We will go together

A few more hours and I leave Marion, Ohio and begin the drive to orientation. I am excited, nervous, and humbled. It is hard to believe this summer is over. It has passed swiftly despite my efforts to cherish each day. I am thankful for the amount of time I was able to spend with friends, family, and with God. I am learning to live life with no regrets and though I did not enjoy every moment of the summer I regret none - life is beautiful.
My mind scrolls like a new movie real, it knows what scenes must be played next but as the operator I am always wary of a skipped scene. But if I skip a scene will I really notice it has been skipped or will life go on despite the error. I think it is safe to say I have all the major themes in place the rest is extra added to enliven the plot.
I am packed and cautious that my bags are right at the fifty pound mark - I'm not sure how the light packer that I am managed to pack that much but I've never packed for a year before.
I am ready. Ready to hit the road finalize the goodbyes and fly into the distance.
I pray that I may continue to see God at work in each moment of my day that I may look back and say life is a beautiful gift from God and I have nothing to regret.
Goodbye my family. Goodbye my friends. Though miles may part may we travel together and may God go before.
Blessings on the journey.

My Fire


Last Tuesday was a day of firsts. It was the first time I had gone on vacation without my family. It was the first time I had hiked for three hours without any idea where I was going. It was the first time I found over six ticks on my legs and had to pull them out. It was the first time I started a fire. It was the first time I attempted and failed to cook baked potatoes on camp fire. It was the first and only time I turned twenty three. It was a day filled with adventure. It was a great day spent with a very dear friend.
The lesson we learned from the day is we need to go camping without guys more often we learn more cause they won't do it for us - now I will argue that its not really guys but anyone who is more knowledgeable who can hinder you from learning new skills. To truly become proficient in something I must do it with my own two hands.
Here is my new first done with my own two hands. Enjoy the pictures from camping :).
Sunset

A poet cries for peace

I recently finished a book entitled "Notes From the Hyena's Belly" by Nega Mezlekia. It is his autobiography of growing up in Ethiopia. He writes about Ethiopian poetry.
"In Ethiopia, poetry is second only to the achievements of kings. Poets are sought after and treasured with great reverence by the ruling class. In ancient times , poets were invited to read to the king's palace and light up the festivities at a feudal lord's manor by composing odes that both celebrated triumphs over adversaries and advised the lord of the condition of his serfs" page 39-40
Mezlekia goes on to say that the poet could speak of the true plight of the peasant and plead on his behalf because the lord would do him no harm as he was only fulfilling his duty.
Following those lines I post here a poem many of you have heard me recite and which I wrote.

Let there be peace on Earth

“By violence I mean any way you have of violating the identity and integrity of another person” -Parker Palmer

To Christianize the nations

we require you look like us,

talk like us, and act like us.

You must embrace capitalism

and a democratic government.

This is the Christian thing to do.

Let there be peace on earth

Let this be the moment now

I come to the Christian nation.

You wear our clothes, an old

T-shirt from a school

over here. You stare at us

amazed. We are who you want

to be. Well fed and clean.

Let there be peace on earth

Let this be my solemn vow

You stare at us with yellow eyes

and rotting teeth. Your belly protruding

like a latex balloon. Your eyes

are empty like the bowl you

use for food. Let me help

you look like me.

Let there be peace on earth

and let it begin with me

You fled from the country

to escape famine and war.

Your people’s lands were

taken that they may be used

to better your nation, with

tall buildings and roads.

Let there be peace on earth

Let this be the moment now

Now your cattle have nowhere to roam.

Your crops cannot grow. Come to the city.

To pursue the great dream and escape

the madness of your home. Enter the city

to be stripped of everything – that you may be me.

Start a roadside stand selling “authentic” Kenyan art.

Let there be peace on earth

Let this be my solemn vow

Kenya was a nation of many tribes

but now it’s best if you forget

that. You should have

one language and one name.

Come we will put you next to

this tribe. No, don’t tell me the history.

Let there be peace on earth

and let it begin with me

Dream of brick houses and running water.

A car or two. Work hard and they will be

provided for you. It’s been four generations

and here you sit poorer than before. Get up

stop being lazy, get out of the muck. Be proud

of your heritage. But, wait who am I?

Let there be peace on earth

Let this be the moment now.

Let there be peace on earth

Let this be my solemn vow.

Let there be peace on earth

And let it begin with me.

- peace

Hello,
I just realized that there are two email addresses in my support letter and one of them is incorrect. They both have the same name but different addresses. The correct @ is @gmail.com. So, if you have been unable to email me or have not had a reply to your email, simply use the same name and put @gmail.com not anderson.com and I should reply in a day or two.
thanks

Peace on the Farm

I spent this past weekend on my grandparents farm. I went up because of the Black Swamp Benefit which helps support MCC. I saw a few relatives and lots of beautiful quilts. I learned a little more about MCC and observed a community where everyone knows virtually everyone else.
I spent the next morning with my three cousins ages 3, 8, and 11; and my grandparents. We picked strawberries and cleaned up around the new construction at my cousins house. On Sunday my eleven year old cousin sang a duet in church showing a talent I didn't know she had. Old hymns sung with only voices were a pleasant respite from the overused praise choruses found in most contemporary churches. I was able to sing one song in German while the congregation sang in English and then we sang In Christ there is no East or West. We are all connected in Christ despite language and cultural differences. The hymns were fitting as both the sermon and the Sunday School hour were taught by MCC representatives. One from the advocacy office in Washington and the other from a young man from Swaiziland.
For lunch we headed to the Pettisville school where my Grandpa attended and graduated, then my mom and her siblings attended and graduated from, and where my cousins now go and will someday graduate from. We were there for a benifit lunch for one of Pettisville's students who was having health problems. We ate in the gym where my mother was on the homecoming court and as we left saw her senior picture hanging with the other members of her class in the old hallway.
Now, no summer trip to the farm is complete without some time in the pond. And sure enough I spent Sunday afternoon on the old cracking foam raft in the pond with my 19 year old cousin and my 11 and 8 year old cousins. Four years ago you would have found the four of us there but this time the 11 and 8 year old had decided they were old enough to push me off the raft and for them to be pushed off as well. And just like summers back in high school, when we were done swimming the four of us loaded up on the gator to head to the woods in search of blackberries to put on homemade ice cream. It was a peaceful and restful Sunday and I was reluctant to leave.
This may be a long description of my weekend that means little to anyone but me :). But my point is not to describe the events but to allude to the love of Christ that is found when we gather together. To show a love that lasts as we grow older, that ties generations together, that ties cultures together. To show that it is in the moments of simplicity and quietness that we are reminded of God's calling us and the response we have given. As my past, my present, and
my future met I found that God is speaking and I desire to listen.

Development

Development – growth, advancement toward a favorable outcome

You may be wondering how my preparation for Ethiopia is developing at this point. Honestly, I am too. Not because I don’t know what I am doing to prepare, but rather because I am not sure what exactly what the favorable outcome these things are helping me advance toward.

We (used in the broadest sense) often talk about development and new technologies as positive influences on our lives. Development becomes an advancement toward a favorable outcome when in fact development is not always positive, nor is it necessarily an improvement. Take for instance the development of a tumor. As the tumor develops it grows until it invades the bone taking away the good and replacing it with bad. I wonder if we sometimes don’t become tumors developing in others, ensuring our own livelihood, but destroying those around us. Once the bone tissue is destroyed we collapse our own support network and our own death is immanent.

When left to our own self interests growth can be rather negative. Development done to soon, in the wrong place, using the wrong methods may temporarily bring life but inevitably it simply destroys. Especially growth where there is no preparation or support structure in place. Perhaps that’s why they added the word sustainable with the word development. Sustainable implies that something will last indefinitely. Sustainable development is growth that looks toward the future generations and how considers how the current growth will impact others. Sustainable development poses a different set of questions than mere development. I want to practice sustainable development.

But the question I posed was not is development good or bad but how am I developing? I am growing in knowledge. I am learning more about Ethiopia, more about culture, more about poverty, more about disease, more about marketing, and more about development. I am developing my thought process on how to better organize my day to spend time in prayer and meditation. I am developing ideas on how to be a better writer. I am developing strategies on how to pack. I am developing theories on how to meet emotional needs while in Ethiopia. Basically, I am working on developing conscious thought processes on how to better develop myself. But is this sustainable development? Its not if I never put anything into action. Its not if I keep wondering if I am developing anything. I think perhaps I best stop trying to come up with the best way to develop and instead act. Act within a realm of accountability. Act by listening and learning. Act by spending time in prayer. And share the results of my actions. But most importantly act.

And yet, I keep getting that question asked of me: are you prepared for Ethiopia? What are you doing to prepare yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually? Keep asking me that question. I can only hide behind evasive answers for so long. Perhaps if its asked enough I will better understand that each little step is part of the preparation process and each person I meet along the way contributes to growth, hopefully toward a favorable outcome.

Hi!
I have returned from Costa Rica. Costa Rica is a beautiful country and my time there was wonderful. I now know how to paint, a great skill to posses. We painted three churches in the San Jose area. We also visited a volcano, an important Catholic Church, downtown San Jose, and spent the night at the beach. The two weeks in Costa Rica were great but I am glad to be back in the States as I prepare to leave in two short months.
I have moved out of my house in Anderson. It has been hard to leave my friends and the town that has become home but the future is exciting. I will be living in Fort Wayne and interning with an organization called Crossroad. This internship will provide me valuable experience that will be helpful both in Ethiopia and when I return and begin the job search. Living in Fort Wayne I will also be able to visit Anderson on occasion.
Preparations for Ethiopia continue. I have received introductions from the MCC Ethiopia team and the other three SALTers who will spend the year in Ethiopia. We will not be in the same city but will be able to connect with one another when we visit the MCC compound in Addis. I am keeping busy with the logistical parts of preparation such as visas, travel itineraries, shots, etc.
I have begun to read up on Ethiopia and am welcome to any book suggestions people may have.
That is my brief update for now. As I settle into the summer routine, I will post more updates.
Blessings