Multiplication For Mali

 

And God blessed them, saying,

Be fruitful, and multiply. . . .

                                    -- Genesis 1:22a

           

            They challenged us in church. Could we raise a million dollars this summer to help build a much-needed hospital for women and children in impoverished Mali, West Africa? Women still die in childbirth there; 'way too many babies never see age 5. What could we do about it?

 

            Could we pour out the love of Jesus Christ on the people of Mali half a world away, to show the largely Muslim population what Christians are really like?

 

            Every once in a while, something like this breaks through to help us focus on how richly we're blessed, and see what it's all for:

 

            To multiply our blessings for others.

 

            Not just spend our money - invest it. Not just rear our children - love them. Not just give money to the poor - pray for them, serve them, protect them, heal them, teach them, create opportunity for them . . . invest in them, and love them.  

 

            And oh, the creative ways people found to raise money to do all that:

 

            Among other projects, one family went "Dumpster Diving for Mali." They retrieved a castoff bicycle, fixed it, and sold it.

 

            A nurse who visited the Holy Land and had 600 pictures from her trip made and sold greeting cards.

 

            A teacher who goes to "therapy" in the summer - on the golf course - donated $2 for every stroke over par.

 

            A family whose boys play a lot of baseball sold ice-cold water bottles at sun-baked ballfields with no concession stands.

 

            Another family took orders on where to plant their outrageous flock of plastic flamingoes in people's yards as a fund-raiser. You could pay to "flamingo" someone, or pay to have "insurance" that no one would "flamingo" you.

 

            Another delivered new phone books and donated their pay; another haunted thrift stores, bought underpriced treasures and made a tidy profit on eBay; one couple sold their old boat and raised over $1,000.

 

            I set a goal of walking 56 miles in 56 days, and raising $5,600, a dollar a mile to bridge the gap between our home and Mali.

 

            Thanks to prayerful prodding by my family, and a lot of generous friends, we made it. We're contributing $5,600. Wow! What a blessing! I'm so grateful.

 

            As usual, God did a lot more than I bargained for:

 

            I started off as an extreme couch potato, a Poster Child For Pudge, barely able to walk one mile slowly in about 30 minutes. But now I'm jogging - OK, semi-staggering - able to go three miles in 45 minutes.

           

            I have more energy, look better in my clothes, lost seven pounds, and two inches off my flabby waist.

 

            Grim realities of childbirth in Mali refocused me on the blessings of great American health care. I had toxemia with our late-in-life baby, Maddy; if we'd lived in Mali, we'd both have died. A niece had a C-section a few weeks ago and developed complications; in Mali, she'd be dead today. But she's here, and she's fine. Gratitude is a blessing in itself.

 

             Friends sent me neat cards and notes along with their donations, including one who sent Band-Aids for the inevitable blisters and some Freedent gum, which she said won't stick to dental work, but will help me "stick with" my goal. I loved praying for each supporter. The time spent walking, away from duties and distractions, refocused me on others and revitalized my prayer life, which brought me closer to the Lord. That sweetened me up - for which my family gives thanks!

 

            Finally, I've always crabbed that I'm fat, but I don't have TIME to do an organized diet and exercise program. Yeah, right. Through walking, I found out there's a Weight Watchers meeting at a little church a block away. Is THAT convenient enough?

 

            So yes, I'm joining. And I'm going to keep on walking. I'll be a babe in no time.

 

            A "Dolly For Mali."

 

            And I thought the idea was to help OTHERS. Hah!

 

            But that's God. See how He multiplies His blessings? They're endless. They boomerang. Now that my attention has been turned toward thinking far beyond my little world, and I've learned to love actively giving, I'm hooked on it - high on it - hankering for more ways to do it. All that, for such a small investment, relatively speaking, of my time, money and effort.

 

That's God's "math facts," the way He multiplies resources in His economy. The return on investment is always world-class . . . and downright heavenly. †