a little perspective from another continent

I have always had a very special place in my heart for children. I believe that one of the most special and important things we can do in this world is to make a difference in the life of a child. Recently, I began to think about sponsoring a child in another part of the world. My sister has sponsored children through World Vision International for several years. Last weekend, I visited the World Vision website and decided it was time to make a commitment to do my part to make a difference in the life of a child who really needed it. As you may have read in an earlier blog post, I ended up sponsoring a little boy from Zimbabwe named Leon . Last night I received the World Vision welcome kit in the mail. It contained pictures of Leon, a booklet explaining the details of sponsoring a child, a DVD with some enlightening information and images, and a brochure that listed some information about Zimbabwe, Leon's home country. As I began to read through the brochure about Zimbabwe, there were a couple of things that jumped off the page and hit me like a smack across the face. The first thing is that the Average Annual Income in Zimbabwe is $340.00. Yes, I said ANNUAL income. $340.00 for the entire year! Most of us are blessed and fortunate enough to make more than that in a WEEK! That is almost inconceivable to me. The second thing that hit me is that the Life Expectancy in Zimbabwe is...39.5 years. When I stop to think that I just turned 37.......I can't even begin to tell you how this makes me feel.
So, it appears that this sponsoring of a child in need is going to be more than just deducting $35.00 from my checkbook register each month. I have really been thinking today about what I read in that brochure about Zimbabwe. I have been feeling quite gulity about all the many blessings that I take for granted on a daily basis. I have MUCH more than I deserve and sometimes I wonder why I do when there are so many good, decent, innocent people in the world who don't even have access to the basic necessities of life. I complain about having to leave my nice, comfortable bed in the morning when there are people in the world who have nothing but a dirt floor for a bed. I complain about having to work a job for eight hours a day (in an air conditioned building) when there are people who work hard labor in the blazing sun from dawn to dusk and still can't provide for themselves or their families. I complain about gaining weight because I have too much to eat when there are people (including small, innocent children) who sometimes go for days without having a bite to eat. It's through nothing I have done that I am as fortunate as I am, merely the grace of God. I pray that God will shower His grace on all of those in the world who are so much less fortunate than I and my family and friends. I hope these words have helped you gain a little perspective and think about all the blessings that you take for granted. Please help me pray that God will give each of us the desire to do something to make a difference in the lives of those that are less fortunate than us.