I am so sorry to bring y’all the news that the family I mentioned previously with the sick child in the [Home Country] has lost their little girl. This. Is. Heartbreaking. I have no words and really no possible way of understanding what the W. family is going through right now. Sweet Anna was only 2 years old and she deserved so much more than her short life full of hardships. She is also leaving behind a twin sister who is surely confused and hurting at this time. Please pray for this family – the adoptive family who is grieving the little girl they never even got to hold and her sweet sister who is now waiting alone in the [Home Country]. And please pray for the rest of the littles, pray for their protection and health as they wait for their forever families.

But please don’t stop at words. Do NOT read this post, sigh, and move on. In honor of sweet Anna, make a difference today. This young girl’s death was caused by malaria and typhoid. Malaria is preventable and you can help protect these kids in Africa by purchasing mosquito nets from your living room in America. How simple is that? I’ve posted these links before, I’ll post them today, and don’t be surprised if I post them again because this is IMPORTANT. Lives are literally at stake. Go to Nets for Life Africa or Nothing But Nets to purchase mosquito nets for families in Africa. You don’t have to take them, you just have to buy them. Easy, peasy. Typhoid is a bacterial infection that can be contracted through contaminated water or food. To help bring clean water to those in need, visit The Water Project or Water Aid America. It really is amazing what you can do with a few clicks from the comfort of your own home. And who knows whose life you may change with your donation? Who knows whose little girl you might be saving?

And, for one more week – give to our orphanage fund. The money we raise will be used to buy food, formula, and medical supplies for the children, children just like Anna who are living every single day without enough. Holy cow, do we have more than enough here in the US. Our yard sale this weekend was a painful reminder of that! It saddens me how much STUFF I have held on to that is so unnecessary to my survival. It shames me to know that people are living all over this world without clean water and food and I just HAVE to have one more nick-knack that will hang on my wall and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It sickens me to turn on the TV and see the excess that we revel in here in this country. Thousands of dollars on clothes, shoes, make-up, cars, gadgets, proms! What in the world is wrong with us? Why is there a little 2 year old girl dying in Africa from a mosquito bite and contaminated water? Why are there children in the U.S. going to bed hungry tonight? Why are we so concerned about our own luxuries and comfort that we turn a blind eye to so many that are hurting and dying. Why aren’t we giving, adopting, sacrificing to save them?

Please, this last week, give what you can to our fund. Tell your friends, share this blog, get the word out. The “goal” for our orphanage fundraiser is set at $2000. People that is just a number. The thermometer link required a number so I put in a number. You can see we’re close. But there is no reason at all that we need to stop there. Why don’t we try this week to reach out to our friends and family and see how big we can get that number to be! Two thousand dollars will buy medicine and food, but guess what, three thousand dollars will buy more! Please give. If you can’t give a lot, give a little. Give $5 and then ask your friends to do the same. It we spread the word, it will add up and it will MAKE A DIFFERENCE! If you or your friends are skeptical of where this money is going, feel free to contact me and I’ll be glad to explain how exactly it will be used. I am working with our agency, A Love Beyond Borders, to make sure that this money is used to buy what these kids NEED and make sure it reaches them in the best way possible. As we coordinate this project, I’ll be sharing more information on here so y’all can share in exactly how you’ve made a difference. And we CAN make a difference! Isn’t that amazing? Children half-way around the world will soon have new clothes and food because of what we’re doing here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. Isn’t that better than anything that you could purchase at Target today?

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”