Do you know? Have you heard?

Do you know how many orphans there are in the world?

It is estimated that there are 147 MILLION orphans. That is a conservative estimate.

Have you heard the saying, "You can't change everyone's life, but you can change everything for ONE life?"

Can you even begin to imagine how different our world would be if just Christians stepped up and decided to do something about the despair and depravity that 147 million orphans live in each day? It is estimated that there are 2.1 BILLION Christians in the world. That number squashes the number of orphans. But why are there so many forgotten children? Why is it so hard to live out James 1:27?

James 1:27 : "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

We are called to live for much more than ourselves. We are called to live for God and to live for others.

Interested in a small, and beautiful, way to start?

147 Million Orphans is an organization that is partnering with people world wide to make a difference in the lives of orphans and widows. From their site you can get lots of information, but something you can do TODAY is purchase a necklace (or 2, or more!). Each necklace is made by a woman in Uganda, and the purchase of a necklace - only $20 - will help to feed a family for a month! The necklaces are beautiful, and each one is unique. (They are very long, too. I loop mine around three times. With so many colors, it's not hard to find an outfit to wear it with either!)
I wore mine to church this morning and had two women stop me in the UpStreet hall to ask me about it. I always use moments like these (because I get them each time I wear my necklace, and you will too!) to tell women of the opportunity they have to make a difference. Well, this morning, I think I made a small difference because as I was talking, about 8 other people stopped to listen to my endorsement. ;) Even a 13 year old BOY stopped to listen because he told me later that he went to Africa last year and his life has been changed. AMAZING!!!

Don't wait! Not only will you be fashionable as you sport your beautiful necklace, but you will also be supporting women on the other side of our Earth - AND you will have the opportunity (many opportunities!) to share with others how they, too, can support women and orphans in Africa.

http://147millionorphans.com/

Happy shopping! Happy sharing!