So Many Ways To Serve

Goodness - there is so much to do!!!! My head is spinning as I think about the great opportunities we have to be part of moving us closer to global justice. I've got some favorites. I could post my favorite baby toys, I could post my favorite ways to spend an evening with my honey, I could post the best quips of the past few days...and I will. But the following are my ideas for getting things done NOW.

There is this movement to dig wells in Liberia . The folks involved are seriously grass roots and AWESOME! And, if you are motivated, you can dance for water here. I love this project - and the heart beats that are driving this effort are inspired and true.

You all know I love supporting AHOPE. This is an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS and it is such a heart warming experience to sponsor an AHOPE child. We do - we love it. We visited AHOPE while in Ethiopia and we'll continue to pledge our support for these lovely children.

Heather has started a club to work on helping kids in Africa. She needs your help. Check this out - Heather is a cool mom and she's onto something with this club - and $7 goes a long way to make a difference. How much do you need those 2 mochas a month?

MSF is always a winner - and my checkbook is proof of this! If you want to hear a great piece listen to this - and think deeply about humanitarian aid in the 21st Century. We need to think about these issues collectively.

This guy is doing something great - he's about to leave the US army and head to Ethiopia to volunteer his time at AHOPE. Yep, I bought him a few "cups of coffee" for his room and board during his time in Ethiopia.

Of course, our family is personally sponsoring some young people in Ethiopia so they can attend school and pursue their dreams. You can read about these 4 kids in various posts on this blog. One of these days I'm going to organize a foundation to help kids in Ethiopia find sponsors and get educated. This is my dream plan and my dream job. I'm telling you, I'm going to do it.

Tonight Mr. Silly Pants, Blueberry and I went to a fundraiser for Clinic At A Time. A great local reggae band, Natty Nation, played and the founder's mom cooked amazing Ethiopian food for all of us. Clinic At A Time is a great local initiative by an Ethiopian woman who lives and works in our community. Her dream is to bring sustainable change, on clinic at a time, to medical facilities in Ethiopia. I love this organization - grass roots, local, no overhead, heart felt, and all Ethiopia all the time. Mulu, the founder, is a lovely and kind woman who is doing good because she feels it in her heart.

Who among us hasn't yet arrived in this place? Who among us who has adopted a wee one from Ethiopia doesn't get the need to be bigger, be better, be more present? Who among us hasn't considered the question, "What can I do? How can I make a difference?" Well, I just named a bunch of ways to do something today. Now, get to it!!

And, post a comment if you've like to add to this assortment of good ideas!