Ithuteng

Settle in.

Oprah is amazing. I think that pretty much goes without saying, but it's serious. I cry probably weekly because of what she's doing in the world. This is just a little from her website about what her show was about today:

"On May 15, 2004, 11-year-old honor student Hallie Geier got ready to take her dog for an afternoon walk. Just as she stepped into the street in front of her house, she was hit and killed by a car... During the last year of her life she had been saving... to help children affected by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. With Hallie's savings, along with contributions to the Love, Hallie Foundation, [her parents] donated $10,000 to Oprah's Angel Network.

Oprah told the Geier family she would personally see that Hallie's money would be put to good use.

Oprah found the perfect place for Hallie's money when she traveled to South Africa—Kids Haven, a residential shelter for abused and abandoned children outside Johannesburg. The home takes in extremely traumatized children, many of whom have left their families because of severe abuse. Many of the girls have been victims of rape."

So of course the Oprah's Angel Network kicks in some cash and boom... they completely furnish, decorate, and redo the dorms at this shelter.

A young girl in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than she does of learning to read (stat straight from the show).

Now the kicker... when Oprah shows the girls the rooms, she says, "Redoing your room is only a symbol of what we believe is possible for your lives. We wanted to give you a beautiful room because you are beautiful girls and we know you will do beautiful things."

Okay... tears... then one of the girls responds, "Precious pearls and diamonds cannot live up to the gift we got today. Even the gift of gold cannot life up to it, because that gift is money and this gift is love."

Oprah is changing the world. She lives within her means, but she also gives within her means. Oprah is doing a job that she absolutely loves, and is using that career as a catalyst for change. I've been struggling lately with what I want to do for my life because I have so many passions, and I want to do something big. I will never be able to finance the enormous material changes that Oprah can finance (well never is a strong word... but probably not). But, material changes are always secondary to the words and actions that empower and challenge and love people.

I have no idea where I am going to end up. But I do know that I want to strive to do it with love.

"We don't yet see things clearly... But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly."
~1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (the message translation)