Compassion Bloggers :: Dominican Republic

Ally just sent me a link to this, Compassion’s next bloggers trip:

November 2–7, 2008 Compassion International will take a group of bloggers to see their ministry to over 40,000 children in the Dominican Republic. Known for its resort-speckled beaches, there’s another side to this Caribbean nation unknown to most vacationers. Our bloggers will visit a city dump where families scavenge for food and clothing. They’ll tour a neighborhood where drugs are trafficked and children live beside open sewers. And bloggers will also see firsthand how Compassion International and child sponsors are bringing hope to children living in these places by releasing them from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Currently, I don’t sponsor a child with any organisation. Somehow I convinced myself that as a student/unemployed person I can’t really afford to… but I have a distinct feeling I will be starting soon. How many times do I go out for a coffee in the week? I could give up two coffees a week, or Sunday lunch out, and instead put a kid through school? Give a kid a chance to hear about Jesus? I don’t really need that coffee…

This summer I’m volunteering in Uganda with Fields of Life, who among other things provide child sponsorship. I’m excited, as I get to live out some of my dreams, while doing something worthwhile. I get to take photographs, and the charity gets new images for promotion. I love the reciprocal nature of it… somehow my pictures make a difference. I was inspired by the Uganda Compassion Bloggers, hearing firsthand stories of how Compassion/sponsorship/Jesus is making a difference in peoples lives.

It’s the nature of the Gospel. God tells stories. God invites us to be storytellers.
And I can’t wait to be part of it in Uganda, in less than 6 weeks time.

To find out more:
Sponsor a child through Compassion UK
Sponsor a child/get involved with Fields Of Life
Read more about Compassion Bloggers.

Dirty Mother

Dirty mother is a month long exhibition in Nexus focused on climate change. It is a partnership with Christiana Aid, Sanctus1 and Nexus.

This is happening in Manchester next month, and it looks great. If you’re anywhere nearby you should check it out.

HT: Jonny

MLK, JR

A day late, but better late than never…

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. The blogosphere has been awash with comment and tributes. Suffice to say, I have a lot of respect and admiration for the life of MLK, he is someone whose words inspire me deeply. I’m going to let his words outlast mine…

“The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows. One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. How much longer must we play at deadly war games before we heed the plaintive pleas of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?”

Further Notes From liveit! Conference

I posted some notes from Archbishop John Sentamus keynote speech at the liveit! conference a few days ago, but I thought it was time to share some notes from the rest of the speakers too…

* “Things have to change” really means “I have to change.” (Father Jim O’Keefe)
* We live in a time of transition – one of those transitions has to be in our hearts. (JOK)
* A constant invitation to change. (JOK)
* Sacrifice: the willingness to let go of everything in the belief that God will hold us and sustain us. (JOK)
* It’s blasphemy when we don’t hurt over things like the river dolphin going extinct, because we are contributing to the de-creation of the world. (JOK)

* Living simply is very complex, but it’s all about love.

Mike Edwards

[Mike Edwards playing didgeridoo at the liveit! conference]

* Solidarity is not with the likeminded, but with the oppressed. (David Wells)
* We’ve got caught up in an endless cycle of performance indicators, and it’s killing our souls. (DW)
* “Success is not a fact, it’s a comparison” – Nouwen.
* Do you tend to count your blessings or the cost? It has nothing to do with the cost and everything to do with the blessing. (DW)
* The issue isn’t just awareness, it’s can we stay grateful? Gratitude compels us towards compassion. (DW)

* We are a country who does all it can to be invulnerable (eg security systems). (Pat Gaffney)
* We can be driven by other peoples expectations in a way that blocks our access to simplicity. (Tina Beattie)
* “The contagion of desire” – the only way we can counter the consumerism is for our lives/communities to be so different and infectious that it draws other people in. (TB)
* The rich/poor divides are essential to our kinds of economy. To undermine it would be far more than undermining just our economy – it would be undermining our entire world/economic systems. (Tom Cullinan)
* Doors will open as soon as you’ve stood by people long enough for them to trust you. (DW)
* A new consciousness – the drama that God is playing out is not just the human drama, but the drama of the whole earth. (TC)

John Sentamu At liveit! Conference

A few weeks ago Holly and I were down in Manchester for the liveit! conference, organised by livesimply and CAFOD. The thing that grabbed both of our attentions was the fact that Archbishop John Sentamu was speaking. Here’s some notes I made from his keynote speech on the day…

Archbishop John Sentamu

* What would it look like to exchange places with the poor?
* God’s movement of change wasn’t just an ideology, it was an actual program of transformation.
* [We have] A conflict of responsibilities.
* We must never confuse simplicity with being simplistic.
* The life & teachings of Jesus were often encouched in paradox.
* In our world, the poor look for food, but the rich are looking for an appetite.
* We are not being called into activity, but into resignation, into surrender. Nothing matters aside from God, becoming nothing before him.
* The beginning of simplicity is letting go of concerns and releasing ourselves in abandon to God.
* “Heaven affords unlimited accommodation to the simple-minded.”
* Concern for justice/ecology/etc is not primary; it flows from seeking God first; however we are prisoners to his love and he has left us no choice.
* Freedom is a freedom to love.
* “Only the simple are free. All others are under the tyrannous ambition of self.” – Richard Foster

I just noticed that you can download and listen to Archbishop John Sentamus speech again from the livesimply website: click here and you will see a dialogue box at the top right side of the page.

Notes from the rest of the day coming soon.

World Water Day

Today (as you might have guessed by the title!) is World Water Day.

Right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. That’s one in six of us.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation causes 80% of all sickness and disease, and kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Many people in the developing world, usually women and children, walk more than three hours every day to fetch water that is likely to make them sick. Those hours are crucial, preventing many from working or attending school. Additionally, collecting water puts them at greater risk of sexual harassment and assault. Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water. Of the 42,000 deaths that occur every week from unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation, 90% are children under 5 years old.

Shocked?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBOJyAY42M8&hl=en]

One way to help: get involved in charity:water