 34:20-28 
         Speak out in defense of the poor. Proverbs 31:8-9  
        Don’t delay giving to those in need. Sirach 4:1-10  
         God is a refuge for the poor. Isaiah 25:4-5 
         True worship is to work for justice and care for the poor and oppressed. Isaiah 58:5-7
         What you do for the least among you, you do for Jesus. Matthew 25:34-40 

Jesus proclaims his mission: to bring good news to the poor and oppressed. Luke 4:16-21 

Blessed are the poor, theirs is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20-23
         How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s good and sees one in need and refuses to help? 1 John 3:17-18

 

I guess you can guess what my next subject was that day! Writing and English class. You must already know that by now since you’re reading my latest assignment.

Just for fun, I want to give you all a bit of homework!

What would the world look like if everyone took at least one hour of their salary and used it for the poor?

Do you think that a family in the USA could live, or would they die if they donated an hour of their wages to the poor?

Do you believe if they did, God would reward them for their sacrifice beyond what they sacrificed?

Do you think If man lived today in the way that God created us, that the word “poor” would even exist in our vocabulary today?

 

 

** I really pray the teacher (AKA: mom) gives me an A+ on this assignment. What do you think?

“Therefore, everyone has the right to possess a sufficient amount of the earth’s goods for themselves and their family. This has been the opinion of the Fathers and Doctors of the church, who taught that people are bound to come to the aid of the poor and to do so not merely out of their superfluous goods.

Persons in extreme necessity are entitled to take what they need from the riches of others. Faced with a world today where so many people are suffering from want, the council asks individuals and governments to remember the saying of the Fathers: “Feed the people dying of hunger, because if you do not feed them you are killing them,” and it urges them according to their ability to share and dispose of their goods to help others, above all by giving them aid which will enable them to help and develop themselves.” Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope), § 69

Thanks for spending time to find out what its like to be as a missiuonary kid! 

Hugs and Love !!!!!

Gaberial Del Castillo 

Age:  11

Mission Post:  Cajaruro, Amazonas, Peru