I am not sure if this is an acceptable thing to use my blog for but since it
is my blog after all, then why not. I have been learning a lot about myself
over the past year and one thing I have noticed is that I am more and more
willing to give stuff away than I once was. Not just stuff even but my
time, talents and resources, such as this blog. I suspect this has
something to do with growing in the faith and being in the kind of place
that I am although I am sure that some people can be hardened to giving if
it is asked of them too often. All of this is to say that I want to present
you all with the opportunity to help a few people. I know that you are
already helping because of your gifts of your talents, time and resources
that you have not only given to us but probably to many others as well.
However, for some of you that is just not enough and I want to give the
chance to be blessed and be a blessing even more.
Opportunity number 1: There are two brothers in our church here in Gamboula
with the most incredible singing voices I have been privileged to hear in my
short life. They are both in their twenties from poor families, but they
have managed to scrape together enough money to make a cassette tape to sell
around the country. What they would really like to do is to go to the
capital and professionally record their music on CD. Actually, in their
biggest of dreams they would like to go to a French Conservatory Music
school somewhere in the world. However, given that that is a dream (one
that would be great to come true but not really within any of our means) the
second best would be for them to have the chance to record their music.
Opportunity number 2: As you may have gathered from previous entries,
graduating high school is about as difficult a task as getting a driver's
license in this country. Generally, kids do not make it past elementary
school because it is too expensive to go to school in terms of school fees
and supplies. As well, kids are often set back when the government here
neglects to pay the teachers salaries for a year and they close the school
down for two years at a time. If you do make it all the way through high
school you are required to 'buy' your graduation certificate at a cost of
one hundred dollars. I have the privilege of knowing two exceptional young
men who are near completing high school and who have dreams of not only
finishing high school but going on to University in Bangui (the capital).
One would like to study to be a lawyer, an occupation of which good ones are
in short supply. The other would like to study economics. They are both
fantastic youth with good hearts and good dreams for their lives. The are
doing every thing they can to pay their way through school; even their
relatives are pitching in but I am afraid it will not be enough. The one
thing that so troubles my heart here is that the only ones who succeed
monetarily in life here are those who are corrupt. If it is mostly the
corrupt to get into university and study and become the heads of things in
this country than it is no wonder it is in the shape that it is.
Darren and I are doing what we can and even by writing this e-mail we are
giving them some encouragement to tell them, 'keep it up, we care about you
and we want to see you succeed and rise above your circumstances'. Anyhow,
forgive me for being so bold and feel free to think I am crazy. I know that
if I was given the world, some days I would hold it all for my self and
other
days I would give it all away. I know there is a happy medium somewhere in
there, but I am still trying to find it!
We can be reached via our uuplus e-mail or by bossbugs@yahoo.ca
