Begging Children in the Golden Triangle of SE Asia

These kids are not next door or even on the far coast of America.  Although thousands are as close at Haiti, they are primarily across an expansive sea on the continents of Asia or especially Africa. Does their non-proximity make them less worthy of our compassion and protection, our sacrifice?  As Bono calls it--does their "accident of latitude" justify our indifference of attitude? I would pray, if roles were reversed, that their mothers would do their utmost to protect my children if they possibly could. The fact is that you and I –American, educated, and privileged as we are, can do a lot.

You think not? I challenge you to reconsider... Simplify your tastes, (literally), switch from daily cappuccinos and lattes to simple coffee, and you instantly have saved the cost of a child’s food, education, and hope for the day. Perhaps you need a nudge to start seeing things from a global perspective. Please consider this that nudge.  Jesus said “Whatever you do to the least of one of these…you do for me.” But Christian or not, we North Americans have been so incredibly blessed that perhaps the only moral thing to do is to share that blessing with the most wretched children on the planet.

Give up professional pedicures—paint your own toenails, and you will have set aside enough for a second child’s basic needs. Buy the used car instead of the brand new, and you could sink that saved money into a deep well that would bring clean water to thousands of parched throats.  Give your kid a sponsored "friend" instead of a cell phone!  Wear a conversation-starting "save Darfur" T-shirt or carry a purse made by child sex slaves in Cambodia.  Start a World Vision 40-hour famine with your youth group. Join the social action arm of Amnesty International or Voice of the Martyrs. Start a "poor box" at home where everyone gives a dollar each time they curse or behave unseemingly.  Begin to fast, as led by God, and above all things, learn to pray unceasingly for the things that break the heart of God.

Ways we can help are endless, and I'd love to hear your creative ideas. (For more, please see "Links to Donate or Help")

With Deborrah, my favorite orphan in Asia 2007
Who am I? A biological Mom to three, God has asked me to be a spiritual Mom to those who have no one to care for them. Some are economic orphans, some true orphans. Some are sold into a childhood of prostitution by their addict-parents.  Some have imprisoned parents, or have been abandoned.  In all cases, the child's only "fault" was that of being born in the wrong place.

The mothers of some starved to the very death, that their child would have the bare food to live. God has asked me what I would be willing to sacrifice for these children, and I am asking you the same question.

California State Capitol--Mother's Day 2008
‘True religion is this…” says Isaiah 58, “…to care for the widows and orphans in their distress.” This message is not for only “the religious,” although we will be more severely judged if we ignore the cry of the poor. (See scripture page.) This message is to the Western World, we who agonize over the choice of college for our teens, the NFL outcome, or gaining weight over the holidays.  As I point a finger at you, don't forget that I point three back at myself!  Although I may live relatively frugally, as a U.S. citizen, I am among the richest people on the planet.  This could become an eternal curse if I do not heed the voice of compassion in my lifetime. I want to put my money where my heart is.

Walk-a-thon to Stop Child Traficking 2009
This message is for Mothers in particular, who instinctively feel the pain their child suffers. I ask you especially to feel the pain of Third World mothers who have to choose which child to feed and which to sell into slavery, (in order to feed the other.)  I refuse to believe that I am the only Mom who cares enough to get seriously involved. Please let me know if you will stand with me, give with me, or kneel in prayer with me.