Signs of Hope: End of December

There is so much gloom and doom in the news these days, I thought I would seek out some good news for a change. If you are like me, there are days you never turn on the radio or TV to listen to the news. 

Lately, I find that of the news sources available, I pay the most attention to the one arriving on my front doorstep in the morning, the Moscow-Pullman Daily News. When there is little one can do about the Africans suffering in South Sudan or someone who just lost their home in a flood in India, discovering a local need and/or learning of its resolution is refreshing.

I do not mean to undermine any humanitarian effort in such places or similar. This small newspaper certainly covers all corners of the globe, but I think it is important to consider the needs of people in my own 'backyard' first, because I might  actually be able do something for those folks....and I hope the feeling is mutual. Take a look at what the Daily News reported on locally and globally in the last week.


--Dec 25. Hope when all was lost. A local man, a quadriplegic for many years (due to a car accident in 1969), suffered another car crash in April this year. A mechanism operating his specially designed van had snapped and sent him crashing into a building. Both of his legs were broken but he survived. The van was totaled. Replacement would cost $60k and he only had half. His church (200 members) pooled their money and presented him with a $30,000 check for Christmas!!

--Dec 26. Hope for an American symbol. The U.S. Capitol's famous dome is finally being repaired. In 1990 the Washington D.C. structure started leaking after a storm. More than a thousand cracks and tiny pinholes seeping water have since been discovered. Pans are still being used to catch the drips. The project will cost $60 million and take two years.




--Dec 26. Hope for the college bound. An online college (WGU) in Washington state has set tuition at less than 50% that of traditional schools (UW is $12,397). Schedule is flexible. One single mom managed to get a four year degree in 17 months. 



--Dec 26. Hope for grammarians. A Local man has invented a new game called Wordzzle. Players combine words to form sentences and learn about sentence structure. Sentences can be nonsensical and funny. They just have to be grammatically correct.



--Dec 26. Hope for foreign adoptions. Support for the Children in Families First Act is growing in the U.S. Congress. If passed, the bill will make international adoption easier. It is estimated there are millions of children in foreign orphanages, but adoptions by U.S. citizens have been next to impossible due to corruption and political problems. 


 --Dec 26. Hope for the persecuted, helpless and war-torn. Pope Francis prayed publicly for persecuted Christians, battered women, trafficked children, peace in the Middle East and Africa, and refugees across the globe. Regarding peace, he said, "True peace is not a balancing of opposing forces. It's not a lovely facade which conceals conflicts and divisions. Peace calls for daily commitment."


--Dec 26. Hope for the young and dying. A terminally ill eight-year-old Pennsylvania girl suffering from leukemia wished for a huge holiday singalong. Thousands of Christmas carolers gathered to sing outside her home the weekend before Christmas. She died on Christmas day.




 
--Dec 27. Hope for the building profession. Housing and general construction are UP in our small town of  31,359 (the best since 2005). It appears to be a trend elsewhere, too.





--Dec 28, 29. Hope for the fight against TB in Africa. A doctor from our region was evacuated safely from South Sudan when violence and fighting broke out in the area. More than 120,000 people fled the area. Dr. Jill Seaman began her work in Africa through Doctors Without Borders in 1989. She successfully helped establish a tuberculosis clinic in the Upper Nile region. Last report, the clinic was still operational and helping people. She had no desire to leave permanently. She needs our prayers!



--Dec 28, 29. Hope for alcoholics and their families. A drug has been discovered that may help alcoholics stay sober. The medication is called gabapentin, but it will be some time before the Food and Drug Administration approves it and research is complete. Still, it is a hopeful sign for those suffering alcoholism and for families struggling to cope.

Happy New Year!

Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl