We knew that there was a small chance of seeing one of these, but we didn't really expect to. So far the things you have seen were before 9:00am!
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Sunday, August 03, 2008
Hyenas
We happened upon a den of Hyenas. There appeared to be 4 of them. The adults are much bigger than we expected. The young are much cuter than we expected.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Zebra Migration
Here we are driving through a herd of zebras (pronounced zeh-brah) that is traveling through the Maasai Mara on their way to... somewhere else. We were told that each year the zebras migrate through the Mara, and then a month or so later, the wildebeests come through. All of this grass that you can see will be eaten by the time the migrations are through.
The zebra's favorite pose is kind of rude...
The zebra's favorite pose is kind of rude...
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Today on Animal Planet...
We will start slowly so that you don't get overwhelmed with the awesomeness of God's animal kingdom. And yes, I have a voice made for narrating nature videos.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Pictures are up
You can now view the pictures from our Africa trip at: http://picasaweb.google.com/adamhunt1 or by clicking on the link at the top right.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Still working on something substantial
I still haven't sat down to type out something in the form of a summary to post. So in the place of a summary, I will provide you with some other reading options.
Nick Haywood and Jake Blair driving around the country visiting National Parks/Forests and other places of interest. They are really struggling for interesting stuff:
http://americaclockwise.blogspot.com/
Brian "Pervis" Dunn biking the TransAmerica Trail to raise money for Compassion International. Brian spent the last 2 years in Ntungamo, Uganda working for Compassion as a Peace Corp Volunteer. God is doing some cool stuff on the trip:
http://bikeforcompassion.blogspot.com/
Pictures of our trip are coming soon.
Nick Haywood and Jake Blair driving around the country visiting National Parks/Forests and other places of interest. They are really struggling for interesting stuff:
http://americaclockwise.blogspot.com/
Brian "Pervis" Dunn biking the TransAmerica Trail to raise money for Compassion International. Brian spent the last 2 years in Ntungamo, Uganda working for Compassion as a Peace Corp Volunteer. God is doing some cool stuff on the trip:
http://bikeforcompassion.blogspot.com/
Pictures of our trip are coming soon.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Greetings from Kenya
I have no pictures to post at this time due to the fact that I am in an Internet cafe in Nakuru, Kenya, but I promise that we are here. I will keep this short because I imagine that anyone who reads my blog also gets the email updates. But anyway, we have 2 more days in Nakuru, Kenya, then we are on to Narok, Kenya and then Uganda each for a week. So we will be home in 17 days or so. Kenya is wonderful and we are still healthy and really enjoying this time of learning and growing in God's plan.
Hope all is well with you and I will update the blog probably when we get home, but maybe before we leave Africa.
Hope all is well with you and I will update the blog probably when we get home, but maybe before we leave Africa.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Final Preparations
Can't believe it is Wednesday night. I am in Illinois right now doing some training for work. Tomorrow I leave around 3:00 to drive home. Hopefully I will get home by about 8:30PM. I think I finally have all the logistical details worked out for the Kenya to Uganda and back segment (a.k.a. I have a general idea on what we need to do to get there), which is week 5 of the trip. With that done, I can mentally relax for the night. Tomorrow night we have to pack everything. A lot of it is laid out already so that should speed things up.
This week was interesting. I found out that there was paperwork and stuff to fill out and do at work to get the official "OK" to take personal leave. I had already gotten permission from my manager long ago, but apparently there is "Official" procedures. Well I spent about 24 hours worrying that I was going to either not have a job when I got back, or have to pay back all sorts of money. But I talked to someone today and was quite pleased that it isn't going to be any trouble at all. So, thank you God. It is hard to keep my mind on training when something so much bigger is just hanging over.
Such is the life of a part-time missionary....
Our flight leaves in about 36 hours. This is definitely going to be my last post for a long time. I should have plenty to talk about when we get back. If you aren't on our supporter email list and you want to be, email me.
Pray for us...
This week was interesting. I found out that there was paperwork and stuff to fill out and do at work to get the official "OK" to take personal leave. I had already gotten permission from my manager long ago, but apparently there is "Official" procedures. Well I spent about 24 hours worrying that I was going to either not have a job when I got back, or have to pay back all sorts of money. But I talked to someone today and was quite pleased that it isn't going to be any trouble at all. So, thank you God. It is hard to keep my mind on training when something so much bigger is just hanging over.
Such is the life of a part-time missionary....
Our flight leaves in about 36 hours. This is definitely going to be my last post for a long time. I should have plenty to talk about when we get back. If you aren't on our supporter email list and you want to be, email me.
Pray for us...
Monday, April 28, 2008
The Long Road to Ntungamo
So lately we have been planning our final week in Africa. Duane will be staying behind in Narok, Kenya to conduct the final HIV seminar. Saturday we hope to do a short safari in the Maasai Mara, which is a national park with plenty of wild beasts of the field and of the air. The Maasai people are probably what you picture when you think of African tribes. Sunday afternoon Beth and I will make the 2-3 hour drive ~60 mile drive to Nairobi. We will stay the night somewhere and catch a 0700 bus to Kampala, Uganda. This trip is approx. 450 miles and is said to take anywhere from 12-22 hours! Traveling is so unpredictable in Africa. We may have an uneventful trip with only a hot, uncomfortable ride lasting 12 hours. Or we may have to change buses two times, get held up while a herd of cattle mosey their way across the road, turn around because the dirt road washed out, or get robbed by bandits, which could last 22 hours. All things we have either experienced or read about people experiencing on trips like this. I am also very curious about the border crossing from Kenya to Uganda and getting our Visas there.
Once in Kampala we will stay at a hostel that we have been to before (we may see a flushing toilet!) for a night and get up early again to catch a bus to Ntungamo. This trip is something like 200 miles and should take "6 hours". Once we get to Ntungamo we can settle in and relax for the night. We will then get up early to catch a ride to Mbarara where we will meet Compassion staff. They will take us the rest of the way to the village where Naturinda Emmanuel lives. We get to tour their child development center and then visit with Emmanuel and his family for about 4 hours. We have already been to a child development center (essentially a school run by Compassion for the neediest children who can then be sponsored) and met many wonderful children in the program, but meeting the little boy that we are actually paying for to go to school and get a full meal every day and receive Christian teaching who otherwise would not be able to have any of that, will be incredible.
We will then head back to Ntungamo, and spend the following day visiting with our friends there. The next morning we get up early and do the trip back to Kenya in reverse. Hopefully we will get to do some shopping in the big Kampala markets. When we get back to Nairobi we have to find Duane, spend the night somewhere and get up early to go to the airport and fly home, via Nigeria.
...its best that we just stay positive about the potential for issues in that week.
Once in Kampala we will stay at a hostel that we have been to before (we may see a flushing toilet!) for a night and get up early again to catch a bus to Ntungamo. This trip is something like 200 miles and should take "6 hours". Once we get to Ntungamo we can settle in and relax for the night. We will then get up early to catch a ride to Mbarara where we will meet Compassion staff. They will take us the rest of the way to the village where Naturinda Emmanuel lives. We get to tour their child development center and then visit with Emmanuel and his family for about 4 hours. We have already been to a child development center (essentially a school run by Compassion for the neediest children who can then be sponsored) and met many wonderful children in the program, but meeting the little boy that we are actually paying for to go to school and get a full meal every day and receive Christian teaching who otherwise would not be able to have any of that, will be incredible.
We will then head back to Ntungamo, and spend the following day visiting with our friends there. The next morning we get up early and do the trip back to Kenya in reverse. Hopefully we will get to do some shopping in the big Kampala markets. When we get back to Nairobi we have to find Duane, spend the night somewhere and get up early to go to the airport and fly home, via Nigeria.
...its best that we just stay positive about the potential for issues in that week.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Clifty Falls State Park
Josh, Andrew and I went to Clifty Falls State Park last weekend. It is really a great park, a real winner for Indiana. A bunch of waterfalls, and a long trail that is literally just the creek bed. We had to cross over it numerous times. I am not sure there is a better park in Indiana, but I'll try to find one. The trail we were going to start on was closed due to landslide, but the park redeemed itself.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Flight Itinerary
So it definitely feels real now. The plane tickets have been purchased and boy, is it going to be rough. Upside: including connections, we will be touching ground in 6 different African countries. I am a map nerd so that excites me a great deal. Downside: 21 flying hours from Indy to Zambia, 18.5 flying hours from Kenya to Indy.
Here is the scoop:
Getting there
--------------------------------
Friday, May 16th
Indy to Atlanta - 1:34
Atlanta to Dakar, Senegal - 8:55 (landing at 4:40am Senegal time)
Saturday, May 17th
Dakar, Senegal to Johannesburg, South Africa - 8:35
Johannesburg to Lusaka, Zambia - 2:00
--------------------------------
Zambia to Kenya
--------------------------------
Saturday, May 31st
Lusaka to Johannesburg - 2:10
Johannesburg to Nairobi, Kenya - 4:00
--------------------------------
Getting home
--------------------------------
Sunday, June 22nd
Nairobi to Lagos, Nigeria - 5:00
Lagos to Atlanta - 11:55
Atlanta to Indy - 1:40
--------------------------------
*Collapse*
That is only 5 weeks, not the 6 we were originally planning. We were trying to plan a trip to Ethiopia for the final week, but it didn't work out. That means I don't have to go back to work a day after we get back. Wooh frequent flyer miles!
Counting down...
Here is the scoop:
Getting there
--------------------------------
Friday, May 16th
Indy to Atlanta - 1:34
Atlanta to Dakar, Senegal - 8:55 (landing at 4:40am Senegal time)
Saturday, May 17th
Dakar, Senegal to Johannesburg, South Africa - 8:35
Johannesburg to Lusaka, Zambia - 2:00
--------------------------------
Zambia to Kenya
--------------------------------
Saturday, May 31st
Lusaka to Johannesburg - 2:10
Johannesburg to Nairobi, Kenya - 4:00
--------------------------------
Getting home
--------------------------------
Sunday, June 22nd
Nairobi to Lagos, Nigeria - 5:00
Lagos to Atlanta - 11:55
Atlanta to Indy - 1:40
--------------------------------
*Collapse*
That is only 5 weeks, not the 6 we were originally planning. We were trying to plan a trip to Ethiopia for the final week, but it didn't work out. That means I don't have to go back to work a day after we get back. Wooh frequent flyer miles!
Counting down...
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Zimbabwe
I hope this isn't a trend that we will see repeatedly in African countries over the next few years. Or maybe I do? Zimbabwe just had a presidential election. Like Kenya, the opposition party claimed that they had defeated the long time leader. They still have not released the official results after days of waiting. Some speculate that the president is intending to rig the outcome (as he supposedly did last election). In Kenya, they had weeks of tribal violence until the two leaders decided to form a unified government to stop the violence. Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, 84, has been in power for 28 years. In that time, Zimbabwe's economy and life expectancy have become some of the worst in the world. The inflation rate is at 100,000 percent! Life expectancy is 39.5 years.
This is bad because, if more situations turn out like Kenya's, there will be violence. In these cases, it seems like the leader on the way out does not want to give up command so easily, and can often refuse to step down. In Kenya, around 1,000 people were killed due to violence related to riots and clashes between tribes. So if Kenya can erupt that quickly into killing, what can happen to other countries where tensions are even greater?
On the other hand, if Mugabe steps down peacefully, the new leader (likely Morgan Tsvangirai) will have a chance to turn things around (like Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia). I think the US is willing to help out, as this NPR article suggests. Zimbabwe can become a partner with the US and other UN nations again after they had originally avoided dealing with Mugabe when he became increasingly more oppressive to the people. He is currently not allowed to travel to the US or many European countries.
The tragedy is that in so many of these countries, a leader gains power through a military takeover of some unpopular leader, and has widespread support of the people in the beginning. But as the years go by, the leaders rig elections, give more of their supporters "elected" positions of influence and find more ways to oppress the citizens. The country's economy fails, the people suffer horribly and this leader becomes worse than the former.
Frustrating...
This is bad because, if more situations turn out like Kenya's, there will be violence. In these cases, it seems like the leader on the way out does not want to give up command so easily, and can often refuse to step down. In Kenya, around 1,000 people were killed due to violence related to riots and clashes between tribes. So if Kenya can erupt that quickly into killing, what can happen to other countries where tensions are even greater?
On the other hand, if Mugabe steps down peacefully, the new leader (likely Morgan Tsvangirai) will have a chance to turn things around (like Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in Liberia). I think the US is willing to help out, as this NPR article suggests. Zimbabwe can become a partner with the US and other UN nations again after they had originally avoided dealing with Mugabe when he became increasingly more oppressive to the people. He is currently not allowed to travel to the US or many European countries.
The tragedy is that in so many of these countries, a leader gains power through a military takeover of some unpopular leader, and has widespread support of the people in the beginning. But as the years go by, the leaders rig elections, give more of their supporters "elected" positions of influence and find more ways to oppress the citizens. The country's economy fails, the people suffer horribly and this leader becomes worse than the former.
Frustrating...
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Gearing Up
This phrase can be used in two ways. And in two ways we are using it. We are currently gearing up to go to Africa for six weeks. We are preparing our bodies, our minds, and our spirits for the journey ahead. Jake speaks often about what lies ahead for him, there is one career certainty for him, that his school year ends soon. Possibly this is the only thing that is certain for him. A scary place to be, but one that can be enjoyed if your trust is in God, as I know Jake's is. In the same way, we are very certain about this trip that lies ahead. It has a clear purpose, a clear beginning, and a clear end. Well, the end is not so clear because the "end" of this trip can blend into the beginning of something bigger, therefore not being an end, but just a point on the line. There are so many options for us after that, nothing is certain except that God will use us. That's all I have to say about that.
We are also gearing up by acquiring gear that we will need for the trip, and for our hiking hobby henceforth. We went to REI recently and purchased a Kelty pack for Beth, got a killer deal on it using the 20% off for new members deal. I really enjoyed using my pack as a suitcase in Africa last year. It is much more versatile than a roller bag. I also got an REI brand Flash UL daypack.
Yes, it is ugly, in a nice sort of way. It is 1,000 cu. and can be worn as a backpack or stuffed into a pocket. It weights just 10 ounces. I can strap it to the outside of my big pack and not have to worry about how I am going to carry two backpacks. It was only $25!
We also got Beth a headlamp to match mine, which are essential for late night "short calls" when you don't want to have to hold a flashlight in one hand and do everything else with the other as you squat.
We just ordered a pair each of Chaco sandals that were just over 50% off from Sierra Trading Post. That will beat my flip flops any day. They can be worn in nearly any circumstance, and we can carry our boots and the sandals and leave our tennis shoes at home.
Now all we need are some sweet safari hats to protect us from the Equator sun.
Sometimes we stop and think, "does all this buying go against what we are really about?" Well, somewhat. On one hand, we only buy things that are great deals, shopping on the outlet websites and using member deals, etc. I watch Steap and Cheap constantly since they only post things that are more than 50% off. We also only buy things that are going to be useful in multiple facets of our life. This generally means use for hiking and traveling overseas. On the other hand, hiking is one of the most expensive hobbies, and the amount of gear you need before you are actually overnight-trip-ready adds up in cost fast. So we are adding items at a pretty slow pace. And because of the cost, it could be argued that we could find a better use for this money. But for now I think these are smart purchases. We just have to continue to go light on other hobbies and entertainment costs.
I have no deeply spiritual book that I can quote from right now, I will leave that to Jake.
I will leave you with these facts about Zambia from the 2001 Operation World book:
Area - 752,614 sq. km.
Population (2000) - 9,168,000, growing at 2.27%, 12 per sq. km
Income/person - $370 per year
Language
Literacy - 78%, declining annually, 25% functional
Official language - English
All languages - 41
Languages with scripture - 15 full bible, 8 NT only, 6 in progress
Religion
Christians - 85%
Traditional ethnic religions - 12.6%
Muslim - 1.4%
HIV
20-25% of population infected (less in recent years)
650,000+ AIDS orphans (more in recent years)
We are also gearing up by acquiring gear that we will need for the trip, and for our hiking hobby henceforth. We went to REI recently and purchased a Kelty pack for Beth, got a killer deal on it using the 20% off for new members deal. I really enjoyed using my pack as a suitcase in Africa last year. It is much more versatile than a roller bag. I also got an REI brand Flash UL daypack.
Yes, it is ugly, in a nice sort of way. It is 1,000 cu. and can be worn as a backpack or stuffed into a pocket. It weights just 10 ounces. I can strap it to the outside of my big pack and not have to worry about how I am going to carry two backpacks. It was only $25!We also got Beth a headlamp to match mine, which are essential for late night "short calls" when you don't want to have to hold a flashlight in one hand and do everything else with the other as you squat.
We just ordered a pair each of Chaco sandals that were just over 50% off from Sierra Trading Post. That will beat my flip flops any day. They can be worn in nearly any circumstance, and we can carry our boots and the sandals and leave our tennis shoes at home.
Now all we need are some sweet safari hats to protect us from the Equator sun.
Sometimes we stop and think, "does all this buying go against what we are really about?" Well, somewhat. On one hand, we only buy things that are great deals, shopping on the outlet websites and using member deals, etc. I watch Steap and Cheap constantly since they only post things that are more than 50% off. We also only buy things that are going to be useful in multiple facets of our life. This generally means use for hiking and traveling overseas. On the other hand, hiking is one of the most expensive hobbies, and the amount of gear you need before you are actually overnight-trip-ready adds up in cost fast. So we are adding items at a pretty slow pace. And because of the cost, it could be argued that we could find a better use for this money. But for now I think these are smart purchases. We just have to continue to go light on other hobbies and entertainment costs.
I have no deeply spiritual book that I can quote from right now, I will leave that to Jake.
I will leave you with these facts about Zambia from the 2001 Operation World book:
Area - 752,614 sq. km.
Population (2000) - 9,168,000, growing at 2.27%, 12 per sq. km
Income/person - $370 per year
Language
Literacy - 78%, declining annually, 25% functional
Official language - English
All languages - 41
Languages with scripture - 15 full bible, 8 NT only, 6 in progress
Religion
Christians - 85%
Traditional ethnic religions - 12.6%
Muslim - 1.4%
HIV
20-25% of population infected (less in recent years)
650,000+ AIDS orphans (more in recent years)
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Ford Recalls Mustangs
Ford is recalling 400,000 Mustangs model year 2005-2008. If you own one, I suggest you take it in to your nearest dealer. Here is why:
"the passenger-side airbags may pose the risk of neck injury to small women or large children riding in the seat with the safety belt unattached."
I think it is a good thing for Ford to do this "voluntary recall" and that it is as easy as reprogramming the airbag software. However, if you are actually among this risk demographic, then you need to reprogram your brain software. Is it not common sense for adults to ensure that children are wearing seat belts? I think the risk of not wearing a seat belt poses a bit more than "the risk of neck injury".
I guess if it was a specific safety standard, then Ford needs to comply, but it is a shame that someone would still be able to sue a car manufacturer for injuries or death to their family when the person wasn't wearing their seat belt.
"the passenger-side airbags may pose the risk of neck injury to small women or large children riding in the seat with the safety belt unattached."
I think it is a good thing for Ford to do this "voluntary recall" and that it is as easy as reprogramming the airbag software. However, if you are actually among this risk demographic, then you need to reprogram your brain software. Is it not common sense for adults to ensure that children are wearing seat belts? I think the risk of not wearing a seat belt poses a bit more than "the risk of neck injury".
I guess if it was a specific safety standard, then Ford needs to comply, but it is a shame that someone would still be able to sue a car manufacturer for injuries or death to their family when the person wasn't wearing their seat belt.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
A Challenge To You: The Reader
As you may have heard, there has been talk of a recession recently. I have CNN.com up on my computer throughout my work day so I noticed right away when an article came up saying that the government was thinking of including rebate checks to millions of taxpayers as part of the stimulus package. They were estimating that it could mean up to $1600 per married couple. I got pretty excited about that, as I thought of the many ways that Beth and I could spend that money. We have several large loans to pay back, we have many hundreds of dollars worth of gear to buy before we can actually go on a week long backpacking trip, as well as other gear for the Africa trip, etc, etc. However, this excitement lasted about 15 seconds. I realized right away that God had other plans for this money that we would potentially be receiving. And as I am learning to do lately, I became OK with that notion, and I gave the money up to him before even knowing where it was going to go, how much it would be, and when.Then the news article came across CNN saying that it was for real, the checks would be up to $600 for single taxpayers and $1,200 per married couple (more for each child), and they would be sent out starting in May (after everyone has filed their taxes). President Bush signed the bill Wednesday the 13th, its official. If you file taxes this year and you make less than $75,000/$150,000 you will qualify for the full amount. Congratulations.
Now here is my challenge. Give this money up right now to God, before you even receive it. I know that you can list off many things that you could use it for also. But I guarantee that he will show you where he can use it most effectively, to help someone, and to glorify him. Don't worry about the recession, our economy will recover from it (isn't it a self-fulfilling prophesy anyway?). Don't worry about yourself, God has blessed you abundantly.
Look at this from Malachi 3.
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."
I am not addressing tithes, but it is about offerings. The Lord says "Test me in this" and when we do as he says we will see him "pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it". That is God's truth and it goes beyond financial blessings.
So what can you do? Pray for God to reveal to you the person or place that your rebate check needs to go to. I guarantee that you can bless an entire family who is struggling, who either didn't qualify for the rebate or still needs more. I guarantee that you can pay for that old neighbor's medication for several months. I guarantee that your church or a Christian organization can use that money to literally save the lives of starving or sick children in Africa/Asia/eastern Europe (or on your city streets!). Get creative, God knows lots of ways to help.
I mentioned that when God laid this on my heart, I did not know where we were going to send the money. Well a few days later we were approached by someone with a specific need and we knew that God had provided the opportunity. I was originally going to explain details of this specific giving opportunity, but in church last Sunday, we were reminded about what Matthew 6 says. I think what you decide to do with this money can remain between you and God. If your motive for doing this is at all rooted in the desire to gain attention and admiration, then you won't be glorifying God. Although if you like this idea I would love to hear that you are thinking about it.
This is my challenge to you, where does your passion rest in the Kingdom of God? Send your tax rebate there. You will feel peace. This is how you store up treasures in heaven. If you have yet to experience full surrender of your finances and the abundant blessings that result, I urge you to dive in head first.
Enjoy God's blessings, and enjoy sharing them with others.
Matthew 6:19-21
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Latest Correspondance from Emmanuel
So we just got a letter from our sponsored child in Uganda. It was a letter thanking us for the Christmas gift. Gifts through Compassion are interesting because they do not encourage people to send gifts through mail. One reason is that packages larger than an 8 1/2 x 11 flat envelopes are suspicious and subject to search and maybe won't even reach their destination. Stickers and photos and coloring book pages are fine, but if it isn't flat, you should probably not send it. However you can donate through a check or online payment for a Christmas gift. The neat thing that they do for the gifts is pool all the special gift money donated by sponsors for one child development center and distribute it evenly to all of the kids. That way if a child has not received a Christmas gift donation from their sponsor, they will still get something.
We thought that Emmanuel would receive some toy or item that the Compassion staff picked out, however his letter states that he received cash, 23,500 Uganda Shillings, roughly $10-12 USD. With this money he purchased a new shirt, shorts, and pair of shoes (sandals really). We thought this was pretty neat because clothes are hard to come by for families in the Compassion program. The letter also said that attached was a photo of Emmanuel in his new threads (it didn't really say threads). The letter was then signed by "Natambae". Now, we were confused, because Emmanuel's entire first name is Naturinda Emmanuel. He signed his first letter with "Naturinda". We have never seen this new name. We then looked at the attached picture and weren't positive that it was him. We compared it to his old picture, and it really is not clear. He is definitely older now, but we can't tell.
So here are the pictures.
Do you think it is him? Is it possible that they included the wrong picture? The letter has his name at the beginning, it has a tracking sticker with his name and number on it, but it is signed by a new name. Is this like when some child in America decides that you have to call him Spiderman from now on?
I think this is going to be one of the joys of sponsorship. You never know what you are going to get in that next letter.
We thought that Emmanuel would receive some toy or item that the Compassion staff picked out, however his letter states that he received cash, 23,500 Uganda Shillings, roughly $10-12 USD. With this money he purchased a new shirt, shorts, and pair of shoes (sandals really). We thought this was pretty neat because clothes are hard to come by for families in the Compassion program. The letter also said that attached was a photo of Emmanuel in his new threads (it didn't really say threads). The letter was then signed by "Natambae". Now, we were confused, because Emmanuel's entire first name is Naturinda Emmanuel. He signed his first letter with "Naturinda". We have never seen this new name. We then looked at the attached picture and weren't positive that it was him. We compared it to his old picture, and it really is not clear. He is definitely older now, but we can't tell.
So here are the pictures.
Do you think it is him? Is it possible that they included the wrong picture? The letter has his name at the beginning, it has a tracking sticker with his name and number on it, but it is signed by a new name. Is this like when some child in America decides that you have to call him Spiderman from now on?
I think this is going to be one of the joys of sponsorship. You never know what you are going to get in that next letter.
Disturbing Statistic
This is just sad... The article here explains the story of a couple whose unborn twins were prenatally diagnosed, one with Down Syndrome and one with a cleft palate. The beginning of the article tells this disturbing statistic:
"...in America, more than 80 percent of babies diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome are aborted."
Ahh! This is sick! It is absolutely unacceptable. You can have your views on whether we can legislate the right, or lack of, for women to choose abortion, but this just solidifies my opinion that the choice should not be in the hands of any woman, or anyone else.
Here is one of the reasons why:
"Bobbie McIlwain, though, refused to go along with the crowd. Today, because of her resolve, she and her husband, Jeff, are the parents of healthy 17-month-old twin girls."
Her doctors had encouraged her to have an abortion. If she would have listened than she would have killed two healthy babies. I am sorry but some doctors should not be allowed to practice. They have reduced an unborn baby (who has the same right to life and love of God as every other person) to a statistic or a threat. Babies are not fully ours, they are God's children and they are a gift.
Cleft palates can usually be fixed or at least improved by surgery. And Down Syndrome and any other disease or syndrome can be fixed with LOVE! When you see a person with a disease or disorder, do you think to yourself "Well it would have been for their own good if they would not have been born." NO! I am not saying it would be easy to raise the child, but I am certain that God would use it for his glory, and we have to remember that this is our purpose in living.
I love her quote: "she said. “I have to remember, ‘Do not tell God how big your storm is, but tell the storm how big your God is.’" God will work it out.
Abortion today is a matter of selfishness. Modern technology shows a chance that a baby could have a defect, and the mother kills it because she doesn't want the trouble of raising a less than perfect baby? Babies are aborted because they were "accidents" or because they are a threat to the health of the mother, or for even worse reasons (see: China). You have to have a sense of God's will and word to fully understand, but your life is not your own, and neither is your child's, born or unborn. There are countless stories of people born under adversity, either physically or through some oppressive government, who rise above and do amazing things. Shouldn't every child have this right? There is no excuse for denying it to them.
"...in America, more than 80 percent of babies diagnosed prenatally with Down syndrome are aborted."
Ahh! This is sick! It is absolutely unacceptable. You can have your views on whether we can legislate the right, or lack of, for women to choose abortion, but this just solidifies my opinion that the choice should not be in the hands of any woman, or anyone else.
Here is one of the reasons why:
"Bobbie McIlwain, though, refused to go along with the crowd. Today, because of her resolve, she and her husband, Jeff, are the parents of healthy 17-month-old twin girls."
Her doctors had encouraged her to have an abortion. If she would have listened than she would have killed two healthy babies. I am sorry but some doctors should not be allowed to practice. They have reduced an unborn baby (who has the same right to life and love of God as every other person) to a statistic or a threat. Babies are not fully ours, they are God's children and they are a gift.
Cleft palates can usually be fixed or at least improved by surgery. And Down Syndrome and any other disease or syndrome can be fixed with LOVE! When you see a person with a disease or disorder, do you think to yourself "Well it would have been for their own good if they would not have been born." NO! I am not saying it would be easy to raise the child, but I am certain that God would use it for his glory, and we have to remember that this is our purpose in living.
I love her quote: "she said. “I have to remember, ‘Do not tell God how big your storm is, but tell the storm how big your God is.’" God will work it out.
Abortion today is a matter of selfishness. Modern technology shows a chance that a baby could have a defect, and the mother kills it because she doesn't want the trouble of raising a less than perfect baby? Babies are aborted because they were "accidents" or because they are a threat to the health of the mother, or for even worse reasons (see: China). You have to have a sense of God's will and word to fully understand, but your life is not your own, and neither is your child's, born or unborn. There are countless stories of people born under adversity, either physically or through some oppressive government, who rise above and do amazing things. Shouldn't every child have this right? There is no excuse for denying it to them.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Back to Africa
Ok I said this was coming so here it is...
Beth and I are preparing for a trip to Africa this summer. We will be leaving around May 16th, traveling to Zambia, Kenya and Uganda for 6 weeks. The purpose of the trip is to help a man named Duane conduct HIV prevention/education/motivation seminars. A secondary purpose is to go back to Ntungamo, Uganda; which is where we went last May with Purdue Christian Campus House. The final purpose is to get a more accurate taste of the missionary life, in order to determine if God is really telling us to go to Africa for the long-term. I will speak briefly on all of these things.
Origins
Last summer Beth decided before I did to go to Uganda with Campus House. Even though Josh was going too, I felt that it would be a good idea for me to go, spiritually and to protect Beth. Although missions was never in either of our plans individually or after we met, the trip changed everything.
We found out about the National Missionary Convention in Cincinnati and went to it in November. We knew that we wanted to go back to Africa and that God would show us who it was going to be with. We met Duane, who founded an organization called HIVHope, which is an affiliate of New Mission Systems International (NMSI). We also met several folks from NMSI and had a great feeling about them. So we contacted Duane a short time later and said that we would like to join him on his trip to Africa. And here we are.
Details
May 16th. 6 weeks. Zambia, Kenya and Uganda. Details about which cities and how long are still being worked out. However we know that the seminars are 5 days each and we would start on Monday. Leaving the weekends to travel to each new location.
The seminars are intended to facilitate local leaders to create a culturally relevant program for educating people about HIV and preventing the spread. It works so well because Duane does not go in, rattle off a bunch of scary statistics, and then try to implement a plan that would work in America, but fail miserably in the villages of Africa. The leaders and volunteers own their solution, they come up with the real details with Duane's help, and it is their responsibility to see it through. Africans that I know are proud, hard working people, regardless of their status, and I think it is received well.
We will also potentially have a chance to do some work in a few orphanages in Kenya. Uganda is purely for the purpose of visiting all the friends that we made last summer at the Compassion child development center. To see all of those kids again is going to be one of our greatest joys. For however long we end up staying there, we can just volunteer wherever is needed and spend time with the children. We will also hopefully be able to make the short drive to Mbarara, Uganda and visit Emmanuel, which you may remember from a post I had several months ago. Emmanuel is our sponsored child from Uganda.
Most of you have or will soon be receiving our support letters. I am so appreciative of Mr. Doug Sindelar creating a logo for us, which you can see to the right of the page. It was made in black and white for our letters, maybe he can enhance it later. He made that off of my 1 sentence description in less than an hour while he was sitting in an airport. He says it can be better.
Until Then
Until May we will just be working as normal and raising our funds. We will hopefully be able to talk to our home churches in late February and March. We obviously appreciate any support you can give, most importantly your prayers. It means so much to us and the people over their that we have a legion of prayer warriors back in the US. Trust me, you are automatically friends of them if you are our friends and living in the US.
Kenya is having some issues right now, but I am fully confident that it will be worked out by then and we can travel in safety. If not, well then we will just improvise and go somewhere else. Our friend Steve Rust is actually on his way back from 6 months in Kenya. His visa expired but he plans to go back I think. He was right in the middle of the violence but was saved from anything by God's grace. I can't wait to hear his stories.
Duane is leaving for India and Myanmar(Burma) this week. He has done these seminars all over the world. So we are excited to hear how that goes. You could pray for his safety and success if you would like.
Some cities you can look up if you are curious are Kitwe, Zambia; Narok, Kenya; Nakuru, Kenya; Entebbe, Uganda; Ntungamo, Uganda; and Mbarara, Uganda.
Beth and I are preparing for a trip to Africa this summer. We will be leaving around May 16th, traveling to Zambia, Kenya and Uganda for 6 weeks. The purpose of the trip is to help a man named Duane conduct HIV prevention/education/motivation seminars. A secondary purpose is to go back to Ntungamo, Uganda; which is where we went last May with Purdue Christian Campus House. The final purpose is to get a more accurate taste of the missionary life, in order to determine if God is really telling us to go to Africa for the long-term. I will speak briefly on all of these things.
Origins
Last summer Beth decided before I did to go to Uganda with Campus House. Even though Josh was going too, I felt that it would be a good idea for me to go, spiritually and to protect Beth. Although missions was never in either of our plans individually or after we met, the trip changed everything.
We found out about the National Missionary Convention in Cincinnati and went to it in November. We knew that we wanted to go back to Africa and that God would show us who it was going to be with. We met Duane, who founded an organization called HIVHope, which is an affiliate of New Mission Systems International (NMSI). We also met several folks from NMSI and had a great feeling about them. So we contacted Duane a short time later and said that we would like to join him on his trip to Africa. And here we are.
Details
May 16th. 6 weeks. Zambia, Kenya and Uganda. Details about which cities and how long are still being worked out. However we know that the seminars are 5 days each and we would start on Monday. Leaving the weekends to travel to each new location.
The seminars are intended to facilitate local leaders to create a culturally relevant program for educating people about HIV and preventing the spread. It works so well because Duane does not go in, rattle off a bunch of scary statistics, and then try to implement a plan that would work in America, but fail miserably in the villages of Africa. The leaders and volunteers own their solution, they come up with the real details with Duane's help, and it is their responsibility to see it through. Africans that I know are proud, hard working people, regardless of their status, and I think it is received well.
We will also potentially have a chance to do some work in a few orphanages in Kenya. Uganda is purely for the purpose of visiting all the friends that we made last summer at the Compassion child development center. To see all of those kids again is going to be one of our greatest joys. For however long we end up staying there, we can just volunteer wherever is needed and spend time with the children. We will also hopefully be able to make the short drive to Mbarara, Uganda and visit Emmanuel, which you may remember from a post I had several months ago. Emmanuel is our sponsored child from Uganda.
Most of you have or will soon be receiving our support letters. I am so appreciative of Mr. Doug Sindelar creating a logo for us, which you can see to the right of the page. It was made in black and white for our letters, maybe he can enhance it later. He made that off of my 1 sentence description in less than an hour while he was sitting in an airport. He says it can be better.
Until Then
Until May we will just be working as normal and raising our funds. We will hopefully be able to talk to our home churches in late February and March. We obviously appreciate any support you can give, most importantly your prayers. It means so much to us and the people over their that we have a legion of prayer warriors back in the US. Trust me, you are automatically friends of them if you are our friends and living in the US.
Kenya is having some issues right now, but I am fully confident that it will be worked out by then and we can travel in safety. If not, well then we will just improvise and go somewhere else. Our friend Steve Rust is actually on his way back from 6 months in Kenya. His visa expired but he plans to go back I think. He was right in the middle of the violence but was saved from anything by God's grace. I can't wait to hear his stories.
Duane is leaving for India and Myanmar(Burma) this week. He has done these seminars all over the world. So we are excited to hear how that goes. You could pray for his safety and success if you would like.
Some cities you can look up if you are curious are Kitwe, Zambia; Narok, Kenya; Nakuru, Kenya; Entebbe, Uganda; Ntungamo, Uganda; and Mbarara, Uganda.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Hop on the Huck Truck!
Super Tuesday
Huckabee seems to be doing pretty well so far. It doesn't seem like he has mass appeal, particular for those that don't want their president to be proclaiming Jesus. I'd vote for him. And you know Chuck Norris' vote is the equivalent of 200 delegates.
Super Bowl
There is nothing quite like watching the Super Bowl with a bunch of strangers in a Chili's somewhere outside of Charlotte, NC. That was my setting as I watched the Giant's miraculous win on Sunday as I so enthusiastically traveled to a client location.
Super Calphalon
Awhile ago I mentioned that I burned oil onto our calphalon saute pan. I am very protective of my pans so this was disappointing. I read a lot of websites to determine what the most effective and least potentially damaging solution was to get the oil off. No amount of dish soap and hand scrubbing alone was going to work. I decided to fill the pan with water, baking soda and vinegar and then boil it for a long time. The oil was then able to be rubbed off with a wooden spoon as it boiled. It still has some spots on it but it is use-able again. Success!
Super Support Raising
About 75% of our support letters have been sent out. If you are reading this, then you are likely receiving one. However, if you would like one we would be happy to send it to you. "Support letter for what" you might ask? For our 6 week Africa trip coming up in May/June. I will post shortly about that trip.
I am watching "Bizarre Foods" on the Travel Channel. Crazy stuff. Not for the weak stomach.
Huckabee seems to be doing pretty well so far. It doesn't seem like he has mass appeal, particular for those that don't want their president to be proclaiming Jesus. I'd vote for him. And you know Chuck Norris' vote is the equivalent of 200 delegates.
Super Bowl
There is nothing quite like watching the Super Bowl with a bunch of strangers in a Chili's somewhere outside of Charlotte, NC. That was my setting as I watched the Giant's miraculous win on Sunday as I so enthusiastically traveled to a client location.
Super Calphalon
Awhile ago I mentioned that I burned oil onto our calphalon saute pan. I am very protective of my pans so this was disappointing. I read a lot of websites to determine what the most effective and least potentially damaging solution was to get the oil off. No amount of dish soap and hand scrubbing alone was going to work. I decided to fill the pan with water, baking soda and vinegar and then boil it for a long time. The oil was then able to be rubbed off with a wooden spoon as it boiled. It still has some spots on it but it is use-able again. Success!
Super Support Raising
About 75% of our support letters have been sent out. If you are reading this, then you are likely receiving one. However, if you would like one we would be happy to send it to you. "Support letter for what" you might ask? For our 6 week Africa trip coming up in May/June. I will post shortly about that trip.
I am watching "Bizarre Foods" on the Travel Channel. Crazy stuff. Not for the weak stomach.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Kids Against Hunger
The Beginning
Richard Proudfit went on a trip to Honduras in 1974 after a hurricane destroyed much of the country. He saw the effects of starvation and decided to do something about it. He enlisted the help of food scientists from several big name companies to develop a food that would provide all the nutrition that a starving child needs in one meal per day. KAH started out of Minnesota in 1999. We met Richard at the missionary convention and he is a neat man with many incredible stories. This was the beginning for us. Dan was also at the convention, and he heads up the Indiana satellite which is out of the Red Cross in Noblesville. This is where we have been volunteering once a month.
The Food
"The meal ingredients are formulated by food scientists to provide a rich source of easily digestible protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins needed by an undernourished child’s body and mind. The food is also acceptable to the broad diversity of ethnic tastes and religious differences around the world. The food offers all 9 of the essential amino acids required for complete nutrition, something that can’t be said about other typical food relief sources such as rice or beans alone. It is also very simple to prepare, requiring only 6 cups of boiling water to make a complete meal."The soy, rice, vegetables and vitamins are all dehydrated and just need boiling water to make. Richard said they had to experiment with the right amount of vitamins, because starving children could actually get sick from too much vitamin.
The Process
Volunteers form an assembly line where there are stations for each of the ingredients, as well as a weighing station, sealing station, and boxing station. The food goes in the bag in a certain order and then is weighed to make sure that it is between 390g and 400g and then it is sealed and packed. 6 meals per bag, 36 bags per box, so 216 meals in one box. At the end, each meal costs about 23 cents!
Volunteer
There are currently satellites in 18 states and 1 in Canada. This includes the one in Noblesville, one in Louisville that just started, and some others that I don't know whether they are close to anyone that reads this. You can also start your own satellite. Over 50 million meals have gone out to 40 different countries since it started.
Here are some pictures of our last few times:
the food
young volunteers lured away by Veggie Tales
the lines
the stations
Its fun, it allows us to meet new people, and it is loving "the least of these".
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Kite Runner
We just saw The Kite Runner. It was really good. It was powerful and troubling and touching. I am still processing what I saw, so I don't really have a big statement about it. I did notice that a poem that the young boy was reciting as well as a letter written by someone mentioned God's love, grace, etc. God being Allah in Islam. I have heard from a pretty reliable source (i.e. one who can read Arabic) that the word "love", and its meaning like we could compare to God's love in the Bible, does not appear in the text. If there is the concept of Godly love in the Quran, it seems to only apply to Muslim believers, and excludes all others, in fact going so far as to say that they (non-Muslims) must be killed. You can reach all sorts of conclusions about a religion based on the people that claim it as their faith (Christians doing terrible things just like non-Christians) but you have to go to its scripture to get the real picture, and the real picture from the Quran is not good. I have some notes from a class I attended at the missionary convention from a guy who has been a missionary in Indonesia (largest Muslim population in the world) for many years. He revealed some scary things from the Quran. Maybe I will post about it later.
In other news, check out the trailer for this Ben Stein documentary, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed. Looks interesting. Its premise is that any mention of creationism in science and schools has become taboo and that people lose their jobs and reputation over suggesting that it is true. Pretty sad when we have free speech everywhere else.
In other news, check out the trailer for this Ben Stein documentary, EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed. Looks interesting. Its premise is that any mention of creationism in science and schools has become taboo and that people lose their jobs and reputation over suggesting that it is true. Pretty sad when we have free speech everywhere else.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Back to High School
Beth has been volunteering as a group leader in the high school service at E91 (East 91st Street Christian Church). The church is big enough to have a separate church service for the high schoolers while the main contemporary service is going on in another sanctuary. There are probably 150-200 on a regular basis. She had been working with the sophomore girls but recently was moved to freshman girls.
I helped out once with the sophomore boys and decided that it was not for me. I was having a hard time not thinking about how obnoxious and immature high schoolers are. I went back a few weeks ago because our friend Rachel was speaking to the students about her recent trip to Uganda. I helped out with the sophomore boys again that time and it was a lot better. I was able to laugh off most of their antics and I actually talked to a few of them. I decided to tell the high school pastor that I was willing to continue helping, since he has definitely needed help with all of the age groups. Also I have felt like the bible fellowship that I usually go to while Beth is helping with the teens is not really taking me anywhere. And although it is not advertised in the publications as a singles group, I am the only married person, and it feels awkward at times.
So God totally changed my mind on that one. I think I could enjoy it, and I think God has been preparing me to be in this position of positive influence for a bunch of sexually charged, obnoxious boys. My job entails worshiping with the whole group and the rest of the adult helpers, and then taking attendance when we split into small groups. I also have to lead the group in a discussion about the day's question. Last week it was "If you could switch places with anyone, who would it be and why?" This provoked many very creative answers and nothing that could be turned into a biblical lesson. The break-out groups last about 15 minutes, which is long enough for me to finish attendance (I don't know any of their names yet) , ask the question, and force an answer out of a few of them. Then it is time for them to go back to the main group, like a school bell at the end of the day, and they all cut the conversation off with a knife.
The hardest part about it, is I feel like I am back in high school. Either laughing or rolling my eyes at someone's joke. Generally I feel like one of the shy kids that no one talks to. They don't know me, so usually when I ask a question they stop just long enough to look at me, and then turn back to the person next to them to talk about anything but God.
It is going to be a challenging period of growth for me.
I had a revelation while trying to think about what would make me cool. And it dawned on me that a lot of them have to like Ultimate Frisbee. So when it gets warmer, that is going to be my ministry. I will let you know how it goes.
I helped out once with the sophomore boys and decided that it was not for me. I was having a hard time not thinking about how obnoxious and immature high schoolers are. I went back a few weeks ago because our friend Rachel was speaking to the students about her recent trip to Uganda. I helped out with the sophomore boys again that time and it was a lot better. I was able to laugh off most of their antics and I actually talked to a few of them. I decided to tell the high school pastor that I was willing to continue helping, since he has definitely needed help with all of the age groups. Also I have felt like the bible fellowship that I usually go to while Beth is helping with the teens is not really taking me anywhere. And although it is not advertised in the publications as a singles group, I am the only married person, and it feels awkward at times.
So God totally changed my mind on that one. I think I could enjoy it, and I think God has been preparing me to be in this position of positive influence for a bunch of sexually charged, obnoxious boys. My job entails worshiping with the whole group and the rest of the adult helpers, and then taking attendance when we split into small groups. I also have to lead the group in a discussion about the day's question. Last week it was "If you could switch places with anyone, who would it be and why?" This provoked many very creative answers and nothing that could be turned into a biblical lesson. The break-out groups last about 15 minutes, which is long enough for me to finish attendance (I don't know any of their names yet) , ask the question, and force an answer out of a few of them. Then it is time for them to go back to the main group, like a school bell at the end of the day, and they all cut the conversation off with a knife.
The hardest part about it, is I feel like I am back in high school. Either laughing or rolling my eyes at someone's joke. Generally I feel like one of the shy kids that no one talks to. They don't know me, so usually when I ask a question they stop just long enough to look at me, and then turn back to the person next to them to talk about anything but God.
It is going to be a challenging period of growth for me.
I had a revelation while trying to think about what would make me cool. And it dawned on me that a lot of them have to like Ultimate Frisbee. So when it gets warmer, that is going to be my ministry. I will let you know how it goes.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
The Solution
Caveat: I am going to talk about poverty and AIDS. They are becoming increasingly present in my thoughts, because, well Africa will do that to you.
Assumptions:
1. I admit, throwing money at a problem does not necessarily fix it.
2. Rich people are really rich.
3. The problem has a pretty simple solution.
The catalyst is this: Business Week - 50 Most Generous Philanthropists, which is quite interesting and sad at the same time. Look through it, but I did some analysis for us. These are some of the main topics and the number of people who had it listed under their main causes. The list is not exhaustive.
Education 30
Art 14
Health 11
Children/Youth 8
Medical research 7
Social causes 6
Science 6
Environment 5
Humanitarian 3
Cancer 2
Libraries 2
Conservation 2
Poverty 1 *In Oklahoma
Animals 1
Civil rights 1
Eradication of obesity and diabetes 1
Science about life's big questions 1
Unleashing human potential 1 *microloans
The one and two word descriptions don't do justice to some of the causes, and some can be grouped together, but I wanted you to get any idea of these causes.
At first I wanted to complain about how these people chose to give away their money. Clearly I have no right to do that and it wouldn't do any good. What I would like to do, though is to highlight the potential for giving and how it can really impact the GLOBE and not just certain interests.
Some of the biggest issues today are poverty and AIDS. Here are some statistics:
Poverty.Com: "About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds."
World Health Organization: "In 2007 33.2 million [30.6 – 36.1 million] people were estimated to be living with HIV, 2.5 million [1.8 – 4.1 million] people became newly infected and 2.1 million [1.9 – 2.4 million] people died of AIDS."
"...68% of the global total, are in sub-Saharan Africa. Eight countries in this region now account for almost one-third of all new HIV infections and AIDS deaths globally."
So, when I looked at the causes that these top 50 people donated to, I wondered, how could you choose a library over a country with starving people (including the streets of USA)? How could you choose an Ivy League University over the 1 billion people who do not have access to safe drinking water? New Life International
But, look at the slideshow on the top givers and their causes, there are some neat things being done there, and I respect that too. Here are some comments that stuck out to me:
Ira Fulton, #42: "I have fun making money," says Ira, "but I have more fun giving it away."
T. Denny Sanford, #17: He gathers feedback from children to inform his giving and has funded a children's hospital, modeled after a medieval castle to entertain children while they heal.
George Kaiser, #3: Kaiser has said he plans to increase his gifts "until I die with $1 left, assuming I can get the timing just right."
Bill and Melinda Gates, #2: To help measure effect and constantly innovate its giving model, the Gates Foundation created an Impact Office in 2006 to improve its programs, track progress, and build effective giving models in the future.
So, what's the point? Well if even one of these givers focused on a developing country, they could feed literally every person in that country enough to survive on a daily basis. (23 cents per meal that has all the nutrients a person needs to survive on one meal a day, Kids Against Hunger) They could provide safe drinking water to everyone.
Lets make this practical, take the 1 billion people without access to safe drinking water worldwide. "Access" means that they get their water from a contaminated source. New Life International, see the link above, developed a water purifier that costs $1,000. They state that the operational costs of the purifier are about $1 per person, per year. They are quite simple, and the locals can be trained to operate it very easily. One purifier can service an entire village, which for the sake of calculation we will say is 1,000 people. There are 1,000,000 "villages" of people around the world without safe water. So $1 billion could purchase purifiers for all of these people. You would need another $1 billion of operational costs per year. So it would cost $2 billion to provide safe drinking water to all of the people around the world who need it.
On the list of 50 people, the total amount given in the last 4 years was... 71 billion dollars.
If that action were taken, 3,800 children a DAY would not have to die. World Vision
So, can't we do more?
Assumptions:
1. I admit, throwing money at a problem does not necessarily fix it.
2. Rich people are really rich.
3. The problem has a pretty simple solution.
The catalyst is this: Business Week - 50 Most Generous Philanthropists, which is quite interesting and sad at the same time. Look through it, but I did some analysis for us. These are some of the main topics and the number of people who had it listed under their main causes. The list is not exhaustive.
Education 30
Art 14
Health 11
Children/Youth 8
Medical research 7
Social causes 6
Science 6
Environment 5
Humanitarian 3
Cancer 2
Libraries 2
Conservation 2
Poverty 1 *In Oklahoma
Animals 1
Civil rights 1
Eradication of obesity and diabetes 1
Science about life's big questions 1
Unleashing human potential 1 *microloans
The one and two word descriptions don't do justice to some of the causes, and some can be grouped together, but I wanted you to get any idea of these causes.
At first I wanted to complain about how these people chose to give away their money. Clearly I have no right to do that and it wouldn't do any good. What I would like to do, though is to highlight the potential for giving and how it can really impact the GLOBE and not just certain interests.
Some of the biggest issues today are poverty and AIDS. Here are some statistics:
Poverty.Com: "About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, according to the United Nations. This is one person every three and a half seconds."
World Health Organization: "In 2007 33.2 million [30.6 – 36.1 million] people were estimated to be living with HIV, 2.5 million [1.8 – 4.1 million] people became newly infected and 2.1 million [1.9 – 2.4 million] people died of AIDS."
"...68% of the global total, are in sub-Saharan Africa. Eight countries in this region now account for almost one-third of all new HIV infections and AIDS deaths globally."
So, when I looked at the causes that these top 50 people donated to, I wondered, how could you choose a library over a country with starving people (including the streets of USA)? How could you choose an Ivy League University over the 1 billion people who do not have access to safe drinking water? New Life International
But, look at the slideshow on the top givers and their causes, there are some neat things being done there, and I respect that too. Here are some comments that stuck out to me:
Ira Fulton, #42: "I have fun making money," says Ira, "but I have more fun giving it away."
T. Denny Sanford, #17: He gathers feedback from children to inform his giving and has funded a children's hospital, modeled after a medieval castle to entertain children while they heal.
George Kaiser, #3: Kaiser has said he plans to increase his gifts "until I die with $1 left, assuming I can get the timing just right."
Bill and Melinda Gates, #2: To help measure effect and constantly innovate its giving model, the Gates Foundation created an Impact Office in 2006 to improve its programs, track progress, and build effective giving models in the future.
So, what's the point? Well if even one of these givers focused on a developing country, they could feed literally every person in that country enough to survive on a daily basis. (23 cents per meal that has all the nutrients a person needs to survive on one meal a day, Kids Against Hunger) They could provide safe drinking water to everyone.
Lets make this practical, take the 1 billion people without access to safe drinking water worldwide. "Access" means that they get their water from a contaminated source. New Life International, see the link above, developed a water purifier that costs $1,000. They state that the operational costs of the purifier are about $1 per person, per year. They are quite simple, and the locals can be trained to operate it very easily. One purifier can service an entire village, which for the sake of calculation we will say is 1,000 people. There are 1,000,000 "villages" of people around the world without safe water. So $1 billion could purchase purifiers for all of these people. You would need another $1 billion of operational costs per year. So it would cost $2 billion to provide safe drinking water to all of the people around the world who need it.
On the list of 50 people, the total amount given in the last 4 years was... 71 billion dollars.
If that action were taken, 3,800 children a DAY would not have to die. World Vision
So, can't we do more?
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
A Children's Story
I wrote a story for children. It is intended to be read to children to explain evolution to them. It is written in the first person so it might be difficult for them to understand. Follow along.
MPAA: Rated PG for innuendo and some peril.
------------------------------------
Evolution?
A true story by Adam Hunt
Long, long ago, billions of years ago... there was a slime pit. The slime pit was composed of various forms of matter that had randomly evolved from smaller components of matter that randomly evolved from matter that was created in matter-less, oxygen-less space. In that slime pit, there randomly evolved a prokaryote named... Tim. Now Tim was a prokaryote with a big bacterial flagellum and even bigger dreams...
Man, I have to pee. That's better... You know, the human digestive system is quite amazing. How did the randomly assembled, randomly created DNA know to develop this system to expel liquid waste from my body? How did it know to separate the liquid waste from the solid waste and make two points of exit? HOW did it know that it could use the same point of exit for liquid waste and for other things? How did this randomly assembled, randomly created DNA know that the same point of exit used for expelling liquid waste would be used to interface with the exit point of a randomly created female?
Boy, it must have taken a long time for that first male human and first female human to randomly evolve their interfacing parts in order to create the third human. How did they know what to do? That must have been awkward! Did he get slapped? They must have been alive for like, a billion years, or something!
How did two randomly created humans create another human who was very non-randomly the same as them? They must have been very excited, they must have thought that this third human would randomly evolve something very exciting, like a laser arm or something to help them hunt. They just had to wait, like, a billion years.
How did they raise this third human up? Did they feed it like, steak? It seems like they would need something softer and easier to digest, like, milk or something. Where would they get milk? Ah! How convenient. The female randomly evolved glands in her randomly larger chest that produced such a substance. How fortunate!
And thus was life on Earth.
----------------------------------
So what did you think? I haven't heard back from any publishers yet, but I am hoping that one has randomly evolved into liking my work. Isn't incredible how exact and detailed all of these random events had to be to create life? It is almost like, well, no that seems impossible... All right, I will say it, don't laugh, OK? Well I was thinking that maybe it wasn't so random after all. Maybe, something was behind it all. Some Designer, some Author of the story, some thing that cared enough to pay attention to all that detail. It would have to be big, bigger than any one of us. It sometimes feels like that very same Designer is still involved in the events of my random life, like I don't have total control. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try to run and change things, something else still happens. Am I not independent? Am I not in control of my own destiny? Aren't I responsible for all of my needs and desires? If it really is just life for 90 years and then I die, then why aren't I backpacking Australia right now?
Why am I in Indianapolis? Why did I get married? Why do I use all of my vacation time to go to Africa? Why do I send money every month to allow some child to eat and learn, isn't it his responsibility? Why does it crush my heart to see him like that? Its almost like there is something inside of me that compels me to do things. That urges my inner being to move in a certain direction. It is almost as though something is listening to the desires of my heart and doing something about it. Who could do something like that? Why? If I am just going to die and dissolve into earth, then what is the point?
But, what if there is more? What if this isn't my last stop? Where would I go then? Can I take my money? Did this place also evolve from a prokaryote? What if this same thing, this presence, this Creator, cares enough to shine light on the path before me and to guide my steps? What if this Creator were using all of the good things that happen, and the bad to move me along that path? If this Creator created me, such a complicated being, it must be smart, he must be a male. If He created me, he must have some purpose for me. He must know something that I don't. He must know that all of this that I go through will teach me something that will help me get to this next place. I bet that this feeling that crushes my heart will be useful in getting there. I bet it will even help me understand why He did this. Maybe I should use this feeling more often. Maybe others have it? Maybe I should give it to others? This is something... this is revolutionary! I will use this feeling to help people. I will use it to help them see that if they use it, then they will understand the purpose of it all, they will get to this next place. In this next place, there will be no more need for bad feelings, bad emotions. There will be no more need for that stuff because everyone who is there will have understood this feeling, this action, that helped them understand the purpose of it all. They will know this action so well that they will realize that it is everything. It needs a very good word. Let's call it "Love". This Creator is smart, and I bet He has a whole lot of Love. I bet He is frustrated because all He wants us to do is Love Him and Love others and we are worried about reality TV and gourmet coffee.
Of course, we just don't have physical proof, so forget I even said anything.
MPAA: Rated PG for innuendo and some peril.
------------------------------------
Evolution?
A true story by Adam Hunt
Long, long ago, billions of years ago... there was a slime pit. The slime pit was composed of various forms of matter that had randomly evolved from smaller components of matter that randomly evolved from matter that was created in matter-less, oxygen-less space. In that slime pit, there randomly evolved a prokaryote named... Tim. Now Tim was a prokaryote with a big bacterial flagellum and even bigger dreams...
Man, I have to pee. That's better... You know, the human digestive system is quite amazing. How did the randomly assembled, randomly created DNA know to develop this system to expel liquid waste from my body? How did it know to separate the liquid waste from the solid waste and make two points of exit? HOW did it know that it could use the same point of exit for liquid waste and for other things? How did this randomly assembled, randomly created DNA know that the same point of exit used for expelling liquid waste would be used to interface with the exit point of a randomly created female?
Boy, it must have taken a long time for that first male human and first female human to randomly evolve their interfacing parts in order to create the third human. How did they know what to do? That must have been awkward! Did he get slapped? They must have been alive for like, a billion years, or something!
How did two randomly created humans create another human who was very non-randomly the same as them? They must have been very excited, they must have thought that this third human would randomly evolve something very exciting, like a laser arm or something to help them hunt. They just had to wait, like, a billion years.
How did they raise this third human up? Did they feed it like, steak? It seems like they would need something softer and easier to digest, like, milk or something. Where would they get milk? Ah! How convenient. The female randomly evolved glands in her randomly larger chest that produced such a substance. How fortunate!
And thus was life on Earth.
----------------------------------
So what did you think? I haven't heard back from any publishers yet, but I am hoping that one has randomly evolved into liking my work. Isn't incredible how exact and detailed all of these random events had to be to create life? It is almost like, well, no that seems impossible... All right, I will say it, don't laugh, OK? Well I was thinking that maybe it wasn't so random after all. Maybe, something was behind it all. Some Designer, some Author of the story, some thing that cared enough to pay attention to all that detail. It would have to be big, bigger than any one of us. It sometimes feels like that very same Designer is still involved in the events of my random life, like I don't have total control. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try to run and change things, something else still happens. Am I not independent? Am I not in control of my own destiny? Aren't I responsible for all of my needs and desires? If it really is just life for 90 years and then I die, then why aren't I backpacking Australia right now?
Why am I in Indianapolis? Why did I get married? Why do I use all of my vacation time to go to Africa? Why do I send money every month to allow some child to eat and learn, isn't it his responsibility? Why does it crush my heart to see him like that? Its almost like there is something inside of me that compels me to do things. That urges my inner being to move in a certain direction. It is almost as though something is listening to the desires of my heart and doing something about it. Who could do something like that? Why? If I am just going to die and dissolve into earth, then what is the point?
But, what if there is more? What if this isn't my last stop? Where would I go then? Can I take my money? Did this place also evolve from a prokaryote? What if this same thing, this presence, this Creator, cares enough to shine light on the path before me and to guide my steps? What if this Creator were using all of the good things that happen, and the bad to move me along that path? If this Creator created me, such a complicated being, it must be smart, he must be a male. If He created me, he must have some purpose for me. He must know something that I don't. He must know that all of this that I go through will teach me something that will help me get to this next place. I bet that this feeling that crushes my heart will be useful in getting there. I bet it will even help me understand why He did this. Maybe I should use this feeling more often. Maybe others have it? Maybe I should give it to others? This is something... this is revolutionary! I will use this feeling to help people. I will use it to help them see that if they use it, then they will understand the purpose of it all, they will get to this next place. In this next place, there will be no more need for bad feelings, bad emotions. There will be no more need for that stuff because everyone who is there will have understood this feeling, this action, that helped them understand the purpose of it all. They will know this action so well that they will realize that it is everything. It needs a very good word. Let's call it "Love". This Creator is smart, and I bet He has a whole lot of Love. I bet He is frustrated because all He wants us to do is Love Him and Love others and we are worried about reality TV and gourmet coffee.
Of course, we just don't have physical proof, so forget I even said anything.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Cooking Blunder
Ok, I know that this 1 post per month average is not going to work. These blogs take commitment if you want readership, which I don't even know if I have.
Anyway, while in Uganda, my favorite food was called chapatti (various spellings). It is a flat bread that is light and fluffy. You an eat it with sugar, or by wrapping it around a banana, or just wiping up the juices from your meal. There are many recipes for it on the web, all using wheat flour or all purpose flour. However, for some reason I can't get past this memory that our host mother said that she used maize flower, which explains the yellow color that it had. Wheat flower makes it look like Nan (also various spellings) which is an Indian flat bread.
Long story short, I decided to use corn flour this time because I thought that would be like maize flower (Nick is the resident maize expert so maybe he can say if that is the same thing). In my previous attempt I used regular flour and they were pretty good, but not yellow, and fairly dense. Corn flour did not work out by any stretch of the imagination. It was still gritty even though it looked quite fine. It would not press into a flat pancake shape very well without falling apart. I cooked it anyway and it turned out quite awful. It tasted like a bitter cornbread pancake with probably an aftertaste of vegetable oil. We tried eating it with applesauce, sugar/cinnamon mix, and chocolate syrup. Eventually we were just trying to completely mask the taste instead of compliment it. Beth tried hard to make me feel better, but I only felt worse when hers was covered in 1/4 inch of powdered sugar and chocolate syrup lined all over it.
To top things off I burned the vegetable oil onto our calphalon frying pan and I am currently searching for a method to remove it.
In other news, apparently I have to post more often to be worthy of Nick's link list.
Anyway, while in Uganda, my favorite food was called chapatti (various spellings). It is a flat bread that is light and fluffy. You an eat it with sugar, or by wrapping it around a banana, or just wiping up the juices from your meal. There are many recipes for it on the web, all using wheat flour or all purpose flour. However, for some reason I can't get past this memory that our host mother said that she used maize flower, which explains the yellow color that it had. Wheat flower makes it look like Nan (also various spellings) which is an Indian flat bread.
Long story short, I decided to use corn flour this time because I thought that would be like maize flower (Nick is the resident maize expert so maybe he can say if that is the same thing). In my previous attempt I used regular flour and they were pretty good, but not yellow, and fairly dense. Corn flour did not work out by any stretch of the imagination. It was still gritty even though it looked quite fine. It would not press into a flat pancake shape very well without falling apart. I cooked it anyway and it turned out quite awful. It tasted like a bitter cornbread pancake with probably an aftertaste of vegetable oil. We tried eating it with applesauce, sugar/cinnamon mix, and chocolate syrup. Eventually we were just trying to completely mask the taste instead of compliment it. Beth tried hard to make me feel better, but I only felt worse when hers was covered in 1/4 inch of powdered sugar and chocolate syrup lined all over it.
To top things off I burned the vegetable oil onto our calphalon frying pan and I am currently searching for a method to remove it.
In other news, apparently I have to post more often to be worthy of Nick's link list.
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