Love is all you need

Love this video, thought I would share. Feel free to pass it on.

(oh, and pause the music at the bottom first.)

11th Day of Thanks&Giving - Health

Just to clarify, no, this is not the same as being thankful for "Access to medical care". Colton has had a fever today, no other symptoms, just a raging fever, and it reminded me of an experience I had in Uganda. I haven't posted it yet, because there was just SO much about that day that I wanted to share and I didn't really know how to do it. It is impossible for me to categorize it as a certain type of day - it was new, awe-inspiring, humbling, funny, awkard, enlightening, amazing, educational, and . . . I can't quite describe the very part I want to tell you about. I am going to give you the shortened version of the day to give you the crux of what I want to highlight today:

A group of six of us traveled about 2 1/2 hrs out to a remote village on Lake Victoria to spend the day teaching and discussing needs. We had to hire a private taxi to take as out there, as there is no public transportation that goes anywhere near (probably because there are no real roads). We were welcomed with open arms - singing, food, grand introductions. They also took us for a ride in one of their fishing boats. The whole community had gathered to share the day with us and to hear what we came to teach. As they prepared the food, we were escorted on a brief walk through the village and to one of the two "schools" (pictured here). Though I REALLY want to tell more details about that visit, I will stick to the story. On our way, we were made aware of a very sick little boy who they thought was finally at the stage where he really should be taken to the clinic. We were glad that we were there and gladly used our phone to call our driver back. After visiting the school, we made our way back to the "community center" (benches under some huge shade trees) where we would eat and teach our classes. Before we began, one of the community leaders announced that our proceedings would be stopped because it seems that the little boy had just passed away. I was dumbfounded, I didn't know what to say or how to respond. Then from where we were, we could here the mother crying, wailing for her lost son. We were informed that the custom is for anyone of stature in the community to go in and to "say sorry" (in Lugandan, of course) to the mother. And they wanted us to go.

This is the hut, which I had taken a picture of on our first walk through the community, before I knew we would be returning to pay our condolences. As we arrived, of course the mother was still crying, and I was very apprehensive, to say the least. As I took the first step into the one-room, dirt-floored hut, I could no longer contain my emotion. I cried along with her and her mother for this little boy who was the same size as Colton, though probably older, laying on the dirt floor with ragged clothes and a scarf tied around his chin. I came out and wept some more. Malaria, as it turns out - totally and completely preventable.

I can spout off statistics all day long about the number of people living in poverty, the number of AIDS orphans, and the number of children that die every day from preventable diseases, but NEVER had I experienced it like this. Though I have seen poverty in many different countries and have worked with these people in all facets to improve their lives, I have never had it go straight through me like this dagger did. The sorrow I felt for this mother and still feel every time I think of this experience, is overwhelming. I cannot begin to describe all the feelings - I am sad for the lost life, angry that this has to happen, embarrased that I live so well comparatively and that at the same time it reminds me of what I have. I am so grateful.

Many, many times, in the quiet of the night, or when my children are ill and listless like today - I hold them tight and think of how lucky I am to have them, that they are healthy, able to grow and develop without any sort of hinderance. I am so blessed!

Luke 12: 48 - "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required."

I have been given much, and I hope I can fulfill whatever calling God has in store for me.

I don't think I need to add anything more to this story, but just know that there are many, many organizations out there (click here for one example) that are fighting for life, battling preventable diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, polio, and HIV/AIDS. I happy to be a part of it.

8th Day of Thanks&Giving - Modern Conveniences

I have been reading my grandma and great-grandma's journals and I recently read a book that was set in 1906, and it got me thinking about all the things that make my life SO much easier. Honestly, how did they survive? . . . computers, phones, Internet (how else would I be able to tell you all the details of my life?), stove/oven, washer & dryer, microwave, refridgerator, disposable diapers, vacuum, dishwasher, power tools, digital cameras, video camera, printer, copy machines (I actually have an old activity book that says "get a blank paper and trace this picture" - can you imagine?), flushing toilets, furnace, fast food, mass transit, airplanes!, batteries, electricity, and on and on. There are so many things that my great-grandma, who is 100 yrs old, didn't have growing up or when she was raising her children. Although it could be argued that some of these things have bogged us down, made us lose touch with our families, or made us not rely on each other like we should, I am still EXTREMELY grateful for how they have improved my life.

I did a post already this year where I highlighted the work that HELP International does in building adobe stoves in less developed countries (click here), you should read this to understand some of the reasons why this is SO needed. Can you imagine having to cook ALL of your meals over an open fire - inside a hut, while caring for your children? That also means that you or your kids must collect wood, or some other type of fuel, and cut it EVERYDAY. I think of all the development projects I have done, this is definitely one of my favorites. Mostly because it has the most immediate short-term and long term effects on so many different areas. It improves health, saves money and time, and it is so cheap and simple!

There are many, many other organizations building all different versions of these "fuel efficient stoves" throughout the world. This is because the same thing is seen in impoverished countries around the globe - poor health from smoke inhalation, burn accidents, malnutrition, deforestation; the list goes on and on. To help you understand, here is a story from one such organization called Mercy Corps:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo, for short) has suffered from years of conflict. A recent escalation left hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) living in large, barely habitable, camps. In the three territories where Mercy Corps operates — Goma, Rutshuru and Masisi — there were more than 850,000 displaced people living in thirteen sprawling IDP camps by the end of 2008. These camps were all located on the border of Virunga National Park, one the most threatened World Heritage Sites in the world. Not only is the park a bio-diversity hotspot but it is home to the last vestiges of the mountain gorilla. The Park was already under severe pressure from local population growth before the IDPs arrived.

When displaced families use traditional food preparation techniques, which typically consist of an open cooking fire, the daily firewood needs for each IDP household amounts to seven kilograms of wood per day. For the total displaced population in the area, this translated to a total daily need of over 900 tons of wood every day.

The fuel needs for these cooking fires was not only causing severe deforestation in the National Park but the collection of fuel wood in unstable areas was placing women at risk of rape and murder by some of the remaining rebel soldiers.

Thanks to funding received for this project, Mercy Corps has been able to construct 20,000 fuel efficient stoves for IDP families. The introduction of these stoves, together with training in improved food preparation techniques, has had a dramatic effect. Not only has firewood consumption been reduced by around 50 percent, but the use of the stoves has improved the security and health of women and their children. It has also reduced CO2 emissions by an estimated 24,000 tons to date.

Some of the IDPs are now beginning to return home. Many are intending to construct fuel efficient stoves in their home villages and Mercy Corps will be providing ongoing support in this transitional period.

Check out these other links if you are interested in learning more:
Darfur Cookstoves
CHF International
Stove Team International
Escorts Foundation
Lorena Stove powerpoint - this is a really good informative description of how this type works and why they are important

6th Day of Thanks&Giving - Food

Yes, I love it. All kinds. My favorites: Mexican, Thai, Indian, and good old southern home cookin'. I think my brother and I were the only ones in elementary school that liked the fried okra - and rather than be embarrased for actually wanting to eat, I would use the ploy "dare me to eat this stuff?" Oh, and I love most things with chocolate. But before I get sidetracked, I am THANKFUL that I have enough, that I can choose what I eat, that I don't have to worry where my next meal is coming from, that my children are well nourished, that I don't have to put them to bed hungry, and that if by some small chance, I didn't have enough food - I have a huge network of support from which I could find something to eat.

Unless you've been raised in a bubble, you know that there are people all over the world (including our own country) that do not have enough food or clean water. This is just one organization that is doing a myriad of things in just one village to improve the outlook for those who live there. They are literally saving lives. Click here to be inspired and see what's happening for some of the world's poor. More on Village of Hope here.

5th Day of Thanks&Giving - Government Infrastructure

As much as people complain and fight against it, I am thankful that we have this:
And, yes, this:To protect us from this:

And this:
And this: click here for more

According to the british organization Oxfam, hundreds of thousands of Somali refugees are jammed into camps that are "barely fit for humans," with poor sanitation and little access to water and medicine. The camps are in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

More than half of the Somali population—3.8 million people—need humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

The Dadaab complex in Kenya—the largest refugee camp in the world—is home to more than 280,000 people in an area meant to hold 90,000. Oxfam said that in the Somali town of Afgoye near the bullet-scarred capital, 485,000 people are taking shelter on a 9-mile strip of land.

The UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency, is just one of many organizations that is providing protection and assistance to those forced to leave their homes because of violence, famine, or other causes. Read Hodan Mawlid's story here. And she is just one of millions.

2nd Day of Thanks&Giving - My Boys

I am so lucky to be the mother of three awesome boys. I am thankful that they a healthy, safe, growing, learning, loved, and that they are able to just be boys! They have helped me to grow and become a better person. They make me laugh (and sometimes cry) everyday. I love teaching them and seeing them develop as people. So many times I have sat in the dark at night holding them and thinking how blessed I am to have them safe in my arms and to be able to care for them. I love my boys and I LOVE being mother!

According to Amnesty International, approximately 250,000 children are fighting in armed conflicts around the world, and hundreds of thousands more are members of armed forces that could be sent into combat at any time. Recruitment of these child soldiers starts at age 10, although younger ages have been recorded. Easily coerced, they are forced to commit grave atrocities - much of it beyond our naive comprehension.

Although some change is happening in Uganda, there are many countries in Africa and elsewhere where this is still occurring and causing many children, even those who have not been abducted or "recruited", to live in fear. I'm glad that there are people working for the rights of these child soldiers and working to help them regain their lives.

Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom.

1st Day of Thanks&Giving - Access to Medical Care

And so begins The 12 Days of Thanksgiving . . . as we countdown the days until our one day a year of allowed supreme gluttony, I will join the many others who have been posting all the things they are thankful for. Also, since this time of year seems to remind us to give, I will share stories of people giving to those in need to make you even more grateful (hopefully) for the all the blessings we may sometimes take for granted.

I am thankful for the great medical care that is availiable to us in this country. Aside from whatever Obama or and politicians decide, there is no doubt in my mind that I am blessed just to be in this country. I am thankful that when my child is sick, I can take them to the doctor, they will be given medication that will, usually, be covered by my insurance, and I can bring them back to their nice cozy home where they will recover. I am thankful that we can recieve vaccinations for diseases that should have been irradicated long ago, but are still killing children in the developing world. (maybe one day I will get through my tears enough to post my story about my experience with malaria this summer in Uganda). I am thankful for emergency care and the comfort I have to know that I can dial three numbers and someone will rush to my aid without question. Mostly, I am SO thankful that when I am pregnant and when I deliver my children, or have them surgically removed, that I have access to a clean hospital and to educated medical personnel that I can trust.

Medical services in a developing country are far from adequate. Most of us are ignorant to the complications that can come from going through childbirth in unfathomable circumstances of poverty. Have you heard of fistula? While it sounds selfish to say that I am glad this is no longer a problem in the United States, I am also glad to know that someone is changing women's lives in countries that aren't so lucky. You need to watch this (at least part one).

If you want to see more, check out this documentary A Walk to Beautiful.

The Faces of Africa

So what's it like over there?

Green and beautiful . . .

A place to call home . . .

Micro-entrepreneurship at it's best . . .

Market Street . . .

Just doing life . . .

Weird, creepy crane things that liked to hang around town . . .

Does that answer your question? And yes, there is lots more to come.