Global Puppy Rescue

I was thinking about my kids today; thinking about what the long term affects would be on them experiencing extreme poverty, etc. There are times when I think we are doing all of them a great disservice. Nathan and Michael have often said to me, “I am bored.” or “I wish I was home.” And I can’t remember all the times that there have been tears because of missed friends, missed parties, etc. Then there is the comment, “I worked all school year for this summer… and I am here in Africa.”

As an adult, I look at this situation as “enriching” their lives. They are young and impressionable and this is the perfect time to expose them to the possibilities of a big world! But when I settle into the child inside me, I see it as a difficult hurdle for the time being. They are young and American… they want to watch cartoons and eat hot dogs. They are generally shielded from poverty and neediness at home… well…at least in the area we live in. My children are indelibly unique in their experiences and lifestyle compared to other children their age. They flip back and forth between places of extreme poverty and excessive spending and I know that they are sometimes confused as to where they fit. They want to “belong” in the states and they want to understand and fit in here as well. It is a tough balance. And as far as their complaints, what child wouldn’t want to stay in their nice cushy life instead of observing the death and poverty of the real world. It is hard for me to make that jump… but I feel a calling to come…

I will never forget one conversation Nathan and I had in the car at home. He said, “I don’t feel called to Africa.” I was a little taken back. What should I say? That is the truth for him. I took a deep breath and said, “Well, I am your mother and I am called so you have to come… I guess you will have to take that up with God. If He called me, He must be calling you too.”

Today as I was pondering all this… I watched the children do something interesting. They have been observing a litter of puppies that were born next door a few weeks ago. All of them fell in love with the littlest one. They named her “Baby”. She is a tiny thing with a streak of blonde running down the center of her back. She is ½ the size of the other 8 puppies… and the children were all worried about her getting enough milk, etc. So they took a little syringe and began feeding her some warmed up cow’s milk. They had so much enjoyment in caring for a creature they saw as undernourished. I began to see a little glimpse of our work in that… and felt encouraged.

As Mike, Hope and I were returning the puppy, we saw our little friend Joseph who is 10 years old. He lives in the slum area 50 feet from our compound. He was wearing an oversized blazer and looking a little less smiley than usual. Mike asked him how he was and Joseph said quietly, “I have malaria.” All three of us approached him and I lifted my hand to his forehead. He was very warm and feverish. Mike said, “Mom! Can we give him some medicine?” I smiled at his urgency. “Well, let’s see what we can do” I said. Mike and Hope ran back home and retrieved the medicine we needed. Joseph doesn’t have access to a doctor or a pharmacy. It is too expensive. All his aunt was giving him was some local medicine which cost $0.50 and has no ability to cure him.

When we got home, Michael said, “Mom, it is good to help people.” “Really? How come?” I asked sheepishly. “I like the way it makes me feel inside.” He replied. Maybe Mike has a future in missions because that is how I feel too. It fills up my heart when I help those in great need. It often is the way that people find their way back to God. And that is our greatest purpose!