The Difference of One???

I recently watched on the news floods devastate different parts of Australia including my home state and the city I grew up in...all from here in the Philippines. In two weeks time we get to take a trip back to Australia and will see first hand some of the damage caused to property and houses of people we know and love.

Sometimes being faced with the harsh realities of extreme poverty on a daily basis makes accessing the "right" emotions for an event such as this complicated. I am so far away from what was my reality, yet the pictures and video footage make it real in my head. I can access the facts online with ease and feel emotions relating to the disaster but I am left with a hollow emptiness as to how to process the news.

Often the realities we face close to home can blind us to what is happening around the world. The day before the flooding hit the headlines, I received the news of a little girl's death. For over two years our team has been working trying to make Abigail's life a little easier. Born with what the doctor described as "down syndrome and muscular dystrophy combining forces to destroy any chance of life," Abigail had no hope from the start.

Hope, one of the more powerful forces in the universe and something her whole family lacked until Abigail's situations touched the heart of one short term missionary, Vincent. Since that time he has faithfully sent money every month to try and bring hope and practical needs to her life. We donated a stroller to make transport easier, dropped off groceries regularly, built a vege garden and started a fruit store all to make her mother's life a little easier.

Unfortunately, in somewhat rapid succession both mother and daughter died due to health declining faster than help could arrive. Abigail's loss created a question deep in my soul relating to our effectiveness? Punishing thoughts like "if I couldn't save Abigail what good are we doing?" haunted me for weeks. An urgency to keep trying was constantly battling the feeling of failure and the thoughts of just quit.

"The Difference of One," the catch cry of Global Impact was really put to test in my own life and after great deliberation and meditation I can honestly say with all my soul...IT IS TRUE! Success can't be determined by what I think the outcome should have been but by the live's changed for the better. Abigail had a short life but it was a lot better due to the combined efforts of people who believed in the Difference of One.

Thank you Vincent and thanks to our friends and family who believe we can make a difference here.