Rewarding / Worthwhile

After spending three weeks of celebration with our Zambian friends it is easy to understand how rewarding this work is. Zambians are endlessly grateful. They give tremendous appreciation for the stuff we do there for them. As we enjoyed their celebration at Zyangale, my friend asked me, "Bill, what are you doing in Canada?!" It is true that there is much to do, and the generous thanksgiving of the Zambians make doing it very rewarding, but the question for me is always becoming, "Is it worthwhile?" As I have told many people, the fundamental learning I've done in Zambia is that it is incredibly difficult to help people. There are so many things that we can do, and that we can afford to do for them. But should we? How can we be truly helpful? I have witnessed that many of our interactions in Zambia (likely in many parts of the third world) over the years have not been helpful. Instead we have created dependancy, and we have been guilty of economic enslavement. I am constantly in a personal struggle over whether what I'm doing is worthwhile; I have no doubt that it is rewarding!