Ten buck challenge!

Ten bucks.

I spent that much on lunch yesterday. And then I spent that much on a shirt.

So, do I have another ten bucks to spare?

Yes. I do.

You probably do too. Especially when your lunch, shirt, 2gallons of gas…could help protect a child from Malaria. And it was super easy to do. I really encourage you to contribute to this…they deserve it! And, Anne is trying to get 50 nets in 50 hours. Easy right!? For you, it means 10 (or 30 if you can do 3 nets…and so on..) bucks…but for the world it ends up being 50 children protected. Just because one lady, who was changed by her experiences in Africa (which I totally relate to!) decided to step out and encourage her online pals to step out. She also has the code available for the banner…

So? Do you have 10bucks and 3 minutes?

Cookies and dirt don’t mix. Or, they shouldn’t.

We live in a country where any one of us can go eat a cookie whenever we want to. Most likely, this cookie will be a decadent and sweet treat…one of countless varieties on store shelves and in pastry cases. With the amount of money we make, we could probably purchase, let’s say, around 50 cookies in a day, and still afford real meals and gas etc.

Well, we’re freakin lucky here. Not because we should eat that many cookies in one day, but because there are parts of this world where having the freedom and resources to even eat a single meal each day is an unknown concept.

In Haiti, the food prices are soaring faster than our gas prices. These are people who live on, in most cases, less than $2 a day. That’s less than a Starbucks drink, and that’s their entire income for the day; and that money probably needs to be stretched further than we know ($2 for food, clothing, transport, water, housing, etc).

Because of this dire situation, many Haitians (and people living in other impoverished areas) have resorted to eating dirt.

Yes, dirt. Eating dirt.

There’s a problem here.

People are taking what little food resources they do have (a little butter or oil etc) and mixing it with dirt to make “cookies”. They do this so their stomachs dont ache as badly. People are eating dirt so their hunger pains are lessened. WHAT!? How did Haiti get like this? How are thousands of people all across the world in this same situation? When did people forget to look out for one another…to share what we’ve been given?

It’s a huge problem. It’s only one of the problems. It’s a heartbreaking issue. It’s God’s children neglecting eachother on so many levels. It’s overwhelming. It’s wrong.

It’s a chance for us to make a difference. It’s an opening for change in the way we all live, think and spend. It’s a reason for our hearts to grow.

So what can you and I do about it? How are we supposed to create any change?

Sponsor a child. From any country. There are hundreds and thousands of children who need sponsors. That translates into hundreds and thousands of families whose lives would improve by you helping one of their own. That leads to hundreds of thousands of communties that would begin to succeed and change. It isn’t only tangible support, but showing that you care enough about someone you’ve never met to give of yourself to see their lives improve. And it all starts with one. One decision made from heartbreak that will create hope. And hope spreads like wildfire.

Learn more about the issues in Haiti through Lori’s blog about the Rescue Center. You can donate to help them help the people of Haiti.

Pray. It does wonders. Pray for the country, the people, the government. Any country, any people, any government. We are all in need in our own ways.

Spread the word and show others how easy it is to make a difference. Use what you’ve been given.

Trust me, you’ve been given more than enough.