Mount Barclay Project: reading, wRiting & rice

Sunday morning I set out to write a post, whining about cold tootsies and the search for cocoa the night before, selling girl scout cookies outside a grocery store. I still stand by the original sentiment: It sucked. It was cold. There was crying.

But after hearing two young men speak at church - one from Liberia, the other from Sierra Leone - I decided to not hit 'publish'. It just seemed tacky.

(I went on to post a bunch of frivolous pictures the next day, so I don't believe I will be winning a human rights award, any time soon.)

I want to pass the experience on; the wars in Africa made flesh. I don't know how. We have all heard it before. The genocide. The boy soldiers that walk in the shadows, traveling at night. The girls forced into prostitution, burdened with babies and STDs.

And I feel helpless in the face of such enormous problems. I want to turn away, because what can I do? One person.

Saah Joseph, Mount Barclay Project

I picked up the kids and the line at the PLAN Loving Adoptions Now, Inc. warmed my heart, gave me hope.

PLAN fosters open international adoptions, but they are also providing humanitarian aid to war orphans, providing medical care, food and schooling for thousands.

One hundred percent of the donations go to the school. My cynical heart doubts, so afraid of scams. But to do right, to maybe, just maybe, make a difference.

It's worth a shot.

Pictures from PLANS' website.