I have a pastor friend who did a challenge on facebook. His challenge was to set a goal between Memorial Day and Labor Day. My mind immediately went to what I could give up in order to give back. It seems to be a common theme among organizations lately...."give up your soda, your coffee, a meal, etc. etc. and give that money to the needy, the orphan, the widow. And, though you've probably heard it a million times and maybe even tried it before, can I encourage one person or maybe even two to give up something for this challenge? But, what is that challenge $ going to be used for?
This is the picture of Stephen and his wife, Rebecca that is on the side bar of this blog. I have many pictures of them but since this is my all-time favorite one I am posting this one. again. :) Stephen is the guy who does all the work for the LLP. (Liberian Literacy Program) And, by "all the work", I mean ALL THE WORK! From going to each school to do student profiles, taking pictures, meeting with all the families, setting up meetings, doing the meetings,working with school principals, distributing funds, buying supplies and uniforms and meeting with the Ministry of Health, this guy is truly busy. Now imagine this. He already has a full-time job outside of working for the LLP. He has a wife and son that he adores and needs his time. ( BTW, Rebecca is pregnant and is due during the upcoming weeks!! Yay! I really can't wait and wish I was going to be there!) He has been taking care of newborn twins for weeks since the passing of his sister. He is involved in church. He helps out his family and friends whenever he can. That's Stephen.
But now imagine this...His full-time job outside of LLP barely gives him enough money to live on. In Liberia they call that living "hand to mouth", meaning that there is not enough to go around. He has taken in a couple different kids for the past year and fed them and given them a place to stay, even when he does not have much himself. And the hardest part for me to type....last year from the LLP he received $250.00 for the year!! Not much. Really not a lot when you take out expenses for all of the above!
Stephen came into our program as a volunteer, just like the rest of us. He knew we couldn't pay him when we started. He still insists on volunteering. His heart is in this program. Since our program is growing and his workload is getting heavier, I would like to give him something extra. So, what I have decided to do is find things to give up during the months between Memorial Day and Labor Day and give that money to Stephen. My personal challenge will be $25.00/month for those 3 months. As I am looking at ways to fund another $25.00/month into our already taxed budget, I know that if I give up some of those unnecessary purchases (like the occasional pop from the gas station when filling up) it will add up quickly. The kids have all given some clothes for a consignment store and my mother-in-law is donating aluminum cans from the place she is working. We are cashing in our brakes that we had replaced, to a scrap company. I am going to Craigslist some items from home. And, I am asking if any of you will join me. Will you commit to this challenge with me from Memorial Day to Labor Day? It doesn't have to be $25.00. It can be $1.00, $5.00 or $10.00. Anything will help. Stephen is such a huge part of this program! Please consider how you could bless him in his efforts in Liberia.
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