In just a few days we’ll be celebrating not only the start of a new year, but a new decade. 2020 will be a momentous year, and I hope it brings you vision, clarity, peace, and strength. I hope you can stand strong to face the obstacles in your way. I hope you can find the strength to do the things you think you can’t, and continue doing the things you know you can.
I find this to be the number one lesson I have learned from the kids we serve in our orphanages and schools. Life is hard. It’s not always smiles. These kids came from some of the toughest places imaginable. Homeless, hungry, lacking education or family support. Through all their hardships, they stood strong in the face of adversity, and they envisioned a better life for themselves. They did not give up. They will not give up.
There are many children in our schools that are now happy to be in a home with a roof over their heads, a new familial bond with our staff and friends made at the school. They can once again begin to smile. But it’s not all smiles all the time. They still have memories of where they came from. They still face struggles learning the unknown. And while they may cry tears of sadness or frustration, they are really watering the seeds you’re planting for their future.
With your donation, you can help provide the seeds of knowledge to these children. Instead of crying alone on the streets, they can cry in the comfort and loving arms of our nuns, teachers and counselors. They can feel loved, supported, and most of all safe. They can let the tears out, then with amazing resilience that only a kid can have, they pick themselves up, go back to the books, and stand strong to build a better future for themselves.
As everyone is finalizing their New Year’s resolutions, I find myself thinking about mine. Taking a lesson from our kids, I resolve to stand strong. I resolve to stand strong in all that I do. I resolve to stand strong for others who need the hand up, by continuing to continue raising money and fighting for orphaned children in Uganda.
Will you resolve to stand strong with me? Stand strong for yourself and for the less fortunate.
Wishing you peace and happiness in the new year,
Cristen Lyn
