Saturday, May 5, 2007
450 In Berkeley Battle AIDS!!
Yeah Berkeley First Presbyterian - Way to go!! By mobilizing 450 local volunteers to spend today building Caregiver Kits, you've helped equip 2,250 frontline responders in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Great Job!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Flexing Our Compassion
This weekend I was privileged to participate in Menlo Park Presbyterian's Compassion Weekend 07 - Wow, the Woodstock of Caregiver Kit Builds! Together we completed 8,000 kits! Young and old, boys and girls, teachers and students. All doing our best to equip Caregivers battling the AIDS Pandemic. Yeah Team!!
Watch a bit of the chaos below...
Friday, April 13, 2007
Ethiopia: Friday Morning - Visiting Sponsor Children!!
This morning was really fun as I visited sponsor children in Adama. What precious kids!
Ethiopia: Friday - BioGas!!
On Friday I had the chance to visit an innovative program being funded by an Australian Grant. It was specifically designed to improve the lives of women in the village of Wakemiya Tiyo. The project was a bio-gas cooking system that was very clever. It was just being installed for 25 families. I visited 2 of them. It was a simple system that did a lot of good!First, it allowed the women to cook without requiring them to gather firewood, which has been a traditional chore for them. Gathering wood could take hours out of their day and deforested the local environment leading to a dryer, dustier village.
Now with the biogas cooking system - the ladies can simply turn a valve, and fire up their stovetop. Life simplified!!The husband/farmer gets 3 big benefits - first, improved fertilizer as the biproduct of the system helps improve his farming production, second, milk from the cows involved improve the health of the family, and finally, the system uses 2 young cows - and once they are mature and fattened, they are taken to the local cattle yard and sold. The money - big money - is used to buy 2 young replacement cows, and there is cash left over to improve the livelihood of the family and pay off the cost of the system.
Financially, the system is self sustaining, the family only starts by paying 10% of the cost upfront -roughly $US20. Then the rest of the money is paid off from the sale of the cows at the cattle yard. With the system repaid, the funds can be used to assist another family. The communities goal is to have the system installed in 100 families homes.Here's the video clip of how the methane production works...and the wife lighting the burner. Warning - This is sort of gross - but also strangely cool...
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Ethiopia: Thursday morning devotions with the ADP staff
This morning was fun! We started with devotions with the ADP staff - here's a brief sample, (the song says - "there is no one like Jesus"),
Ethiopia: Thursday - Visiting Communities in Adama ADP
Today we had a chance to host a group from Menlo Park Presbyterian in Adama ADP. Together we visited 2 communities to learn about the Community Care Coalitions, meet children, and tried to comprehend what life is like in rural Ethiopia. 3 stories stand out!
Third, in the same village, the CCC group heard about 2 orphans who were getting their land stolen by a distant uncle. The CCC group intervened - stopped the land-grabbing - and ensured the girls were looked after. It was great to meet the girls and hear their stories. The CCC group was on a mission to care for children, stop the cultural practices that were causing harm, and ensure their community grew stronger over time.
First, in Awash Melkasa, the Community Care Coalition - with a total of 5 home visitors - were caring for 505 Orphans & Vulneralble children. Their greatest joy was the fact that they were able to take 10 of the children to run in the 'Great Race' in Addis, and one of their kids won his age bracket! He was a local star! His poster was plastered every where. He was now in Addis and had joined a top running club.
Second, in Adulala Koshe, the Community Care Coalition decided it was going to focus on combating harmful cultural traditions. The first 2 children we met were supposed to be married to older men - they were 13 years old. The CCC group intervened and got support by the local police department to ensure the girls didn't have to marry. Yeah! (As a side note, I met with one of the girls and her older brother on Friday morning just before they were set to go before the local judge to discuss the situation. Our staff was there walking alongside them. We tried to encourage them and tell them we were proud of them for being so brave.
Third, in the same village, the CCC group heard about 2 orphans who were getting their land stolen by a distant uncle. The CCC group intervened - stopped the land-grabbing - and ensured the girls were looked after. It was great to meet the girls and hear their stories. The CCC group was on a mission to care for children, stop the cultural practices that were causing harm, and ensure their community grew stronger over time.
Finally, that afternoon I had the chance to sit in a rural hut and meet a young mother. 24. She was a victim of the early marriage practice. She had an 11 year old son, and 2 other younger children. Her husband had divorced her, and she was struggling to survive. The World Vision staff and CCC group had begun helping her and were working with her to get her kids into school. She served us coffee as she told us her story. It was a struggle to understand what seems like cosmic unfairness. We get a nice life - she gets this.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Ethiopia: Wednesday - Time To Meet CCCs!!!
Today I drove to the town of Nazreth, also called Adama. Our program staff met me there. They were terrific!! The Area Development Program Manager for Adama - Meskerem, looks like LL Cool J if you ask me. He was a terrific host! We met Community Care Coalitions and heard about how they were making a difference. Both groups we met with were passionate about assisting the Orphans & Vulnerable children in their communities. Too many great stories to remember!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Ethiopia: Tuesday, A Terrific Day With Getenesh
Hey you old Pathways friends - Be Jealous, Be Very Jealous!! I got to spend a day with Gete!For you non - Pathways people - Getenesh and I started in an Eastern University graduate program together. She's the Director of Finance for World Vision Ethiopia, and a wonderful and kind friend. We met in Toronto for four summers in a row from 2001 to 2004 and graduated in 2005. If it hadn't been for her (and several other finance pros), I'm sure I wouldn't have passed accounting! It was really fun to visit the World Vision Ethiopia office - meet her team - and have coffee Ethiopian style with the employees in their cafeteria.
Of course during lunch we couldn't help but talk about overhead issues, cost accounting, and the difficulties of compensation practices in countries with disperate costs of labor, and other fun topics
Monday, April 9, 2007
Ethiopia: Monday Morning - Reality Check with Dr. Doug
This morning I sat with Dr. Doug a Pediatrician from Davis as he worked in a Pediatric AIDS Clinic.
The first child - Kirby - seven years old - He's HIV positive and has just contracted pneumonia. I played with him while the Dr. explained things to the father about the pneumonia medication.
Second child - Danny - 10 years old - came in with his mom to have the results of his HIV test told to him. There was an intense moment as Dr. Doug held the results of the test in his hands - and took a deep breath before speaking...we were all on the edge of our seat. But - the result was negative - no HIV - the mom cried and cried and thanked us - we all celebrated together.
Third child - an adorable little girl - Tsion - 5 years old. She was raped 3 months ago. They are still not sure if she's contracted HIV or not. They'll test her for HIV again soon. I emotionally disconnected after this one - that was all I could take. I hung around for a while, but only until a ride showed up.
These kids, roughly the same ages as mine, are the reality.
The first child - Kirby - seven years old - He's HIV positive and has just contracted pneumonia. I played with him while the Dr. explained things to the father about the pneumonia medication.
Second child - Danny - 10 years old - came in with his mom to have the results of his HIV test told to him. There was an intense moment as Dr. Doug held the results of the test in his hands - and took a deep breath before speaking...we were all on the edge of our seat. But - the result was negative - no HIV - the mom cried and cried and thanked us - we all celebrated together.
Third child - an adorable little girl - Tsion - 5 years old. She was raped 3 months ago. They are still not sure if she's contracted HIV or not. They'll test her for HIV again soon. I emotionally disconnected after this one - that was all I could take. I hung around for a while, but only until a ride showed up.
These kids, roughly the same ages as mine, are the reality.
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Ethiopia: Easter 2007 In Ethiopia
Wow, first day in Ethiopia. My friend Getenesh took me to church - The International Evangelical Church in Addis. Great time! Then her and her lovely family hosted me for an authentic Ethiopian Easter meal.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Larry Jones - Feed The Children
In 1979, Larry Jones attended a conference in Port Au Prince, Haiti, the poverty capital of the Western hemisphere. While there he met a small, thin boy named Jerry.
Larry’s brief encounter with that hungry child was something he would never forget. He began to wonder how many other children in the world were hungry and what he could do about it.
Returning to his home in Oklahoma, Larry compared the abundance of food in America’s overflowing grain elevators to the empty bread basket in a country just two hundred miles away.
Larry began to tell Jerry’s story on television, asking the simple question, “Why should children be starving to death while we have surplus wheat in America?”
Feed The Children was born.
By 2002, the organization distributed 63 million pounds of food and 24 million pounds of other essentials to children and families in all 50 states and in 51 foreign countries. The organization supplemented over 484,453 meals per day worldwide.
Larry Jones - I admire you!
Larry’s brief encounter with that hungry child was something he would never forget. He began to wonder how many other children in the world were hungry and what he could do about it.
Returning to his home in Oklahoma, Larry compared the abundance of food in America’s overflowing grain elevators to the empty bread basket in a country just two hundred miles away.
Larry began to tell Jerry’s story on television, asking the simple question, “Why should children be starving to death while we have surplus wheat in America?”
Feed The Children was born.
By 2002, the organization distributed 63 million pounds of food and 24 million pounds of other essentials to children and families in all 50 states and in 51 foreign countries. The organization supplemented over 484,453 meals per day worldwide.
Larry Jones - I admire you!
George Williams - YMCA
In 1841, George Williams moved to London to work as a salesmen in a draper’s shop. He was just 20 years old and was shocked by the immoral lifestyles he saw lived out each day. (Wow, I wonder what he'd think of modern day America?)
He and a group of like-minded Christians organized the first Young Men’s Christian Association to substitute Bible study and prayer for life on the streets. The idea caught on quickly and just 10 years later, there were 24 YMCAs in Great Britain, with a combined membership of 2,700.
In 1854, the first international convention was held in Paris. At the time there were 397 separate Y’s in seven nations, with 30,369 members total.
In 1894, George Williams was knighted by Queen Victoria for his YMCA work. He passed away and was buried in 1905 under the floor of St. Paul's Cathedral, among that nation’s heroes and statesmen.
Today, the YMCA and its counterpart for women, the YWCA, continue as global movements, touching the lives of millions.
He and a group of like-minded Christians organized the first Young Men’s Christian Association to substitute Bible study and prayer for life on the streets. The idea caught on quickly and just 10 years later, there were 24 YMCAs in Great Britain, with a combined membership of 2,700.
In 1854, the first international convention was held in Paris. At the time there were 397 separate Y’s in seven nations, with 30,369 members total.
In 1894, George Williams was knighted by Queen Victoria for his YMCA work. He passed away and was buried in 1905 under the floor of St. Paul's Cathedral, among that nation’s heroes and statesmen.
Today, the YMCA and its counterpart for women, the YWCA, continue as global movements, touching the lives of millions.
George Muller - The George Muller Foundation
George Muller was born in September of 1805 in the kingdom of Prussia. He was the son of a tax collector. He was a bad kid. By age 10 he was regularly stealing government money that was entrusted to his father. At age 14 his mother passed away unexpectedly. That night he stayed up until 2 am playing cards with his friends, then went to a tavern for drinks. By age 16 he was a convincing young con artist and thief. He had the habit of visiting luxury hotels and inns pretending to be an upstanding citizen, then skip out without paying. Finally, that year he was arrested and sentenced to prison. A year later he was released after his father paid restitution. His father arranged for him to finish high school and surprisingly, he was accepted into University. While he was there he began attending a Bible study and committed his life to Christ.
His studies took him to England were he remained most of his life. At the age of 25 he was serving as a Pastor for a small congregation in Teignmouth. He began to be concerned about the churches practice of renting pews to parishioners. In those days, as a form of financial support, the church would rent the pew to families. In this way they would always have a place to sit and the financial needs of the church would be covered. The problem George had with this was that it meant the poorer folks were relegated to the back.
George became convinced that the right thing to do was to give up his salary and live entirely by faith. The church agreed and George and his young wife began living without a predictable income. For several years George and his wife, Mary, struggled with their finances. Time after time, when almost penniless, God would provide. They agreed to never speak about their financial needs to anyone, and they would not send out any type of appeal letter. Instead, they would pray and believe for miracles.
Their work grew and prospered. they established a missionary training school, which had included Sunday Schools, day schools and adult schools. While his ministry was growing and seemingly blessed. Two events occurred that lead George in a new direction.
One day George was presented with a heart-wrenching story about a little orphan boy who had been attending their day school. The boy was shipped to a facility outside of the city and could no longer attend school. The "Poor House" that he was sent to allowed adults to live with children and it meant the boy would likely be abused and mistreated in many ways. On another occasion, George visited a parishioner who was a hard working family man. So hard working in fact, he was spending 14 to 16 hours a day at his job and was physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. George pleaded with him to slow down and spend more time with his family and in prayer. His response was that he could barely make ends meet now, and that if he worked less he wouldn't be able to support his family. George told him, 'it's not your work which supports your family, but the Lord'. George did his best to convince the man that by faith, he could trust God to supply the needs of his family. The man respectfully listened to George’s stories of God’s faithfulness, and the conversation ended. George left knowing that the man believed in God, but wasn't trusting in God in a practical way.
George decided the best way to give the town a visible object lesson was to prove in a large way that God could take care of those in need. He began dreaming of opening an orphanage for the town’s homeless children. But he would do it without ever asking for support. He prayed that God would supply all the resources necessary. As George prayed, item-by-item, God came through. First he received unsolicited money. Then a husband and wife who said they felt called to support the project by giving all their household goods, and working for free as house parents. Then he received a house, then another. Money poured in without it ever being asked for.
Eventually, George & Mary's orphanages supported 700 kids at a time, and over the years, thousands of orphans were assisted.
Today The George Muller Foundation is still blessing those in need. Although their activities have changed, the heart of the work is still the same, demonstrating to others that faith in God makes sense.
George Muller - I admire you!
His studies took him to England were he remained most of his life. At the age of 25 he was serving as a Pastor for a small congregation in Teignmouth. He began to be concerned about the churches practice of renting pews to parishioners. In those days, as a form of financial support, the church would rent the pew to families. In this way they would always have a place to sit and the financial needs of the church would be covered. The problem George had with this was that it meant the poorer folks were relegated to the back.
George became convinced that the right thing to do was to give up his salary and live entirely by faith. The church agreed and George and his young wife began living without a predictable income. For several years George and his wife, Mary, struggled with their finances. Time after time, when almost penniless, God would provide. They agreed to never speak about their financial needs to anyone, and they would not send out any type of appeal letter. Instead, they would pray and believe for miracles.
Their work grew and prospered. they established a missionary training school, which had included Sunday Schools, day schools and adult schools. While his ministry was growing and seemingly blessed. Two events occurred that lead George in a new direction.
One day George was presented with a heart-wrenching story about a little orphan boy who had been attending their day school. The boy was shipped to a facility outside of the city and could no longer attend school. The "Poor House" that he was sent to allowed adults to live with children and it meant the boy would likely be abused and mistreated in many ways. On another occasion, George visited a parishioner who was a hard working family man. So hard working in fact, he was spending 14 to 16 hours a day at his job and was physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted. George pleaded with him to slow down and spend more time with his family and in prayer. His response was that he could barely make ends meet now, and that if he worked less he wouldn't be able to support his family. George told him, 'it's not your work which supports your family, but the Lord'. George did his best to convince the man that by faith, he could trust God to supply the needs of his family. The man respectfully listened to George’s stories of God’s faithfulness, and the conversation ended. George left knowing that the man believed in God, but wasn't trusting in God in a practical way.
George decided the best way to give the town a visible object lesson was to prove in a large way that God could take care of those in need. He began dreaming of opening an orphanage for the town’s homeless children. But he would do it without ever asking for support. He prayed that God would supply all the resources necessary. As George prayed, item-by-item, God came through. First he received unsolicited money. Then a husband and wife who said they felt called to support the project by giving all their household goods, and working for free as house parents. Then he received a house, then another. Money poured in without it ever being asked for.
Eventually, George & Mary's orphanages supported 700 kids at a time, and over the years, thousands of orphans were assisted.
Today The George Muller Foundation is still blessing those in need. Although their activities have changed, the heart of the work is still the same, demonstrating to others that faith in God makes sense.
George Muller - I admire you!
Loren Cunningham - YWAM
In 1960, a young Christian named Loren Cunningham had a vision. In the vision he saw a map of the world, but it was no ordinary map; it was alive. He could see all the continents with waves hitting their shores. The waves crashed into the continents, going farther and farther each time. But the waves weren't destroying the nations, they were blessing them. In his vision the waves changed into young people. They went ashore and spoke to person after person while going from house to house.
Shortly after Loren had this vision, he decided to start a new organization dedicated to sending young people on short-term oversees outreaches. He named the new organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Since then, YWAM has become a movement of Christians working to help make a difference in a needy world. They strive to know Christ and make Him known. By the year 2000, YWAM had over 11,000 staff from over 130 countries.
Loren Cunningham - I admire you
Shortly after Loren had this vision, he decided to start a new organization dedicated to sending young people on short-term oversees outreaches. He named the new organization Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Since then, YWAM has become a movement of Christians working to help make a difference in a needy world. They strive to know Christ and make Him known. By the year 2000, YWAM had over 11,000 staff from over 130 countries.
Loren Cunningham - I admire you
Arthur Ringland and Lincoln Clark - CARE
By the end of World War II, 30 million people were dead. Europe had over 13 million refugees and its cities were destroyed. Starvation, sickness and disease threatened to sweep through the war-torn continent. Unemployment was incredibly high and families that had once enjoyed a stable, middle class life, struggled for survival. In the US people wanted a way to help their European friends and relatives. No method for delivering assistance was available. The Marshall Plan had not yet been thought of, and average Americans wanted a way to personally assist their loved ones in Europe.
Two friends, Arthur Ringland and Lincoln Clark had a vision to see assistance provided to Europe. They remember how in the aftermath of World War I, Herbert Hoover led an effort to assist refugees. His program was a partnership with the American Banker’s Association. In those days you could walk into any bank in America and purchase a $10 package to be sent to a friend or relative in Europe.
Arthur and Lincoln new it could happen again. But how could they pull it off? Wisely, they approached a consortium of 22 charities in New York and proposed such a program. After months of discussions and planning, the charity agreed to support the venture and on November 27th the “Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe” was formed. The abbreviation CARE immediately began to stick, but the fledgling organization wasn’t without challenges. A well-respected corporate executive was hired to lead the new organization and after one month on the job, he resigned and boldly proclaimed the new organization would never work. Even if the American public would pay for packages to be sent, assembling them, shipping them, and delivering them to an individual would represent a huge expense that could not easily be paid for.
Undaunted, Arthur and Lincoln pressed on with the vision. Then the break that they needed emerged in a surprising way. To prepare for a long and difficult invasion of Japan, the US Government had stockpiled millions of army rations in the South Pacific. At the end of 1945 these surplus rations sat untouched in warehouses in the Philippines. Arthur and Lincoln went to work and after a few months, CARE took ownership of 2.8 million 10-in-1 rations. These were designed to feed 10 men for a day, or 1 man for 10 days. They included canned meat, dried milk, raisins, chocolate and cigarettes. The CARE package was born.
In the spring of 1946 the CARE packages went on sale and by May the first shipment arrived in France. The vision had become a reality. Then something surprising happened. A clerk at CARE’s office in New York received an order for a package, but instead of information about a recipient in Europe with a specific name and address, it simply read, “For a hungry person in Europe”. This anonymous donor, and their act of compassion, revolutionized the work of the organization and transformed the CARE package into a symbol of generosity. Soon a tidal wave of such generosity began to flow from Americans to Europeans in the form of CARE packages, not to a specific person, but to any person who was in need. Americans loved the CARE packages and eventually sent more than 100 million.
The program was so successful that it was expanded to assist those in need in Asia, Latin America and Africa. CARE is still assisting people worldwide.
Arthur Ringland and Lincoln Clark - I admire you!
Two friends, Arthur Ringland and Lincoln Clark had a vision to see assistance provided to Europe. They remember how in the aftermath of World War I, Herbert Hoover led an effort to assist refugees. His program was a partnership with the American Banker’s Association. In those days you could walk into any bank in America and purchase a $10 package to be sent to a friend or relative in Europe.
Arthur and Lincoln new it could happen again. But how could they pull it off? Wisely, they approached a consortium of 22 charities in New York and proposed such a program. After months of discussions and planning, the charity agreed to support the venture and on November 27th the “Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe” was formed. The abbreviation CARE immediately began to stick, but the fledgling organization wasn’t without challenges. A well-respected corporate executive was hired to lead the new organization and after one month on the job, he resigned and boldly proclaimed the new organization would never work. Even if the American public would pay for packages to be sent, assembling them, shipping them, and delivering them to an individual would represent a huge expense that could not easily be paid for.
Undaunted, Arthur and Lincoln pressed on with the vision. Then the break that they needed emerged in a surprising way. To prepare for a long and difficult invasion of Japan, the US Government had stockpiled millions of army rations in the South Pacific. At the end of 1945 these surplus rations sat untouched in warehouses in the Philippines. Arthur and Lincoln went to work and after a few months, CARE took ownership of 2.8 million 10-in-1 rations. These were designed to feed 10 men for a day, or 1 man for 10 days. They included canned meat, dried milk, raisins, chocolate and cigarettes. The CARE package was born.
In the spring of 1946 the CARE packages went on sale and by May the first shipment arrived in France. The vision had become a reality. Then something surprising happened. A clerk at CARE’s office in New York received an order for a package, but instead of information about a recipient in Europe with a specific name and address, it simply read, “For a hungry person in Europe”. This anonymous donor, and their act of compassion, revolutionized the work of the organization and transformed the CARE package into a symbol of generosity. Soon a tidal wave of such generosity began to flow from Americans to Europeans in the form of CARE packages, not to a specific person, but to any person who was in need. Americans loved the CARE packages and eventually sent more than 100 million.
The program was so successful that it was expanded to assist those in need in Asia, Latin America and Africa. CARE is still assisting people worldwide.
Arthur Ringland and Lincoln Clark - I admire you!
Larry Ward - Food For The Hungry
In 1971 Dr. Larry Ward was 50. He had served for years in Christian ministry and had dedicated his life to the poor.
He was a gifted writer, editor and photojournalist. But somehow, he felt that he needed to do more. He was at a crossroads in his life. He was frustrated by the massive loss of life he saw through his many travels.
In a time of intimate prayer he asked God, “I'm just one man, how can I help so many dying people?" He felt God’s clear response, "They die one at a time, you can help them one at a time". The response was enough to compel Ward to found a new charity focused on delivering Emergency Relief to the most desperate of situations. Food For The Hungry was born. Since 1971 Food For The Hungry has grow to become a global organization helping the most desperate people in the most desperate circumstances. They work in many countries around the world.
Dr. Ward, I admire you bro!
He was a gifted writer, editor and photojournalist. But somehow, he felt that he needed to do more. He was at a crossroads in his life. He was frustrated by the massive loss of life he saw through his many travels.
In a time of intimate prayer he asked God, “I'm just one man, how can I help so many dying people?" He felt God’s clear response, "They die one at a time, you can help them one at a time". The response was enough to compel Ward to found a new charity focused on delivering Emergency Relief to the most desperate of situations. Food For The Hungry was born. Since 1971 Food For The Hungry has grow to become a global organization helping the most desperate people in the most desperate circumstances. They work in many countries around the world.
Dr. Ward, I admire you bro!
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