WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED. WILL WE DO EVERYTHING IT TAKES?

This month I watched the movie associated with live58.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzVLzVe4h8g
It challenges us to get involved that we can make a difference in the lives of the impoverished around the world. I want to talk about a section of the movie that broke my heart. A family in India who is enslaved to rock quarry owners. To pay back their debts they find themselves imprisoned to the rock quarry owner. Long hours, chipping away a rocks in the heat. They ask the children if they could wish for one thing, what would they wish for? The older of the children hesitated with his answer and then replied, " I have desires but my dreams will never come true. So let me not have dreams at all." This is a lie that poverty whispers to these children. That they are worth nothing. They will never be more than this. Let's put a stop to this lie! Click on my link to Compassion. A child sponsorship program that release children from poverty in JESUS name. Let's reverse this ugly lie and let a child know that:

THEY ARE LOVED
GOD HAS A PLAN FOR THEIR LIFE
THEY CAN BE MORE
THEY ARE FREE TO DREAM AND DREAM BIG
AND THOUGH THEY LIVE IN POVERTY, POVERTY WILL NOT LIVE IN THEM!!

Month Four

So I know you are all wondering what I gave up for month four. I decided that I would not drive my car. On a day like today I certainly miss it. It has rained all day and some think I am hardcore to do that but does weather let up on poverty? Does the hot sun not beat down on that African mother with her baby strapped to her back and that heavy jug of water on her head? Can that small child take a break from begging in the streets when it's pouring rain? The other day as I was walking to work it dawned on me that  in most third world countries they have already been up for three hours. They have probably walked miles to gather the water supply for the day by the time I even wake up. So I figured it was a small sacrifice to walk in strong winds or pouring rains. The money saved this month will be donated to help someone in  Rwanda start up a small business loan with Hope International. $100 can provide a first loan for a client. $500 can fully fund a business with capital, counselling and training. This month live58 is aiming to raise enough funds to help 100 business in Rwanda. They are about halfway there. An anonymous donor has agreed to match our donations. So if you are inclined to give something up this month look at investing in this business venture. Donations accepted to the end of the month at live58.org.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=kjM-R7u4Lwc

 These are the images I thought of when I was first started walking to work. These were taken in Uganda.

Month Three

This brings me to month three:


For a single person it is so much easier to pick up take out or go out to eat but that comes at a high cost. My calculations brought my average monthly spending on fast food and eating out at about $130 so picking this for my sacrifice was a no brainer. I think I can give up my #2 combo ( quarter pounder cheeseburger meal) if it means that someone across the world can have a better life. The featured ministry was Plant with Purpose and it helped plant trees in the Dominican to combat the deforestation happening there. Those in third world countries are cutting trees for a short term solution. They cut the trees to sell as firewood but taking these trees strip the soil of nutrients and destroys land that was once fruitful. For only $100 you can plant an entire forest. I was able to plant a forest in the Dominican who can say that? YOU CAN if you give something up this month!

This is me enjoying my McDonalds burger in Romania when we took a group of special need teens and kids for happy meals.

Month Two

For month#2:
This month of sacrifice landed during lent and I had decided to give up internet. This went well for about about 2 weeks. One of my fellow Compassion advocates made me aware that there was an e-mail request for help at a local event for Compassion. For those of you who are not familiar with the work of Compassion. It is a child sponsorship program that joins together with the local church to meet the spiritual, economic, social and emotional needs of children located in third world countries. So I had to wander on to my hotmail account for details of the event. The event led to 67 sponsorships! At the event I was so taken by this story that I wandered back on to the computer to tell my Compassion friends on http://www.ourcompassion.org/
a social network for sponsors.  This story is one of sacrifice and is all about what live 58 is all about. This girl who was about ten years old kept lingering around the table looking at the profiles of kids from all around the world, some who were her own age. I started to ask her some questions and she told me that she had chosen a child but would need to ask her parents as they already sponsored some other children. She kept looking over this profile. You could tell she was probably praying over her hoping that her parents would say yes. After the service she came out and let me know that they were going to sponsor her and that she agreed to babysitting her siblings for free so they could afford the $41/month. They never used the excuse we already sponsor X number of children, we can't afford it. If only we all would think this way. I can give this up if it means a child will be released from poverty. Despite my down fall about not going online I still donated the cost of monthly internet to the cause that month. Fixing broken wells in Haiti to allow the Haitians clean drinking water with Living Waters International. About 2 years ago I was in Uganda with Samaritan's purse to construct water filters. While there I got extremely sick, I speculate that it may have been contact with contaminated water.I realized quickly that these people live with this everyday but they probably don't have the luxury of taking the day off. Not showing for work could mean losing their job and any income they would need to feed their family. They do not have the luxury of sick days. I couldn't imagine working in the condition I was in. I understand so fully now how important clean drinking water is. So I ask you today what is one thing you would give up to release a child from poverty or provide clean drinking water for a family?













Local water source in Kamwenge Uganda and little boy bringing home his water for the day

Month one

This is what I gave up for month number one:

I was shocked to find out that I spend about $50 a month on my delish

grande caramel macchiato. I didn't realize how much I missed my coffee. 

Every time I had a craving, I would think about the featured ministry. That month was  food relief  in Kenya for the drought that happened recently in the Horn of Africa. Think about it, I can give up this little sacrifice if it means someone can eat a meal for a day. They don't have the luxury of a treat. They are masking their hunger by eating dirt. Every time a pang hit me, I would pray for Kenya and the thousands of people dying of starvation and soon my craving would dissipate. It really was such a small sacrifice to help feed a person.

What would you give up

I have recently been challenged by two things. I have recently read the book called Radical. One of the challenges is to sacrifice something in order to give generously. The other is an online movement called live58.org. It's a call to the church based on Isaiah 58. It encourages us to give up personal sacrifices to free up our resources to give to those enslaved to poverty.

to loose the chains of injustice… to set the oppressed free… to share your food with the hungry…
to provide the poor wanderer with shelter… when you see the naked, to clothe them”

I am dedicating this blog to my sacrifices and to see us put an end to world poverty. Over the past 4 months I have given up something I would usually spend money on and donated to the featured ministry on live58.org.  I took a long look at my finances to see where I was spending my money. I then took an average over 6 months to help me determine what my donation will be. I will continue to do this for the next year and hopefully beyond. I want to feature the stuff I have given up and my journey through out the sacrifice. Hopefully to encourage others to do the same to end the horrible injustices of poverty and to promote some organizations that hold my heart.  Join me in this adventure, "What would you give up?"