So, it's 6 Weeks out from travel and I am NO WHERE near having the money to go to Ethiopia. I'm working as hard as I can as fast as I can to make purses. I've sent out letters. I'm begging people to share my links. I'm handing out business cards. I'm carrying around some of my bags. A Scentsy Fundraiser. I'm doing everything I can think of to raise money. Some of it, I'm doing in my own strength. Some of it, I think is totally God. But when I think of all of the women who need this money more than I do, I just weep. I read a guest post last night on my friend Steffany's blog. It really made me stop and think. You can read that HERE.
This is what went swirling through my head. 1 in 11 women die in E. Africa due to pregnancy related causes. Those are just numbers to all of us. It's sad. It's in E. Africa. It's across the ocean. How does it affect me? As I sat sewing one of the bags last night, God showed me something. He showed me faces of 11 mamas that I personally know. He showed me Karla, Suzy, Steffany, Holly, Gwen, Julee, Monika, Lorraine, Amy, Deanna, and Jessica. He said,"Now, Laurie, all of these women have children. Some are young kiddos, some are older. What would happen to their child(ren) if ONE - you choose the ONE- died while giving birth to their youngest or only child? What if their husband wasn't around for some reason? What if a family member couldn't take that child in? What if that child had become an orphan the moment he/she came into this world? " I sat there and let this all mull around in my head. I sat there and thought (as I pricked my fingers over and over and over while drawing blood on some of those pricks) about each of those children. Between the 11 families I thought about there are approximately 50 kids. FIFTY!!!!! Fifty kids that wouldn't have a mama if these statistics were true here in the U.S. If each of these mamas were the one in 11. Would we take notice then? Would we be moved to action then? If it were your best gal pal- what would you do? Would you move heaven and earth to go and provide for her life to be saved so that SHE could raise her children? The answer for me has become a yes.
I want to go to Ethiopia. There is no doubt in that. I'm not going to lie and say anything different. I can't give you a clear answer as to why except that I do believe this is a TOTAL God thing. But what I want more is for these mamas to have sterile birthing kits. To have an ambulance that will take them from point A to point B in less than an hour instead of having to be hog tied to a branch and carried 5 hours to the nearest hospital in the hopes of saving mother and child. What I want is for mama to raise her babies.
No, I don't think this will solve the orphan crisis. I don't pretend to believe that at all. What I do believe is that we can do SOMETHING to help to not add 50 (or 25 million) more children to it. When you hear the men say,"Save our women" as what was told to Steffany, don't you think we should move into action? What can you do to help? One is to send me. If you don't want to purchase anything, I do have a donate button on the side bar. If you don't want to help me out, that's ok. If I'm suppose to go, I will go. HERE is a list of needs for BEMM. Would you consider donating to BEMM.org for any of the items listed or towards the ambulance that is needed to help save these mamas and their babies? Or (shameless plug here) HOW 'BOUT ALL THREE? =0)
BTW, I just put up two new bags this morning and will hopefully have one more by the end of the day. So, check back. There are still many scrabble tile necklaces available and if one has sold that you like and you don't see one like it available, send me a message and I might be able to get one made like it. Thanks for stopping by. For reading and thinking and praying about what it is God would have you do. Blessings for a beautifully God inspired day.
STWTHE,
Laurie
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