Contrast between 8-10 year old girls in Honduras and USA

Overnight Camp-out with our church's Sunday School class of 8-10 girls

Listen in to this conversation as Alfredo and I ask the girls gathered around our ping pong table:
Jesus is your BBF but what is your friendship really like? 

"Jesus protects me from getting robbed like what happened to my cousin. The other day she was on a bus and some guy held a knife to her and took her cellphone."
"I prayed to Jesus for Him to save my friend who had been kidnapped. He answered my prayers and really the whole school's since we were all praying for her. (another chips in and says, oh so-and-so, yeah, we heard about it in our school and prayed for her too.) Yeah, after a couple of weeks, she was returned to her parents."
"I know Jesus is with me because when the robbers came into our home, we were gone and they didn't take much."
"One time I felt like Jesus hugged me, but it was so real that I thought for sure that it was my dad. So the next morning I asked him if he had come in during the night to hug me. But, no, he said it wasn't him, so it had to be Jesus." (she hugs herself to show us how He hugged her.)

Several more shared, interspersing stories about Jesus as their BFF, robbery, kidnapping and other security issues.

Alfredo leaned over and whispered in my ear: "Can you imagine hearing stories like this with a group of 8-10 year olds where you grew up in Pittsburgh?"

I said that at their age, that world was unknown to me. But, his observation got us all thinking, together with the two other Sunday School teachers who were present. The gest of our discussion was:
"The dangers in Honduras are so obvious that an 8-year old can figure it out. They depend on God to protect them from robbers, kidnappers and the like. But, in contrast with children from the USA, the dangers are not as obvious but no less dangerous. Sure, depending on where they live, most kids are not worried about robbers and kidnappers, but are their parents aware of the need to protect them from the dangers of materialism (thinking that the more you have the better off you are), consumerism (thinking happiness comes from what you consume like technology, entertainment, stuff), and moral decay where God is less and less part of the picture and "what's in your heart" is trusted more than "In God we trust?"

So many Hondurans, even several families from our church, have immigrated to the USA for security reasons. No doubt it's a relief to be able to drive your car with the windows down, to walk without looking over your shoulder, to let your kids play outside, to not have to hide your purse under the driver's seat, etc. 

But, what new dangers do they need to be on the look-out for?

I would love to hear your thoughts, you may have a new perspective to add, please take the time to share it by clicking below on "observations."

(This conversation formed part of our first "Over-night Camp-out" for each Sunday School class. I will share with you in my next blog some images from the camp.)