connections

The whole blog world is kind of new to me. It's becoming rapidly apparent, however, that I'm not alone in all this. People I have never met and will probably never lay eyes on are reading these stories, praying for my kids and wanting to have a part in this. I never imagined when I typed out my first post that people all around the world would care to read the things I'm writing. I couldn't be happier to be wrong.

I get all kinds of random comments these days, people popping by to let me know they were linked from Radical Womanhood or 6YearMed or some other site that I've either never heard of or have been reading for months. Recently, a lot of comments and e-mails have been people wanting to help. The thing is, I know how it feels, to be sitting in a room in North America, wanting so desperately to find a way to counteract all the meaningless stuff in my life. Wishing I could be somewhere else. Wishing I could do more than just sit and wish.

I haven't done this before, sending out a mass call to action, but I think it's time. So if you want to help out, whether it's with money to support someone like Marion to go to school, or packages of love for the kids on the wards, this is your chance. I'm not sure what to do about the people who have written to me offering me money for Marion's schooling. Truth is, I'm not sure if it's going to work out for me to keep sending her the money. Only time will tell, and I wouldn't feel right taking money if I'm not sure it'll get to her. I'll keep you posted on that one when I figure out what to do. (Suggestions are welcome.)

I did, however, speak with our ward supervisor to get a list of some things we still need on the wards, and I'm going to chat to the Mercy Ministries coordinator, the woman who brings teams to local orphanages and such, to see what she needs for next year. If you're serious about this, e-mail me and let me know what you want to do, and I'll let you know how to go about it. I can send you lists of supplies and an address where you can send boxes to be loaded onto a container and sent to us once the ship reaches Benin early next year.

Its easy for me to sit here and understand why these kids need to be loved on. All it takes is one shy smile, one pair of scrawny arms reaching up to be held, and my heart explodes in my chest. But you? You are oceans away and have never felt the weight of one of these small ones on your lap, and yet you want to love them. I've said it before; it's strangers like you who give me hope.