Good Morning, God!
Well, You woke me EARLY and with this photo in my heart/mind
— or whatever part You work with
A woman and child in Swaziland
The message that has been running around and around in my mind is THIS:
If you want to care for your children — then CARE FOR MINE.
And, I give you PRAISE, GOD, because everywhere I look — well at the churches I know and at Rotary clubs — people ARE working to do that. Here in Hawaii where Angel Network (helping the homeless) will have a booth at the new Farmer’s Market at Kaiser High. And Advocates for Africa’s Children, also in Honolulu, has a great new project with Africa Works to loan money to the CAREGIVERS of ORPHANS to set up and run a broiler chicken business. A One time investment of $3,000 launches ONE CAREGIVER on a path to economic self sufficiency. The image that has been coming to my heart, God, it that this is like PLANTING TREES in a barren ground — sort of an economic reforestation!
Africa Works has done this in Mozambique and now is partnering with Advocates for Africa’s Children (AFAC) in Swaziland. That’s the small, Hawaii size, country that has the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the WORLD!
And, YES GOD, it is like planting trees because you do have to water and prune and protect them. Twenty caregivers have been trained already. And Africa Works will help with technical advice and with built in savings. Running a business isn’t easy. But subsistence farming (sub subsistence with the 12 year drought) isn’t easy either. THIS PROVIDES HOPE.
Yes, God, $3,000 seems like a lot. But this is all about coming together in small groups of families members or friends to pool resources HERE to help ONE CAREGIVERS THERE. And, each group of givers will know the name of the caregiver being helped — and gets updates on her and the children she cares for.
I am sitting here smiling. Helping Your Children FEELS GOOD — It makes me JOYFUL!
Story teller,
A Moment with God 
Susan, my daughter, spent three years in mozambique as a doctor. She chose to work with mothers and babies. In third world countries many mothers think if they stop giving the child water, the diarrhea would stop. By the time many of the mothers got to Susan they were limp and unable to sit up anymore. Susan would feed the baby a bottle of water with salt and sugar in it. In about 45 minutes the baby would wake up and sit up. Susan teach the mother to boil the bottles and how much salt and sugar to put in a single bottle. She would then ask the mother to promise to train 10 other mothers.
Susan would drive around the country in this junk jeep going from clink to clink . Mom was a bit concerned but the worse thing is that Susan got malaria 12 times and was finally sent home. Her MD is in International medicine and she will not practice medicine in the United States.
Praise God for people like Susan!!!