Am I in Danger?

Apparently I am in danger of being arrested or having my social security card stopped if I am to believe any of the phone calls I have been receiving lately.  It seems that I am one breath away from going to jail.  The intimidating voice on the other end of the phone (which I never answer) is terrifying as it delivers the threat to my freedom.

Where do these terrible calls come from?

Awhile back I read a Reader’s Digest article about a guy named Ben Taylor (from Utah) who was contacted through Facebook by a guy he assumed was a scammer.  He decided he would drill down on the details of the guy who contacted him—something I would never recommend, of course.

But he was curious, so he continued to message this guy from Liberia, West Africa (Joel Willie). Even though he was skeptical, he kept getting deeper and deeper into corresponding with this guy.

As it turns out, their mutual interest in photography led to Taylor sending Willie a cheap camera and eventually creating two books from photos that Willie sent him. Willie is his “man on the street.”  The sales of these two books led to thousands of dollars in profit which Taylor now controls and wires to his new friend in Liberia.

It’s not that Taylor wasn’t skeptical, or that he was naïve.  He just figured the longer he kept this guy on the hook, the less time he’d have to work someone else over.

But, as their connection continued, an honest friendship formed between the two.

They decided most of the money should be used within Willie’s community, so sure enough, proof of the charitable donations came through via pictures.  Eventually Taylor visited Liberia (numerous times) and verified for himself how the money transformed this poverty stricken area and his would-be scammer.

Turns out Willie wasn’t trying to scam him, but he really needed the money for his family.

Now before you decide your donation is a good idea when you get a call like that, forget it.  I am quite sure this is not how this typically plays out.  In fact, there are so many people who really are trying to scam you that you are always best to just ignore them.  Never converse with them or engage them in any way, and certainly never, ever send them money.

And admittedly, while I thought this was a nice story to write about, I believe it is definitely an exception.  There are, however, tons of legitimate places that can use your donation to provide good services to people in need, right in your own community.

I would highly suggest you start by throwing a little monetary support to your church and established organizations like Catholic Charities, Red Cross and local shelters.

You don’t have to go through all of the trouble Taylor did to find a way to make a difference.

Something I think we don’t think about too often is that the bible refers to community support for Paul as he traveled around.  Too often we think about giving money to the church when the church needs a new roof or boiler, but the reality is, the church also needs consistent support so that it can not only take care of its grounds and buildings, but all of the people it serves in a multitude of ways.

It needs your $5.00 as much as anything.  It is often said that if every parishioner (or even non-parishioner!) routinely gave that much, it would make a huge difference.

Please contact the church around the corner and talk to them about making a contribution.  In doing so, you are imitating the disciples of Jesus’ time who made it possible for the evangelizers to do their work in taking care of others, and spreading the Good News, while being sustained by their local church communities.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net