Thoughts on a rainy day

This evening, I waded to my car in the expansive Lockheed parking lot under my umbrella that nearly snapped in two with the wind gusts. I believe it was like this all day, but there are no windows in our secured area at work, so I'm really not sure. :)

I stopped at the barn to be sure Scout had his warm blanket on and closed his stall windows in preparation for the possible snow tomorrow. For one reason or another, I began to reflect upon the fact that my horse has much more than thousands of people in Haiti right now. He has a roof over his head, 2 buckets full of water, a warm blanket, a heat lamp, and 2 flakes of freshly cut coastal hay. I occasionally question the amount of time and money that goes into hobbies...

I learned about an organization 6 months ago called Women for Women International. The non-profit received lots of attention since Oprah began to highlight their efforts last year. I encourage you to take a look at their website:
Women For Women


After completing my due diligence about the organization, I felt compelled to sponsor a woman and confident that I could put money towards something meaningful that would truly help someone else. The organization allows you to pick your top 4 country preferences. There is a special place in my heart for Africa. I spent 2 weeks in Kenya in 2005 with Living Water International Living Water International and wish that Oprah would highlight LWI this year!! :) Therefore, I selected Rwanda, Sudan, Congo, and Nigeria as my top choices. I received a letter in the mail last week (after 4 months of waiting) with a picture, name, and brief biography of a woman in Sudan who I hope will benefit from our donations and prayers.

Her name is Alak Nguee Ayol and she is 22 years old. I look forward to sitting down with a hot cup of chai tea (in memory of all our Kenyan friends) to write her a note tonight. I may or may not hear back from Alak, but regardless, I am excited with the hope of a better life for her.