Hope and Help

Good Morning, God,

I was going to pray about something close at hand.  Like thanking You for the wonderful turnout for the First Annual Arcadia Library Open House yesterday.  (I love being the “library consultant” and thank you for that, too.)  And I AM thankful!  97 people entered the drawing for a free set of holiday notecards.  People learned to use the computerized library catalog and the computerized resident directory. They enjoyed cheese and crackers and voted for their favorite coffee table book categories. And they carried off most of the 80 free books someone had left on our doorstep.  Our sign said — Take one and get the second one FREE!  And people took two!

But, this photo was on my desktop, God, and what I really want to pray about is for YOUR HELP in preparing and then giving my talk this Monday on our Advocates for Africa trip to Swaziland.  The talk will be in the same place, Arcadia.   And I want to share the sense of hope I have.  And now I am sitting here trying to put into words exactly what I mean by hope.

Maybe it has to do with having hope in the act of connecting.  Being there and talking with the women helping the orphans. Seeing them feeding around 175 children a nourishing meal with food we provide.  That certainly gives me Hope in MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

It surely isn’t hope in the problems going away.  But, there is something that happens when we help others — near or far — that feels good.  God, is that YOU?  And, it isn’t about giving a hand out, but giving a hand UP.  Helping them start a poultry farm.  Providing a well so they can plant gardens and grow food for the children.  Helping these women means that they able able to do even more to help the vulnerable and orphan children.  Now, God, please help me share stories of HOPE and share the JOY that comes from connecting and sharing.  THANK YOU!