A boy had made a ball from plastic bag scraps and threw it to me. I threw it back to him and asked if he had made it.  He smiled shyly, face turned down, the way Kenyans do, and answered “yes.” I asked him if he would teach me to make one later that week.

A couple of days later, I was surprised by a tap on my arm.  A boy looked up at me and said, “teacher, can we go make the ball today?” I was puzzled as I looked down into his hands full of plastic trash and a little bit of brown twine.  Then I remembered and smiled as I was led into the classroom, followed by dozens of curious children.

I sat down at two desks that had been pulled together alongside three 5th grade boys and they showed me how to make one of the balls they play with.  It took about ten minutes, and while I was watching what he was meticulously making, I also looked around the room at the children who were excited just to watch.  The ball was wonderful, made with blue plastic on the outside for looks and tightly bound with twine for structural stability.  As it was proudly presented to me as a gift (my favorite possession from Kenya by far), I asked them, “what are your names? I want to write them  down so I can remember you and tell my family and friends at home in America all about you.”  Immediately I was bombarded with a massive influx of names from every child in the room and even from some that were outside.  “Peter! Timothy! Collins! Kevin! Dominique! Ova! Austin! Jesse! Ayub! Cynthia!

I could not possibly write down all the names as they flew at me.  My pen could not move that fast and the back of my nametag did not have that much room. I finally managed to thank them and put the pen back in my camera bag before more children arrived in the room.  It hit me all of a sudden as I was transcribing the names of the children on my nametag, “they just want to be remembered,” and tears rushed into my eyes.

They just want to be remembered.  They just want to be spoken of.  They just want to be prayed for. They just want to be loved.

Everything in their world was okay except that they thought I might forget about them.  They thought I might forget their name when I told my friends in America about my time in Kenya. They thought I might not consider them in my prayers because they were too small or their voice wasn’t loud enough or they were not good at soccer.  They thought I wouldn’t love them when I left.

At the core of it all, isn’t that what we all want? To be loved and  valued and remembered? To be beautiful worthwhile and considered?

Christie Saucier is a sophomore at the University of Alabama and she took time this summer to spend a couple weeks in Africa with ISF.

Written by Cheryl Wolfinger, ISF President:

My first thought was indignation. “Is that what you think I do?” It is not as if I sleep away my days in a drunken stupor or stand at an intersection in tattered clothes hoping that my desperate appearance and a cardboard sign will evoke enough compassion from passersby to land a few dollars in my pocket.

But, then I thought about what the word “beg” actually means. According to the dictionary “to beg” is to “ask with emotion.” Turns out, “begging” is exactly what I do.

I “ask with emotion” for people to join with ISF and invest in a cause much larger than ourselves. God has called us to be His hands and feet and that requires resources.

I “ask with emotion” on behalf of the hundreds of orphans and needy children being cared for through our partnerships in Kenya and Uganda. I “ask with emotion” on behalf of the millions of children in central Asia, like the boy pictured above, who depend on the mobilization of volunteers to bring the good news of the Gospel to his religiously restricted home country. I “ask with emotion” on behalf of the 200 volunteers that we will mobilize in the next year. I “ask with emotion” for the 20 missionaries and Christian nationals we will support next year with volunteer teams and financial aid.

Now back to the original question. “Do I ever get tired of it?” You better believe I do! It is exhausting to have the constant feeling that the needs will always outweigh the resources. It is exhausting to think about the fact that every 30 seconds a child dies from the lack of clean water and food. It is exhausting to have my experiences and first-hand knowledge of people with no access to healthcare or safe drinking water in other countries while I live in a place where we mindlessly march on in our wasteful ways living the American dream.

So, the bottom line is this; yes, I get tired of “begging for money.” But, until there is no need for advocacy for the lost, hurting and hungry, I WILL NOT STOP. I may grow weary, but I will not stop “asking with emotion.”

It is my prayer that you will hear the voices of those whom we serve and be compelled to join us and see what God would do through you and your generosity!

Last summer he served on a team to Uganda and he was deeply moved by the plight of the people there. The Ugandan pastor the team worked with, Geoffrey, gained a spot in Chad’s heart.  In a conversation towards the end of the project, Chad asked Geoffrey about his vision for the tortured northern half of Uganda.  Chad had seen the devastation of AIDS and generations of civil war that has plagued the country.

Chad recalls that Geoffrey’s eyes lifted as he told of his dream to someday build an orphanage for the children of Nebbi affected by war and HIV/AIDS.   Chad was not sure what he could do to help so he just continued to ask questions about Geoffrey’s dream.  Geoffrey explained that the two acres of land would cost about $2,000. That was the starting point and they would build and grow as God provided.  Chad was faced with a challenge but was not sure how to meet it.  He had been introduced to the concept of the Team ISF Charity Race Teams for raising support.  Then, reluctantly, as a professed NON-RUNNER, he knew in his heart that the only way to help Geoffrey and the children was to run a half-marathon.

So in August he started his journey.  He joined the ISF CRT.  It was easy, he just went to our website and filled out the form to be a team member then he set his goal to raise $2,000 and run a half marathon in two hours. By Thanksgiving he ran a 5K, then in January a 10K and finally in April he completed a half marathon in 1:59:46 and raised $2600!

Chad will be the first to admit that many people could have run it faster but he knew that it was what he was supposed to do.  He logged over 350 miles in training and has written about his journey on his blog. Search keyword Uganda to read more.

In fact, Chad and his wife are actually in the process of adopting a child from Africa.  God has truly touched their hearts with the needs of hurting people.

People who want to make a difference will find a way.