Charging yaks

This video was created by my friend Jamie Nofsinger in July 2007. We were in an Amdo Tibetan village in northwest China, elevation 11,500 feet.

Malnutrition and Plumpy'nut

Every year, malnutrition kills about five million children. That's the population of the state of Colorado. I don't know about you, but I've never considered that an option for my kids. Every day, they have plenty to eat. Consider this:

• My son's school now offers four choices for the main course at lunch, not to mention choices for vegetables and fruits.
• With refrigeration, we can store food for quite a while.
• Every day we give our kids multi-vitamins to ensure they're getting the proper nutrients to help them be healthy and grow into healthy adults.
• And then there's the fact that we have clean water at our fingertips ... but that's a subject for another blog entry.

Five million kids die from malnutrition every year. That's not the case where I live. The number one health issue for kids here isn't lack of food; no, it's too much food: childhood obesity.

Five million. Dead from malnutrition. The Nazi holocaust killed an estimated six million Jews. This decade alone, an estimated 45 million children have died from malnutrition. By the end of this year, add another five million.

In ten years, 50 million children will have died from malnutrition. That's more than the populations of New York and Texas - combined.

That can change. Recently, two of my good friends told me about a product called Plumpy'nut, "an unusual name for a food that may just be the most important advance ever to cure and prevent malnutrition." This story by Anderson Cooper is worth watching. Take a look. Then do something to join the fight against malnutrition.

What you can do next:
Join the World Hunger Campaign (CARE)
Join Bread for the World
Join World Vision

Long-haired Mama

Tonight I was reading to my kids from The Child's Story Bible. Isaac, my oldest, picked the story of Jeroboam and Ahijah (pages 172-173). In the story, the wicked king Jeroboam has encouraged the Israelites to make and worship idols, something that is disgraceful in Israel and specifically prohibited by the 2nd commandment. Jeroboam's youngest son becomes quite ill, and Jeroboam sends his wife to the prophet Ahijah to inquire if the child will live. Informed by the Lord that she is coming, Ahijah tells the woman that when she goes back to her city, the child will die. He goes on to tell her that all of her other sons will die a violent death due to their father's wickedness. By the end of the story, Jeroboam has died, his son Nadab takes the throne, and Baasha later leads a coup by murdering Nadab and the rest of Jeroboam's family. So, the prophet's words come to pass.

When we finished reading the story, I recapped with Isaac and Anna and then asked Isaac, "What kind of daddy do you want me to be?"

He wisely replied, "One that loves God and doesn't worship idols."

I then asked him, "When you grow up, what kind of daddy do you want to be?"

He said, "A good one that worships God and not idols."

So I thought I would try the question on Anna. "Anna, when you grow up, what kind of mama do you want to be?"

Anna carefully chose her words, "When I grow up, I want to be a long-haired mama."


[Recommended reading: The Child's Story Bible]

A Homeless Man Changed the World

During this season in which significant portions of the world celebrate the birth of a carpenter's son in Bethlehem, Israel, more than 2,000 years ago, I've been reflecting on the life and a few of the core teachings of this Jewish rabbi named Jesus. The story of his life is recorded by four first century historians named Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and can be found in the Bible in the section called the New Testament (testament = covenant). So, here are three things I've learned:

1. Jesus claimed to be God. He used the Hebrew phrase "I AM" to clearly communicate this to the people who were listening to him. They understood this so well that they tried to kill him for blasphemy.
2. Jesus said that the two greatest commands are (1) Love God, and (2) Love one another. He didn't just say it: His life was a visible demonstration of these beliefs. Even as he was dying on the cross to which he was nailed, he forgave those who were responsible, saying, "Forgive them. They don't know what they're doing."
3. Although he claimed to be God, Jesus did not consider himself too holy for even the lowliest of jobs. At dinner on the last night of his life, he washed the stinky, dirty feet of his followers, a job typically done by the least of the servants. And he didn't complain! He even washed the feet of Judas Iscariot, the one who would betray Jesus later that same night.

I'm fascinated by the life and teachings of Jesus. This simple homeless man, born in a stable to an unwed mother, has impacted the world like none other before or after him. Maybe during this season you'd like to learn more about the life of Jesus. If so, you might enjoy reading or listening to the story that Dr. Luke (he was a physician) wrote (the third book in the New Testament). Even if you don't conclude that Jesus was who he claimed to be, his pervasive influence on the world is undeniable.

Further listening: Luke - Audio Bible (download in wma format)

Access to Credit

Last week, I received a letter from a credit card company that said it was reducing my credit limit to my outstanding balance. Effectively, this eliminated any emergency funds that our family could access in a serious situation. In the course of this realization, I thought of the several billion people around the world who live in this reality every day and have never had the luxury of a credit cushion for unforeseeable events. What do these people do when something unfortunate happens? Probably the same thing I'll do should the need arise: Call my family. Ask. Plead. Borrow.

Access to credit is an amazing privilege. When the DOW falls almost 800 points (as it did today) and access to credit is significantly restricted (as it is currently), we gain an understanding of the importance of credit. Thanks to all the MFIs (micro-finance institutions) who are making credit available and affordable to people around the world.

[Further reading: Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus]
[Website recommendation: www.opportunity.org]

Introduction

Our awareness of the challenges facing the world is greater than ever before in history. I've decided to write so that I can remember how I feel and what I think when the faces and voices of disadvantaged, marginalized, oppressed, persecuted, and forgotten people invade my comfortable existence. Otherwise, I would probably end up pushing these people out of my mind, never participating with others in shaping a reality that much better reflects the existence intended for mankind from the beginning of time.