Miles For
Mali
But if we
walk in the light,
as he is
in the light,
we have
fellowship one with another,
and the
blood of Jesus Christ his Son
cleanseth
us from all sin.
1
John 1:7
Our church is raising $1 million for
a maternity hospital in one of the poorest countries in the world. Mali is 'way
over on the other side of the planet, on the edge of the Sahara Desert in
northwest Africa. We always think of Timbuktu as being the absolute end of the
earth; it's just up the road from where this hospital is going to be.
Church leaders challenged each of us
to help. They showed pictures of a dusty, desolate terrain, with gray soils,
few trees and shacks that passed as homes. There's never enough to eat. AIDS is
rampant, malaria is out of control, and per-capita income is just $250 a year. Most
everyone is Muslim; Jesus Christ is mostly unknown.
As a mother with four stripes on my
maternity letter jacket, I was particularly grieved to learn that as many as
10% of mothers die in childbirth there, and one out of every four children dies
before reaching age 5, largely because of malnutrition and lack of medical
care. There are hardly any obstetricians, gynecologists and pediatricians in
the whole country.
(Photo from www.themaliproject.org)
The problems are enormous. What
could WE do to help?
We drove home in our air-conditioned
car on Omaha's wide streets, past spacious homes, lush gardens and tall shade
trees. My tummy bulged over my belt, compliments of the abundant good food
available around here. No one in my family is sick in any way right now, and
while we're not exactly sitting on a mountain of money, we're in the foothills.
Our way of life is probably as
different as could be from the lifestyle of a family in Mali.
Most of all, I thought back over the
great prenatal care I received for each of my four pregnancies: the many tests,
the ultrasounds, the nutritional advice, the high-tech delivery rooms, the
neonatal intensive care.
It never even crossed my mind that I
or any of my babies might die. Yet that's a constant concern over in Mali. If
things go wrong, they bleed to death or their uterus ruptures. The nearest
full-service clinic is hundreds of miles away . . . but we could have gotten to
three in the time it took to drive home from church.
Timbuktu was no longer out of sight,
out of mind. It was in my heart. We had to help. But how?
Our daughter Neely piped up.
"You and Dad are always complaining
about how out of shape you are and how you never get any exercise," she said.
"Why don't you go on a walking program, and get other people to walk with you? Get sponsors, and raise money that way?"
Perfect! We loved it! And that's
what we're going to do . . . starting today.
It's 5,600 miles to the town in Mali
where the hospital is going to be built, Koutiala. We have 56 days until the
fund-raising deadline, Aug. 20. We have set an impossibly high goal, $5,600.
And we're getting the ball rolling
by committing to walk one mile a day. That's 56 miles. Now we're seeking
sponsors who'll walk alongside us by donating money toward our goal.
Won't you sponsor us for a quarter or
a dollar a day? Or more?
Better yet, won't you get your own
sponsors and walk, run, bicycle or swim as many miles as you can by Aug. 20,
and contribute your proceeds to this cause? You can use the chart, attached.
Won't you tell your co-workers and neighbors
about Mali, and enlist their help and donations?
Donations are tax-deductibile.
Checks should be made out to Christ Community Church and sent to:
Susan Williams
P.O. Box 995
Elkhorn, NE 68022
Thank you! We'll pray for everybody
who helps as we go along, and keep you posted with our progress. Let's walk
5,600 miles together this summer . . . and may our feet help bring a miracle to
Mali. †
(FOOTNOTE:
THE $5,600 GOAL WAS REACHED AND CONTRIBUTED TO THE HOSPITAL. PRAISE GOD . . .
FOR THE SPIRIT OF CHARITY,
AND FOR GOOD
WALKING SHOES!)
