Life In Our Shed

I asked my wife and daughters to sleep in the garage with me this week.

We're trying to feel a bit of what it might be like to live on less than $1.50 a day.

For more details and pictures read my wife's post.

Why?

1- I want us to hear God's voice.  I want to increase our chances that we might hear some things that he feels about poverty, our lifestyle, our spending habits, what we do with our time, possessions, what we need, what we don't need...etc.  I really don't know what we will hear from God.  I don't know if we will hear anything that falls into the categories I just listed...or if we'll hear other things.

2- I want my girls to learn by experience that people around the world don't have the same things that we do.  We have closets full of clothes we don't wear, dozens of pairs of shoes, crayons, markers, glitter, play-dough, toys, dolls houses, snacks, desserts, chocolate, ice cream, pretzels, cheese sticks, ice, running water, hot water that comes out of a shower, DVDs, books and the list doesn't stop.  Some mom's don't have enough food to keep their children alive.

1.2 billion people live on less than $1.50 a day

3- I want to spend extra time with my family.  I want my girls to have Dad be close.  I want them to feel like, although I do have to spend lots of days at work, that there are times when Dad spends lots of hours near them.  I want my wife to experience long chunks of the day noticing that I take initiative in leading my children.  I don't want her to feel that raising children is something that she has to shoulder alone.

There are more reasons why I wanted us to do this project.  And I can't wait to write about how our experience is going.  We are on Day 2.  ...and if the weather stays warm enough and we stay healthy...we'll try to last 5 more days.

Some good things are happening already.

1- Here are a few of my wife's thoughts so far.

2- My girls and I played a game with a rock and a chair.  I'm trying to teach them that they can have fun without toys.

3- My girls are eating all of their rice and beans without complaining.  It seems like they are really hungry when it's meal time (since we are pretending that we can't afford to give them snacks in between meals.)  It seems like they are eating not for the "good taste" but they are eating to "fill their bellies.

Gotta go for now.  But I'll write more later.