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Farm and Agricultural Project in Pointe des Mangles, Haiti

We are working on a farm and agricultural project with Food for the Poor in Pointe des Mangles, about 26 kilometres north of Gonaives.  We cross several mountains on a dirt road to get to the fishing village by the sea.

A couple of hundred people were waiting for us when we arrived.

 

I am astounded by the lack in this village.  We were told that in the census three years ago the population was 6000 but since the storms there are now about 7000 - 8000 people in this area that rely on the village for their needs.  What makes things worse is that there is no fresh water for this area, only water from the ocean.

Feeding the People of Pont Quenepe, Gonaives

As part of our development program at the community center and school this week, we fed several hundred people. 

There are many hungry men, women and children in this area. One old woman said she hadn`t eaten in a long while and could only stare at the plate of beans, rice, and chicken.

Day 2 Leadership Development and Teaching in Pont Quenepe

A wonderful, full and eventful day today!  Other than a black out for about five hours this afternoon, everything went smoothly.  We even had clouds come over head which cooled things down when we lost the electricity. 

The project at Pont Quenepe is nothing short of miraculous.  What was once barren ground is now developped with a community centre and school, thanks to the cooperative efforts of a Palm Beach donor, Food for the Poor and Covenant Centre International.

Without a Hitch in Haiti (ca c`est bon)

We arrived in Port-au-Prince today with out a hitch!  This is probably the smoothest trip I`ve ever had to Haiti.  No delays, no flat tires, no fees for excess baggage, no bribing to get our bags through customs!  I woke up this morning with a strange sense of grace that everything was going to work fine. 

One Year & Counting, Now It's Your Turn

I'm sitting with friends in NYC right now realizing that a year ago today I was sitting with other friends in Washington DC and launched this blog and new website due to their encouragement.

In the past year Blue Sky Living has seen well over 10, 000 hits from people all over the world. I've posted 100 different articles and entries and have regular readers from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and agnostic backgrounds--all coming together to be stirred and challenged by some evident or universal truth.

I've received encouraging and though-provoking feedback from 100's of you and only a few hostile diatribes (which isn't bad considering the site is open for posted comment, that delete button comes in handy!).

So now it's your turn to respond anonymously.

Rooms of Wisdom

I remember the day Jim and Tammy lost their Christian empire. I was at a church auction where we were raising money for our upcoming youth mission to Haiti. It was steaming hot and we teenagers were running around sweating, more because of our chattering mouths than probably the actual amount of work we were getting done.

Someone ran up and told me the news, and we laughed. We laughed because we thought that couple was just plain silly. Even as a teenager, I wasn’t a fan of Christian television. Too myopic, I thought—although I’m sure I had no clue what myopic meant.

We awkwardly laughed at their downfall because we weren’t sure if we were to rejoice or not, if we were making fun of people who were supposed to represent us in Christianity. I knew they certainly did not represent me--especially those overdone eyelashes.

Tree Incorruptible

“Our family tree has fallen,” my cousin plainly said in her American-British accent as she bent down to pick up her daughter who was at my feet. Tracy had been living in the UK now for many years, so I was glad to see her at my grandmother’s birthday celebration in Tennessee. More British than American now, she and I had reconnected through my frequent trips to the UK, speaking on our mobile phones even if we couldn’t meet face-to-face. We were in the same time zone, and that was better than nothing.

Tracy wasn’t curt when she said it, just very matter-of-fact in her tone. But at that close gaze, her eyes shone with the pain that the whole family was feeling nearly five years later: our oak, our grandfather Dado, was gone. The Denham clan was changing, growing, lots of new great-grandbabies making their presence in the living room much known. While wonderful, they still couldn’t fill the void that Dado left. We were facing our own mortality, I commented to her, whether we wanted to talk about it or not. People die, babies are born, and we who are alive must continue because life marches on.

You Ought to Give Iowa A Try

Up until today my knowledge of Iowa was limited to stories from my grandparents and The Music Man.

You know, the 1950's Broadway musical...

'You really ought to give Iowa
Hawkeye Iowa
Dubuque, Des Moines, Davenport, Marshalltown, Mason City, Keokuk, Ames, Clear Lake
Ought to give Iowa a try!'

I've traveled in countless countries and seen almost all 50 states but journeying to the Iowa prairie was a first. My dad and I journeyed through harvested corn fields, hay bales, and leafless trees arriving at the funeral of my great aunt, Mary Anna (Benz) Eckis. She lived a full life of 98 years. We traveled on behalf of my grandparents Ray and Violet Benz who physically can't travel. (Grandpa turns 90 next week--we will celebrate in person in December.)

New York City in Autumn

The leaves had not quite peaked in Central Park but we weren't really gathering for the leaves anyway.

Emissary gathered in the city that never sleeps and we indeed slept very little! Twenty-nine individuals from eight or so ethnic and cultural backgrounds make for interesting discussion. We centered our discussions around the person of Jesus and how he said we could live our lives. Here is some what I carried away and am still meditating on four days later:

1. Let's talk about the things Jesus talked about and not come to fast opinions on issues he was silent on. In other words, if we don't have record of him holding strong opinions about things on which we do, perhaps we should reconsider our strong opinions. (Imagine how much more unity in the Spirit we could find if we all did this!)

Belfast and Cardiff

I left Palm Beach International last Sunday and met up with my friends Richard and Lisa in Newark Airport. We then hopped on an overnight flight direct to Belfast.

Richard and Lisa have a lovely home in the posh little village of Hillsborough. It's a great place to rest.

So Monday and Tuesday were spent adjusting to jet lag as well as meeting with some friends in the area, including Ian Bothwell of Crossfire Trust. I love to spend time with Ian. His conversations about loving one's neighbours as well as one's enemies always stretch and expand me.

Wednesday we arrived in Cardiff, Wales and hit the ground running. The conference started Thursday morning. Carl has 22 speakers in from the UK and Europe. I'm the token American and so honoured to be here.

This morning's session on Jesus' practical life expressions was well recieved. Friday morning is a continuation.