David & Marlene

Last night we had a couple from my church out for dinner.   David and Marlene.   He is from Uganda and in school at Vanderbilt and Marlene is in school too but also works as a children's minister at a local church.

I first heard David preach last summer.   He has a story to tell and I wanted to hear more so we invited them to dinner.   I had no idea how it was going to affect me.

He told stories of the children that have no shoes and getting chiggers underneath their toe nails and finger nails.   How infected they are and how miserable the children are.   They treat them with kerosene and need shoes for the children but he said a lot of it could be prevented if they had soap and water.  

He had pictures of these children and their families.  I asked if he would be interested in the little dresses we make.   Ours usually go to a lady in Wisconsin and she gets them to Africa somehow.  Or we make them and send them to Nicaragua with another man from church.   They can use not only the dresses but little short sets and shoes. 

David had a lot of pictures of these children and I never saw one frowning.  I have never seen so many smiling happy looking children in my life.  He told what most of them have to eat.   It made my stomach turn.

He and Marlene started the "Raise a Roof" foundation and work so hard.  They told how they want to build a new school but many of the schools now are made from sticks and mud and get infested with termites and fall down.  

He is being allowed the give our ministry moment at church next week and this consists of you getting up front and speaking for two minutes on whatever it is you believe in.   TWO MINUTES????    I did one one time for the prayer shawl and laughed when they said I could only speak for two minutes.

He is trying to get people interested in adopting a child from Uganda.   They have pictures of the children that are basically orphans or maybe live with a grandmother or a neighbor.   You will correspond with this child and he told of the difference this would make in a child's life.

I have wanted to go to Africa for years.   I realize that is NOT going to happen but I think we could adopt a child.    Just knowing we had helped one of these children get better food would be something.