Living in the "Real World"?

We had a candlelight dinner tonight. Or should I say we had a candlelight dinner AGAIN tonight? Electricity is a luxury. One that I enjoy. Before moving to Uganda, I never thought that electricity was a gift that only the rich get to use. I've come to find out, that is the truth.
Most of the world does not have running water or flushing toilets in their homes. They don't listen to their mp3 players or drink vanilla lattes.
The "real world" is not what you see on TV. The real world doesn't even get to watch much television. Tivo and other gadgets take power.
Most people don't have refrigerators or freezers, garbage disposals or dishwashers.
I've caught youth climbing our fence and risking our pack of dogs to get tuna cans that we threw into our gargage pit!
Ronald and I have seen parents take chicken bones from our plates and feed them to their children!
Men will work all day in the hot sun to make what it costs to buy a Big Gulp.
Most of the world does not have a clean hospital to walk to when they are sick.
The life expentancy in Uganda is something like 35...I'm 37.
I don't know what it is for most of the world.

As I sit here and look out the window I can only see one other house with lights on. I think that is my friends house who is one of the top government officials. He is rich. Only his house and mine have lights.
(Of course he could make more money working at seven eleven in the states then he could as one of the top local officials here.)
We are running a generator so I could type this message. That's why the lights are on.
I just heard Cheryl open the fridge and get a drink. Now she is getting ice out of the freezer.
Did I mention that I love ice! another luxury on the equator.
She just turned on the blender.
She is making strawberry smoothies. Yum! (There is guy who sells little wild strawberrys to rich foreigners.)
I called out to Cheryl but she didn't hear me. She was listening to her mp3 player. (I didn't know she was doing that when I wrote about mp3 players earlier!)
I not ashamed that I am rich. I'm thankful.
Thankful for the strawberry smoothy, thankful for this laptop, thankful for the lights being on and that the generator works.
Thankful that I had a flushing toilet as I spent most of the last night sick.
Thankful, thankful, thankful!
My true happiness doesn't come from money or what I have. but I must admit Cheryl can make a great smoothie.
If my stuff doesn't make my life easier, help me to be Christ-like or make me a better or more productive person then it is probably a waste.
What do you think?

The other day when I was at Uganda Christian University there was a Freshman girl who had a suitcase with wheels. She pulled it up to where David, Frank and I were standing. There was some uneven dirt so I lifter her suitcase across. She thanked me and went on her way.
After she left Frank laughed and said, "Why does anybody need that much to live?"

David told me that the girl that I had just helped was from Fort Portal her father was a rich doctor and her mother is from Russia.
That's why she has so much stuff. (She had one suitcase!)
Life in this land of contrast continues to challenge.