By Amanda Ponzar

“I don’t want to lose heart.  I want to believe as he does.”

-- Robert the Bruce in the epic film BRAVEHEART about William Wallace, a commoner who inspired the Scots to rise up and fight.

I want to believe too.

 I want to believe that what I do matters. That my actions are helping people, alleviating suffering, ending poverty, bringing hope, and making the world a better place. That’s what I think, dream and write about. 

  Monday I was home sick which gave me, the working mom with no free time, a few minutes while not knocked out on Nyquil to start reading “The Hole in Our Gospel” by World Vision President Richard Stearns. So there I was blowing through even more tissues because I was crying about 25,000 children who die needlessly every day just because they are poor. (See his Sept. 17 blog entry “Outrage”.)

 Earlier this year, I joined International Justice Mission to advocate for the Child Protection Compact Act (see photo with Congressman Jim Moran). After my son was born, it was like a switch turned on in my soul and I had to fight child trafficking (check out the movie TAKEN with Liam Neeson!). It’s hard to believe that in this day and age, little children are still prostituted or forced into slavery -- and that we allow it to happen.

Children should not starve to death or be enslaved. I believe we have the power to do something about this. And although I’d like to be out there on the front lines, for now, I do what I can to give, advocate and volunteer, supporting the people and organizations that are out there fighting the good fight. 

John Stuart Mill said, “One person with a belief is equal to a force of 99 with only interests.” Ninety-nine? Is that all? 

I believe one person can be a powerhouse.

One person can change a family, community, country and even the world (all six billion people). Just imagine what a bunch of us could do.

Yvonne just posted that leadership in the 21^st Century begins with women – and I’d like to see a lot more of us leading the way.

So, what are you going to do?