I'm Writing A Book

I've decided I'm writing a book entitled "Things I have learned from my 6 year old nephew". I've already got a few incredible entries. And here is the latest. I just had to share, being the sinfully proud aunt that I am. I have copied an email that Erin, my amazing sister-in-law, wrote to the family. By the end of it I could barley read the final words for the tears blurring my vision.

"I thought I would share a quick story with you all about our sweet Carter...

His school has adopted a school in a little village in Ghana, Africa. They are raising money for uniforms $6.00 each, book bags with supplies and a kindergarten building. So, they showed the kids at his school a documentary about the village and Africa in general, no inside plumbing, old raggedy clothes, no shoes, dirt floors, and told them someone dies every 30 minutes there, etc. They explained to the kids how $6.00 is not that much money to us but it is a lot to the people in Africa. Carter was so upset by this he set about raising money for this school.

I suggested he do a few chores around the house and donate the money he earns. I was thinking he would earn around $5.00 and feel really proud of himself. He was not happy with that idea. He brewed for a minute trying to figure out how to make more money. Finally he came up with a plan to sell his rocks. He has this collection of rocks sorted into colors that he has collected from our back yard and a few from the dinosaur museum in Ogden. He went to some of our closer neighbors and began selling his rocks. He priced them himself. Some were a buck, two bucks, five bucks, thirty-four bucks, and forty bucks.

A few of our very gracious neighbors bought rocks for $5.00 each, his cute cousin Christopher (5 years old) bought a rock with $2.00 of his own money, his aunt Sonja and Amanda both picked out a nice $1.00 rock they liked. Tyler bought a rock for free. All my change throughout the house was plundered and added to the pot. All in all he did well.

This little rock-star managed to raise $104.72 which he will donate tomorrow at school. His star contributors were his Grandma Livsey who bought one rock, a nice size fools-gold rock for $34.00. She then donated it back to the cause so someone else would be able to buy the rock again. Carter picked the price and wouldn't budge. If she wanted that rock it would cost her 34 dollars. She tried to talk him down but he wouldn't have it. So after a little negotiation and change counting she came up with enough funds to purchase the rock she liked.

After considerable negotiation, and I mean about 30 minutes worth, Carter managed to convince his Dad to match the money he had made during the day. He had earned $52. The deal they struck was $52. for a collection of ten nicely polished rocks plus one brownie. The cool part is that once he donates this money to the school they have a donor who is matching dollar for dollar everything the kids donate which will mean Carter single handedly, (well thanks to his generous family and neighbors) raised $208 in one afternoon. Now that is some serious fundraising.

He is now very worried about the kids in Africa and his aunt Hollie (she is there teaching in Uganda right now) who he is hoping is coming home soon so she is not one of the "one every 30 minutes" who dies in Africa. He prays for you every day Hollie!

Thank you to everyone who was so generous to buy rocks for outrageous amounts of money. It was really fun for Carter to feel like he is making a difference. He raised enough money for 34 kids to get uniforms so they can attend school. They can't go to school if they aren't wearing a uniform. We can learn a lot from our kids!"

I had the most adorable little second grader write Carter a thank you card and draw a picture. You can see it on the blog. I told Noah, the child, that my nephew raised a lot of money for children in Africa to have school uniforms. That is it. This is what he wrote:

"My name is Kutosi Noah. I want you very good. Thank you for children in the Africa. My father want you mother want you sisters want you brothers want you all the family want you very nice. I am nine years old. I want to learn in the classroom. All the class want to learn. We have colour uniforms. We have red, yellow, green, orange. at our home we have three cows, four hens, and two goats. My father milk the cows. We drink that milk, my father's name is Wakoka Alex and my mother's name is Horano Betty. Thank you Carter for do that. I want very very nice. Now Goodbey.

And he drew a picture of 3 children in their uniforms (he was wearing a yellow shirt and blue shorts that day) coming to school.

Thank you Carter!!! Having experienced first hand the reality of kids not being able to come to school for lack of uniforms or shoes or books or fees, I was incredibly touched by Carter's 6-year-old heart the size of Texas. Faces that I meet every day in the village flashed before my face. It is to be noted that Carter LOVES rocks, and has been building his collection for a while now. Sacrifice is giving of something good for something better. We just sometimes don't understand how better that "better" can be. And that is why it is a sacrifice. Six years old, and he already understands that giving is better than getting, sacrifice is fulfilling, and thinking of others before yourself is what brings true happiness.

I think my book will be a best seller.