Beside every toilet at the Lantern Hill retreat center is a smal plastic waste can with a bag liner. It's for used toilet paper...yep used. A first night reality check for most Americans who come here to serve, who are used to simply flushing their toilet paper. It's one of a number of sacrfices that retreat groups make that are early reminders that things are just different here. At Lantern Hill, groups are encouraged to turn off lights, to make sure to shut off water in showers and sinks when lathering up or brushing, and to limit the amount of packaging and trash brought here from America. Drinking water doesn't come from the faucet or even the front of the fridge, but is pumped from large plastic containers that are refilled almost daily.
Participants quickly begin to see these things as minor inconveniences or sacrifices when compared to what they witness in many of the communities where Lantern Hill serves alongside the people. As in many developing nations, there are large communities with limited electrical service, and some without any. Some have limited drinking water, while others have no potable drinking water and are forced to drink from the same water with which they bathe, do laundry and use for all other purposes. Some communities have no indoor plumbing, instead relying on outhouses or even makeshift "banos" using old blankets or sheets as privacy screens.
The truth is, what many of our retreat groups might consider a sacrifice is a luxury for many of the communities where we serve. It is a stark reminder of the many blessings we take for granted in America, and a marvelous practice in using less.
A big YES!
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