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WITandWISDOM(tm) - January 6, 2003 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people - Author Unknown ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Anita sat on the sidelines, rather lifeless, and watched as the other neighborhood children played lively games. It had been this way for weeks or maybe even months. Something was clearly wrong with Anita, but because of the family's poverty a doctor's visit was out of the question. They could barely afford basic food for survival. Yes, Anita would probably die of an easily curable disease. In God's mercy he sent my wife, Charleen, and her friend Martha into that poverty-stricken barrio that day in search of children to help. They had found many children to help on previous trips. But on that day the most notable case was Anita. They used their persuasive abilities to convince the child's mother to allow them to take Anita home with them. Medical testing revealed that Anita's problem was caused by several varieties of parasites, a common occurrence in the tropics. The parasites were relatively easy to eliminate, but the anemia that the parasites had caused needed immediate attention. The doctor ordered a blood transfusion as quickly as possible. No blood banks existed at that time in Bolivia, where we were serving as missionaries, so we had to find a donor. As it turned out, I had the same blood type, so I volunteered. I'll never forget the day I donated blood to Anita. Though many years have passed, I get choked up every time I relate the story. I watched as the nurse changed needles and inserted the IV directly into Anita's arm. My blood slowly started trickling into her vein. She received half the blood that day and was to return two days later for the remainder. The fact that they removed a pint of my blood didn't bother me at all. However, to realize that my blood - my life - had become hers affected me. When I returned a week later from a trip related to my work as youth director for the mission, I was amazed at the transformation that had taken place in Anita. She was so full of energy. She was practically bouncing off the walls! Her quality of life had skyrocketed. Anita didn't want to go home. She had grown accustomed to bountiful meals and a comfortable bed - and nice warm showers. She would play in them for hours if we would let her. Most of all, though, she loved to soak up attention - something she received lots of. It was a sad day when we had to take her home. We resolved to visit her when we could. Imagine our surprise a few days later when we answered the doorbell and there stood Anita. At just 4 years of age she had crossed a city of nearly a half million inhabitants alone by bus. On the way she transferred twice from one bus to another. How had she done it? I didn't even know my way around using the public transportation system! Every few days she would arrive with a very definite agenda in mind that included a long bath, a good meal, and all the attention she could get. I guess you couldn't really blame her. She wasn't skipping school and they didn't charge her anything to ride the buses, so why not? I can't help reflecting on our relationship to Jesus Christ. He came to this world full of sick people, and He gave His blood so that they could live! Not just live, but live more abundantly, more fully, more joyfully. By Howard Williams who spent 12 years in mission service. He now resides in Orleans, California, with his wife, Charleen, where they manage their own business. Source: Adventist Review, ISSN 0161-1119, (c) November 28, 2002, http://www.adventistreview.org/ Submitted by Nancy Simpson ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Five things you don't want to hear from Tech Support: 1. "Duuuuuude! Bummer!" 2. "In layman's terms, we call that the Hindenburg Effect." 3. "Your problem can be fixed, but you're going to need a butter knife, a roll of duct tape and a car battery." 4. "Press 1 for Support. Press 2 if you're with '60 minutes.' Press 3 if you're with the FTC." 5. "Hold on a second, please ... Mom! Timmy's hitting me!" Source: Clean Laugh, http://www.cybersalt.org/lists.htm ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: "The older a man gets, the farther he had to walk to school as a boy." Source: Sermon Fodder, http://www.sermonfodder.com ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Vintage PCs A market is emerging for vintage PCs and components. How about $20,000 for a complete Apple 1 (200 manufactured in 1976, list price then $666.66), or $2,000-3,000 for an Altair 8800 (cost in 1975: $439 as a kit, $621 pre-assembled). For more information visit: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/601/tr.cgi?news2 |