Stories from Adam

He called Thanksgiving twice and shared the following;

As him and friend George were out walking through the streets of Dhaka going across a pedestrian bridge sat many people begging, "they reach out and grab your legs as you walk by" at one point Adam said he got impatient about the whole thing.George gave someone a few Taka's then another, then another, Adam said once you start they all come to you. Many are professional beggar's and it's hard to find the ones that really need help. He asked that we pray for him ..for discearnment and patience.

As they walked they came to one of the most beautiful places that he has ever seen , he said all of a sudden he felt the "darkness" as the place held all of the snake charmers, the Shaman's and the prostitutes. He looked into their eyes and it was demonic, but he said he could look into their hearts as well and they wanted to be free. They needed to hear of Jesus ,not many have heard of him Adam said.

During the month of December he will be sharing the gospel throughout Bangladesh, January he leave on a train to Bihar, India for a month .

He praises the Lord as he was able to receive the packages that were sent,one from his Grandma who had sent it through the normal Postal service..6 weeks later it arrived ,a package from Grace Assembly (our church ) also arrived. The two packages only cost him about 6,000 Taka which is about $87.00. He was so excited as were the rest of the students as they share the many snacks. The medical items that were sent will help as once again Adam becomes the "Hammer Dr".

I asked him if he "was ready to come home"? I got a "NOPE" and he giggled.

Kim and I continue to miss him more than words can describe, at times it's more than we can bare. But we also know that he is in the Lord's hands & not ours anymore.We prayed for the God's will and this is where HE has taken Adam. God is faithful

Extreme Global Poverty ?

The numbers are staggering but are absolutely real. Behind each number is a human being: a mother, father, sister or brother. While ODW is not a religious organization, we are compelled by our faith and conviction that human life is sacred and precious. 3 billion people live on less than US$2/day. 1.4 billion people live on less than US$1.25/day - the definition of those who live under the condition of "extreme global poverty."

Consider the following:

* Approximately 9.2 million children under the age of 5 die each year, mostly from preventable diseases. That's approximately 25,000 children each day.
* 2.5 billion people around the world do not have access to adequate sanitation and about 885 million people do not have access to clean water.
* Every day, 4100 children die each day from severe diarrhea - as a result of poor sanitation and hygiene.
* Approximately 600 million children live in extreme poverty.
* Nearly 11,500 people die every day from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Nearly two-thirds of these people are living in sub-Saharan Africa.
* 75 million children are out of school around the world, a figure equivalent to the entire primary school-aged population in Europe and North America.

As a result to the Global Economic Recession, those living in extreme poverty have suffered the most. Recent increases in the price of food and oil have had a direct and adverse effect on communities that were struggling for survival even before the recession hit. The long-term effects of this recession are expected to potentially push millions more into extreme povery.

Global poverty facts:

* $1 challenge. More than 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day and more than 2 billion live on less than $2 a day.
* Check your assumptions. Americans believe that their government spends 24 percent of the federal budget on aid to poor countries, but the actual figure is less than 1 percent.
* Daily disasters. HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria—all treatable diseases—claim the lives of over 8,000 people every day in Africa due to lack of access to health care.
* The water walk. Women in developing countries travel an average of almost four miles each day to collect water.
* The poor pay more. People living in the poorest slums can pay as much as ten times more for water than those in high-income areas of their own cities.
* Gender disparity. According to the U.N., the majority of people in poverty are women, who globally earn roughly half as much as men.
* Daily bread. Food prices have risen 83 percent since 2005, disproportionately affecting those in poverty who spend a higher percentage of their income on food.
* No school for you. In 2005, a conservative estimate stated that 72 million children around the world of elementary school age were not enrolled in school.
* The global wealth gap. The richest 20 percent of the world's population receives 75 percent of the world's income, while the poorest 40 percent receive only 5 percent of the world's income.

Just being Thankful

Lying awake in bed for most of the night...Thinking of all the "if's" and "what could have been" ..as today would have been ..Carly's (My Daughter's) 25th birthday ...still I have much to be thankful for!