Thursday, October 28, 2010

How far would you go?

I want to write about something I remember Pastor Shaun King saying (not exact quote, but the same idea) -

Suppose you find out that the children who live down the street are being abused terribly? 
Or they are starving... living out in the elements (maybe living in a pen in the back yard)? 

Would you be outraged? 
Would you want to save them? 
Would you have the police, child services, ANYBODY beating down the doors to save them?  
How many people would you tell until you those kids were safe, fed, and sheltered?

What if those kids weren't down the street?
Maybe they lived in a different area of town? 
Maybe they live in a different state?

What if they don't live in the US.  What if they live in Haiti or Africa?
How far away do those babies have to be - before you stop caring?
How far until it doesn't matter to you anymore?

I'd be willing to bet there are more than just a few of my Facebook / Twitter friends who have muted me because they don't want to see me post about Haiti or Africa AGAIN.

But there's still work that needs to be done.  Little kids are DYING of Cholera in an outbreak in Haiti because they don't have access to clean water.   These are kids that would running around on the playground with YOUR kids if they lived here.   

My friends in Africa have rescued two little boys, Yamikani and Ishmael.  The older boy, Yamikani has been tied up in a goat pen for TWELVE YEARS because he has some kind of condition that causes him to fall.  His little brother Ishmael was so anemic he needed a blood transfusion.  It was too late for the mother's other SEVEN children.

So I won't apologize for the content of my facebook posts and tweets.  To the tell the truth, I'm ashamed I don't do more.

If this touches a spot and you and you want to help.... THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT THIS!

If you want to help people in Haiti - Donate to http://www.fountainsofhope.org/
for more info (and how to donate from Canada) visit my friend Melissa's Blog .
UPDATE:  Melissa is at Northwest Haiti Chistian Mission working in a cholera clinic... things are bad and they are low on supplies.... if you see this please donate to http://www.mmrcglobal.org/ or http://www.nwhcm.com/

If you want to help Yamikani - Ishmael and other kids in Malawi- Donate to http://www.cohcommunity.org/
for more info visit the Circle of Hope Facebook page.


But for now this is the least I can do.
What will you do?