Love Without Boundaries won the Facebook Challenge!!!! Thank you to everyone who contributed to this wonderful organization. Now, in addition to the funds donated by folks like you, Facebook has awarded LWB $50,000 to help the precious orphans of China. $50,000!!! But it is so much more than money. It's lives that will be forever changed.
From Amy Eldridge of Love Without Boundaries:
Has everyone come down to earth yet? What an AMAZING final day of the Facebook contest. Did anyone else hit the “refresh” button every 2 seconds today?
My family was heading to Texas today, but there was no way we could pull away until the final tally was in. Our hearts were pounding as it came down to the last minutes and when it ended…there were screams of happiness and tears of joy, and such unbelievable gratitude for everyone who helped.
Tonight while we were at a rest stop in Antlers, Oklahoma (isn‘t that a great town name?)….the ending of “It’s a Wonderful Life” just washed over me. You know the scene…when George thinks he is going to jail and the police are there, but then his front door opens and the entire town has come to his home to donate all their dollars in order to help a friend. That is exactly what we saw in the last 24 hours for ten orphaned babies in China….the “whole town” coming out to tell them how important they are to this world. We were absolutely overwhelmed by the kindness of our friends.
Today I heard of a college student whose niece was adopted from China, going door to door in her dorm and convincing over 200 people to help our cause. I learned of an ICU night nurse who recruited hospital staff, of men who called meetings at work and then convinced their co-workers to join Facebook. I heard of sororities and fraternities signing up friends, of grandparents emailing everyone they knew, of moms driving to Starbucks to convince the people sipping coffee there that they needed to give. I had message after message from friends who said they had taken the day off of work so that they could man the phones for the kids and find new donors. And in our adoption community, truly the entire town was there helping today. Adoption agencies, bloggers, yahoogroups, and even other charities working with orphans…all sending notes and letters asking their supporters to donate today, because we all share the same belief that orphaned children matter. It was so humbling to watch it unfold. The last 24 hours have shown that we are ONE COMMUNITY, tied together with love for the children.
And so from all of us at LWB, to all of our friends who helped make this possible….THANK YOU so sincerely. We all know who the real winners were today…..the beautiful children who will now have a second chance at life. What a story they will someday be told, of how “the whole town” came out to change their futures. For us, the Facebook contest has ended, but for Cong, Ying, Shan, Yun, Yu, Xiang, Ya, Zi, Hua, Ling and more…..their story of HOPE has just begun.
Amy
Friday, February 1, 2008
Disastrous Weather Affects Orphans, Too
The following comes from Half the Sky, an organization providing nurture and education for hundreds of Chinese orphans. Please take a minute to read this latest need, caused by the unexpected winter weather and donate if you are able.
February 1st, 2008
Welfare institutions in south and central China are having the hardest time dealing with the weather disaster. This part of the country is simply not equipped to deal with extreme cold or heavy snow and ice. The most common critical problems are power outages, lack of safe drinking and cooking water, lack of fuel, diapers and public transportation. In many places where buses have stopped running, our Half the Sky nannies have been walking hours (in one case, 4 hours) along icy roads to get to the children. As conditions worsen, our nannies and teachers are remaining at the institutions day and night. They have given up the idea of going home to their own families for the holidays. They need quilts. They need warm clothing. They need coal, water, disposable diapers and food. Here are the reports I have thus far, while in-flight. I will send more soon. Where you don’t see a report, either all is well or I don’t yet have information. I will tell you when we’ve heard from everyone. We’ve also given all the directors an emergency number to call when/if the situation changes.
Hunan Province – Chenzhou has had no electricity or water for six days. They are relying on coal for heat and cooking. The supermarkets and banks are closed. Staff is using personal money for baby food, diapers, coal and water. Costs are rising due to shortages. They have a natural well which, thankfully, is not frozen. Even the older children are helping to fetch water. They have perhaps six days of food remaining. The local government is overwhelmed by the disaster and is unable to help much.
Shaoyang has seen heavy snow every day for 20 days. There is sufficient water and, for the moment, there is power, so the children are warm. However, 5 of 6 power poles have been downed by weather. Only one stands and the institution fears it will fall as well, leaving them without electricity. Much of the rest of the city is already dark. Children and caregivers continue to work and play together. High school students are cramming for exams and trying to ignore the cold. Everyone prays that the power pole will continue to stand. Yueyang also has no electricity. The one functioning power generator is being used in the children’s dormitory. They are relying on coal heat but the price has tripled in recent days. They are running out of food and have applied to the local Bureau of Civil Affairs for funds to buy more. Our HTS nannies have been walking for hours to get to work, often slipping on the ice, “even though they try to be cautious.”
Xiangtan has had snow for the past 10 days. The main water pipe is “broken again.” There is no water for cooking right now but they do have electricity, coal and blankets. They are still able to buy food but prices have gone way up. Not all of the HTS nannies can get to work every day. They are keeping the programs going as well as they can and make sure that at least five nurturing nannies are there with the babies every day, along with the institution’s caregivers. Jiangsu Province – Changzhou has seen some heavy snows but the director reports that the children are fine. The director says that he’s doing his best to ensure that the children do not suffer. Public transportation is crippled by the snow and HTS nannies and teachers are waiting for hours to catch a bus for home or even walking home in the snowy dark.
Nanjing reports no problems at all despite the heavy snows. I tried to fly into Nanjing yesterday but it was not possible. Anhui Province -
Chuzhou has both water and power. Only public transportation has failed. HTS nannies and teachers are walking to work. They are leaving home extra early to be there for the children. Guangxi Province –
Guilin has two broken HTS heater/air conditioners in the Infant Nurture rooms and they’ve asked us to replace. The rooms are very, very cold. They ask for more soft matting for the floors and also snow boots for our HTS nannies who’ve been slipping and falling in the ice and snow as they come to work. They are so ill-equipped to handle severe weather. Jiangxi Province –
Fuzhou lost power for a few days but now it is back to normal. The snow stopped a couple of days ago but now is falling again. The directors and HTS staff have gathered all the children into one big room to keep them warm. They’ve bought New Years clothes for the children and will have a party no matter how bad the weather. This year, however, the foster parents will stay home to keep the children safe. The institution has enough food and water. They want us to focus on those in more serious trouble and ask us please not to worry. Jiujiang says they’ve never faced such bitter weather. They desperately need disposable diapers. Washable diapers cannot be dried. They need warm clothes, shoes, gloves hats quilts and warm mats for the floors. They need medicine for infant coughs and colds.
Hubei Province – Wuhan suffers heavy snows but they still have power. Heaters are working but there is no water for bathing. The local community has offered to take children in for the Chinese New Year and the institution feels this may be the best decision to keep them safe.
Huangshi reports that the freeze is so severe that all heater/air conditioners have stopped functioning. They need quilts and warm clothes for the children. They need disposable diapers. Several HTS nannies have fallen on the ice on their way to work and they need medicine to treat cuts and bruises. Gathering these reports together makes me think about how careful we have always been at Half the Sky to maintain our focus on nurture and education programs. Ours is not a medical or relief organization. There are many wonderful groups who do that work. Probably the primary reason we’ve been able to accomplish so much and reach so many children is because we’ve maintained our focus on our core mission — providing nurturing care for children who’ve lost their families..
But a moment like this really cannot be ignored. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in the US taught us that no matter how wealthy a country might be, its vulnerable citizens (old, poor, ill, and orphaned children) are the ones who suffer most when disaster strikes. Even as China seems to be entering the first world, a disaster like this is quite simply crippling. We know that orphaned children will be among those who suffer the damage most. I say this because I think we should break one of Half the Sky’s rules and, if there are sufficient funds raised in the Little Mouse Emergency Fund, we should offer relief (water, food, diapers, quilts, clothing) to any orphanage where children need help. Let’s see how this goes. If people are as generous as I think they might be, we will work with the provincial Bureaus of Civil Affairs in every hard-hit community, and offer assistance to all welfare institutions where there is need.
Please lend a hand, however you can. You can donate to the Little Mouse Emergency Fund by calling us in the US at +1-510-525-3377 or in Asia at +852- 2520-5266 or by clicking on “Donate Now” or download a form to mail or fax. Donations are tax-deductible in US, Canada and Hong Kong. Please forward this message and tell your friends and family. I will be back with an update very, very soon.
February 1st, 2008
Welfare institutions in south and central China are having the hardest time dealing with the weather disaster. This part of the country is simply not equipped to deal with extreme cold or heavy snow and ice. The most common critical problems are power outages, lack of safe drinking and cooking water, lack of fuel, diapers and public transportation. In many places where buses have stopped running, our Half the Sky nannies have been walking hours (in one case, 4 hours) along icy roads to get to the children. As conditions worsen, our nannies and teachers are remaining at the institutions day and night. They have given up the idea of going home to their own families for the holidays. They need quilts. They need warm clothing. They need coal, water, disposable diapers and food. Here are the reports I have thus far, while in-flight. I will send more soon. Where you don’t see a report, either all is well or I don’t yet have information. I will tell you when we’ve heard from everyone. We’ve also given all the directors an emergency number to call when/if the situation changes.
Hunan Province – Chenzhou has had no electricity or water for six days. They are relying on coal for heat and cooking. The supermarkets and banks are closed. Staff is using personal money for baby food, diapers, coal and water. Costs are rising due to shortages. They have a natural well which, thankfully, is not frozen. Even the older children are helping to fetch water. They have perhaps six days of food remaining. The local government is overwhelmed by the disaster and is unable to help much.
Shaoyang has seen heavy snow every day for 20 days. There is sufficient water and, for the moment, there is power, so the children are warm. However, 5 of 6 power poles have been downed by weather. Only one stands and the institution fears it will fall as well, leaving them without electricity. Much of the rest of the city is already dark. Children and caregivers continue to work and play together. High school students are cramming for exams and trying to ignore the cold. Everyone prays that the power pole will continue to stand. Yueyang also has no electricity. The one functioning power generator is being used in the children’s dormitory. They are relying on coal heat but the price has tripled in recent days. They are running out of food and have applied to the local Bureau of Civil Affairs for funds to buy more. Our HTS nannies have been walking for hours to get to work, often slipping on the ice, “even though they try to be cautious.”
Xiangtan has had snow for the past 10 days. The main water pipe is “broken again.” There is no water for cooking right now but they do have electricity, coal and blankets. They are still able to buy food but prices have gone way up. Not all of the HTS nannies can get to work every day. They are keeping the programs going as well as they can and make sure that at least five nurturing nannies are there with the babies every day, along with the institution’s caregivers. Jiangsu Province – Changzhou has seen some heavy snows but the director reports that the children are fine. The director says that he’s doing his best to ensure that the children do not suffer. Public transportation is crippled by the snow and HTS nannies and teachers are waiting for hours to catch a bus for home or even walking home in the snowy dark.
Nanjing reports no problems at all despite the heavy snows. I tried to fly into Nanjing yesterday but it was not possible. Anhui Province -
Chuzhou has both water and power. Only public transportation has failed. HTS nannies and teachers are walking to work. They are leaving home extra early to be there for the children. Guangxi Province –
Guilin has two broken HTS heater/air conditioners in the Infant Nurture rooms and they’ve asked us to replace. The rooms are very, very cold. They ask for more soft matting for the floors and also snow boots for our HTS nannies who’ve been slipping and falling in the ice and snow as they come to work. They are so ill-equipped to handle severe weather. Jiangxi Province –
Fuzhou lost power for a few days but now it is back to normal. The snow stopped a couple of days ago but now is falling again. The directors and HTS staff have gathered all the children into one big room to keep them warm. They’ve bought New Years clothes for the children and will have a party no matter how bad the weather. This year, however, the foster parents will stay home to keep the children safe. The institution has enough food and water. They want us to focus on those in more serious trouble and ask us please not to worry. Jiujiang says they’ve never faced such bitter weather. They desperately need disposable diapers. Washable diapers cannot be dried. They need warm clothes, shoes, gloves hats quilts and warm mats for the floors. They need medicine for infant coughs and colds.
Hubei Province – Wuhan suffers heavy snows but they still have power. Heaters are working but there is no water for bathing. The local community has offered to take children in for the Chinese New Year and the institution feels this may be the best decision to keep them safe.
Huangshi reports that the freeze is so severe that all heater/air conditioners have stopped functioning. They need quilts and warm clothes for the children. They need disposable diapers. Several HTS nannies have fallen on the ice on their way to work and they need medicine to treat cuts and bruises. Gathering these reports together makes me think about how careful we have always been at Half the Sky to maintain our focus on nurture and education programs. Ours is not a medical or relief organization. There are many wonderful groups who do that work. Probably the primary reason we’ve been able to accomplish so much and reach so many children is because we’ve maintained our focus on our core mission — providing nurturing care for children who’ve lost their families..
But a moment like this really cannot be ignored. The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in the US taught us that no matter how wealthy a country might be, its vulnerable citizens (old, poor, ill, and orphaned children) are the ones who suffer most when disaster strikes. Even as China seems to be entering the first world, a disaster like this is quite simply crippling. We know that orphaned children will be among those who suffer the damage most. I say this because I think we should break one of Half the Sky’s rules and, if there are sufficient funds raised in the Little Mouse Emergency Fund, we should offer relief (water, food, diapers, quilts, clothing) to any orphanage where children need help. Let’s see how this goes. If people are as generous as I think they might be, we will work with the provincial Bureaus of Civil Affairs in every hard-hit community, and offer assistance to all welfare institutions where there is need.
Please lend a hand, however you can. You can donate to the Little Mouse Emergency Fund by calling us in the US at +1-510-525-3377 or in Asia at +852- 2520-5266 or by clicking on “Donate Now” or download a form to mail or fax. Donations are tax-deductible in US, Canada and Hong Kong. Please forward this message and tell your friends and family. I will be back with an update very, very soon.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Urgent Plea - Change a Life for $10!
Love Without Boundaries has been participating in the Facebook challenge for the past 49 days and the competition ends tomorrow at noon. The organization with the most unique donors of a minimum $10 donation by noon will win $50,000 for their charity!
LWB does amazing work in providing surgeries, nutrition, foster care, and education for China's orphans. I spoke of two volunteers I met while at Hope Healing Home in China on my other blog, GO NEAR. I've copied Amy Eldridge's post from Facebook, taking the liberty in this instant since the deadline is fast approaching. As of right now, LWB is just 47 donors behind, standing in second place.
My message is a bit long today but I hope you will read it to the end. We have just 24 hours left in the Giving Challenge contest on Facebook. 24 hours to try and stay in the lead. And we can’t do it without you.
As I type this, I am staring at the photos of 12 babies who are hurting because they were born with heart disease. Their eyes truly haunt me, first because they are orphaned and as a mother it is hard to accept that any child has to be sick without a mom or dad to comfort them….but second because I know that without surgery, the pictures I have of these children might be their last. Do you know how small a baby’s heart is? And how fragile an orphan’s life is when that tiny heart has a defect? These pictures are of children who are blue, children who are tired, children who NEED OUR HELP.
I also have on my desk the photos of children whose hearts we have healed. They stare out at me with pink cheeks and smiles, and in many…with their new adoptive families. THIS is what it is all about. Saving lives, giving a second chance, and allowing a child to find their family and know complete love.
In the next 24 hours we have a chance to give the GIFT OF LIFE to 10 more children in need. The charity with the most unique $10 donors at 12 noon PST on February 1st will win $50,000. Heart surgery in China averages just $5000 per child, so with that prize….ten children can have a second chance at life.
I am not going to ask you today to find 10 more donors, or even 5 more donors to help us. I am asking you to find just ONE person in your life that hasn’t donated and to ask that person to please help you save a life. For just $10. If all of us do this, we could have over a thousand new donors in just one day.
How often do we spend $10 on things that last just a moment?
$10 for two fancy coffees, $10 for a movie and popcorn, $10 for a dinner out. How about for today, for the next 24 hours, we all find $10 for something that will last a LIFETIME. $10 to save a baby’s life and allow a priceless child (who is orphaned and totally innocent) to get a second chance at finding a family to love them.
Find just one friend in the next 24 hours, and encourage them to join our cause and donate. $10 for the life of a child. Of all the money you have spent this week….this might be the most important.
Thank you EVERYONE for keeping LWB in the running for the top prize. We love our supporters and give thanks everyday for the amazing generosity, compassion, and kindness you show to those who live as orphans each and every day. We truly are a family, bound together by the belief that every child born on this earth matters.
Here’s the link! http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/51591 Let’s do it for the kids.
Amy
$50,000 could fund the heart surgeries of ten children. Ten lives changed forever. And for only $10.
Please help if you can.
LWB does amazing work in providing surgeries, nutrition, foster care, and education for China's orphans. I spoke of two volunteers I met while at Hope Healing Home in China on my other blog, GO NEAR. I've copied Amy Eldridge's post from Facebook, taking the liberty in this instant since the deadline is fast approaching. As of right now, LWB is just 47 donors behind, standing in second place.
My message is a bit long today but I hope you will read it to the end. We have just 24 hours left in the Giving Challenge contest on Facebook. 24 hours to try and stay in the lead. And we can’t do it without you.
As I type this, I am staring at the photos of 12 babies who are hurting because they were born with heart disease. Their eyes truly haunt me, first because they are orphaned and as a mother it is hard to accept that any child has to be sick without a mom or dad to comfort them….but second because I know that without surgery, the pictures I have of these children might be their last. Do you know how small a baby’s heart is? And how fragile an orphan’s life is when that tiny heart has a defect? These pictures are of children who are blue, children who are tired, children who NEED OUR HELP.
I also have on my desk the photos of children whose hearts we have healed. They stare out at me with pink cheeks and smiles, and in many…with their new adoptive families. THIS is what it is all about. Saving lives, giving a second chance, and allowing a child to find their family and know complete love.
In the next 24 hours we have a chance to give the GIFT OF LIFE to 10 more children in need. The charity with the most unique $10 donors at 12 noon PST on February 1st will win $50,000. Heart surgery in China averages just $5000 per child, so with that prize….ten children can have a second chance at life.
I am not going to ask you today to find 10 more donors, or even 5 more donors to help us. I am asking you to find just ONE person in your life that hasn’t donated and to ask that person to please help you save a life. For just $10. If all of us do this, we could have over a thousand new donors in just one day.
How often do we spend $10 on things that last just a moment?
$10 for two fancy coffees, $10 for a movie and popcorn, $10 for a dinner out. How about for today, for the next 24 hours, we all find $10 for something that will last a LIFETIME. $10 to save a baby’s life and allow a priceless child (who is orphaned and totally innocent) to get a second chance at finding a family to love them.
Find just one friend in the next 24 hours, and encourage them to join our cause and donate. $10 for the life of a child. Of all the money you have spent this week….this might be the most important.
Thank you EVERYONE for keeping LWB in the running for the top prize. We love our supporters and give thanks everyday for the amazing generosity, compassion, and kindness you show to those who live as orphans each and every day. We truly are a family, bound together by the belief that every child born on this earth matters.
Here’s the link! http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/51591 Let’s do it for the kids.
Amy
$50,000 could fund the heart surgeries of ten children. Ten lives changed forever. And for only $10.
Please help if you can.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Affluence or Influence?
I'm a procrastinator. I put off the things I don't want to do. I even put off the things I do want to do. So I end up wasting more time than I've any right to.
The point of my intro? I had let my home disintegrate into a serious post-tornadic state between post-Thanksgiving Christmas shopping, illness, China, Iowa, and New Years. So my last free weekends before starting back at my other job were to be dedicated to serious, diehard cleaning. While it did get 98% done, there were a lot of prolonged breaks between toilet scrubbing and ceiling fan dusting.
Unfortunately, I have the propensity to get sucked into many types of reality shows, even though the people may aggravate me greatly or even disgust me. Common sense would say to change the channel or just turn the TV off entirely, but sometimes I just become so udderly shocked that people could live in such a manner that I just can't turn away. I sometimes excuse it as a lesson in psychology or sociology.
One show in particular disgusted me by the commercials alone. However, as is often the case, it came on after another show I had watched and I got sucked in before I could change the channel.
Perhaps you've heart of the new Lifetime show "Top This Party"? If not, the show follows a few top-notch party planners to the monetarily elite. One segment featured a successful real estate mogul who throws an annual Halloween bash for colleagues and friends. Her lavish California home was decorated with $20,000 worth of decorations. And this before she even found the event planner. I believe she budgeted $100-$150K for the actual event.
Another segment featured a 30 year old woman who had taken nearly a year off from the film company she and her husband own after the birth of their first child. She wanted an outrageous party as a sort of I'm-coming-back-to-the-working-world celebration. Her budget, you might ask? $250,000.
When I was a kid, I remember watching "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" with Robin Leach. And I think back then I was fascinated and astounded by the opulent houses and beautiful clothes and things these rich people had. A farm girl from rural Iowa couldn't imagine what it would be like to live like that. How amazing!
A couple decades later, I'm still amazed, yes. But in a more sad and sickened way.
As I watched these people spend a quarter of a million dollars on one night's entertainment, you can imagine where my mind went. How many orphans could that feed? How many surgeries would that fund? The one party alone would cover Hope Healing Home's operational costs for five months.
I do not understand the lifestyle of the rich and famous...or not-so-famous. I don't understand how another woman and her personal assistant spent $500,000 on jewelry when children around the world go to bed hungry. How people are living it up in L.A. or New York or Brentwood, TN while a parent on the other side of the world abandons their baby on the doorstep of an orphanage because they cannot afford to get the medical care needed for their child's heart disease or spina bifida or cleft palate.
Perhaps I'm not much better in my own way. I spent $25-$30 splurging on Starbucks during my December travels. A few more dollars and I could have sponsored a child for a month.
And what about non-profits? Perhaps someday I will see the necessity for it, but I continue to scratch my head as I see the pages of pictures of black-tie affairs listed in the society columns for one charity or another. There's backslapping done for the amount of money raised, but how much money was invested in throwing the event? While you may think it's all donated, I've seen firsthand that it does not all come for free.
And then there is the Church. Do we not in some small way play "Top This Party"? Beautifully engineered buildings and impeccably decorated interiors are designed to draw people in, but what's left to send out? We have our five- or six-figure sound systems, but they will not carry the message to the street, the country, or the world.
Rick Warren in his book The Purpose-Driven Church addresses the "importance" of the highest quality sound system your church can afford and the proper seat types and spacing for the optimum church experience. What about the underground churches in places like China? Is the Word less effective huddled in a neighbor's home or the back of a store cloaked in secrecy? I daresay it's much more effective there. We Americans require too much entertainment and comfort.
We need a black-tie event in order to pull out our checkbooks...where the evening attire costs more than our charitable donation.
We need a Sunday morning multimedia event to keep our attention...one that's scheduled so as not to conflict with the football game or our kids' soccer practice. We require a church that doesn't make us feel guilty for giving more for season tickets to the game than what we put in the offering plate.
Perhaps I sound very harsh to you, but I say nothing I have not first preached to myself.
Once again, I heard numerous times before I went to China and after "Oh, I couldn't do that. That would be too hard." It was. And it is.
Because now more than ever, I look at the "wants" and the frivolities of this country we live in and can not simply view them as "wants" or "needs." I think "how many orphans could that help?"
Does anyone really need a Jaguar or could they settle for a Toyota and help a child with HIV?
Do we need the biggest houses our budgets will allow or can we settle for what meets our needs and help build an orphanage?
Does our place of worship need to qualify for "Better Homes and Sanctuaries" or can we keep it simple, worship God, and give away as much as we can?
I do want some nice things in life. I'd love a nice house I can turn into a comfortable home, a big family, and the means to care for us all. But I also want to leave the world a better place. I want to know I did all I could to help as many children as I could with what I had.
I don't want affluence, I want influence. The influence to change at least one little corner of the world and how it goes near to the least of these.
Which would you choose?
The point of my intro? I had let my home disintegrate into a serious post-tornadic state between post-Thanksgiving Christmas shopping, illness, China, Iowa, and New Years. So my last free weekends before starting back at my other job were to be dedicated to serious, diehard cleaning. While it did get 98% done, there were a lot of prolonged breaks between toilet scrubbing and ceiling fan dusting.
Unfortunately, I have the propensity to get sucked into many types of reality shows, even though the people may aggravate me greatly or even disgust me. Common sense would say to change the channel or just turn the TV off entirely, but sometimes I just become so udderly shocked that people could live in such a manner that I just can't turn away. I sometimes excuse it as a lesson in psychology or sociology.
One show in particular disgusted me by the commercials alone. However, as is often the case, it came on after another show I had watched and I got sucked in before I could change the channel.
Perhaps you've heart of the new Lifetime show "Top This Party"? If not, the show follows a few top-notch party planners to the monetarily elite. One segment featured a successful real estate mogul who throws an annual Halloween bash for colleagues and friends. Her lavish California home was decorated with $20,000 worth of decorations. And this before she even found the event planner. I believe she budgeted $100-$150K for the actual event.
Another segment featured a 30 year old woman who had taken nearly a year off from the film company she and her husband own after the birth of their first child. She wanted an outrageous party as a sort of I'm-coming-back-to-the-working-world celebration. Her budget, you might ask? $250,000.
When I was a kid, I remember watching "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous" with Robin Leach. And I think back then I was fascinated and astounded by the opulent houses and beautiful clothes and things these rich people had. A farm girl from rural Iowa couldn't imagine what it would be like to live like that. How amazing!
A couple decades later, I'm still amazed, yes. But in a more sad and sickened way.
As I watched these people spend a quarter of a million dollars on one night's entertainment, you can imagine where my mind went. How many orphans could that feed? How many surgeries would that fund? The one party alone would cover Hope Healing Home's operational costs for five months.
I do not understand the lifestyle of the rich and famous...or not-so-famous. I don't understand how another woman and her personal assistant spent $500,000 on jewelry when children around the world go to bed hungry. How people are living it up in L.A. or New York or Brentwood, TN while a parent on the other side of the world abandons their baby on the doorstep of an orphanage because they cannot afford to get the medical care needed for their child's heart disease or spina bifida or cleft palate.
Perhaps I'm not much better in my own way. I spent $25-$30 splurging on Starbucks during my December travels. A few more dollars and I could have sponsored a child for a month.
And what about non-profits? Perhaps someday I will see the necessity for it, but I continue to scratch my head as I see the pages of pictures of black-tie affairs listed in the society columns for one charity or another. There's backslapping done for the amount of money raised, but how much money was invested in throwing the event? While you may think it's all donated, I've seen firsthand that it does not all come for free.
And then there is the Church. Do we not in some small way play "Top This Party"? Beautifully engineered buildings and impeccably decorated interiors are designed to draw people in, but what's left to send out? We have our five- or six-figure sound systems, but they will not carry the message to the street, the country, or the world.
Rick Warren in his book The Purpose-Driven Church addresses the "importance" of the highest quality sound system your church can afford and the proper seat types and spacing for the optimum church experience. What about the underground churches in places like China? Is the Word less effective huddled in a neighbor's home or the back of a store cloaked in secrecy? I daresay it's much more effective there. We Americans require too much entertainment and comfort.
We need a black-tie event in order to pull out our checkbooks...where the evening attire costs more than our charitable donation.
We need a Sunday morning multimedia event to keep our attention...one that's scheduled so as not to conflict with the football game or our kids' soccer practice. We require a church that doesn't make us feel guilty for giving more for season tickets to the game than what we put in the offering plate.
Perhaps I sound very harsh to you, but I say nothing I have not first preached to myself.
Once again, I heard numerous times before I went to China and after "Oh, I couldn't do that. That would be too hard." It was. And it is.
Because now more than ever, I look at the "wants" and the frivolities of this country we live in and can not simply view them as "wants" or "needs." I think "how many orphans could that help?"
Does anyone really need a Jaguar or could they settle for a Toyota and help a child with HIV?
Do we need the biggest houses our budgets will allow or can we settle for what meets our needs and help build an orphanage?
Does our place of worship need to qualify for "Better Homes and Sanctuaries" or can we keep it simple, worship God, and give away as much as we can?
I do want some nice things in life. I'd love a nice house I can turn into a comfortable home, a big family, and the means to care for us all. But I also want to leave the world a better place. I want to know I did all I could to help as many children as I could with what I had.
I don't want affluence, I want influence. The influence to change at least one little corner of the world and how it goes near to the least of these.
Which would you choose?
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Does Someone Make a Heart-Sized BandAid?
I spent quite a bit of time uploading photos of my trip to Snapfish today so I can order prints before my account expires. Then tonight I ran to my local Hobby Lobby before my coupon expired so I could buy a few Chinese New Year decorations. I already have my table decked with red table cloth and a Chinese candle holder I found at HL last year.
So I wandered back to my blog awhile ago and started re-reading some of my posts, which brought the tears flowing freely and the ache growing stronger.
I have wanted a little girl for so long. It feels as if I've waited forever. But looking at the boys' pictures, and trying to remember the feeling of them fighting over who got to sit in the middle of my lap or hold my hand down the hall, well...I knew I could love a boy. In fact, I love two boys already. And the ache for them grows wider and deeper as I think of them left behind.
I don't understand why they have to wait there while there are so many families waiting. I don't get to make the rules.
What I do have the power to make is a difference.
If only knew what the next step should be...
So I wandered back to my blog awhile ago and started re-reading some of my posts, which brought the tears flowing freely and the ache growing stronger.
I have wanted a little girl for so long. It feels as if I've waited forever. But looking at the boys' pictures, and trying to remember the feeling of them fighting over who got to sit in the middle of my lap or hold my hand down the hall, well...I knew I could love a boy. In fact, I love two boys already. And the ache for them grows wider and deeper as I think of them left behind.
I don't understand why they have to wait there while there are so many families waiting. I don't get to make the rules.
What I do have the power to make is a difference.
If only knew what the next step should be...
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