New Perspectives!

Where does the time go? Somehow I just realized that it has been ten months since I last posted anything on this blog? Have I been on vacation? No...... Have I been blogging on another site? No..... Have I been simply bogged down with "life"? YES! Sometimes "life" just needs to be lived and we get so busy doing just that! It always amazes me however to realize how quickly the days and months can go by!

One of the most exciting things that I did over the past 10 months was to go on a 2 week mission trip to Africa in July. I was part of the "Mission Africa: Let Your Life Speak" team who travelled to Kenya. (You can read all about the mission and our travels at http://www.missionafricaletyourlifespeak.blogspot.com/) .

The trip to Kenya was a program designed as part of an over all goal to give 1 million people their "voice"....their COMMUNICATION voice...their ability to communicate to be able to move their lives in positive directions, change the world around them, and succeed at achieving their goals. We worked with a political caucus group in Nairobi where we provided 3 days of communication training, then traveled to the remote village of Wikondeik to work with teachers and students in an orphanage/school for a week. What an amazing experience!

It was amazing to me to interract with so many people in a third-world country where they have so little and yet they are so welcoming, inquisitive, curious, gracious and hospitable.........and return home to a country where we have so very much but hardly take the time to say "hello" to a neighbor. It was an interesting perspective!

Returning to a world of running water and electricity on demand, refridgerators full of food, clothes on every child, easy access to vehicles for transport, and attitudes of excess has been difficult. The sights and sounds of Kenya were humbling.

I have found myself wondering what additional ways I can make a difference here......what ways I can encourage my children to make a difference here......what ways I can encourage others around me to make a difference........ Make a difference today by reaching out to someone in need.....make a difference today by conserving resources........make a difference today to look for a way to give back to your community. Those small changes will make a ripple effect of change around the world! Please.....pass it on......