Sunday, July 08, 2007

Uninmangeable poverty

When I went to Malawi I knew that it was one of the poorest countries in the World. I knew that I would witness a level of poverty that I had never witnessed first hand. I knew that there was no way that I could prepare myself for what I was to witness.

When I blogged from Malawi, I tried to capture some of what I witnessed through my words. Perhaps I succeeded to a certain extent. Yet, I find myself feeling like my words and pictures are inadequate to describe the poverty that we witnessed day after day and mile after mile. To a certain extent, you can only know if you witness this first hand. Yet, I will not stop writing about Malawi. Perhaps in time, as I continue to process what I have seen, I will find the words to relay the extent of this poverty to you.

And lest some of you think that I am despairing because I don't think that I or we can make a difference. Yes, there are things that we can do. We each have gifts that we have to offer, ways that we can help. Even a small ripple can make a difference. I, for example, have my words, my compassion, and the few dollars that I have donated to groups that are working in third and fourth world countries such as Malawi.

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