Saturday, September 26, 2009

Harness the Wind

Don't give up. There is a way to make it - be inspired today to do something . . .


Friday, September 25, 2009

Upside Down Stamp


The pile of envelopes around my feet was growing. In front of me was a pile of thank you letters, newsletters, and addressed envelopes waiting for me to stuff. This is an all day event I thought to myself.

Just then my husband looked over my shoulder and said “Stop! You can’t do that!”

“What?” I muttered.

“You can’t send a letter with an upside down flag on it,” he remarked as he pointed to the stamp on the envelope in my hand.

There it was plain as day, the American flag on the stamp was upside down. In my haste to finish this job, I accidentally placed the stamp upside down.

“Why is this a problem?” I asked my husband.

“The United States Flag Code says the flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property,” he remarked.

I stared at the stamp and then it occurred to me that all the stamps with the flag on them on all these envelopes needed to be pasted on upside down so that the children of Uganda can get the message to the American people that they are in distress, danger, and in need of immediate assistance.

Lack of food, shelter, and parental care has devastated a war torn country where AIDS has killed off the working adults. What’s left are starving children. The TOUCH ministry was born out of this great need and Friends of TOUCH was created to help them meet the needs of these children.

A mere $35.00 a month provides food, clothing, medical care, and an education to these kids. That breaks down to one family meal at McDonalds. Even $10.00 will feed them a whole month. Surely American can go with out two Starbucks coffee’s a week to feed a child in Uganda!

Won’t you open your heart today and make a monthly commitment. Visit our web site www.friendsoftouch.org and click the ‘Donate’ button at the bottom of the screen or mail a donation to Friends of TOUCH, PO Box 510, Gloucester, VA 23061

D

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

New Look for Friends of TOUCH Online

We have made some changes to our web site and we hope that you like what we've done. The new site is much easier for us to manage, and we think it will be easier for you to find what you need. Come have a look around and let us know what you think!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

What the world needs is more Ja-Ja's

The baby was fussy, I could tell it was time for his nap but he refused to lie quiet and sleep. I saw his mother was busy preparing a meal for me and her other foreign guests so being the grandmother of the group I got up and began my famous ‘Nana rock’ on him. I cradled him in my arms and swayed gentle back and forth looking intently into his face smiling and speaking quietly to him. I would make wide yawns with my mouth and let my eyes droop until he began to mimic me and soon was fast asleep. It worked every time.

The others in the group looked up at me amazed as I lay him back in his bassinet and asked how I was able to get him to sleep so quickly. Before I could explain my ‘Nana rock’ my Ugandan hostess spoke up and said, “She is the ja-ja.” That was the day I became the grandmother to the children of Uganda (ja-ja means grandmother).

I can remember a time when I didn’t want kids. I wanted to be an important scientist making a lasting mark on humankind that would live on past me. Then life got in my way as I found I was pregnant. So I adapted by expanding my dream of conquering the world to include my child. We delved into the world of science, history, music, and art through reading and trips to many museums. We hunted artifacts like seashells and rocks. I found that making my mark on the world was my kids. They would live after me my testament to my existence and I was thrilled.

Then came the day I became a grandmother. I insisted that everyone call me Nana instead of grandma because it didn’t sound so old. I was much too young to be a grandmother. But oh what a thrill to be able to hold a baby again and bond with them and love them as my own. Now I was ‘ja-ja’, grandmother to a nation. Truly God has blessed me beyond measure.

What many people do not understand is that kids are kids are kids no matter where they are born or what society they grow up in. No matter whether they live in war or peace, whether they are rich or poor, all kids have the same needs. Babies need to be cuddled and rocked to sleep. Preschoolers want to put their new skills to work and use the words ‘I can do it by myself’. School age kids need friends. Teenagers need to stretch their boundaries. All kids need the basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, and an education but above all else they need to know someone loves them. Yet these are the very things many of the children of Uganda are missing.

People further believe that children of poverty have no hope, no future, and exist only day by day not thinking of tomorrow. But they are very wrong. I have seen their expected faces and listen to them describe their dreams of the future. Like any other kid they want to be a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer, even a famous athlete. Even in the midst of poverty and hopelessness their children hearts are open to a better tomorrow.

Many have been faced with the burden of becoming the head of their household after all the adults have died of AIDs. Many of these children are themselves kids some younger then 10 years of age. They now have to find food, shelter, and all the other basic needs for themselves and their siblings at 10 years old! What were you doing at the age of ten? I was riding my bike without a care in the world never once did I think about having to feed my brothers or live without my parents.

Sometimes they are taken in by relatives or neighbors but their life is no better as these adults struggle to feed the extra mouths on incomes levels that average $1500 US dollars a year.

Sometimes they are cared for by their own ja-ja, one who watched her own children die a horrible death, who can no longer work, who has no income, and now she has the responsibility for grandchildren she cannot feed.

It is time for new ja-jas to step forward to begin to rock the Ugandan children in their loving arms. I know you are out there and are looking for a way to love one more child. The Friends of TOUCH organization has ways for you to reach out and love these kids through monthly donations, prayer, and volunteer work. I challenge you to show them you care. Leave your mark on the planet by caring for these kids. Show them they are loved by becoming a ja-ja!

What can Ja-Ja’s do:
- Hold a fund raiser: bake sale, yard sale, spaghetti dinner
- Spend a hour in prayer for these kids per day
- Sponsor a child
- Hold a Sponsorship party at your home
- Get your pastor or civic group leader to allow FOT to present the needs of these kids as a special speaker.
- Get FOT corporate sponsors
- Introduce FOT to other organizations who help kids to partner with
- Conduct other fundraiser events as big or as small as you desire

Thanks to all of you who have some along side us and who love these precious souls as much as we do.
D


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Sunday, September 6, 2009

How to Make a Difference in 3 Hours or Less

A big "THANK YOU!" goes out to the Royal Rangers at Lighthouse Worship Center in Hayes, VA. This group of young men sponsor a boy named Elvis, and they have made Elvis an honorary member of their troop.

They held a car wash recently to raise money so that Elvis can go to school and have some of the basic things he needs, like clothes and shoes and food. In just a few hours, they had raised enough for the full year of sponsorship ($420)!

The car wash was held at the church, just before services on a Wednesday night. The rangers sold hot dog dinners for $2 and accepted donations for the car wash. They washed cars for free to bless people who didn't have money or who hadn't heard about the fund raiser.

The boys feel good about it, the people at church were blessed, and Elvis knows that his school fees are paid for a full year!