Two little girls.
Adorable, wobbly walking age
loving and sharing life together
the perfect type of friends
who even share food
without a worry on their face
not knowing that the next day
one of their mothers would pass away.
I met these little girls during my time in South Africa. {i still miss it every.single.day.} I only got to spend a few days getting to know them and their family. We all sat outside in rickety chairs and enjoyed the sunshine hitting the dirt with patches of grass. Conversation flowed. Life was shared.
In the midst, we found out that one of the little girls’ mother was sick. The very next day, they shared that she had passed away and left her baby girl without a mama in this world.
Except, the little one kept going on about life. Not fully comprehending the reality of how much her life would change and what it would mean to be motherless.
I don’t know the details or the facts behind this specific story, but I have seen the funeral tents lining the streets. I have seen the orphans. I have seen the affects of extreme poverty firsthand. These girls and the countless others that I have never met are why I took this challenge to live on $1.50 a day. They are the reason why I can’t help but speak up and act in the ways that God has called me to act.
In the area where I lived, among the Basotho people of South Africa….
One in four people are infected with HIV
88% of the people are unemployed
69% of the youth do not graduate high school
But in the midst of all the darkness, that’s where I see Jesus shining light. Showing hope and truth. Through Ignite South Africa, I see God moving through the people in the area where these little girls live. I see pastor’s getting excited about bible classes (90% have no formal training). I see the youth stepping up to change their schools. God is at work in the people there and we too can join in the fight and support those across the ocean. We don’t have to sit quietly while others act. We can spread awareness, give, pray, go.
Besides even when all seems dark and overwhelming when seeing the faces of those who wrestle with extreme poverty, HIV/AIDs, and other seemingly insurmountable obstacles..remember God specializes in turning hopelessness and powerlessness into victory and overcoming.
He is a God of hope.
Ask Him today what He wants you to do to help bring hope to the 1.4 billion living in extreme poverty.
b'ahava 