Like so many other topics in life the subject of money eventually catches our kids’ attention. After years spent riding in the seat of a shopping cart they’ve seen a magical process take place, again and again. Apparently you can walk into a store and take anything you want, as long as you give the nice lady at the cash register some money. And sometimes even that isn’t necessary; you can just slip a card through a little machine instead.

There’s a documentary called “Beyond the Gates of Splendor” about five missionary men who were killed by members of the Waodani people in Ecuador in the late fifties. The story of how their families turned that tragedy into a triumph is powerful. Toward the end of the film, Steve Saint, son of one of the missionaries, brings the man who killed his father to the U.S. He now calls him grandfather. Upon his return to Ecuador, Mincaye tells his fellow tribesmen about a wondrous place in the states called a supermarket. It is an enormous room filled with enough food for a whole village, and it is all free for the taking. Steve corrects him, assuring the tribe that he did pay for the food.

“Remember, grandfather? I gave her that little card.”

“Ha! That is true, grandson. But she gave it right back.” Read more »