Bad at Names

I am really bad at names.  Everybody says they are bad at names but I really am.  Yesterday I was told that a little girl died in an orphanage Annette and I have helped in the past.  I spent a considerable effort trying to get straight which orphanage was being described.

Finally I said the one where my son played and laughed with the kids in the rain and I slept on the floor?  Instantly my sons face and this other wet face popped into my mind.

The moment is crystal clear in my memory of these wet happy faces gathering buckets of rain water.  The laughter and the joy that filled the air that night will live with me forever.

This morning I asked for a picture of the little girl that had died of typhoid.  The picture shocked me to my core.  The face is the same face that I envisioned.  This one really hurt.

I'm sorry I didn't ask your name then.  I'm sorry that even if I had I would not have remembered your name today.  I will remember your laughter and the joy you brought to my ten year old son forever.


 Donate Today

Post Traumatic Growth

Mission Field: South Dakota

11/17/2012

I strongly believe that Annette and I have been given a three fold mission reset, renewal and reform for South Dakota.

Reset: the easiest way to do this is to take teams to Haiti.

Annette prays this before every trip, "god please allow them to see only what they can handle"
The first few times I heard her do this I didn't understand. The more people I expose to Haiti the more valuable these words become. It amazes me how a beautiful act of kindness will be happening right in front of us and the team member will focus on the need for the building to be painted.

When the team returns to South Dakota the team member will end up noticing the need in South Dakota. I thought they missed in Haiti. The team member will eventually start working on the noticed problem in South Dakota.

I call this a "hard reset" resetting what the team member sees as important.

Renewal: remind them what it feels like to care.

"Nobody cares until it becomes personal to them."

Mission based: take native Americans, addicts, kids, teens, families, churches to Haiti. No matter what personal injustice they have incurred Haitians have it as bad and with less.

Disciplined: teach personal accountability, you can't control the results but you can choose the path.

Reform: total
Self: open, honest, willing, transparent
Community: should be held accountable, once the population sees the benefits from living this way they will expect it from leaders as well.
School: what and how is being taught. Creativity and Critical thinking are what needs to be taught. Not, memorization.
Health: personal accountability, financial means and what is the outcome need to be held to up same standard of accountability. The individual needs to do everything in their power to do their part.
Accountability can only happen in a small group setting. Ideally an individual would be long to several. Group of peers, group that is inter generational in their chosen profession, family.

Social concerns are important; ends and means are important. What is the best possible outcome, what is the exit strategy?