Can You Change the World?  

What a HUGE question!  What is your initial response?  How would we change it anyway?  My response to that question about 4 years ago would have been NO WAY….I know me and I know that I can not change the world.  But after stepping out of my comfort zone, laying down everything, moving to a new part of the USA, traveling to Africa, taking many mission teams to Africa, rescuing hundreds of children, feeding hundreds of people and so on, I am beginning to see what that question "Can we change the world?" really means.  To me, changing the world is about changing the world for ONE PERSON AT A TIME. Together, we have done that.  So again, I ask you the question, Can YOU change the world? (Pictured to the right are two of our newest young ladies!  They were rescued in September and are now living at Hope Children’s Home.)

What is in Your Hand?

While I was in Uganda back in September, I was sharing with a church one Sunday.  I was encouraging the local Ugandans to use what they have in their "hands".  For me, the expression, "use what you have in your hands" speaks of the talents, gifts and resources we have all been given.  I think most of us can get so used to who we are that we forget that we all have something very special to add to this world.  I shared some examples from the Bible of people who used what they had and how this was how they were used to change the world.  

One example is King David.  When he was a boy, he was in charge of shepherding sheep.  He was also very talented at writing songs and playing an instrument.  Now most of us would think that shepherding sheep and playing an instrument would be very simple and unhelpful at helping us to obtain a well paying career.  For instance, if you were going to go to college to be a teacher, but as you were pursuing your degree you had to work as a janitor.  How would being a janitor help you in your career? I am not exactly sure, but to me this is how David must have felt while working with sheep, stepping in poop, daydreaming and writing songs.  David was called to be a King not a wool manufacturer.  God used David’s abilities and opened up an opportunity to get hands on training in government.  Because of this talent, the current King of Israel, King Saul, requested that David be brought into his service to play his instrument.  David used what was in his hands.

We Can Pull More by Working TOGETHER!

I recently heard a speaker share the following story: 

At a Midwestern fair many spectators gathered for an old-fashioned horse-pull (An event where various weights are put on a sled hitched to a horse and pulled along the ground). The grand-champion horse pulled a sled with 4,500 pounds on it. The runner up was close - with a 4,400 pound pull. Some of the men wondered what they could pull if hitched together. Separately, they had totaled nearly 9,000 pounds, but when hitched together, they pulled over 12,000 pounds!  The horses were able to pull more working together than by themselves, and in life, we’re stronger when we tackle it together. We’re stronger when we build relationships with each other.

Meet Some People Using What They Have in Their HANDS

I want you to meet just a few people that are using what they have in their hands. There are so many of you out there that have helped in creative ways and those that have been so faithful!  We thank you all! By working together, we are making a difference!  We are changing the world…ONE CHILD AT A TIME!

Robin Stover and Martha Mendez - They are currently on the board for Show Mercy International.  They own a salsa and sauce business called Heaven’s Garden of Oregon and they donate a large portion of their proceeds to SMI as well as other organizations.  They just opened a house for abandoned newborns in Sierra Leone Africa and are currently raising money for a children’s cottage on our newest property, The Field of Dreams.  Click here to read more of their story.  Please consider purchasing their products for holiday gifts as well as for your holiday parties.  You will be saving lives while enjoying a quality salsa. 

Scott and Angie Schuler - Radio Personalities, KRKT 99.9 Cricket Country.  They have donated much of their personal time to help spread the word about our efforts of rescuing children in Uganda.  They have used their talents, resources and influence to raise thousands of dollars and awareness for Show Mercy International!  Read their story here.

Mike, Gail, Megan, Joshua and Joel Lowry have really touched our hearts with their enthusiasm and heart for the people they have never met… our children in Uganda!  Mike Lowry is a realtor with ReMax in Lake Oswego, Oregon.  They have raised funds and awareness for the children in Uganda.  The Lowry kids put their heads together and came up with their own fundraiser…a neighborhood garage sale.  Read Megan’s story of how they organized and raised money to help us continue with our mission, Reaching Out in Love…One Child at a Time.

Jeff Koerner (one of our greatest friends) owns Five Fish Press and has given his time and talents to Show Mercy by donating SO MUCH in graphic and web design.  He has created from scratch all that you see on our website.  So many people have commented on how much they have been touched by his gifts and talents of communication through graphics.  Through his gifting, we have been able to communicate LOVE through pictures and words.  If you need the most talented and dedicated design and print specialist out there, please contact Jeff.  

We want to thank everyone of you who has been a part of Show Mercy.  WE are so excited of what is ahead of us.  We will be sharing some really exciting news with you very soon…so stay tuned!

So let me ask you….what is in your hand?  Together we can change the world.  Click here to see how you can get involved!

Lori Salley
Show Mercy International
P. O. Box 607
Albany, Oregon 97321

Scott and Angie Schuler are the morning radio DJ’s at 99.9 KRKT Cricket Country Radio station in Albany, Oregon.  We first met them back in 2005 when we were organizing our first Great Northwest Challenge Fundraiser. From that time on, they have donated their personal time as well as given us radio air time to help raise both awareness and funds for Show Mercy International’s mission to the orphaned and abandoned children. Scott and Angie have a passion for what Show Mercy is doing and have partnered with us in assisting the poor in Uganda. They have helped us to raise thousands of dollars!  We are so appreciative to this couple for their heart to help the kids in Uganda.  They have used what God has given them, their talent, time and influence to make a huge difference in the lives of many children in Uganda.

You can read more about Scott and Angie by clicking here.

 
Pictured above: Scott, Country Music Stars Faith Hill & Tim McGraw, Angie and Lincoln

Even children are getting a heart for our kids in Uganda.  Here is a note from Megan Lowry.  She helped to organize a neighborhood garage sale to help the children at Hope Children’s Home.

"This is a picture of the team that participated in the garage sale in which all proceeds went to Show Mercy. The idea began when my brothers and I were talking about our neighborhood’s annual garage sale.We decided that it would be more fun to organize a garage sale for someone else! We asked our friends to donate anything that was sitting in their garage, for that garage sale that one can never seem to put together! We ended up with a great variety of items to sell. Everything from paintings of sailboats to handmade teddy bears! A bunch of our friends arrived to help out the day before the garage sale. We had a great time sorting and pricing everything. Some friends spent the night at our house, others arrived the next morning to set up for the garage sale. We made a poster which showed Uganda and told people that all the proceeds would go to the Show Mercy orphanage. We handed out Show Mercy flyers and got into a number of wonderful conversations with some people. In the end we made over $50 for Show Mercy and made many people aware of the Show Mercy outreach. "

The Team: (from left to right)
Joshua Lowry, Sitara Kannan, Joel Lowry, Jessie Davis, Preeya Kannan, Megan Lowry, Alexandra Kutcher