Proverbs 14:31 Project

Compassion for Others

2010-10-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

"Our compassion for others seems to be directly correlated to whether people are close to us socially, emotionally, culturally, ethnically, economically, and geographically. But why do we distinguish the value of one human life from another? Why is it so easy to shut out the cries of these dying foreign children from our ears?" - Richard Stearns, President, World Vision

Perhaps it is because the poverty and suffering of those in another part of the world has not gotten personal for most people. They hear about it, read about it, see pictures on the television about it. However, I can tell you, from my own experience, that once it becomes personal, you cannot forget it. When I was in Uganda in July 2009 with Hope 4 Kids International, one of the most difficult and heart-wrenching experiences was when we participated in feeding the Karamajong children. Hundreds of children waited as we served them what would be their only meal for the day. After they were done eating, it was quite chaotic as children ran around playing. Many approached us and just wanted to be held or hold our hand. Amidst the chaos, I heard the sound of a baby crying. I looked around to see where the crying was coming from and saw a baby girl sitting on the ground with tears streaming down her face. She had a dirty torn dress on and she was sitting in a puddle of her own urine. I was overwhelmed by the sight and went over to her and picked her up. Within minutes she stopped crying and fell asleep in my arms. When it was time for us to leave, it was difficult to put her down. I think of her often and wonder how she is doing. I cannot "shut out the cries" of this child......

Instruments of Love

2010-10-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

"When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. We have refused to be instruments of love in the hands of God to give the poor a piece of bread, to offer them a dress with which to ward off the cold. It has happened because we did not recognize Christ when, once more, he appeared under the guise of pain, identified with a man numb from the cold, dying of hunger, when he came in a lonely human being, in a lost child, in search of a home" - Mother Teresa

Are you willing to be an "instrument of love"? Tororo City Hospital in Uganda is in desperate need of a delivery bed in the maternity ward. The cost of the bed is approximately $1,000.
A woman and her newborn unnecessarily died when they fell off the rickety delivery bed that is at the hospital. We would like to provide a new delivery bed. Will you consider a donation towards this great need? Any amount would be greatly appreciated and will go directly toward the purchase of the bed. If you would like more information, please contact me via email at sharonsstewart@msn.com or by phone at 719-510-0524

Why Uganda?

2010-10-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful fall morning in Colorado. The house is quiet. I am sitting in my comfortable home sipping a cup of coffee and enjoying the views of the mountains. I think of my friends in Uganda and long to go back there. I have never seen so many friendly, loving and joyful people in one place. Although they have so little, they always have a smile on their faces. You do not hear them complaining about what they do not have. They make you feel welcome, like a member of the family that has come home to visit. One of my female friends in Arizona got a flat tire the other day and not a single person stopped to assist her. When I heard this, my first thought was "that would never happen in Uganda". I pictured several people and children running up to the car to offer their help. I often hear the phrase "I need Africa more than Africa needs me". How true that is. The people there can certainly teach us what it means to be friendly, to be content, to make others feel welcome and loved. They do not judge you or criticize you. They accept you for who you are.
It is always said that when you go on a missions trip it will be a "life-changing experience". So true. I remember the words of Bob Mooney, who was with us on the trip with Hope 4 Kids International. In speaking to the group one day while we were in Uganda, he said that the trip would affect each of us in a different way. He said that when we get back home, we can take what we saw and experienced and "sweep it under the rug", but that it would "come back to haunt you". I believe that it was no mistake that I traveled to Uganda and experienced what I did. I can't ignore it. I can't "sweep it under the rug". So, that is the reason for this project.
Some of you may ask, "Why Uganda, when we have people right here in the United States that are in need?" I do not discount the needs here in our own country. Perhaps you may feel led to become involved in a cause here in the United States or Russia or China. I believe that we all have a responsibility to help our "neighbors". In the past, our neighbors were our immediate neighbors. They were those people in our own community. In the words of Richard Stearns, President of World Vision, "Today, not only can we be on the other side of the planet in fewer than twenty-four hours, but tens of millions of Americans fly internationally. We now have the opportunity not only to see those in extreme poverty but also to help them."
Because I have seen with my own eyes the great needs of True Vine Hospital and Tororo City Hospital in Uganda, I feel I must do something to help my "neighbors" there. I cannot ignore it.

Opportunity to Take Action

2010-10-01T12:20:00.001-07:00

The book, Red Letters, Living a Faith that Bleeds, by Tom Davis, is a book that I read prior to my trip to Uganda in July 2009 with Hope 4 Kids International. I was at Barnes & Noble one evening looking for a book to read when I happened upon Tom's book. The title and cover caught my attention. I have since read this book several times and am sure that I will read many more times. It is a book that challenged me to do something, to take action, for those in need. In the Introduction, Tom Davis states "Those of us who claim to follow Christ's teachings should be ashamed for what little we've done to help the countless millions of women, children, and orphans who have died or are dying."
One of my favorite quotes from this book, and one which I cannot forget is "Jesus is interested in what we're doing with our compassion and acts of mercy. He doesn't care about how religious we appear. If our Christian faith doesn't manifest into something that helps the life of another human being, it doesn't mean squat to him."
Will you join me in reaching out to those in need? The Tororo City Hospital maternity ward is in desperate need of a new delivery bed. The cost of the bed is approximately $1,000. The bed they currently have is old and rickety. They also need electricity brought from a generator to the ward. The generator is currently not set up to reach the ward when power goes off, so often they are without electricity for hours at a time. This is life-threatening and has been the cause of death at times. The cost for this electrical work is $1488.26. If you feel led to make a donation towards either of these needs, please contact me. I can be reached via email at sharonsstewart@msn.com

Would You Like to Get Involved?

2010-09-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Would you like to join us in this project? There are several ways in which you can be involved.

1) Purchase a fleece blanket from us for $25. This blanket will be given to a mother/newborn at True Vine Clinic/Hospital or Tororo City Hospital. A portion of the $25 will be used by the Proverbs 14:31 Project to purchase the fleece material. We will make the blanket and get it to Uganda. The remainder of the $25 will be used toward the purchase of medical equipment, medicine, new bedding and paint, and any other neeeded items at the maternity wards in both hospitals.

2) Make a no-sew fleece blanket ( or 2 or 3, or ????) that we will deliver to the hospitals. The blanket only requires 2 yards of fleece material and can be completed in less than an hour. This would be a great project for a women's group at your church or for a group of friends that would like to get together and have a "no-sew" party!

3) Make a donation that will go directly toward much-needed medical equipment and medicine for the maternity wards. Some of the immediate needs at the Tororo City Hospital are: $1488.26 for electrical work to bring electricity from the generator to the maternity ward; approx $1,000.00 for a new delivery bed. The delivery bed they currently are using is so rickety that a woman actually fell off of it and she and her baby both died; $805.90 for plumbing work in the ward.

4) Pray that God would bless this project, that we would be able to provide the equipment and medicine so desperately needed. Pray that I and my daughter, Sarah, would be able to travel to Uganda with Hope 4 Kids International to do a "makeover" (painting, new bedding and decor) of the maternity wards at one or both hospitals.

If you have any questions or would like to speak with me further, please contact me via email at sharonsstewart@msn.com

Fleece blankets sent to Tororo City Hospital for newborns

2010-09-29T07:13:00.001-07:00

This past July, I made several no-sew fleece blankets for the newborns at the Tororo City Hospital. Hope 4 Kids International took them to the hospital while there and presented them to some of the newborn babies. We would like to continue to provide these blankets to both the Tororo City Hospital and True Vine Clinic/Hospital as gifts to the new mothers and their babies.

True Vine Clinic/Hospital

2010-09-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

What is the mission of Proverbs 14:31?

2010-09-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

To provide medical equipment, medicine, bedding and a "makeover" (painting, decorating) of the maternity wards at True Vine Medical Clinic/Hospital and Tororo City Hospital in Uganda, as well as gifts of fleece blankets to newborns at both hospitals.

2010-09-28T13:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Proverbs 14:31 Project!

Why the Proverbs 14:31 Project?

Proverbs 14:31 project is the result of a trip that I took in July 2009 to Uganda with Hope 4 Kids International (www.hope4kidsinternational.org). What were statistics before the trip became personal. These people in great need have faces... they have names. I returned home asking God why he has blessed me with so much when others have so little. I believe that God has a purpose for my life that is beyond living in a nice home, with a nice car and a retirement account. The needs that I saw in Uganda were so great - clean water, food, medical supplies, education - that I was overwhelmed. Where do I start? This excerpt from a book, The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns, gave me my answer:

"It's time to commit. What are you going to do about it? In the end God works in our world one person at a time. The hungry are fed, the thirsty are refreshed, the naked are clothed, the sick are treated, the illiterate are educated, and the grieving are comforted, just one person at a time. You have the opportunity to be that one person to someone who needs what you have to offer. And what you have to offer is never small or insignificant. Again, the great picture of what God is doing in our world is incomplete without your unique puzzle piece - the one that only you possess. But you must choose to place your piece in the puzzle."