favorite pic of the week

Road trip

There is no way we could get away with this in the States. No way, no how! It's as packed inside as it is outside. Amazing!

channel the energy

I read a thought provoking writing from Jonathan Edwards this week. Not Jonathan Edwards the philandering politician, but rather a man who lived in the eighteenth-century. He was a pastor and I am told a key figure in the "Great Awakening." Here is what he said:

The nature of human beings is to be inactive unless influenced by some affection: love or hatred, desire, hope, fear, etc. These affections are the "spring of action," the things that set us moving in our lives, that move us to engage in activities.

When we look at the world, we see that people are exceedingly busy (yes, even in the eighteenth-century - this isn't a new phenomenon). It is their affections that keep them busy. If we were to take away their affections, the world would be motionless and dead; there would be no such thing as activity.

I also recently heard a modern day theologian, Ron Bell, talk about "Righteous Anger" and how maybe the things that make us angry - injustice, exploitation, etc - could be God trying to get our attention. These could be things God wants us to do something about and we should channel that anger in to a positive action; a blessing.

I don't want to be that person who watches a horrific event on the news, like genocide or human trafficking, and says, "oh, that's awful." Then turns the channel. Yes, my occupation affords me the opportunity to do something about such things, but it has nothing to do with what my job is. Even in this role I could grow hardened to the needs of others, in fact it is probably more likely because I am so inundated with the needs of others and sometimes they are legitimate and sometimes it is individuals just trying to scam the system and get something for free whether they need it or not.

My location or my job does not determine my response to the needs around me. Rather, as Jonathan Edwards points out, it is a matter of the heart. Where do my affections lie? Am I making room in my life for these things? What is determining how I spend my time? I encourage you to ask yourself the same questions, you may be inspired to action or make some adjustments in your busy schedule, like I did.

just read: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

When I arrived in Cambodia my new boss gave me a copy of a book I'd never read. Being the lover of books that I am, I would never refuse a good book recommendation! He told me this book had helped him learn the power of focus, find what your passionate about or do well and commit fully to it. I recently finished reading "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World."

This is a story of one mans personal journey from a life of success as the world defines it - money, title, possessions - to a life of significance. It is his goal to give every child an opportunity to experience the power of reading. In my life, my affinity for reading has opened my mind to possibilities I would not have considered otherwise. I don't go to movies or television to escape, but a good book will take me on a journey to other worlds or through other experiences. I love, love, love to read. I don't always have time to do it, but that doesn't mean my passion for it has wained.

Cambodia is one of the focus countries for Room to Read, the organization founded and led by the author, John Wood. In the book, there is a whole chapter dedicated to the struggles of this country. John saw the need for education here. He saw the need for libraries. I've mentioned before about the lack of capacity in this country and the total destruction of infrastructure by previous rulers. Those things may be true, but most people did not choose illiteracy, rather it was the lack of opportunity that created their circumstances. When given the chance, most welcome the opportunity to learn new things.

The organization I work for helps build schools in the border towns near Thailand. These were not planned communities, they sprung up out of people's desperation for work. Living on the border they can easily cross over in to Thailand as day laborers. There aren't adequate schools in this area of the country due to the transient and poor nature of these communitites. Unfortuately, most kids are either left at home alone until after dark or for days on end while their parents work; or they are asked to work alongside their parents.

Building schools, providing uniforms and working with the government to provide teachers is one aspect of the project. We just submitted a grant to the World Food Program to provide school feedings. Normally school feeding projects provide one to two meals a day at school. Our model is a bit different. There will be one meal per day provided at school and then, if the kids attend school regularly in the week the child will get food to take home to the family. This encourages school attendance for even the most desperate of families. It also helps improve the health of the entire family, not just one child. There will also be special incentives provided for girl children who regularly attend school.

We just opened a new school the week before I left for the Philippines. This is our fifth school in less than six years. Last week, we received an email from the leader of the village that they would also like a school library.

John Wood, if you are reading this maybe there is an opportunity for partnership? Together, we can help more children discover the joy of reading and fill their minds with possibilities for the future.

Quoteable Quotes

“Empowerment is a process whereby the underprivileged view themselves as ‘the principle actors in their lives’, and not purely as subordinates controlled by the activities of the more powerful.”
~Rahman

paying for loyalty?

I've never been a fan of the Iraq war. Not from the first day it was mentioned, until today. I did understand the reasons for invading Afghanistan following 9-11. I believe Clinton's policy of "stop or I'll yell stop again" when the Taliban attacked the USS Cole and a foreign embassy, etc, had actually emboldened the Taliban to try something like the attack on the Twin Towers. As attacks escalated I believed it was only a matter of time until there was an attack on US soil...and then there was. Following the events of 9-11, to stand by and do nothing would have been irrespoinsible. However, I believe involvement in Iraq took our attention away from results in Afghanistan, but now we are there and have destabilized the country, so to pull out at this point would also be irresponsible. Enough about Iraq, this post is about the ongoing question of what to do to weaken the Taliban.

Obama is suggesting we pay Taliban loyalists to defect. You can read the news article from the NY Times here. Sure, there will be plenty of takers to accept the money and they will tell us whatever needs to be said to get the money. However, is loyalty bought truly reliable or sustainable? If loyalty could be bought, what happens when the next bidder comes around asking for loyalty? Will loyalties change again? This sounds like a great plan to be able to claim some victories through monitary incentive, but will it actually make our country safer from the Taliban? I don't think so. The conflict is ideological, not economic.

What do I think would actually make a difference? I believe in the diplomacy of deeds. I believe good can melt even the most bitter and evil heart. Want to make a difference in Afghanistan? Do more good, give young people a different option to matter in this world, give them hope of a brighter future and follow through on these promises to also win the hearts of their parents. I believe more of this will truly change the world - even in Afghanistan.