We Can All Make A Difference

There are children in need all over the globe. We are all put on this earth to make a difference and to leave our mark before our work here is through. I just received an email from a friend with some great reminders for us all. I thought I would share.

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

It is amazing when you know what you have been called to do. I have known since I was a child that I had a calling to serve children, and be the voice that some of them do not have. Voice =to give utterance or expression to; declare; proclaim: to voice one's discontent. I am honored to serve our children and be one of many that have decided to make it our life’s mission.

More than 13 million children in America are poor, but they live in working families. A disproportionate number are Black and Latino. Poor children lag behind their peers in many ways beyond income: They are less healthy, trail in emotional and intellectual development, and are less likely to graduate from high school. Poor children also are likely to become the poor parents of the future. Every year that we keep children in poverty costs our nation half a trillion dollars in lost productivity, poorer health and increased crime.

Many African children go to sleep on empty stomachs; walk over 5 miles every day to get to a “shed” called school; and sit through class hungry because he or she did not eaten in days. Several of the children have to leave school early, risking their education, to sell fruits and goods at the market, just so their family can eat one solid meal for the day. This can definitely cause a child to live of life of no hope or even second chances? This is the story of many everyday African children.

God, we have pushed so many of our children into the tumultuous sea of life in small and leaky boats without survival gear and compass. Forgive us and help them to forgive us. Help us now to give all our children the anchors of faith and love, the rudders of purpose and hope, the sails of health and education, and the paddles of family and community to keep them safe and strong when life’s seas gets rough. Marian Wright Edleman (The Sea is so wide and my Boat is so Small)

For the rest of my life I will continue to pray for a world in which all individuals, regardless of the circumstances of their birth, can reach their full potential and contribute to the well-being of their family, their community, and their nation. People of all countries and cultures share both the desire for a better life and the power to create one.

Please do your part to ensure that the next generation of children will not be left behind.

Yolanda Conley Shields
Adassa Adumori Foundation