Where do we start???

This weekend, I had to attend our denomination's (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - ELCA) annual meeting of our Synod (a regional group of Lutheran congregations). Our Bible study leader this year was Rev. Dr. John A. Nunes, president of Lutheran World Relief, a relief agency established in 1945 . Today the organization "works to reduce poverty and injustice by helping communities increase and expand the resources they need to live productive, healthy and empowered lives."

One of the specific things Nunes talked about was the ELCA's Malaria Campaign, working in partnership with Lutheran World Relief.  He shared a very personal story about his own family's loss of a baby, including the grieving that took place within their family. He then went on to say that all over the world, every 45 seconds, a mother feels this same grief when her child dies of malaria, a preventable and treatable disease.

One child dies ... every 45 seconds ....

Just let that sink in a little.

That means in the time it takes to warm up a cup of coffee in the microwave, at least one child has died.  In the time it takes me to drive to work — approximately 5 minutes — 5 children have died.  In the time it takes me to watch one of my favorite half-hour sitcoms, 22 children have died. In a day, 24 hours, that's 1,920 children dying ... every day.

As I mentioned in church on Sunday, when most of us get a mosquito bite, we complain about how much it itches us or the bumps that the bite causes. But, for parents and children in other places of the world, when they get bitten by a mosquito bite, they fear it will mean impending death.

Tonight, as I go to bed after a day spent with my dad and my father-in-law (along with my kids' father/my husband), I can't help but think of the dads of these kids who are dying. I can't imagine what it must be like for them to have to watch their children die.

We are so blessed, you and I. And, sadly, sometimes we forget how blessed we really are. We allow the smallest things to throw us off course and set our day on a negative path. When, in reality, we have so much to be thankful for and, for many of us, so much to share.

Sometimes, when I hear stories about problems happening around our world I ask myself, "Where do we start?" How do we begin to make a difference in the world?

Well, we start with ourselves. We make a decision to do something differently and, sometimes, when others see that in us, they are inspired to do something different too.

I want to share a personal story with you. For the past couple of of weeks, our family has been talking about buying a small pool for our backyard. You know, one of those small "put it up for the summer and take it down for the winter" kind of pools?

Anyway, I gathered my two youngest kids in a room tonight and told them that I just couldn't justify spending the money on something like this, knowing that this same money could be put to use possibly saving the life of a child in need. Surprisingly (or maybe not), both my kids were fine with that. In fact, my beautiful daughter said she'd like to do a bake sale to raise money for mosquito nets!

Where do we start? We start with ourselves. Believing we can make a difference in the world and then moving ourselves to action.

There are many people in need in our world today — in Africa, India, Chicago, and right here in Romeoville. Where do we start to meet the needs? We start with ourselves.

I challenge all of you reading this blog today to think about the difference you can make in the world. Where will you start?