March 2007 Archives

As an extra curricular activity, a group of us went to Feed My Starving Children. FMSC is a non-profit Christian organization where volunteers come and package food that is then sent to starving children across the globe. One package of food can feed up to six people and costs less than $1. Scientists from MN designed a specific formula that would most greatly benefit starving children: chicken flavoring, dried vegetables, soy, and rice. All that is needed to prepare this lifesaving food is boiling water. FMSC partners with Christian relief organizations all over the world, but delivers large amounts to Haiti and Africa.

This activity can be related to America’s Second Harvest and other emergency food distribution in the United States. The difference is the FMSC ships worldwide to third world countries while Second Harvest takes care of citizens here in the US. Also (although I’m not 100% positive on this) I don’t know if Second Harvest uses food that is culturally universal, as FMSC does. Either way, you can’t address someone’s long term needs if they’re not even able to make it another day.

I really like the way FMSC orients its volunteers before we’re allowed to package food. They tell us about the organization, and then they show this really touching video. What always kills me is when they show images of starving children (some who are going through garbage for food) and the soundtrack playing is a woman asking if anyone has room for desert, or a man asking if Mexico is a possibility for spring break, or a kid whining to his dad about how he needs these new shoes. The comparison is just heartbreaking. But then, at the end, they show the lives of children and communities that they’ve affected-and the difference then is an amazing transformation.

FMSC is really an amazing organization, and they really are making a difference and spreading hope. Not only are they feeding God’s hungry children in body, but also in spirit. They started out with only one site, and they are now building their fourth. Initially they packed 3 million meals a year, now they’re up to 35 million. In 1987 when they opened, 40,000 children died of starvation a day, now, only 20 years later, it’s down to 16,000! Granted, that’s still a large number, and obviously it’s not just due to FMSC but other organizations as well, but that’s still amazing. Progress is being made, there is hope!

Our guest speaker this morning was Godfrey Melissa, an immigrant pastor originally from Tanzania, Africa. Godfrey has been in the USA for 12 years, and as part of MN Gospel he travels to reach out to people from East Africa who are scattered all over the country (more specifically the Swahili speaking community). He addressed several issues in his lecture/question answer period. Godfrey started by telling his own story, and then went on to address why the people that he ministered to came to the USA (school and work [brain drain]) and how in trying to make money they are falling away from their faith. Many who emigrate here don’t want to stay here forever, because the ties and pulling from their native land are so strong. The political situation back home is stable, but the economic system is a huge problem. Many make only $500-$600 dollars (many live on $1 a day), and although some progress has been made, it’s not very encouraging. Because of these huge desparencies between different world countries (USA vs Tanzania), it seems immoral. Need to look at the situation from two perspectives. Everybody needs to develop themselves; Africa has to find a way to help itself. But at the same time, you can’t necessarily develop all by yourself because the world is now interdependent and connected. We need to understand what is happening over in Africa, because if we can’t understand it, we can’t help.

When Godfrey talked about the world being interdependent and connected, it triggered much of what I had been reading in World is Flat. The world is now flat, and we are capable of connecting with every country in ways that have never been done before. Other world countries have begun to benefit from this interdependence, and are on their way to becoming a more economically stable nation (key words: on their way…). But this is still a very small portion. For those that have the access to the internet, for those that have access to the opportunities, great, they can benefit (and for those that are running the company, obviously yes, they benefit as well). But there are still many, many, who aren’t able to participate because the opportunities still aren’t available to them. Yes, it’s more available then ever before, but there is still so much more it could do to help those in need. There were a couple of examples given in World is Flat that discussed how people were using the flat world to benefit those in poverty. One man in India used the fortune he made to set up an elementary school for the untouchables in India. Another went down to South America and educated persons that otherwise would have been overlooked so they could get on the world train. If making the world flat makes it possible for more individuals to participate and interact, then it’s also more of a responsibility on the individual to create a society where all can be involved and help those who are currently left out of this world change.

What really connected with me was when Godfrey started talking about the desparencies being immoral, and how he looked at the situation from two perspectives. We have so much here. What we consider “necessary” in our society is considered a surplus to other countries with so much less; their main focus is on basic necessities. It just seems wrong when you look at what we have compared to others. The example given by Godfrey was the fact that one Rainbow grocery store in Colorado makes 2.5 billion annually, more than the entire government in Tanzania. But what I liked about Godfrey is how he looked at the situation from both perspectives. He did not take away the blame from the people it was affecting, saying that they needed to educate themselves and help their own people. He did not gloss over the fact that people have to want to help themselves for there to be change. But he also pointed out the other side that so many people (including myself) often miss. In the world today, it’s difficult to develop on your own. If you increase your exports, you’re going to need people to buy them. Yes, some government it corrupt, but who is corrupting them? Some of the most educated people are leaving their home country for better economic opportunities, the brain drain effect. We who are able to help must know what is going on, because if we don’t know what’s going on, how can we help? And they’re not just looking for immediate solutions and charity-it has to address the long term issues. Yes, money for life-prolonging drugs for those who suffer from AIDS helped, but compared to all those who were suffering (a whole generation) it was just a dent-what’s the cause behind the huge AIDS epidemic? But even a dent is something. By helping one child you can make a world of difference. Because if you help that one child, they will have a better life, and then, not only can they then help themselves, but they can help others. And if enough of us do small acts, overall it becomes a big act, and things start to get accomplished. You don’t have to fix an entire country all by yourself, start small and start collaborating…

As I’m sure many of you are aware, March is food awareness month. So this particular month, I am writing to encourage group and congregation action on the part of hunger and starvation. Many organizations have the ability to distribute effectively, but lack the funds to run sufficiently. This is where you come in.

2 Corinthians strongly encourages giving. The amount you give is not the most important part (for some are able to give more than others) but the reasoning behind the giving is. 2 Corinthians verse 12 says, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.” The intention is not to make one go broke in order that he can be of greater service to God and to humanity, verse 13 states, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.” Giving is a wonderful cycle; what goes around comes around. Again in verse 9: 6 it says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he ahs decided in his hear to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

The Lord has provided for you, so much so that you are able to share your blessings with others. In 9:8 it says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work,” and similarly in verse 11, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” God gave us the greatest gift of all time: eternal salvation through his only son our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we need in the long run is taken care of. So go live your life and show your praise to Him by treating others as generously as the model that He has given you. “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God,” (9:12). Give with a glad and with a willing heart, for you are showing thanks to God for all that he has done for you.

There are many ways to give, either financially or with time. As a congregation, many opportunities are available with such a large group of people who work together. Hold a pot luck, run a car wash, volunteer a Saturday to make and serve breakfast at a shelter-the list goes on. Put the minds, time, and finances of your congregation together and see what you can come up with-if the willingness is there, good will come out at the end, and this good will cycle back to you.

Neighborhood House is a non-profit organization that supports immigrants, helping them get on their feet by teaching them about life in America. They offer all sorts of classes (English, computer, kitchen, etc) and provide services (such as Meals on Wheels, daycare, music lessons, after school programs, field trips, food shelf, etc.). Neighborhood House serves a wide variety of ethnic groups (Hispanic, Russian, Somalian, Hmong, etc) with its staff and volunteers. Every person coming is met individually to asses their needs, after which the appropriate services are provided. Mostly, Neighborhood House provides a place for the immigrants to come and learn about how to live in America. Today, we got the tour and all individually got to talk for about 20-30 minutes with one or two immigrants who were in the ESL class there.

I’m going to compare Neighborhood House with Hilmer’s discussion about the War on Poverty. In his lecture, Hillmer brought up the point that during British Colonial times, there was a very strong sense of community, hence there was a “warning off” of strangers, especially if those strangers looked like they needed help. This is interesting philosophy when you compare it with the immigrants who came here to America. Their life in their home country wasn’t working out well, many were refugees or came here to seek economic opportunities, therefore making a better future for their families. They left their entire world behind, coming to a place where they didn’t know the language (or knew very little) or the culture. These people really are/were strangers in a new land, and yes, they defiantly needed help. Fortunately now, unlike in British Colonial times, there are places (like Neighborhood House) who actually seek out these strangers, especially those who are in dire need, and give them a fighting chance. What a good thing!

I really enjoyed the experience today. Neighborhood House provides such a positive example of doing good in a community. Talking with the immigrants was also really interesting. They were just practicing their English with us, but it also was a chance to hear their stories. Dr. Hacket and I got to talk to two women, one from Mexico City (whose English was very good) and one from Thailand. Mostly we just had small chit chat type of thing-where are you from, what’s your family, do you have a car, etc. But we also got to ask a few more interesting question, like what was hard about coming here and why they came. The woman from Mexico said she came here for education, even though she had gone to college in Mexico (studied business there, but wants to manage here); just from the short time talking to her she seemed very bright. The woman from Thailand was more timid and a bit harder to understand, and I don’t really recall her giving a reason for coming here. However, for both of them it was difficult adjusting to the climate. What I also found cool was how interested the woman from Mexico was about learning from the woman from Thailand; in fact, when the older woman from Thailand was struggling with her English, the woman from Mexico would help her out. Talking with these women was quite enjoyable (and I would like to talk to them more along with others to hear more of their stories).

It always greatly bothered my in HS when people I was not fond of would call certain immigrants in my school “stupid” merely because they couldn’t speak the language. Whenever I speak Spanish with a native Spanish speaker, I always feel silly because I know that I sound completely unintelligent because I’m not accustomed to the language. These people are in the same boat, except they’re adults trying to communicate with college kids, so it’s even more different. These people are quite bright and have gone through a lot, it’s just difficult to communicate it all; whether they can speak English well has nothing to do with their intelligence and what they’ve gone through, these people are quite bold to come to a completely foreign culture with little support (hence I was so thoroughly annoyed with the kids in my HS).

An organization like Neighborhood House is defiantly something I’m interested in participating in. I really enjoy helping people who are so eager to learn and grow. The whole idea behind a non-profit organization just makes me so excited. I would defiantly like my future to head somewhere along these lines…

Amazing Grace is an excellent film that tells the story of William Wilberforce and his fight to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain. Based on a true story, the film goes through the life of William Wilberforce which is relevant to understanding his involvement in Parliament and personal development in his fight for freedom for enslaved Africans. Amazing grace is an underlying theme, and the movie says (I’d be interested to discover if this was actually true) that a priest who was formerly the captain of a slave ship wrote the hymn.
Amazing Grace can be compared to social stratification, although on a much more extreme level than we discussed/read about in e-reserves. Our discussions of stratification dealt with lower, middle, and upper classes-complete and involuntary servitude was not even an option. Now, people of the lower class are still considered human-they are wrongly considered by some as having lesser value (hence their rights are abused) but they are still considered human; this basic privilege is not granted to the Africans. To those who supported the trade, slavery is not even considered stratification because how can stratification apply to those who aren’t even considered human? Their supposedly “superior” minds were so distorted they could not even recognize the common ties of humanity.
I really enjoyed this film. To me, a really excellent movie is one that makes you think. This one man dedicated everything he had-where most would have been discouraged or too worn down to continue, he stuck with it. So greatly he believed in his cause, so strong did he fight-it’s very inspiring. Small things do make a difference (like those on the community level who supported his work) but unless there are those in power who support change, it is so much more difficult to accomplish than (obviously proven by this film) it already is. Without this man working the Parliament-how long would it have taken before the slave trade was abolished? Even though it might have cost him everything politically, and even though it was costing him other things (like his life and his health), he did not abandon his cause. That’s amazing.
Wilberforce was successful in his campaign-it was a very long and difficult fight, but at the end, he was successful. Although slavery is no longer an issue, there are still other factors and issues just as important that are happening right now. Incredibly dedicated people fight for these issues everyday, yet they have not yet fully succeeded. There are things still going on. For example, abortion; I know that abortion is a highly controversial issue, but for me (I am very strongly pro-life) similar things that prevented the abolishment of slavery also prevent the abolishment of abortion: people want their power, people are selfish, and people don’t consider “them” humans. Abortion is one example of the point I’m trying to make: injustice is still prevalent and relevant today, it just takes different forms. It always makes me sick when I wonder if there are issues out there that I'm bind about...

On Friday morning we watched When the Levees Broke, a documentary which addressed how New Orleans was affected by hurricane Katrina and how people (especially government) responded to this national disaster. The documentary is over 4 hours long, so the class only got to watch select portions. Individual citizens and government officials were interviewed about their responses and reflections about Katrina, and then additional outside information was brought in regarding stats and information of persons important to the disaster relief. The majority of the documentary seemed to address the question of why the federal government didn’t step in sooner and help more.
The main question addressed by this documentary can be compared to the documentary Born into Brothels. Although it may not have been the main focus of When the Levees Broke, the financial state that many of the citizens of New Orleans was addressed; many said they didn’t have the funds to leave or any where else to go. In the red-light district, a base comparison can be made: the people working in that district have no means for other income, and have resorted to prostitution. In both situations, people in poverty are trapped; it is an ongoing, long term issue of poverty in both areas. And, in addition, just as the governor of New Orleans ran into difficultly getting help from the government, so the film producer had many frustrations in trying to get her students placed into schools or attain visas.
I was unaware of the slow government response to Katrina. Once again, from the looks of this documentary, it seemed as if political correctness got in the way of actually helping people. So and so couldn’t do this until they got permission from this. So and so didn’t want to do this because it could possibly jeopardize this. So and so was told they didn’t know about this because of this. And on and on. I understand that these rules and regulations are in place for a reason, but it seemed as if people were more concerned about maintaining their political stances and agendas rather than helping people in need. As the former mayor said, when there’s a national disaster, you put all that aside, unite, and go! I was particularly saddened by the response of the federal government and of President Bush, especially when compared to former President Johnson. Like the CNN reporter stated, the hurricane was on Monday, why in the world was aid not given until Friday?
If you see people in need, you help them. This was the main point of one women interviewed. She took responsibility for not getting out when they told her too (although some said it would have been financially impossible for them to leave) but then got very upset, because her point was valid. Yes, they should have left, but they didn’t, so get over it and help-they don’t need it rubbed in their faces, the hurricane took care of that.
It’s not always about who is right. There were people who did an excellent job helping: the coast guard who threw rules aside, the citizens who helped each other, and outsiders who came in-these people were mentioned and appreciated-and they did what was right and what should have been done.

Today, Kelly Chatman (senior pastor of his church near downtown Minneapolis) presented a convocation regarding Urban Ministry. He started the convocation by showing a film about his church’s mission: reaching out and building relationships to all community members, including revising traditional styles of worship and adding new ones to fit everyone’s needs, in order to enforce a stronger relationship with Christ and also to help the community excel economically (programs such as affordable housing and after school programs). He then elaborated more on elements brought up in the video, his views as senior pastor, and his goals for his church. The last part of the convocation was spent answering questions regarding urban ministry.
I connected Kelly Chatman to Michael Charron. Chatman discussed the importance of changing traditions, opening gates that were closed, to allow in members of the community that previously felt excluded; the idea is to make everyone feel a part of a group. By changing aspects and services of worship (such as having a hip hop service for youth) more people who are culturally diverse can bring in more attributes that add to overall worship. Charron talked about something similar. Drama was seen as a different outlet for the poor to be represented. Poverty isn’t just represented in facts and figures in reports, but by changing the approach to understanding by watching/enacting drama. By doing this, different aspects that were previously missed come into play.
I really enjoyed Chatman’s presentation today. There are many times that I feel overwhelmed when huge issues (such as poverty) are addressed. There is so much work being done, yet there is always so much left to do. Sometimes it feels like you have to do something big, be a part of something big, to be in charge of something in order to make a difference. But being involved in a nation wide program isn’t the only way to help. It is possible to start small and still make a difference. Helping out in one neighborhood, in one city, in one state, in one country, in one continent, can seem insignificant-but to those people you help, it may seem like the world of hope. Helping people doesn’t have to be so complex. If people want help, they’ll take it-if they don’t, then they won’t-and you move on to those that do. There is much to be done, but by starting with small progress you can work your way up to making a difference in peoples, and then communities, and then states, and so on.
Because of our fear of the unknown, and our fear of failure, we sometimes limit ourselves to opportunities. Because I’m unfamiliar with this culture, I’m afraid of rejection, or because this has never been tried before, there is a large chance of failure. I think sometimes we are influenced by the labels that are put on people and ideas even though we know that it is wrong-but it was somehow embedded in our minds from long ago and from things we can’t place our fingers on. But we have to overcome our own mental barriers, because often times they prevent us from doing what is right and what is helpful. Just because a hip hop service may not be the worship that I enjoy attending, doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great and successful idea for a church in downtown Minneapolis. We have to be careful not to let our own biases get in the way of things, realizing how great of an impact our past, our environment, and our experiences have on the way we live our lives today. We need to understand the people and their stories in order to successfully help-so we shouldn’t be afraid, and we should just go and do something to solve the problem. It is by understanding that we can come to make progress. Times change, and not all change is bad, and in order to keep up and get the word out, our approaches to worship have to change too to accommodate all the wonderful growth of diverse people that are hearing God’s word.