JabuAfrica

This past Friday I met with Sarah in her home with my active nine month old between naptime and going to pick up my third grader at school.  My mission:  What can I do for JabuAfrica? Stuff envelopes?  Run errands?  Bake something?  Go somewhere?  Needless to say, I was ready and willing to do any task she needed to help further the mission of JabuAfrica.

Instead, she asked something different of me.  She asked me to write.  At first I was taken aback.  Currently, I write a blog about my personal experiences in this crazy life simply because it’s easy for me to write about what I know: myself.  I mean, my high school English teacher encouraged me to write about what I know and coming full circle, I am now an English teacher writing about what I know…

This time it’s different.  I get to write with a bigger purpose other than making fun of myself.  I now have the opportunity to write for the JabuAfrica blog.  I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little intimidated.  Sometimes my grammar isn’t perfect, my spellcheck incomplete, and frankly, I’m a little too honest. I’ll tell you all you would ever want to know about something and then some.  Usually people find the humor in my stories with my open mouth, insert foot style. It’s all in good fun, though.  I just like to see the humor in things.  My mother always taught me that in tough times if you’re not laughin’, you’re cryin’; we often laughed during the weirdest times in my family.

As Sarah and I sat on her couch talking about all of this, she said something powerful to me. “I want the heart of JabuAfrica to be about people giving of their gifts and talents to further this cause.”  I remember visiting her a few weeks prior while our kiddos were swimming and discussing how JabuAfrica is building the orphanage in Congo and all the progress that’s happening with that (which I will talk more about soon).  All I wanted to do at that moment was to give her anything I could to support this, and the first thing that came to mind was money.  This past Friday, I realized the vision is so much more than that, and I was humbled to be asked to do this.  Here is my friend who is doing, actually doing something that’s on many of our hearts:  putting into action the desire to give back to such a deserving place.  I know I’m guilty of talking a good game; I have many ideas to make a difference, but very rarely do I actually act upon them.

Here is my chance and yours.

So, what do ya got?  If you’re like me, you may not have much monetarily, but everyone has something.  If you’re here reading this, I’m sure there’s a passion in your heart for Africa.  Perhaps you’ve visited, went on a mission trip or two, watched a documentary, or adopted from Africa like my husband and I.  Something has ignited your heart because for me, a big piece of my heart is still there.  Think about your God given talent and how you can marry that with this cause and then contact Sarah.  That simple.

When she asked for me to write for the blog, I never thought it would be that simple.  And it is.

Check this out too:  http://crimsontatemodernquilter.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/crimson-tate-jabuafrica/

This is an amazing story of how Heather Givans, owner of Crimson Tate, is putting her talent to work to help JabuAfrica’s mission.  I am personally so excited to see this take off and write more about it in the weeks to come.

Robert M. Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance said, “The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands.”  I look forward to the gathering of community of people’s hearts, heads, and hands to make a difference for the communities in Africa.  I know so much beauty and great impact will come from it.