My daughter Megan and her husband, Joel, have decided to adopt a baby. From Uganda! I am so proud of them.

Ever since Gail and I visited Ethiopia a few years ago, we have had a passion for children born into poverty. I can’t imagine what it would be like grow up without parents. Doing it while trying to get enough clean water and food to survive sounds impossible.

Last year, our book club decided to read The Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. It was one of the best books we read all year. (I also listened to the audio version while I was running.)

The book is the inspiring story of what happens when a wealthy Dallas art dealer and a poor homeless drifter become friends.

So, how many pair of shoes do you have? Stop what you are doing, go to your closet, and count them. I know this sounds like a random question, but hang with me. It’s important.

When I went through this exercise yesterday, I counted fourteen pair, including two pair of golf shoes. Worse, I had just said to Gail before church, “I need to buy another pair of casual shoes to wear with my jeans.” (Before you judge me too harshly, count the shoes in your own closet.)

I am still trying to process my experience in Ethiopia. It was so profound that I can barely articulate it. It has been a true shift in my worldview. As I have thought about this, I have realized that “I need Africa more than Africa needs me.” This has been beautifully depicted in this video:

I would be grateful if you would consider sponsoring a child from Ethiopia. For $35.00 (U.S.) a month, you can make a huge difference. You may not be able to change the world, but you could completely change the world for one child. In fact, as we witnessed first-hand, child sponsorship has an impact far beyond the life of one child.