This frustrates me:

I just got a call from a school that I attended my first year in college, Moody Bible Institute. Most of their majors are focused on preparing young men and women for working in a full-time Christian vocation, with a heavy emphasis on over-seas work. I, for instance, was a Missions Aviation major. I was planing on living in a jungle somewhere, in a very basic, minimalistic lifestyle without much money at all. I think the expectation of that lifestyle was felt by most of the students, whatever their major might have been.
So, I got a call from the Alumni Association wanting to verify my contact information and current career, etc. for their Alumni book. I was pretty excited about it. It would be pretty amazing to have a book with all of my friends and former classmates, even my roommate, to know what they are doing now, to know about their new families, and to be able to get into contact with them. So, I was excited to be giving my information.
Then, the women on the phone asked if I would like to reserve my very own copy for two payments of $39.99. Suddenly she was a telemarketer.
$80??? I was so sad to have to say no, no, and no as she tried to sell me the book. I can't afford that. For the most part, I'm fine with the lifestyle that God has called me to live. There are times when it is hard, and this was one of them. I was sad, but even more so, I was sad for so many other people. I suddenly had faces flashing through my mind, like my old roommate, Greg, who last I heard was working with Eskimos in the northern tundra, traveling from village to village. There are so many others that I wonder about; I don't know where they are, but I do know that they were expecting to live with just their daily necessities being met. This would have been a hard thing for them to spend money on. Moody should know that. Maybe they do, and this was just a plan to raise money off of the alumni who are working for wealthy churches, or who have been called to places where God has chosen to bless them with money. It is those kind of people, I suppose, who helped pay for my college years. It's just sad to me that usually the only time an alumni association from any school calls me is when they are asking for money.
Sometimes it's just hard, and I have a moment of sadness.
"No, I can't afford that."