What???

Okay, I just had to say this out loud: WHAT? Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to encourage? Isn't the basis of an award achievement? Wow, I am stunned. I feel very badly for the next Nobel Peace Prize winner. It really won't mean much at all . . .

How Time Flies

It's been more than 2 months since our trip to Haiti. I would love to be back there again, visiting with the kids. I can't do that right now, so I'm doing the next best thing: working on learning Kreyol. I hope by the time I get back next summer to be able to make my point in Kreyol.

Interesting memory from my first trip. In church on Sunday morning, a visitor to the church of obviously European descent, spoke fluent Kreyol. The folks in front of me murmured, "Good Kreyol!" in an impressed tone of voice. Point taken and I'm now working on it.

Anyone care to help? :-)

A Week in Bolosse

I was fortunate enough to travel with a group of 6 others to build bunkbeds at the Marion G. Austin Pension in Bolosse, Haiti, which is run by a US 501(c)(3) corporation, Hope for the Children of Haiti. (A pension is an orphanage with a school.)

While at the pension, we spent LOTS of time with the kids. Imagine my surprise when the kids remembered all the members of our team from 2 years ago, myself and my daughter included. The kids are now teenagers and are a bit more hesitant to try to use their English skills. But a few of them agreed to try if I would try my Kreyol skills. So, we conversed in broken English, broken Kreyol, and in very well written notes they can write in English.

I have so many memories. My favorite memory is of the night before we left. I FINALLY had time to just sit with the kids who had come back up to the guest house with us. As I went to sit on the couch, 2 girls quickly grabbed a spot on either side of me. Mikenlove, a 15 year old boy, was upset because he wanted to sit and talk as well. I offered him my lap and he sat back against me, with his head on my shoulder, and we all began to talk. There were 5 Haitian teenagers, with 3 more as back up to the conversation, whenever we hit a rough spot. It was such a great evening!

Now that I know. . . .

Somehow, in our modern theology, we've missed the central point of the gospel message.

Here in the US, we go to church, read our Bibles, sing hymns or praise songs, leave church and go about our business, feeling we've made God proud. The problems of people around the world are too difficult to care about, too menial to be involved in. I've heard too people make comments about those who are less fortunate, as if these people were in that position by their own choosing. Really, how many of us would actually choose to spend our lives living less than paycheck to paycheck, worrying about how to feed our families? Many have no understanding of the issues faced by so many of our countrymen, too many of whom have to choose between putting food on the table, or paying bills as they come due.

I've also heard many people complaining about illegal immigrants who come to this country to "steal our jobs." I ask those of you with feelings like this to consider going on a short term mission trip to a third world country to work with these people in their homelands. See what it is they live like everyday. Then, come back to the US to our running water, our abundant food supply, our infrastructure and the opportunities here. Then, ask yourselves, if you lived in that country, wouldn't you want to come to the land of opportunity to work hard and send money home to simply feed your family?

Being a disciple of Jesus requires that we love our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. When we are doing this, it will naturally flow that we will love and serve our fellow human beings. In Ephesians 2:8-10, we are told that, before the world began, it was determined that we would be created to do good works, that such works were to be our lifestyle. "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." God spoke through Isaiah, in Isaiah 58 and through the disciple, Matthew, in Matthew 25:31-46, and through Jeremiah, in Jeremiah 22:15-16, making it quite clear that we are to help those who are less fortunate. I agree with John, the disciple. How can we say we love God and yet begrudge our fellow human beings the opportunity to merely feed their families?

Now that we know, what shall we do?

Lazy Days of Summer

Here it is, the middle of July. The weather is warm, the sun is shining and the kids are BORED. It's not quite warm enough for the southwestern born and bred in us to venture forth to spend the day at the lake. It's not warm enough to spend the day at the pool and it's a little too warm for the youngest of us to spend the day hiking and otherwise engaged in the great outdoors. After a long spring and a not so warm summer (even the fruits and vegetables aren't maturing on time!), we are so ready for hot weather!

I don't think we're going to get our desires this year. . .