Life {altered}

My world has been changed, shattered, and impacted. My eyes have been opened, and its so hard to ignore once you have truly SEEN.
I know so many of my friends and family are sick of hearing about it. But once you have opened your ears, eyes, and heart to knowing the TRUTH - its hard to back down, to let it go.
I mentioned in the previous post about the shoes that we had the opportunity to meet with the missionary from Ethiopia that we were able to provide shoes to the children she serves. In this meeting with her I learned so much! I thought I knew, I knew a little bit of the ugly truth that daily inhabits this world. But honestly, I didn't realize... Childrens parents sending them on buses at the age of 6 to go and work to care for themselves. Young boys working to provide for their mothers and siblings as they are viewed the "head of the household", the lack of food, the lack of clean water, the dangers of the world that surrounds them daily. I am sure its going to be even more of an eye opener when we are actually there. But my heart has been broken for these children. Its so hard to just turn away unchanged and not feel a sense of obligation to do SOMETHING. I have no clue how so many in our world can go on daily and ignore these things. How can you know children are starving another country away and not feel guilt by wasting food?? How can you know people in another country have no access to clean water and as you brush your teeth continue to run the faucet nonstop, or leave the shower running for long periods of time before getting in?
My life has been changed. I no longer brush my teeth and allow the water to run. I no longer waste my food. I take everything home and make myself eat the leftovers.

What stinks, is I am not bragging about any of this. Truth is - I hate hearing the sound of the toothbrush on my teeth - I like to run the water so I can't hear it. I sometimes hate leftovers- certain foods are just not meant to be reheated. Once your eyes have been opened, it makes you sick to think of the things these children are facing another world away from here. Its hard not to think how lucky I am that I was born in America. That simply because of the location in which these children were born - that they were faced with such despair. It could have easily been me or you....
I pray that everyone who reads this will consider those in need more, and yourself less. Do the little things in your life to make a change. Don't take the little things for granted, that could mean the world to someone else. Make a difference.