Eat an Elephant

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.

We have all heard this little quip before when we think about taking on a large task that seems insurmountable.  It is something that I think about a LOT, and something I will probably be writing about quite a bit.

I often get overwhelmed on many levels.

On the personal level, trying to keep up with the daily demands of my life in my roles as a  mother, wife, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, friend, etc.  Just trying to juggle the needs of all the people in my immediate circle can be overwhelming at times.  Heck, just trying to get the freaking laundry done can be a bit daunting. So, I take on these tasks "one bite at a time."

Then there is the local level, our city and our nation have a lot of needs right now.  The economy is still shaky, there are many in need.  There are a lot of political issues that really get me concerned about the future of our country, and therefore what we are leaving for the next generation. Healthcare, for one...the growing number of people relying on the government for assistance is another. I am concerned that there are so many in our backyard who rely on the government to meet their basic needs because they are not able to make ends meet on their own (for whatever reason).  Again, the best thing I can think to do about these issues is take them "one bite at a time." Sometimes this means all I can do is pray for the leaders of our city, state and nation.  Sometimes I voice my opinion, sometimes the best thing to do is show compassion to someone in need. But, rather than being overwhelmed, it is certainly better to do something.  This week at my church (schweitzerumc.org)  we are doing a food drive for our pantry. Our pantry serves MANY families in the local area, providing groceries and other support.  So, what do I need to do this week? Fill a bag with groceries and bring it back to church.  Not too hard.  But I tend to ask myself "Will this really make a difference?" I mean, like $25 worth of groceries...that isn't exactly going to end the hunger crisis in Springfield, MO, right?  Maybe I am not called to END anything, just called to try to take a little bite out of the elephant.

Ok, so then there is the global level.  This is actually why I was writing this blog tonight.  What can we do about the children of the world living in unimaginable poverty? There is some ugly stuff going on in the world right now, genocide, death by disease, starvation, etc.  This is such a big problem that I am often tempted to throw my hands up, overwhelmed, knowing that I can not really make a big difference no matter what I do.  That is true, very true.  I can't make much difference, and neither can you, if we are honest with ourselves.  However, maybe I can make a little bitty difference.  I would like to introduce Pwoje Espwa to you.  Most of you are already well-aware of the work Father Marc and his team do down in that village in Les Cayes, Haiti...but if you have no idea what I am talking about, I am about to give you the quickest explanation EVER.  Trust me, this is NOT the last you will hear of this if you keep reading my blog, I am just trying to make a little point.  I have many other things to say about this subject and will be doing so...believe me.

Anyway, short rundown is: my mom felt a call on her heart to go to Haiti.  At the time, she wasn't even 100% sure where Haiti was.  Well, lots of stuff happened and she got connected to Father Marc in Hope Village, or Pwoje Espwa located in Les Cayes.  This guy is an American Catholic priest who was in the US Military and happened upon Haiti and noticed the extreme poverty there, so he established basically an orphanage for boys, starting with 10ish boys in a home in town, and now he has established a fully functioning village housing both boys and girls in the 600 kids-range, which also educates in the 2,000's and feeds even more than that on a daily basis.  It is INSANE.  I am going there in December to see it for myself, but seeing as both my parents, my brother, sister-in-law, husband and many friends have been there...I would say I am already pretty sold out on the deal.

Now, I could write for hours on the mission of this place and how I think the design is the answer to the political and social issues that exist in Haiti...I could also tell you about the personal impact these children have had on the members of my family and therefore myself...I could talk about how it has changed our lives and our outlook on a LOT of different subjects.  But since I am talking about the "one bite at a time" thing.  I just want to tell you about something really cool that they are doing.

If you go to www.freethekids.org and click on the "Army of Angels" you can read about this venture in much  more eloquent detail than I could explain.  They have started a sponsorship program where you can walk alongside one of the amazing children at Espwa and for $30 a month, provide one aspect of their care.  For $150 per month you can provide for all 5 aspects of their care and essentially "adopt" one of the kiddos.  Well...when I got the info in the mail from them, I thought, "Heck yeah, I want to support a whole kid!" But the $150 seemed daunting to me, in addition to the support we already provide...so then I tabled the idea.  That was a little dumb, right?  So, anyway...my point is, our family is going to support the education of 1 child.  That will cost only $30 per month. Are you interested in joining us?  Check out the link, you can do it all online.  And that is how you eat an elephant.

By the way...if this particular cause is not up your alley, that is totally fine...we can't eat this elephant by all taking the SAME bite, obviously.  Find something that tugs at your heart, and start small.  That is really the point I am trying to make. If you want to find out more about Espwa, I would encourage you to just poke around on their website www.freethekids.org and see the amazing things they are doing down there.