The Kubler-Ross Model

I’ve not written much about my experience in Uganda, mainly because I don’t like the emotions it stirs within me. My trip evokes denial, anger, bargaining and depression. Basically it’s the Kubler-Ross Model, known as the Five Stages of Grief, yet I never make it to Acceptance. That’s because I refuse to. It’s like my eyes have been opened to a world that shouldn’t be. I will not accept this. I have seen firsthand the starving children that Sally Struthers talked about. I’ve met them. I’ve kissed them. I’ve held them. They have been beaten, abandoned, degraded and often by the very ones who we'd expect to love them the most. They are not just a face on a "Feed Africa" campaign. They have names like, Claire and Peter and Samuel and Abraham and Aklim and Vivian and William and Fred and some more Freds, and Aron and Tracy and Ronald and Robert and Jovia. They are in need of the very things you and I take for granted: familes, love, clothing, food, clean water, soap. These kids have stories to be told, but no one to listen to them. They carry burdens that they shouldn't even know about. They need to be allowed to just be children. They need mamas and daddies or someone to look after them. They need someone to cook their meals, mend their clothes, kiss a boo-boo, comfort a nightmare. They don't belong in the prisons I visited them in, they need to be in a loving home or a loving foster home.




So what if you could help them get that? Would you do it? If you knew that $5 USD would feed YOUR children for a week, would you sacrifice your Starbucks this morning for them? If you knew that $30 USD would send YOUR child to school for an entire month, would you decrease your cable package to cover it? How about doing it for a child that doesn’t have parents willing to sacrifice for them? I would.



Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.””



You guys, when I die, I don’t want to be known as the girl who talked about all the good things I could do. I want to be known as the girl that did great things. God has blessed us beyond measure and so often we fail to see it. More often, we fail to use our blessings where it matters most and here's a hint: expensive shoes and designer purses aren't it. He has commanded all of us to look after orphans and widows in James 1:27. Let’s all put some action in those words and help them. And no, that doesn't mean we ALL have to adopt one...


Sixty Feet has been given an opportunity to acquire land on Lake Victoria and to build a home for these very children. See below the exact words from my internet friend, Shelly’s, site or visit her directly at http://www.goodtobecrazy.com/:

“Dare to Dream

What if the youngest, most vulnerable, most desperate children at M1 and the other facilities didn’t have to be there? What if they could live in a place filled with hope, where they could grow to know and love God, where they would be deeply cared for, where they could receive an education and have a future? What if…

Since SixtyFeet first began, we’ve dreamed of purchasing land and building a home so we can remove the most vulnerable children who live in the M facilities. We can all agree, these children shouldn’t be in these conditions.

Late last year, we had a matching donation to raise funds so we could acquire land. The land was to be used as the site for a home where the youngest and most vulnerable children at M1 could live in a loving, nurturing family-like environment. Some of you may be wondering what happened to that.

Well, we were blown away by your generosity, as usual, and you sailed past the $10,000 match raising a total of $30,000. That money, unfortunately is still sitting in the bank – set aside and earmarked for the home we so very much want to build.

Various obstacles prevented us from moving forward with our original plans (we’re learning that sometimes we just need to be still and wait on the Lord). So that’s what we’ve been doing. But we never gave up hope. Ever since then, we have been praying that we would be able to raise the remaining funds to start this home.

Recently, several incredible donors have stepped forward to offer a whopping $60,000 as a matching gift in order to make this dream a reality. Yes, that was not a typo and you read it correctly. Every dollar we are able to raise between today and December 31, 2011 – up to $60,000 – will be matched, dollar for dollar.

So what does this mean for SixtyFeet and the children? With the $30,000 that was raised last year, we are hoping and praying that by January we will have $150,000 in order to purchase land, build a home and have a place where we can nurture these precious children. But we’re not just thinking land and a home. We’re thinking bigger… way bigger – as in community. We want to build something sustainable.

Given the size of this gift, we also pray we can use a portion of the funds to expedite our plans to remove and house many of the older children at the M facilities. We hope to establish multiple homes for boys and girls 10 and older where they can live with up to 20 other children and be mentored by young adults, who themselves have been in similar situations but who now have a heart to give back and serve.

So as we enter this holiday season, please dare to dream with us. Dare to dream of the eternal impact this will have in the Kingdom and in the lives of the children of M. Dream of the children who may arise from these homes. The leaders, the doctors, the pastors, the educators. All of whom may ultimately come from M and go on to serve and do amazing things in the name of Christ. Just imagine it.”

To donate to this amazing cause, to have your donation matched dollar for dollar, and to make a big difference this Christmas, click  http://sixtyfeet.org/how-you-can-help/

Please, please, please visit http://www.sixtyfeet.org/. It's my birthday today and I double dog dare you.....with a cherry on top.