WISDOM SPRING, INC. NEWSLETTER Spring 2006

WISDOM SPRING, INC. NEWSLETTER Spring 2006
5960 South Land Park Drive # 200 Sacramento, CA 95822-3313
WWW.SOBONFU.COM WWW.WALKINGFORWATER.ORG WWW.WISDOMSPRING.ORG





Dear Friends and family,

Best of 2006 to you and yours. My wish is that you are being blessed in this Water year. I am just returning from Africa, where I partook in the drilling of some of the wells that you so generously gave to the villagers. The atmosphere was one of joy and celebration, along with great anticipation. No one wanted to miss the right moment when the water would spring out! So people stayed up days and nights waiting for their miracle, as they call water.
You probably have no idea what a difference you are making. However, I want you to know that you have touched and saved the lives of thousands of people. Their gift from you was received with humble tears of joy and love. By the end of this year, we will have put in a total of ten (10) wells and counting. So, on behalf of my people and of the Wisdom Spring, Inc. team, I would like to humbly THANK YOU for your generous and loving donations as well as for your time and support. We could not have done it without you.
If you feel call to help with any one of the fundraisers, or feel called to create a fundraiser of your choice please call us at 703-505-5152 or 916-446-5536 to discuss your ideas. In the past, we have had fundraisers called: “Stories for Water” By Pamela Simms. The Bats of Lexington, KY did a fantastic evening of music and dancing to raise funds. Carlyle Coash fundraised $1,000.00 over the Internet for a Library in Burkina Faso. Over the holidays, Susan Hough and the Art for Africa team asked their friends and family to donate money toward the education project instead of gifts and raised $8,000. There are as many ideas as there are people. We invite you to liberate your creative genius to fundraise for education, water, health, environment or women projects, etc… Whatever calls you.
As you will see from this newsletter and our websites, we have many things happening, from grief rituals to training programs and fundraisers. We will be growing and sharing a lot, and we hope you will join us at one of the events. As always, we appreciate your continuous support.
Help us hold the following people in your prayers: Wayne and Thad, Marilyn. A moment of silence for Jeanine Ellison.

Education project
The second chapter of Wisdom Spring’s vision is education. Currently in Africa, the rate of education is very low. Burkina Faso comes among the last, with about 22 to 27% of its people receiving any formal education. This is even less so in remote villages where the rate is often 2-3%. Burkina mainly has public schools, except for a few private schools established for wealthy people and foreigners. In theory, education is free in Burkina. But in fact, even the public schools require a parental contribution to enroll each child, and this, along with the cost of books and other school needs, is more than many families can afford.

Once enrolled, there are still many obstacles to succeeding in school. These include accessibility of schools (some children are many miles from the nearest school, and have to walk), having means to keep up with school dues, trying to concentrate with an empty stomach, overcrowded classrooms (sometimes first grade has over 100 students with only one teacher), and the quality of teachers and administrators, which often suffers, particularly in rural areas.

Also, from first grade to 13th grade (Burkina has 13, not 12) a student who is lucky enough to attend school will have to pass three (3) required tests, at the end of 6th, 10th and 13th grade. Each student is required to pass these three tests to continue. If they fail, they can only repeat the test one more time at the end of the following school year. But if they fail again, then they are out, with no further access to education. These tests systems, along with the lack of financial means and lack of schools in some areas, have left some children wandering the streets or migrating to neighboring countries.

The good news is that a relatively small amount of money by Western standards can make a tremendous difference, bringing education to many. Our first fundraiser for the education project -- a silent auction called Art for Africa --will be held on April 22, 2006 in Davis, CA. This project is spearheaded by Catherine Liikala, a 16 years old who is living her dream through art & 14 year old her sister Carolyn Liikala. They are assisted by other teenagers who want to make a difference. Please consider donating your art, asking your friends for art donation and/ or coming to join us at the silent auction.

The Youth team of Virginia
Kristen and her team for Walking for Water are in their last year of high school. While they are waiting to hear from various colleges about their admission, they are working hard to finish high school. More than ever, they are giving every bit of themselves to fundraise for the Walking for Water. It is their wish to produce more miracles in many more villages in Africa. They are also working at getting more young people involved so there is continuity after their departure. The next walk for water will be held on May 13, 2006 in Leesburg. Please come join us.

What’s in this year 2006?
Just when we are about to leave our water-related traumas of 2005, here we are back in the year of water. How odd? Well, instead of being resentful, allow yourself to have a different and deeper relationship with water. Let yourself flow like the river.

You will be faced with questions such as: What does my soul thirst for and where can I find this thing to quench its thirst? Where is my life force and my will to live? How do I deal with the influx of emotions that are coming my way?

Your quest for peace, balance and reconciliation will be challenged as well as rewarded. Events in your life will make you doubt yourself. As you will see, this year will certainly make you ask more questions than you will find answers. Remember to keep your head above water and to be mindful of your emotions. Give your emotions the chance to cool off before taking any actions.

Consider doing a whole self- cleansing -- spiritual, physical and mental. This is a good time to release any thoughts; feelings or things that hold you back in your spiritual growth and wellbeing. Be mindful of procrastination this year. Consciously choose to deal with things as they arise, rather than letting them build into obstacles that impede the flow of your life. Invoke the healing power of water: its thirst-quenching and purifying qualities. Ask that it bring you serenity, focus, clarity and wisdom. Make an offering to the spirit of water. There is wisdom out there; allow yourself to emerge in it.

Benevolink how to:
It is with great pleasure and excitement that Wisdom Spring announces it has enrolled with Benevolink, a charitable loyalty-marketing program. Benevolink is free for us and free to our supporters who participate. Now the simple act of everyday shopping can do more for Wisdom Spring than you ever imagined. You get to give away money, without spending anything extra out of your pocket.
Here is how it works: As a consumer, you register with Benevolink at www.benevolink.com for free. Please choose Wisdom Spring, Inc. as your nonprofit of your choice. Shop as you normally would with participating merchants and retailers. Based on your purchases, participating merchants and retailers contribute charitable funds to your Benevolink ‘account.’ You visit the Benevolink website once a quarter to direct your accumulated funds to Wisdom Spring, Inc. And you can help even more by asking your friends and family to register. Your participation can make a meaningful impact.