A Little Helps a Lot

Isaiah 3: 10 (NIV) Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.

Many families in rural areas of Uganda live in mud homes with tin roofs and dirt floors. Often, the adults work as farmers, either on their own property, or for someone else. So the children have to do many household chores including carrying clean water from sources far from their home. A typical meal might include corn, beans and bananas.

As is true the world over, the children also love to play. Since they have known no other lifestyle, they sing and dance, skip jump ropes, and draw pictures - that is, if they have paper on which to draw.

Picture a small child of six or seven walking a mile or more to get a bucket of water, and on the way back home almost half of the water splashes out of the bucket, leaving only enough to boil the corn and beans. This means the child must make another trip to the water source to obtain more water for washing dishes and maybe, enough to clean herself and her family. When she has finished this chore, she may be fortunate enough to attend school for half a day.

We who live in rich countries often cannot imagine those who are living in dire poverty in Uganda as well as many other countries. And sometimes we don’t want to think about it. If we have to look, we become uncomfortable. Feelings of guilt rise up within us. But we think, “What can I do? The problem is so big that anything I do won’t even be measurable.” So we do nothing. And because many other folks think and feel the same way, the poverty continues.

In my dreams, I think of one community coming together to care and provide for another community in a far country. We could change the world, one community at a time. But for now that’s only a dream.

Today, there are hundreds of non-profit organizations whose mission is to help these countries. So if we can’t draw a whole community together, maybe we can donate money or volunteer our time at a place like Feed My Starving Children. Or drop off a box of things we no longer use to a place like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. And, yes, many things become a lot when lots of people do a little. Maybe the little girl at the well won’t have to go so far. Maybe she’ll have a well in her own community.

I’m sorry if my posts sometimes sound preachy, but my passion is strong, and the Lord is leading me to tell the stories. May God bless you and hold you in God’s loving arms.