Awareness

Sawubona! Hello in Siswati.
While I was staying in the "community" I had a conversation with a junior high aged young man. I asked him what he knew or had learned about America in school. This was his response: "The Eiffel Tower is there isn't it?" "Mexico and Australia?" He did know that New York City was in America and also commented on Celine Dion (she's from Canada isn't she?) and 50Cent. After talking to him I felt sad. I felt bad that 50Cent is who this young African man knows about. But then, after more thinking, I started to thing what we in the USA know about Africa. How informed are we? How small each of our world views can be whether we live in the US or in South Africa. How about this? Did you know that 6,000 children are orphaned each day (I believe that is in South Africa)? And that 30,000 children die each day? How about this? 94% of the evangelical church is not doing anything about orphans or widows- a biblical mandate to be caring for them. Or this...23% of children in Zambia are orphaned and by 2020 there will be an estimated 40 million orphans- the number of school children in the States. Aids/Hiv is a global crisis. I challenge you to pray about what God may want you to do about this. Also, if you haven't, take a few minutes to look at the Hands at Work website. www.handsatwork.org I am daily impressed and honored to be working with such an organization.
On a lighter note:
I just left my "house" because I was laying on my bed reading when I saw something moving out of the corner of my eye. That is never good. So I look to catch a 6-8 inch lizard/gecko type thing scurrying across our bedroom floor. Ish. I screamed for Laura and she came and we tried to chase it out the window but he didn't seem to know how to go up the wall. So, after he ran through Laura's drawer and disappeared we built him a ramp with shoes and a suitcase to try to assist him out the window:) Icky!!! I wish I knew he was out before I go to bed tonight:)