Hope 4 Kids video by Kent Dirks

My Friend Betsy

This is the first in a series about my fabulous friends.

God has blessed me with many great friends. I have friends who support my dreams and projects. Friends who love to get together and brainstorm. Friends who let me be who I am and love me anyway. People I don’t even know have come alongside of me and supported projects in Uganda—they have collected pillowcases, purses, hygiene kits, lipstick, nail polish, money, etc—whenever I present a new project or an idea to empower the women of Uganda wonderful friends, family members and compassionate people pitch in to make a difference. I’m always amazed by it.

My friend Betsy is one of those beautiful people. She drew two prints of widows of Uganda and is working on a third. She donates these limited number prints to Hope 4 Women (500 of each print). We sell them for a suggested donation of $20 each and the total amount goes to our women of Uganda projects.

She spent the last weeks working on this drawing-- Anna and Her Sisters. She is not quite finished but I couldn’t wait to show it to you. Why is she doing this? Because I was having a little trouble focusing on writing my novel. She came over and asked, “What does Anna look like?”

I said, “Well. In my mind she is a combination of three women.”

“Show me.”

I printed off three photos I’d taken of women in Uganda and she drew Anna—(pronounced “Ahhnah”) Isn’t she beautiful?

Now I sit with Anna next to me and write with no hesitation because I now know who Anna is.
I think about Betsy and her labors of love and thank God for placing her in my life. I’m amazed that someone would want me to tell my story so badly that she willingly spent days drawing-- just to inspire me.

She not only inspired me to write but gave me a dream to hold an art show about women to empower women through Hope 4 Women International.

She also inspired my husband who is an artist but has been dormant for a long time. He got out his pencils, sketch pads, etc and is back to drawing!

Looking back over our years of friendship I realize Betsy has always been my champion. She encouraged me to write when I didn’t feel like it. Because of her gentle prodding (sometimes not so gentle) and constant support I was able to come alongside my brother Tom and co-author our book, God, Why Don’t You Hear Their Prayer?

Betsy has something we all want in a friend. She believes in me. She makes me want to be a better friend to you.

My prayer is you have at least one Betsy in your life and that you will be a Betsy to someone.

God, Why Don't You Hear Their Prayer?