Tuesday, June 24, 2014

The Countdown

In 4 days I embark on my 3rd adventure to Mongu, Zambia.   This forsaken place has  a piece of my heart.  It is a very long 48-50 hour journey from Chicago, assuming all goes as planned. Travel roulette is part of the adventure.  Mileage between Chicago and Mongu and is 10,600 land miles and 7,976 as the crow flies.  I 'clicked' the directions icon on my screen and this is what I was given.  "We could not calculate directions between Chicago, IL and Mongu, Zambia."    That is just about right, there is no direct way to get from where I live to this remote part of the world.

Creating a travel brochure that compels one to come to Mongu would be quite a task.  Lots and lots of sand and brown huts along the road for 8 hours.  And no one in their right mind would just come to this place.  Even those who are given work here, look for ways to leave.

Note the water containers.  What they carry they use.  Usually dirty water is available.

View for 8 hours.
 We go through the wild life reserve, but let me tell you unless you are on a paid safari in a different part of Africa, those wild animals are next to impossible to see.  I caught the back end of an elephant one year.  Zoo's are really great places to see the animals that live in this region. :)




We enter the park and we are heading to the Dolphin Lodge! 6 hours later we arrive.
I think my #1 adjustment is the 'squatty potty' facilities.  A 'modern' one has a cement hole, the poorer one is just a dirt mound/hole.  The art of perfecting the 'squatty potty' technique as a female is ... well ... interesting at best. 
Hut Toilet Facility



 What compels me to return is that in this very desolate, forsaken remote part of the world we (Hands of Hope) are slowing beginning to see some hope.  Hope because clean water allows villages to have a chance to stay healthier.  Hope because irrigation allows gardens to grow.  Hope because those who 'grasp' the opportunity to change their lives with a micro finance loan are excited to get out of the deep deep depth of poverty.  Hope because someone cares and one small change allows me to believe that more is possible.

I am not alone in this journey, in fact, I come in on the heels of those who have been working with Hands of Hope and now in Mongu for several years.  The task is daunting.

Think about giving an average 3rd-4th grader the chance to borrow money, plant a garden, water this garden, weed this garden and then hope for a crop that grows bountifully enough to then sell.  The money earned is only partially theirs. They must pay back their loan, buy new seed and then "budget' the rest for the family.   In the between time, they might get sick, they are hungry and this work is new to them.  The adults we work with are often at this educational level.

When I reflect on the projects and the people knowing that we are starting at the very beginning in most situations, the fact that progress in these remote villages is a miracle.   There are successes and there are failures but those successes spur others on to hope.  Hope to keep going and try their own ventures.  Hope keeps all humans going on.



Some awesome stats that I leave town knowing are:

Mawawa Village since 2008 has eliminated malnutrition!
Children now drink goats milk!
The average income has gone from $130 a year to over $1,050 and it is rising!
The price of food has dropped 30% and the quality of food has increased!
Since the start of this year 2014, we have placed 20 wells in villages!  
Women from 20 villages no longer have to walk miles each day for dirty water!  



This makes the anticipation of what we will experience first hand worth it all.

To my friends from Hands of Hope and my friends outside this circle who have helped in this journey, you are being represented and these people are grateful.   




“There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.” John Holms
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Thursday, March 6, 2014

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody....


 There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept responsibility for changing them.  Dennis Waitley. 

When I was in High School (around the time of Noah),  I had people who surrounded me with wisdom.   I was taught and encouraged to think beyond myself and to think not just 'feel' when I made a decision. 

Being the center of the universe was a foreign concept in my world.  Diva's (Divo's - male) were rare and not worshiped.  This word did not even enter my vocabulary until just a few years ago when, for some reason, our culture lost its purpose and created people who really thought only of themselves.

I am grateful to have been taught that there were people who needed help, who needed encouragement, who needed someone to walk with them.  I am grateful for these people who modeled this for me, and pulled me in to learn from them, as they walked 'the talk' in front of me.  Because of these people and an eternal perspective that our time on this earth is just the beginning, I am blessed to be able to help others. 

In this blog, I want to share with you a poignant story that was taught to me.  It is one you may have heard but it is a story though that bears repeating.  It bears sharing with others.  It bears teaching to those who come behind us.  So as I begin this story I ask, can you identify with one of these 4?

EVERYBODY, SOMEBODY, ANYBODY AND NOBODY

This little story is about four people.  Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody. 

There was an important job that needed to be done and Everybody thought Somebody would do it.

Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job. 

Everybody thought anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. 

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

The story is over. But the premise of this story is not. It defines a universal problem we each face. Who is going to help?  Who is going to give?  Who is going to share this message?  Who?


Find someone or something that needs Anybody to help.  You will be blessed! You will be a bit tired but  I know you will sleep better.  Your resources may be bit lighter but they are being used for good instead of 'stashed'  or 'stored away' for your relatives,  after you leave this earth.  Your rewards will be a smile or a hug from one whose load you have lightened.  When and where will you make a difference in another persons life?

 I close with a passage of scripture from the Bible.  "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up." Romans (Bible) 15:1-2


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Saturday, March 1, 2014

Silence Does Not Make Problems Disappear

It has been over a month since I last blogged.  Why?  A good question!!! The message I try to convey, that needs to be shouted about and shared does not disappear just because someone is not writing or talking about it.   The message: 'You Can Make A Difference In This World :)."

I continue to live in the lap of luxuries.  That has remained a constant.   I continue to be blessed with a warm home, clean WATER available in many rooms of my home such as the laundry, kitchen and bathroom(s).  When spring comes we will attach  hoses to the out door faucets, water our plants and our lawn.  I am surely NOT complaining but gratefully accounting the blessings that few in this world know.  If you are reading this you are blessed as well. 

The why of this blog comes together with the opposites of life.  The 'haves' bless the 'have-nots'.  Everyone wins! As I share about the 'haves' opportunity to help the 'have-nots' it can be a beautiful cycle that works!



“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Mother Theresa




The Western Provence of Zambia is a desolate and desperate place to live.  Those living there need help and hope.  Hands of Hope brings this very thing to them.  This people group is so poor and so remote that even their government cast them off.  But God has not!  He sees them and hears their pleas!  He loves them and through people who care, hope is brought to them!


This truck replaced the oxcarts
This oxcart is standard ground transportation.
As we work this venue and help the very poor, it often feels like we are pouring a bucket of water into a desert. However,  in God's design that bucket of water has been multiplied and gardens are sprouting!!!!  That bucket of water has opened doors for health issues to be addressed, education to be addressed and little by little lives are being changed.  We are part of a miracle.


Soon the organization that I support HANDS OF HOPE ( http://www.handsofhopeonline.org/faire.asp ) will host its annual fund raiser.  It is one pure, magnificent experience!!

Incredible estate gardens are opened up to those who wish to bask in the beautiful and often surreal landscapes.   We witness God's creation come alive through the gift He has given those to care for and design these beautiful gardens.   This is an invitation to join something awesome that makes a difference in peoples lives. 
 
 Check us out, you won't be disappointed!  Check us out! Every dollar is micro managed so nothing is wasted! Your money (all your money, ticket price included) goes to our projects.  What you give, your participation and help is so valued and appreciated that we make certain it goes to help those in need.
Check us out and be 'awed'. 

The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food 
but is swept away by injustice. 
 Proverbs (Bible) 13:23






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