“Abundance is not something we acquire.
It is something we tune into.”
– Dr. Wayne Dyer
When you return from a third world country it awakens you to see how the rest of the world lives.
Visit a third world country and watch what happens to your gratitude..
And don’t just go with a compassionate attitude.
Go also with the idea: What can I learn from them?
I’ve had the opportunity as a motivational speaker to visit several countries
that would be considered in this “third world” category.
I think the ones most notable in my mind were in West
Africa, the countries of Ghana and Nigeria. And in Asia,
India was a definite. I now live in Southern California and
you don’t even have to cross an ocean to find third world
poverty. Cross the border into Tijuana, and I think you’ll
see what I mean.
If you go to one of these countries, take your children.
Let them collect some toys and clothes of theirs and of
neighborhood friends to give to the children in the country
you’ll be visiting. I promise you, this will forever impact
your life – and the lives of your children.
And while you’re in that third world country, make it a point
to visit a local hospital. I’ll never forget the one that Tanya
and I visited in Ghana. What we saw there is still sharply
embedded in our minds.
We complain about things in our hospitals:
“The air conditioning is too cold.”
“The food isn’t hot enough.”
“She has to share her room with three other patients.”
“I rang this buzzer, and it took a nurse two minutes to get here!”
Our visit to that Ghanaian hospital was a convicting
contrast where cold air, cold food, a nurse’s visit, or just a
bed would have been a very welcomed blessing.
As Tanya and I approached the hospital’s entrance, we
curiously walked past dozens of people sitting amongst a
motley patchwork of torn towels and rags strewn across the
entire dirt “front lawn.” Any available bush or branch was
similarly adorned.
As we began walking around inside, our hearts just broke.
The very rare patient with a bed and mattress was the
extremely fortunate one. Most had just bed springs. Some
patients were even lying on the floor. And each person had
just a ragged cloth beneath them.
As we glanced through a broken window at that sea of
towels and rags outside, we were humbled to realize that all
those precious scraps of cloth were their pillows, mattresses,
sheets, covers, washcloths, and towels which the families
themselves supplied, washed, and “sun-dried” for their loved
ones.
We just wanted to cry… for them… for their conditions…
for their lot in life.
But we couldn’t. Not then, anyway. We were there to visit
and encourage.
Yet, most amazingly, it was Tanya and I who became
encouraged. Astoundingly, there were smiles everywhere
– on the faces of nurses, doctors, visiting family, and even on
the faces of the sick and dying. They were so grateful
someone came to visit and just share a friendly smile or
gentle touch. Many visitors got up off the floor (there were
no chairs) and hugged us. Just so appreciative someone
cared. I’ll never forget it. What grateful and good people!
We cried for that… after we left.
And these are the people often referred to as underdeveloped.
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