Unexpected Lessons

I saw the mailman's shadow pass by my window today after lunch. The boys were already well into dreamland and the mail was quite a bit earlier than normal. I gimped over to the door, unlocked it and then got the mail and saw a letter from the local hospital. I knew right then it would be my statement from surgery. I slowly opened it up wondering how much my surgery cost after all was said and done. I had no clue how to even estimate the cost. I knew my MRI was nearly $5000 so I figured it would be rather expensive. But when I opened the envelope, I was blown away. $35,056. SHOCK. Not because I have to pay it. Thankfully I have insurance and this was a statement and not a bill. SHOCK at how this surgery costs more than my husband makes in a year (no drs visits, pt, xrays, mris figured in).

But more than that, pure and total SHOCK that repairing my knee costs more than building a school in Ghana. Putting metal and cadaver and stitches in my knee to help me have several more years of an active lifestyle is worth more in the US than education in Ghana. I am spoiled. I had a $35,000 surgery simply to improve the quality of my life. And I am now thinking about how it makes me even more determined to raise the $30,000 needed to build a new classroom unit at The Village of Life. It has impact. My surgery lasts as long as I last. It helps only me but I can be part of something much bigger. Something that has far greater impact on the world. And WE can help educate lots of children who will turn into future teachers, and doctors, and nurses, and advocates, and leaders of their communities. We can take kids OUT of slavery and put them into a loving home where they receive family and education. This $30,000 that we raise... no one will be able to look at the statement and wonder why on earth money was wasted on something so temporary. No one will feel like money was squandered away out of selfishness. We can look at that school and know that our money is turning into something beautiful... strong, independent, educated and loved children and teens who turn into amazing adults who are empowered to succeed.

For less than my ACL revision, we can build a school and help rescue more children from child trafficking... it just increases the value for me of what we are doing. God is using everything to teach me lately... hard truths sometimes but motivating too.

Perspective

The perspective of a 5 year old is BEAUTIFUL! Tonight I was explaining to my son how I wanted him to take time to think about donating some of his money to the school in Africa. So I made him a piggy bank and he went into his room and got his piggy off his dresser. He starts emptying money out and putting it into the new jar. The Ghana Jar. He puts quite a bit in and when he runs out, he tips his piggy over and shakes more out. And keeps putting it in the jar. He kept going... until he had emptied out all of his coins onto the table. As he was putting the last pile into Ghana Jar, he says quietly "Mommy I am angry about giving all of my money away." So I said, "Honey you don't have to give all of your money away. You can give some of it away. However much you want."

That is when he said it... something out of his sweet little mind that taught me something about giving too. He said:

"I don't really need my coins. I have much."

Then he went back to putting the coins into the Ghana Jar.

I don't need it, I have much. The simplicity of a 5 year old mind. Beautiful and inspiring.

My 5 year old son posing with the coins he will donate at the end of the month

I hope you can learn from this conversation I had with my sweet boy tonight. We give not only because God wants us to and commands us to but we give abundantly because we have much.