We are a group of nurses, and fellow humanitarians whom have come together to bring education, healthcare, and hope to children in Kenya, Africa. After a successful Medical Mission summer 06, we have decided to continue follow-up care, and return next summer with more efficiency and better supplies/ medicine. Please stay updated, and subscribe to the blogs for wish list info, trip planning, and pictures from our last excursion. Thanks in advance for your help with Operation Kenya's medical missions!
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One at a Time
An elderly man was walking down a deserted white sand beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew nearer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean.
As the elderly gentleman approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water.
He scratched at his graying beard, puzzled. He approached the younger native and said, "Good evening, friend. I was wondering what you are doing."
"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they'll either die up here from lack of oxygen, or be eaten by gulls."
"I understand," the older man replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach, and miles and miles of beach. You can't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"
The local native smiled, bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and, as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "Made a difference to that one!"
[© Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen, All rights reserved.]
