2020 you sure have been something. Frankly, I have been having a real hard time keeping up. Bob Dylan said it best back in 1964 :
"The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'
Basically, WHAT IN THE ACTUAL (Insert whatever word you deem appropriate)
Dylan wrote that song and frustrated youth flocked to it because it pretty much summed up the feelings of those at the time of the Civil Rights movement. However, the difference between the hippies of that time and the CHAZ peeps today, is they had a more peaceful and "make love not war" theme to their movement.
The times, yeah, they may be a changin....but that's nothing new. Life is constantly in motion and nothing is ever the same. Change can bring good and change can bring bad, but no matter what, change is change.
One major change over the past decade has been the abundance of social media. I remember when Facebook first came out. I was one of the first of my friends to get it (naturally, as social butterfly was my "spirit animal.") Having inattentive ADHD, i can easily get hyper fixated on certain things and social media is definitely one of those "things." Social media can bring out so many wonderful things. Social media can also be toxic. Riding the roller coaster of wonderful and toxic can be wonderful and seconds later, it can be just plain exhausting!
I love this GIF by the way. It totally makes me think of my best friend and I in oh say, 40 years. lol. HAHAHA!
Anyway, social media has definitely brought me it's share of tears, adrenaline, anger and fear. However, social media has also brought me some of the most amazing blessings a human soul could ever receive.
A little over a month ago, a young man from Uganda showed up on my Facebook feed as a "suggested" friend. I realized we had about 8 or so friends in common, one of them being my college nephew who attends the WELS Lutheran college I and my husband both attended. I thought maybe this man had done some studying or possibly even graduated from Martin Luther College. Being the intrigued social little butterfly I am, I reached out in curiosity asking him how he knew my nephew. Long story short, this young man Abel and his brother were orphans themselves when they were children. They became Christians and showing love to their Savior, believed their calling in life was to take care of orphans today who were left from parents who had died from the AIDS virus. Uganda is one of the most impoverished nations in Africa and the only hope for these orphans is the good will of others and an education.
This is Daniel and three of the current orphans they are taking care of.. As of of this writing they have thirteen precious little children in their two room rented home. These men face time with me and bring all the children in on the calls. The children are happy, healthy, and frankly better behaved than any children I see here in the states! Daniel does not have the best health, yet he puts his heart and soul into raising these children, feeding their bodies with food and their souls with God's word. It truly wells my eyes up with tears every time I see these pictures and talk with these children.
I am currently heading a Go Fund Me fundraiser, so we can make their dream come true of building a small school to educate about 30 children at one time.
The cost?
$30,000 USD.
Can you even believe that? How many of us have a car, or a boat that is worth $30,000? Yet, that money will buy the land and build the school to bring these children hope of having a better life. Having any life. In 2009, the average lifespan of an Ugandan citizen was 49 years old for men and 51 years old for women. That number has gone up in the last few years some which is wonderful, but we can do better! We can do better because they are God's children and it is our command to help the poor, the fatherless, the widows and the orphans. As of 2016, the five leading causes of death in Uganda included communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS,tuberculosis,malaria, respiratory tract infections, and diarrheal diseases.
Ever since I was a small child, I was fascinated with Africa. I wanted to be a missionary there. Then life happened, I grew up, i dealt with health issues, had kids, had more health issues....and well, it just hasn't been God's plan, yet. It may never be part of God's plan for me to physically go there, I don't know. But one thing I DO now . This plan? This plan to build a school for my sweet family in Uganda, is where I know God wants me. My heart had been so heavy with the times and their changes, and then God whispered, "Uganda," and here I am.
In less than just 2 weeks, we have raised almost $8,000. Today , I received a phone call that may possibly make this school's fruition come to play MUCH sooner than I EVER could have imagined. GOD IS ALWAYS SO GOOD!
I know we are not all financially able to help in the same way. Sometimes, we are financially unable at all. But could i ask you just one thing? Could you please , find it in your heart to share my blog and this fundraiser with all of your friends and family? These little precious babes call me "miss sara" and "mama sara." I love them and I know they love me. We are hope to them. They love Jesus and I know they will be with Jesus in Heaven. But life is hard. Life is so very, very hard with sin alone. Can we find it in our compassion to give these children a chance to also use their God given talents? I would be beyond grateful, my friends.
If you want to read more about this small organization please visit: www.hopeforaidsorphans.org
If you are able to donate and/or share our fundraiser on your social media platforms, well, I'd give you a big 'ole fat warm chocolate chip cookie if I could!!! :)
The link below will take you to our fundraiser. I appreciate, with all of my heart, any attention you can give to this mission.
Let's build these blessings a school!!
James 2:15-16
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”
James 1:27
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Hosea 14:3
“For in You the fatherless find compassion.”
Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”
Psalm 82:3
“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.”
Deuteronomy 10:18
“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”
John 14:18
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
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