No Gracias

Years ago, my wife and I visited Acapulco. We wandered the town. Saw the cliff divers. I tried para sailing, but when your eyes are really bad and you have to give up your glasses you can't see much. Mostly though, we relaxed on the beach. The beach was beautiful but the children selling trinkets, jewelry and shells just came at us in waves.

No, gracias. No, gracias. Over and over again we would say no, gracias, trying hard not to look them in the eyes.

I once asked a Dominican Republic pastor how he dealt with beggars as we walked through a congested market in Santo Domingo. He said he never gave to children as that encouraged them to be beggars. But since there was really no adequate provision for handicapped people or old people he would give to them. That seems to be a good guideline.

I have never had my shoes polished at a shoe stand in the US. But when kids offer to polish them on the streets of Santo Domingo,or Guatemala City, I occassionally have said yes. How do you deal with those situations?

so the challenge of being able to comfortably say No gracias, but also not having a greedy and hardened heart is upon us. when Christians travel on mission trips, they probably should contribute at least as much money to the cause of the organization that is hosting them as they spend on themselves.

we need to find our voice that enables us to say No gracias comfortably so that we can also say--Gracias, gracias for everything.