Thank you

First, let us simply say thank you. A full 85% of the money we need to get us to Africa has either been pledged or already donated. We're amazingly humbled. Thank you to all of you who have believed in our little mission.

That said, I realize it's been a while since we've posted anything about any sort of Hope and Healing. This has become essentially a travel blog. I apologize for that...the reason, mainly, is that where we're going to be is still up in the air, so a lot of our preparations have been put on hold. Mercy Ships is still negotiating with the new government of Sierra Leone to allow us to go there, and I check my e-mail frequently with hopes of any news.

As it stands, the only thing we know for sure is that our start date in Africa has been pushed back a week—into early February—while these negotiations continue. Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, or elsewhere in Africa are all possibilities.

So, we'll keep you posted as soon as we find out about anything.

And, speaking of donations, if you're in the mood for doing so in a different way, check out FreeRice.com. It's a word quiz, sponsored by some amazingly large corporations, that donates rice through the UN for however good your vocabulary is. The words aren't easy (I have no idea what a weald is), but the concept is great. And you'll be amazed at how many words you thought you knew.

Raising Support

As expected, finally sending that letter was the hardest thing we'd ever done. But it's done. The letter is out, and the response has been humbling.

Absolutely humbling.

Who are we, but two random physicians who have had a desire to work overseas? We're simply pursuing a dream that we've had for years, and have asked friends to keep us in mind as we do it. But the outpouring has humbled us.

Mysterious ways...

Fashion is not a luxury?

Wow. I can't say we've ever had to do something like this before. By definition—by the very fact that we're physicians—we're self-sufficient people. And now, all of a sudden, we've been told we need to ask people for support and for money. And not a small amount of money, mind you. Whopping, massive amounts of money.

(OK...not whopping and massive either. Somewhere in between Bildad and Goliath).

The support letter is drafted. I just can't get the courage up to send it, you know?

Though, I was pushed in that direction yesterday. I was waiting for a friend on the corner of 53rd and Madison, a corner flush with more money in a day than the combined annual gross domestic product of twelve African nations.

Filing past me were suits and tourists, models and actors, cell phones and ipods...the usual NYC street corner. One of the tourists was wearing a shirt that said, Fashion is not a luxury. And I thought, maybe she's right. Maybe we really don't think it is any more. After all, all of us, myself included, had spent more on what we were wearing that single day than...well, finishing that sentence is cliche.

And then I thought, OK. If this money isn't raised, then we're not headed to Sierra Leone. And if we're not headed to Sierra Leone, then work that we could do isn't going to get done. (These aren't delusions of grandeur...others could do the work just as well as we could). And if it doesn't get done, then we may well start believing fashion to be the new necessity.

Honestly...Are we going to change Sierra Leone when we're there? Are we going to change the clothing habits of our fellow gothamites?

No. To both. But we may just change the lives of a couple of people this year. Even if those couple of people are ourselves.

The letter still sits, drafted. One day—soon!—I'll send it.