I can't wait for the summer!!!! It's almost here!!! I will be spending my vaction traveling to Arizon and then to Taiwan with Athletic in Action. http://www.athletesinaction.org/
I went on a tour with them to South Africa and Zimbabwe in 2002 and it was an amazing, perspective changing experience. I am excited to be serving the Lord with this organization again.
I have been thinking a lot about people in impoverished nations lately. I know that is strange thing to say, but recently two families from my church adopted children from Liberia. I have learned a lot about Liberia and the civil war that they have gone through lately. I also read a book called "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier." http://www.alongwaygone.com/
Basically it's this guy's story about how the civil war in Seire Leone affected his life, how he got sucked into the military, how they got him addicted to cocaine, etc.. He was only 11-13 or so when all this was going on. Then when I finished the book I read his bio in the cover jacket of the book, and realized that he was less than a year older than me.
Then recently I met up with my friend Kerstin while I was in Baltimore for the NCAA tournament. Kerstin works for a organization called World Relief and was about to go on a trip to Haiti. I had learned about Haiti and all the economic issues that they face regularly in high school but hadn't heard much about Haiti since then. Kerstin basically is a photographer for World Relief so she documents what their organization is doing in different parts of the world. SO while Kerstin was in Haiti I saw this thing on CNN about Port Au Prince and how the people in Haiti have no food because all their food has to be imported and it's so expensive. I started watching it because I thought, wait a minute, Kerstin is there right now. They were interviewing these people about how they eat "dirt cookies" which are basically dirt and water and butter, because that is all they can afford. THey were interviewing (CNN was) some healthcare workers about how the dirt doesn't get digested and sits in these peoples stomachs and we'll just say it doesn't turn out so good.
All this is to say, I didn't choose to be born into the life of privledge I was, Ishmeal Beah didn't choose to be born in Seirre Leone. It is only by the Grace of God that I have been blessed with the life I have. There are things that I can do to help people in Liberia, and Sierre Leone, and Haiti, and I should do those things. I also need to remember, and remind others that we are not owed anything in this life. What is the old saying? There but for the Grace of God go I? It's true, so today I want to live a life of gratitude, for all that have, most importantly my salvation, and that God has saved me from a lot of hurts and pains, and seeming hopelessness that some many others have not been spared from in this life time.
