Thoughts on Poverty

I have been looking at the Human Development Index published by the UN. This is an index that ranks the countries of the world by compiling how they are doing in a variety of categories such as literacy, infant mortality, access to clean drinking water, sanitation facilities, life expectancy, access to health care, average yearly income, etc. The #1 country in the world is Norway. #13 on the list is the United States. And dead last at #182 is Niger.

Compare these statistics:

Life Expectancy in the US is 78 years.....Life Expectancy in Niger is 57 (That means, on average, I'm getting well into my old age in Niger!)

Adult Literacy Rate in the US is 99.0%....Adult Literacy Rate in Niger is 28.7%

In Niger 44% of the children under five are under-weight, and 50% of the children under five are stunted in their growth. We won't even talk about obese children in America.

The under-five mortality rate in the US is 8 out of 1,000, but in Niger it is 176 out of 1,000.

65% of Niger's population live on $1.25 or less a day.

42% of Niger's people use an un-improved water source (mostly in rural areas).

The US government spends an average of $3,074 per person on health while Niger's government spends an average of $14 per person. Let me illustrate, since a picture is worth 1,000 words. Here is an American health facility and below it, a Nigerien health facility.
Only 7% of Niger's population have improved sanitation facilities. I'm not sure what they mean by that....They have a flushing toilet? Or a latrine? I know many people who have neither and maybe that's what they mean. Again, two pictures to contrast life here and life there:
(this picture was our latrine in Tera, which we used when we didn't have any running water, which was about four months out of the year.)

You can find more such statistics here, here, and here.

So, why am I telling you this? Certainly not to make Niger look bad, because even though it is the poorest country in the world, but it's still a great place to live. People are what makes a place a good place to live, and I think if statistics could be formed based on friendliness, safety, etc. Niger would be near the top.

But, I want you to be aware of how others in the world live. Not everybody lives the way we are privileged to live. One of my questions for God will be why some of us are so blessed and so privileged while other people are so poor and struggle to obtain every bite of food they eat. Why can Americans live like this:while Nigeriens live like this:True, the house in Niger isn't much to look at, but are the people in the nice house necessarily any happier than these poor people?

With awareness should come involvement. How can you help poor people? Contribute to organizations such as SIM, Samaritan's Purse, and World Vision who help meet physical needs while seeking to meet spiritual needs. Get involved in the inner city. Go to a third world country as a missionary.

This song by Leeland really hit me and seems to sum it up pretty well: (You can listen to part of it here)

Follow You
You lived among the least of these
The weary and the weak
And it would be a tragedy for me to turn away.

All my needs you have supplied.
When I was dead you gave me life.
How could I not give it away so freely?

And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God.
Follow you into the World.

Use my hands, use my feet
To make your kingdom come
Through the corners of the earth
Until your work is done
'Cause faith without works is dead
And on the cross your blood was shed
So how could I not give it away so freely?

And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken.
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God.
Follow you into the world.

I give all myself
Yes, I give all myself.
And I give all myself...to you.

And I'll follow you into the homes that are broken
Follow you into the world.
Meet the needs for the poor and the needy, God.
Follow you into the world.

Another reason to share this with you is that we have a lot to be thankful for! Sometimes I just look at how much support we need to raise, or worry about how we will pay for college for the kids, or wish that I could buy that cute outfit at the mall, or look with longing eyes at the really nice house down the road. This website brings you a good dose of reality! The Global Rich List is a somewhat interactive site on which you type in your income and then it tells you what percentage you live in in the entire world. Let's say your income is $35,000 a year (and I know, here in America you are pinching pennies to live at that!). According to the Global Rich List you are in the top 4.62% income in the world!!! You can also play with the site using pounds, euros, Canadian dollars, and yen. (It is operated by CARE, which I don't know enough about to endorse, but the site itself is very interesting.)

So, this Thanksgiving....don't feel guilty for what God has blessed you with. Instead, be thankful and get involved!

What's on Your Plate?

We all have too much on our plates! Here in the USA, we have noticed a real overload of information coming at us. There is so much to do, so many places to go, and people to see. People run from appointment to appointment, taking their kids here and there, attending meetings, volunteering, and working long hours. For now, things are actually a bit slower for us, without kids in the house and our work being mainly on weekends. We do have a lot of projects we are doing, but we can move at our own pace.

But in Niger, we know the true meaning of exhaustion. We work, are involved at church, deal with crises with our friends, and attend social events. The amount of work is what wears us down....there are so many extreme and desperate needs in Niger and so few workers and we just drive ourselves to do more to help more. Many of our co-workers are on the verge of burn-out and we have been there, too.

So, what is on our plates? Each of the items on the plate represent something.

First, there is money. Without money you can't live and so money becomes a major focus in our lives. The dollar bills represents our finances, our investments, our spending and giving habits.

Next is a ball.This represents our past-times and hobbies. Maybe your favorite way to relax is to play sports or to watch sports. Maybe it is music, sewing, reading, or hiking. The possibilities are endless. Hobbies are good because they help us relax, but they can also become all-consuming.

We also find a pair of pliers on the plate. This represents our work. We have to work to provide for our families. We need to pay for shelter, food, entertainment, etc. Not only do we work to earn money, we work because it is fulfilling to us.

Another thing on the plate is this flashy little sports car.This represents our possessions, the things we own. We own houses, cars, clothes, books, etc. Some of us own things that are important to us and other people can't understand why we would even want to have something like that....such as a musical person might own a piano while a sports-minded person might own a fishing boat.

Next we find a CD on the plate.The CD represents all things electronic such as computers, TVs, DVDs, Facebook, email, etc. Most of us make good use of electronics, but they can also consume much of our time, in both good ways and in bad ways.

This pencil is also on the plate.This one is for all the students and it represents studies, homework, school, getting an education. School consumes a lot of time and there is a lot of pressure on students to perform well.


And then these dolls are on the plate.They represent our relationships. They remind us of our families, our friends, our co-workers, and even those people we find it hard to get along with. God made us to need each other and He expects us to care for those in our care and to bear each other's burdens.

But with all this stuff on my plate, it is hard to find time for the most important thing. It seems like I'm forgetting something! Oh yes, it's Jesus! With all the other good and important things on my plate, it is so easy to forget the most important thing. I am nothing without my relationship with Christ, but He is often last in terms of how much time I give Him.

We were challenged during our Home Assignment Retreat to take time for a Sabbath rest each week. For some people that may not be Sunday...that is especially true for pastors and others involved in ministry. But for me, I really want to take Sunday afternoons to just spend extra time reading my Bible and praying, reading good books, and even sleeping. I read recently that God gave us the Sabbath because it is an intimate day, a day to be spent with Him. On that day He gives us something that can't be gained on the other six days of the week. I know there is a danger in getting legalistic about the Sabbath, but I really do believe I will do better if I take time to stop the frantic pace one day of the week and focus on what, or I should say who, is to be the main thing in my life.

And, no, I can't take any credit for this illustration. We saw another missionary at a conference use this illustration. It really hit home for both John and me. John has now been using it during his message and I decided to share it with you here. I am a visual learner. My dad used to say, "Do I need to draw you a picture?" Well, yes, actually, that would help. And so this is my picture to remind myself to clear my plate and let Christ be most important.

Chai Mix

Suzanne drinks gallons of chai latte. It is her favorite comfort drink. There is nothing like it when it is cold. Many of you asked for my chai mix recipe, so here it is. This is not original with me, by the way. I got it off the internet and it tastes just like Mystic Chai.
(The photo is not mine...I got it off the internet!)

Chai Tea Mix (Makes 18-20 cups)

• 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
• 2 cups powdered non-dairy creamer
• 2 cups French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer
• 5 cups white sugar
• 3 cups unsweetened instant tea
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp finely ground white pepper (optional. I never put this in)
  

Combine ingredients. Stir in spices.
In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time until mixture is the consistency of fine powder.
To serve: Stir 2 heaping Tablespoons Chai Tea mix into mug of hot water.

The most difficult part of the recipe is finding unsweeted ice tea mix that doesn't have lemon flavor in it. I have found one store in our area that has this kind of mix!

Enjoy. It's the ultimate comfort drink on a cold night!

Fall in Pennsylvania

"Come said the wind to
the leaves one day,
Come o'er the meadows
and we will play.
Put on your dresses
scarlet and gold,
For summer is gone
and the days grow cold."
- A Children's Song of the 1880's

Fall, or autumn, is John's favorite season. For me, it may be my least favorite season. I think I don't like it so much because I love summer a lot and it brings the end to summer. Things are dying and it is getting cold, and I don't like being cold. The long evenings are gone, replaced with short days and long nights. The long-sleeved shirts and sweaters have to be brought out and the cool comfortable cottons are put away.

But, there are things to enjoy, too. The colors are brilliant, with the reds, yellows, and oranges mixed in with the green of the grass and the pines, and the blue, blue sky (when the sun shines!). The air is crisp and the smell is unbeatable. Apples and pumpkins are everywhere. The farmers are bringing in their harvests. And John can drink apple cider to his heart's content. I've been experimenting with putting cranberries in different things, too...I've made muffins and cookies so far.

I enjoy being outside, so I don't even mind the leaf-raking job too much. It is a bit discouraging when you do it all and a few days later it needs to be done again! But I try to enjoy the colors and the smells while I'm working. We have a very large yard, so there's plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors! In addition to leaves, we have millions of acorns. No wonder the squirrels around here look so nice and plump. Oh yes, and mosquitoes. How can we have had frost and snow and the mosquitoes are still around?

Living so close to the woods has its advantages. For one thing, it is very quiet and peaceful here. But we also enjoy the wildlife. One day this summer we had a skunk in our yard....not sure I liked him that close. We also tend to get mice and chipmunks in the house which I don't really appreciate either. But last week this young buck meandered through our yard. He just stood there and let me take his picture! We also see wild turkeys and a bear makes frequent visits to the dumpster (the lid of which is now chained down!). Yesterday we heard the Canadian geese flying south.

So, even though it's not my favorite season, there are things in it to enjoy. I'm so glad that God makes all things beautiful in His time.

Weeks Eight and Nine of an Eight-Week Trip

I dunno. I must have counted wrong at the beginning because we only added one extra day to our trip. But it was definitely longer than eight weeks!

Anyway, from Florida we drove up to North Carolina to mission headquarters where we had our re-entry interview. That was on Friday. Then Saturday we drove to a town near Greenville, SC and visited supporters. Then we went from there to a supporting church in Jackson, SC. We spoke in Sunday School, morning church, and evening church. We had a great time there as we always do. We ate dinner with the pastor and then had the afternoon to ourselves. It was nice to just have time to read and relax. I spent the afternoon outside. Right beside the church is a tree-lined lane leading up to a house. The trees are enormous and majestic, providing a lot of shade. I'd love to take this whole lane to Niger. They'd be the most popular trees in town!

From there we went back to mission headquarters where we attended a Home Assignment Retreat. The first two days we had sessions with things to help us in our Relationship Development Ministry (RDM---traditionally stands for Resource Development, but our new director likes Relationship Development better and so do I. We don't have Resources without Relationships!) Then we took two days for a spiritual retreat. We went to a beautiful house on a lake. We had sessions together and then we split up and went our own ways. Because the house is built on several different levels, it was easy for us to each find our own special nook by a window, out on a deck, somewhere in the yard, or on the dock. I personally preferred the dock (seen in the picture above)...sitting in the sun, basking in the light and warmth of the sun and of the SON.

I thought it would be really difficult to spend two days in spiritual retreat, but it was great. I think spending time alone with God, just listening and giving Him time to speak is something we, or I should say I, am not very good at! I need to do it more often. We have gotten away from taking a Sabbath rest, often using Sundays to catch up on work or to continue on in our frantic pace. Sundays are especially difficult for those involved in ministry and we need to find other times to come apart. I have been really challenged to set aside time to spend alone with God. And taking a nap as part of the retreat is allowed. The purpose is to find rest and if we are exhausted, sleeping may be exactly what God wants us to do.

After the retreat, we drove back down to SC and spoke at Woodland Hills Community Church. They had a missions get-together/supper Saturday night and we shared. On Sunday they had a missions speaker. They also took faith promise pledges and over $27,000 was promised in addition to the regular missions budget. This is not a church of high-income people either....but it is a church full of very misisons-minded people with a lot of faith. The look on the pastor's face when the amount raised was mentioned was priceless. God is so good! Sunday's service was followed by dinner on the grounds.

We stayed with a family that are such an example of how God works in people's lives. It's not my place to write their story here, but suffice it to say that God is an amazing God!

From North Carolina we went on to Virginia. We stopped at Liberty to visit our nephew, Jacob, at Liberty University. From there we went on to visit his brother and sister-in-law, Caleb and Keri in Christiansburg. We spent the night with them, then the next day ate lunch with Peggy. From there we drove on to Lanham, MD. We spent the night there and visited at Washington Bible College.

Finally we got home!!! Nine weeks on the road!!! And it is snowing. This is what we woke up to this morning and more is predicted. It looks kind of funny with the leaves still on the trees. The weather man tells us this is the earliest in October that there has been snow since people started keeping records. We might be in for a very snowy winter!

Weeks Six and Seven of a Two-Month Trip

We spent two weeks in Sebring, FL with my parents. Sebring is where SIM has their retirement center, so the place is full of retired missionaries. They are true heroes of the faith! Most of them, for as long as they are able, are involved in local churches and ministries. My dad, for example, preaches at the prison and my mom organizes prayer letters for the missionaries to pray over in their Thursday night prayer meeting (if you are a SIM missionary it is likely you get prayed for on Thursdays!).

We were able to spend some nice time just relaxing and not going anywhere! We had some good conversations with my parents. Every day was in the high 80's or 90's so we enjoyed the pool. We have several supporters in Sebring so they took us out for meals and we got to spend some great times with them. My parents also had some company in....my dad's cousins from Ohio visited and another day some friends of theirs came over.

It wasn't all fun and games. John prepared a message for the churches we will be speaking in in South Carolina. I have been trying to get as many people on our mailing list as possible switched over to receiving our prayer letter electronically rather than through the mail. I also put together a display to put on tables when we speak at churches. I ordered the posters from Snapfish and just inserted them in the display stand (I don't know what to call it!) that we've used for the last three home assignments....this is the 4th. I just switch the pictures around every time.

September 30 found us on the road again, heading north. We visited two supporters in Dowling Park, FL at the Advent Christian Retirement Center. We stayed in their guest house which is on the banks of the Suwanee River...remember the song "Way down upon the Suwanee River"? Well, that's where we stayed. That's the Suwanee River visible through the trees as seen from our balcony.

We are now in Charlotte. We'll be speaking in Jackson, SC tomorrow and in Columbia next weekend. In between, we will be attending the Home Assignment Retreat here at SIM headquarters. We're already noticing that the farther north we drive, the colder it is getting. We enjoyed our warm days in Texas and Florida!

Week Five of a Two-Month Trip

This past week was spent traveling from Houston, TX to Sebring, FL. They may both be in the south but they are a LONG ways apart!

To get from Houston to Gulfport, MS, we drove over the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, the 8th longest bridge in the world, at 18.2 miles in length. It spans mostly swamp, but also rivers and lakes. It's pretty amazing....but looking at this picture one wonders what language they speak there!

We spent the night in Gulfport/Biloxi, right on the beach (and glad no hurricane was forecast!). In December 2005, we went with a group from Grace Bible Church in Dunmore, PA to Gulfport to help with Hurricane Katrina relief. We partnered with Forrest Heights Missionary Baptist Church, a church in Gulfport. We helped people in the church replace roofs, hang drywall, rip up tile, and haul trash to the curb. Things sure look a lot better than when we were there, but it's still obvious a hurricane ripped through there. Katrina was one mean lady and empty lots are more common along the beach than beautiful homes are. All that's left of this church are the front steps and the steeple.

The next day was an easy drive to Destin, FL. The beaches there are sugar white and absolutely beautiful. We didn't see much of the beaches though because our planned beach walk the next morning was rained out! We drove into a massive rain storm that took a lot of concentration to drive through. It's a long ways from Destin, FL to Sebring, FL and we were in the car about 9 hours that day.

Now we are enjoying a couple of weeks with my parents....warmth, a pool, and a chance to catch up on some correspondence and other projects.