Reed Mueller

Hi everyone. Just had to write a quick note about another star-sighting on our trip…again at the airport in Johannesburg. We were boarding our plane and who should walk up with his posse but Snoop Dogg. Apparently he was doing shows in Jo’burg and elsewhere. He’s really tall. Of course, he went to first class while we went to the back of the plane.

Now, we’re waiting patiently to board our plane in Frankfurt. Next stop…PDX! See you all soon!

Sorry this post is late in getting on the blog, we ran into some technical problems at the hotel and only now got to a hotspot in the Jo’burg airport (which means we’re just hours from heading back home, can’t hardly wait!). The story of our last day in Mhlosheni follows…

On our final day in Mhlosheni we had the privilege of meeting our sponsored child, Siphesihle (sip-a-see-la), and her family. It was a day filled with expectation and excitement as we were to be part of making her smile on a cold, rainy morning. Below you’ll see this wonderful little girl standing with us at the conclusion of our visit. More pictures will follow at the end of the post.

Before I talk about how we met and how it went, let me explain a little bit about World Vision and child sponsorship. On the way to her home I asked one of the staff about Siphesihle and how she was chosen to be one of the children who would be sponsored in the Mhlosheni ADP. The reply came quickly: “She was chosen by her own community; we don’t choose the children for the community, the community chooses those who are poorest and most at risk.” As has been the case throughout the entire trip, I was again impressed by World Vision’s model and how they seek to empower the community to make the changes the community sees a need for. They are truly teaching the community to care for the vulnerable, build up their own infrastructure, and progress to the point where they are self-sustaining. We are such a fortunate group to be partnering with both Mhlosheni and World Vision.

Still in the truck, we drove past places where Erin and I had already been. We moved past the World Vision office, past one school and then another, past the “unsafe teacher’s” house, past a bare dirt football field, and finally past the community of people living with HIV/AIDS. We were in new territory. Yet, we continued driving slowly down the rough two-lane road. After some time we turned from that onto a rough one lane road.

“She is so far out,” I thought, “how in the world does a barely seven-year-old girl make it to school and back over such a great distance?” But the distance was not yet even fully traveled. Eventually, we turned off the one-lane dirt road and into a field. It was then that our driver said that we were almost there. After driving very slowly for a minute or two (so as to avoid getting stuck) we eventually could go no further, the field was too wet and too rough for the truck. So we walked the final distance to her home.

Our meeting with Siphesihle was probably an hour long, though I don’t know for sure because watching the time was the last thing on my mind. Through our interpreter, we met with Siphesihle and her family. They were, as might be expected, shocked by the appearance of a few World Vision staff and two whites showing up at their home. The shock was not that World Vision was there, because they knew them. The shock was that we were there (in fact, we were there unannounced as there was a mix-up at the office and Siphesihle’s family wasn’t notified that she now had sponsors and that they were going to visit).

After brief introductions Erin broke the ice by giving lollypops to every child. From that point on we spent our time getting to know each child – there were seven of them altogether, Siphesihle, her four siblings, and two orphans the family had taken in. We met both mother and father, and Siphesihle’s paternal grandmother; they were all so grateful we were there.

Over the course of our time there we learned many things. We learned that Siphesihle loves her new teddy bear! We learned that the family works very hard but still can’t put enough maize away; their field simply doesn’t produce enough and so they run the risk of starvation each and every year. We learned that here is no work for the father. We learned that through all of this, they have the perspective of faith that God is near even in hunger and even in want.

When we were invited into the mud and rock built home, which was no more than 200 square feet in size, the faith that gets them through became apparent. On the wall beside a clock that no longer worked, was a chalk-drawn picture of a flower with the words: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” In this small dwelling mom had drawn a reminder of the faith and trust that would see God seeing them through.

“The Lord is my Shepherd…” The home was arrogant in its barrenness; it stood in opposition to the simple statement of faith drawn by hand on the wall. On one half there was a table and on the other half was a single bed and a few mats. The parents sleep together in the bed while the children lie on thin mats on the floor. There was no heat. That describes the entirety of their home. Yet, faith triumphs: “…I shall not want.”

In the moments we shared with Siphesihle and her family we learned so much about faith and trust. We learned that their faith was strong and that God does indeed answer prayers to provide, if even through strangers suddenly showing up on their “doorstep” to bring smiles and gifts and the commitment to see them through, month after month, through sponsorship. We also learned that God answers prayers, for we know they prayed for God’s help, and that we – you and me and our whole church – are that answer. We must be, for Siphesihle and her family, and others like her.

We will be arriving home soon and are so very excited to share more with you all at church this Saturday! Please make it a point of coming; you won’t want to miss what is shared! Not only that, but in the coming weeks, you’ll have opportunity to be for another child and family what we have become for Siphesihle and hers: the proof of a God who hears and the evidence of a God who has not forgotten.

Pastor Reed

The first picture you see is of Siphesihle and the two orphans (Nokulunga, 8 years old, and Sithembiso, his birthday is unknown, but he is likely five) that the family has taken in. In the second shot, you’ll see Siphesihle smiling brightly with one of her little sisters (Simphiwe, age five; one brother is in the background, his name is Sibonginkosi, age 18 months) – they were looking at some video I had taken. Next you’ll see Nokuthula with her two-month-old boy (Phiwayinkhosi) standing by her drawing. The penultimate picture is of the family maize drying crib. You’ll see the home in the background. Finally, you’ll see us all praying together for the family and their needs. Included in this picture is the whole family. The father’s Christian name is Solomon but we do not know his given name. One three year old sister, Nokwazi, is pictured nearest to the camera in the final picture. You will also see the grandmother standing beside her.

As I sit now at my computer several hundred kilometers away from the beautiful people of Mhlosheni, Swaziland, I don’t know where to begin to tell the story into which we’ve all been invited. Truth be told, I don’t think I can do the story of God’s dream for the people here – and for our church – justice at all. Yet, there is a story to be told of both suffering and joy and of brokenness and hope, so though I know my words will be inadequate, I will do my best to share what I can.

As we entered Swaziland, I experienced something I did not expect to: hope.

That I felt hopeful may sound strange, but you have to realize that since last summer when God began to break my heart for the people here, I’ve not experienced any of that. Sadness and tears, yes (I’m such a wimp); hope, not in the least. The problems about which I had come to learn about seemed so insurmountable that hope was the last thing on my mind. Perhaps, I thought, the best we could do is take the edge off the suffering a little. And yet, with a peace that surpasses both understanding and human capacity, I felt hopeful. As I reflected on this, this truth came to me: Dreams – at least dreams that are given by God – do indeed come true; that’s where the hope came from. God had placed a dream in my heart to meet, in love, the people of Swaziland, and it was coming true. If he can do such a thing over a few short months, certainly he is at work to bring his greater dream, that of transformation and renewal in this land, to fruition. The lesson is clear, what God dreams up he delivers on. It may take months, or the entire history of the universe, but he is a God who dreams up the reality to come.

Our first day in Mhlosheni was marked by emotional highs and lows. On the high side of the day, I was given the opportunity to provide the morning devotions to World Vision staff, area pastors and community leaders, and some of the children of the area. Don’t worry, I didn’t speak too long! I cherish the memory of my first bilingual message being in Swaziland! After our time of worship, emotional lows were the norm for the day. Please don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the people themselves who were emotionally low – they are so hopeful, and my hope even remained; yet, I found myself struck again and again and again by the conditions in which the whole community lived. I guess more than anything, it challenged me as a person of relative affluence living in a society of vast prosperity.

Below you’ll see a picture of those children I mentioned.

We were told that they had prepared a play for us and so I snapped this picture at the very beginning. As they sang for us, I watched with a mindset framed by every drama I’d ever seen with a cast of eight to ten year olds. In this, I expected a few blunders, some laughs, a few shy kids as well as a few “hams.” But my mindset was soon to be shaken.

Parents…if you’re reading this with your children, you may want to screen your children from the next paragraph or two.

Within the first minute of this play, it turned from innocence to the reality in which these very young boys and girls live. The first scene was of a classroom, where the teacher was drilling students on basic mathematics. After the lesson the teacher, played by one of the tallest boys, dismissed all the children except for a small girl, who was then pushed to the ground, told to remove all of her clothes, and, as the narrator then explained, raped. Even as I write these words days later I tear up, just as I did at that moment. What kind of a world do these vulnerable children live in? What kind of life must they have if this is the drama they prepared for us?

The drama continued from there. Another girl was raped, this time at gunpoint. Then, the months and years that followed appeared before our eyes: one girl became pregnant while another soon experienced the symptoms of HIV infection and eventually AIDS; she, of course died while the girl who was pregnant had to abandon her newborn baby for lack of resources to care for it. In the end the only solace that could be extracted from the sad tale was the arrest of the teacher and the moral that the students were to get in the telling of the story: this is not right, don’t let it happen to you or your friends, and if it does, tell someone who can help.

Now, please, do as I did and think of the children you know who are eight, nine, or ten. Imagine them doing this drama. Got that picture? Now imagine them doing this drama not in order to reflect some possible experience of people across the globe, but as a depiction of the reality of the land in which they live. Now imagine them going home after performing this and finding no parents who can protect them. Maybe, if they are lucky one or both parents are alive; but perhaps some in this production had none who were still around. Imagine that.

Yes, my hopefulness was challenged right away. And yet, as we interacted later with the children, that hopefulness remained in their eyes. What is more, that hope was so apparent in the hearts of the World Vision staff and community leaders. They have a picture of something else, something beyond all of this disease and injustice and they are at work. That picture is the dream of God we’ve been talking about at church. They don’t have all the resources or know how they need to accomplish the change that God has placed on their hearts, but they do indeed have a tenacity shaped by hardship, and faith that is enduring. So, I am confident that over time they will move toward that dream, if we move toward our part in the dream, as well.

I’m sorry I’ve taken so much space to describe this, our first few moments, in Mhlosheni, but I didn’t know any other way to get you here, as Erin and I have been here. It is a remarkable place, filled with both suffering and tragedy; yet hope stands over this all because our God stands over it all. Know this, as the people here do, and remember that God is calling us to be partners in his work here.

Sharing in their story,
Reed and Erin

Below, you’ll find some more pictures and a few descriptive words of some of what we experienced the rest of the first day and part of the second in the development project here. And tomorrow, look for a post devoted to Siphesihle, the child we have the privilege of loving as her sponsors! Finally a quick note for Karen and Rick Hawley as they are heading off to China to be united with their newest daughter, Kate. Please be in prayer, as we are, as Karen heads off to China tonight and throughout their journey; they will be blogging www.hawleyfamilyfive.blogspot.com. Okay…now to the pictures.

This first series of four pictures was at a very primitive water project and please, parents, read this paragraph to yourself before sharing it with your children. The people of the village (about 66 households) had worked very hard to provide clean(er) water for consumption. Getting to to the water source was very difficult, with some having to trek about .8 kilometers each way, up to four times a day. In the first picture you see an elderly woman who must still make the trek on her own even though she appears to have some potentially very painful arthritis. In the second picture, you see a small girl on her way back from getting water. One of the saddest things we heard is that community water sources have sometimes become “raping points” where innocent children are abused because of the still somewhat prevalent belief that having sex with a virgin with either cure or protect one from HIV. In the third picture you can barely see a few graves (merely rocks piled over a burial site) at the feet of those carrying the water back home. In the final picture, you’ll see the source of the village’s water.

In the next pictures you’ll see us with two groups of people. The first is a community of people learning to live with HIV/AIDS in a place where stigma is actually much stronger than in the states. These folks had a wonderful spirit and were actually doing many things for their community – even when that community shuns them. Kind of reminds me of the early church. In the second picture you’ll see Erin and I, as well as others from World Vision and two other churches, with the Prime Minister of Swaziland and his wife. It was a time I’ll never forget. We spent time with this head of state praying and singing together. Then we shared a meal, seasoned with politcal discussions, together. It was a great experience which I’ll probably share more about later!

Finally, in a moment that again only God could work out, we were reunited with Precious! Remember her? She shared in the moment when our congregation first stepped onto the land God is using to effect change in our church and in Mhlosheni! How awesome!

Well everyone, this morning we’re heading off to Swaziland…finally! We are so excited!

The training we received yesterday was again excellent, and again, as we prayed, wearying. It is good though to have one’s soul touched in such a way. We discussed World Vision’s Channels of Hope program, which is a big part of their HIV/AIDS intervention. Additionally, we worked toward an understanding of World Vision as an organization (not so much new to us here) as well as through their core model of intervention in Area Development Projects (ADPs), of which, Mhlosheni is one of many in Swaziland. We even received last year’s program evaluation report for the Mhlosheni ADP. This is something Erin and I were really hoping to wade through as program evaluation is what Erin spends her time on back home career-wise. I won’t bore you with all the details of the report, but please know that World Vision is working very hard with community leaders (church, local village leaders, government) to make a difference. The report doesn’t pull any punches and admits where problems still exist. For example, they had a food security intervention last year (planting of drought resistant crops) that was devastated in three villages in Mhlosheni because of hail storms. This resulted in half of the people moving toward the point of starvation. Yet, they are finding many successes as well, even this early in the ADP’s development, including their advocacy and educational interventions, community partnership linkages, as well as in equipping the church here in Mhlosheni to erase the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. The end effect of this is twofold: 1) a decrease in in HIV/AIDS myths (and hopefully infections), and 2) an increase in compassion and practical care for those dying here (for lack of antiretroviral regiments) from AIDS.

Which brings me to my discussion topics for today:
1) What questions do you have about HIV/AIDS?
2) What is your opinion of HIV/AIDS and the people who have it?
3) What is the church’s (think the whole church, as well as CRCC) role in caring for those with HIV/AIDS?

I know that posting such things online is a risky proposition, but we need to begin this discussion, for we have turned our back on it for far too long. So, what questions do you have? What opinions do you hold? Erin and I have learned a lot so far (yet still very little I suppose) about HIV/AIDS and would love to respond to any questions or thoughts you have. So come on, take a few moments to ask those questions by submitting them as a comment to this post.

Now I must also give a litte disclaimer in that we’re not sure we’ll have internet access over then next four or five days. Swaziland is not South Africa. So, if you don’t hear a response to your question from us, don’t worry, we’ll get to it when we can read it! Besides, maybe someone else in our church might be able to respond to the question instead of us! That would be even better!

Finally, a note to Abigail and Jackson! While we can’t show you a picture, we wanted to let you know that you can be praying for Siphesihle (”Good Gift”), our family’s (and our church’s) first personal connection with Mhlosheni! She is almost seven and there is a chance that we’ll even get to meet her for the first time on her birthday, which is this Sunday! How cool would that be? Anyway, kids, please pray special prayers for her…and for us that we might be able to help her feel love and hope when we meet her. Thank you both for praying for her. We’ll bring her picture home so you can see her. And remember, mommy an daddy love you both so much and miss you so much, too! We can’t wait to give you big hugs…and Jackson, remember when we come home we’ll go to Dairy Queen!

We love you all,
Reed and Erin

As I arise this morning at around 5:15 to draft this post, I realize that I’m tired and that yesterday took its toll on me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There were lots of reasons for this ranging from the small and insignificant to the extremely significant yet often missed.

I’m tired because we (Erin and I and the whole World Vision group) spent all day, from 6:30 or so to 11:30 or so, on the move. From our work done in preparation for the morning seminar on HIV/AIDS, to the seminar itself, to a tour of the Apartheid Museum, we kept moving!

After all of this we did something that probably isn’t helping me feel real well: ate at The Carnivore (which, while a fun experience and right up my alley, ended up being a meal I think I’m still digesting). If you haven’t guessed it, The Carnivore is an African styled restaurant where meat of all kinds is brought to you as long as you want it. The servers carry meats like beef, chicken, lamb, pork, kudu, ostrich, sable, eland, and alligator crocodile around on giant skewers, hacking off anything you want to try. Of course, we both tried them all (and I in portions too large). Once we arrived back at our hotel, already sagging in energy because of the day we’d had and the meal we were carrying around, we found a wedding reception in full swing. Imagine just wanting to go to bed so you can get some rest in preparation for another day and hearing (quite clearly, I might add) an endless mix of 80’s dance songs! Anyway, the party wound down around 11:30 and we drifted off to sleep.

These are the small and insignificant reasons why I feel tired today and are not a really big deal in the grand scheme of things (and after all, we got six hours of sleep which is plenty). So I think, upon reflection, that my fatigue is more related to my spiritual and emotional state than anything else.

As I mentioned we spent the day learning about both HIV/AIDS (in Africa and worldwide) as well as Apartheid. On the HIV/AIDS front, I was amazed by the new statistics on Swaziland and the pandemic in general. The figures just out three days ago now indicate that 42.6% of Swazi adults are HIV positive (just a few months ago as they prayed on our land with us, Thuli and Precious told us the figure was around 40%). The numbers are still considerably lower in South Africa, although still not good. In fact, just in South Africa, about 1000 die each day from AIDS (I don’t have the figures for southern Africa, only South Africa). To put that into perspective, Erin and I flew over on a plan that had 330 passengers on it. What would the world do if three such planes went down each day, every day? Yet, for so long the world (and very sadly, the church) has turned away. This just shouldn’t be.

We also learned that across sub-Saharan Africa 18% of all children will be orphans by 2010. When you add to that figure children vulnerable because of their own health status or because their parents are on the brink, that number jumps to the 36%. More than 1 in 3 youngsters here are orphaned or vulnerable children (OVC’s). I found myself asking time and time again “What can be done when there are so many in need?” It was overwhelming.

Upon concluding our seminar we ate lunch and then went directly to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. Again, what we saw was overwhelming. The museum told the story of centuries of oppression here, culminating in Apartheid, which is the Afrikaans word for “apartness”. Apartheid was the governing paradigm of the National Party that was in power in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990’s and it’s goal was to secure the social and economic security of the Afrikaners (descendents from farmer-settlers of northwestern European origen) through the creation of a poorly educated, “coloured” labor class. Various means were utilized to achieve this end.

From the moment we stepped inside the museum we got the feel for this injustice. Each person, upon entry, was randomly given a “race identification card” and could only enter through the proper portal. This split us up initially as Erin was identified as “European/White” and I was given the “Black/Coloured” card. To be so assigned assaulted my sense of right of and wrong as well as my basic desire to go through the museum with my wife. But it was effective in helping me see, even feel in a very small way, the struggle for equality that existed in this part of the world for so long.

As I indicated at the beginning of my post, I’m tired. Not so much physically, but emotionally and spiritually, and I believe this is because I feel I’ve turned my back on so many things going on in our world that just aren’t right. I was college-age in the height of the struggle against Apartheid; yet, I don’t remember caring enough about it to spend even a little mental energy exploring the issue, let alone become actively involved. This self-centeredness pains me and moistens my eyes even at this moment. I am also pained by the fact that for so long I’ve turned my back on the HIV/AIDS pandemic here in Africa (and beyond). What’s worse is that I’ve let our church ignore this as well.

I find that it’s an odd thing to be fatigued by what you never spent the energy on in the first place, but that’s where I’m at. Yet, in this fatigue I find hope: I know that I need not rest to lift my fatigue, but to become involved, following Christ. And where we follow his lead, there is always hope, always transformation, always renewal. You and I, all of us together, are on that journey, and I am so thankful that God is leading us on it.

Pray that God will continue to fatigue us – me, Erin, and our whole church. Pray that in that fatigue we will all become a church that lives for those who are lost and forgotten, no longer turning away from them through passivity or bias, but running, sacrificially, into the world that is.

In His story with you,
Pastor Reed

As I said in my last post, I’ve been thinking a lot about hospitality (literally “love of strangers” in Greek) and what it really means. I’ve been thinking about this because we are in a foreign place and in a very real sense are “strangers” even though we believe we have been called to be here. Yet, Shadrach and even (as it turned out) the children of Soweto choose to welcome us as friends. Everywhere we turn we find incredibly warm welcomes and comforting hospitality. We find ourselves being loved by the people we feel called to love.

In the picture below, you see a welcome of sorts in action.

The children in a shanty in Soweto smiled so brightly when they saw us! They ran to us and were mystified by us exploring without words who we were. We felt so welcomed. In their nearness we were reminded of home and we were reminded of all that we cherish back home. Good hospitality should do that. It should help the one who is welcomed feel at home. But even more than that, true hospitality should help the “welcomed one” reflect on all that is “home” for them. For Erin and me in Soweto, the children’s welcome causes us to reflect, with joy and longing, on our home back in Oregon: our church, our family and friends, and our children.

For me, also, it caused me to reflect on the hospitality of our God. We are a people who, in Christ, have been warmly welcomed into God’s family. What is more, we are a people who were welcomed into God’s household not just when we were strangers but while we were, in Paul’s words, enemies (Romans 5:10). God, in the truest sense of hospitality, flung opened the doors of heaven and welcomed us there before we ever wanted to come home or even while we were trying to tear heaven down. Stealing a phrase from Derrida, he welcomed us while we were “wholly other.”

What does this mean for our church?

In the church context, we too often think of hospitality as something we do, that is, some ministry program we must implement, rather than something we are. There is a great difference here! We can’t just do hospitality, we must become hospitable. We can’t just welcome people at the door and feel as if that is enough. We must embody love to those who feel as if they are strangers in our midst. And believe me, feel like strangers they do! Strangers who, like Erin and me, are simply seeking, albeit tentatively and with trepidation, what God has led them to seek.

The only question is: ill they find the love for which they were made? Will they find in our midst the welcoming arms of Christ? I pray that they will! I pray that each and every one of us at Columbia Ridge might become like a child, a child in Soweto embracing those who in God’s design cross our path. In becoming like those children we’ll remind those we meet to reflect on the love they have found in life already as well as the home with God to which they are being called; the home beyond a place where the one who is “wholly other” is welcomed. I also pray that each one of us at Columbia Ridge might also become like our ranger, Shadrach. Letting those who are exploring new terrain experience the wonder of God’s beauty, and helping them understand it along the way.

With you in this,
Reed and Erin

PS – Here’s some more pictures of Soweto. 1) Where we were welcomed by the children; 2) An AIDS poster to educate shanty preschoolers about its dangers; 3) A home where 50 people were said to live; 4) A family garden, notice it’s location is next to a community latrine

Well hello to you all! I’ve got a lot to post today including a few pictures from our trek into Kruger National Park and then I’ll follow up in a later post with a thoughts on things ranging from hospitality, to goats, to community transformation. So buckle up!

Our trip into Kruger Park was amazing, beginning before the beginning. Just a few minutes after I posted previously we found ourselves waiting outside of the airport for our transport to Kruger. It was a nice spot in front of the airport hotel and away from the taxi drivers and porters who are more than willing to take you anywhere you want to go even if you already have a ride arranged. Anyway, as we were standing there who should walk by but Anne Curry of NBC. No kidding! She offered a friendly “Hello” to us as she left the hotel with her bags for her (I’m assuming) return trip to New York. It would be rare to meet her in the States let alone in South Africa; this being the case, had some regrets after she walked off. First, I missed an opportunity to let her know how much I appreciated her Nightly News story on the Darfur refugee situation. We don’t hear a lot about that because it is still quite dangerous for aide workers (and reporters) to get into the region, yet she went and reported well. Second, I also missed an opportunity to weasel a story into the Today Show about CRCC and Side by Side. I’m sorry, I just didn’t grab that opportunity like I should have!

Just a few minutes later our transport picked us up and we were off for our short adventure in Kruger. On the way I was impressed with the natural beauty of the plains of Africa. Such a wondrous place it is – such a picture we were given of God’s magnificent imagination. I’ve included just a few pictures form our trip and will post many more when we arrive home or get a better internet connection (it’s tough to get internet time now). If you really want, there is a zipped folder available here with more pictures than those below.

Once in camp we were greeted warmly by Shadrach, our ranger (I thought the biblical name was a good sign). He gave us a brief orientation (things like, “…don’t get out of the vehicle because you could be eaten…”) and introduced us to the very nice British family we would be spending time with both on our game drives and in camp. The kids were so excited to meet Americans and we made there day by giving them a quarter and US dollar each.

In the evening of that first day I found that I had learned a tremendous amount about something you might not expect: the theology of hospitality. There was a point in the evening, after our dinner together when in the stark darkness of an African night the southern stars were shining brightly, that Erin asked Shadrach what it was like to host so many strangers so much of the time. Shadrach’s reply was immediate and authentic: “No one is a stranger here or to me, it is a great privilege to be with you.”

If we were in the States or if we hadn’t had an opportunity to get to know Shadrach I would have thought, “Nice line, make the ‘guests’ feel welcome and they’ll come back again.” But there was no hint of that in Shadrach’s demeanor; it wasn’t a sales pitch it was completely authentic.

So Shadrach, an orphan himself helping to support his younger brothers and sisters, got me thinking – a lot – about what hospitality means and who we are as individuals and as a church in this regard. I’ll post more on that next time… Until then, enjoy the few pictures my finicky internet connection will allow me to post.

In the story with you!
Reed

It seems that everywhere I go so far there’s a hotspot somewhere near enough to get a little update off. This morning is no exception.

Our flight from Farnkfurt to South Africa was wonderful and we both got some much needed rest. More for Erin than for me as I woke up about 2:50am and couldn’t sleep for the duration of the flight. Nevertheless, the four hours I did get did me so much good.

We’re now waiting to catch our first of many buses and are excited to see some of the countryside on our 4- or 5-hour bus ride to Kruger National Park. It’s interesting how close to Swaziland we’ll be when we’re there. Not only that, but I anticipate it being sad, too, as this “tourist” spot will likely insulate us from the real struggles of so many here. I imagine that the stark contrasts of Africa will hit us pretty hard, as they should.
Anyway, we’ll be in Kruger tonight and tomorrow night before heading back to Johannesburg to meet up with our World Vision contacts. This liason with World Vision is the part of the trip that I’m most anticipating and most anxious to share with you all. Of course, however, while in Kruger I’ll do my best to capture some good shots and pass them along in a couple of days.

We love you all (and espeically Jackson and Abbie!),
Reed and Erin

Well, we took our very brief tour of Frankfurt (which was of course half eaten up by learning to navigate the transit system here). It’s funny, all subways seem to work in similar fashion and yet when you throw in an unfamiliar language and an unfamiliar city it makes for slow transfers. Yet, many people were kind and help get us to where we wanted to go.

With their help we made it out into the city and enjoyed some really nice weather at a local botanical garden (Palmengarten / Google Earth Location – if you’ve installed Google Earth it should take you to the Palmengarten automatically when you open the link). I’ve took some pictures of today’s outing and posted them below for your enjoyment…there’s even one that Erin took of one of my favorite places. I bet you’ll guess right away which picture that is!

After our brief stint in the city we made our way back to the airport, through passport control, and are now just waiting for our boarding call in the next couple of hours. We’re trying not to sleep but we’re so tired as neither of us got even an hour on our flight from home to here. Hopefully by staying awake now we’ll be able to sleep most of the way down to South Africa…we’ll see.

I’d write some more about the book I mentioned in my last post but to be honest I’m pretty loopy right now and fear I wouldn’t make much sense…

I won’t be able to post again for several days, but please know that we can feel your prayers, even through the sleeplessness that has us fogged in at the moment. Your prayers are precious to us as are you! Thanks for being with us in this!

Enjoy the pics!
Reed

PS – Hey Jackson! Hey Abigail! Mommy and Daddy love you both!

I love Lufthansa! Not only because their cabin service is excellent, not only because the attendants on board can collectively speak about nine languages, but also because they are so ahead of the curve technologically. This is the first flight I’ve ever been on where I can access the internet while flying somewhere above 30,000 feet (and for you techies out there, the connection clocks at 96kbps down and 42 up). Not the fastest at all but still pretty amazing to me. I love being able to post my second blog entry of the day (depending on the continent of reference as it’s already Friday in Europe, maybe this is my first post of tomorrow) in-flight. Just to prove that this is actually happening, here’s a couple of pictures I just took (click on the pictures to enlarge)!

Now on to other thoughts. Before the trip, I picked up and have just begun to read Jeffrey Sachs The End of Poverty.

He’s a world-renowned economist who is positing the possibility that this generation could take part in ending extreme global poverty by 2025. That would mean helping nearly 1 billion people presently living on less than a dollar a day (and who can’t meet even basic food and shelter needs) enter into their first step toward economic prosperity. I’m interested to get further into this work, although I must say I’m not up on my economics enough to really evaluate his plan all that well. For more information on Jeffrey Sachs, check out this wikipedia article (this article also contains a link to some of Sachs’ critics; notably William Easterly who “savaged End of Poverty in his review for the Washington Post”).

Some interesting things I’ve discovered so far, though, include the fact that over 8 million people die yearly because, in Sachs’ words, “they are to poor to stay alive.” Furthermore, I’ve also learned, by his report and without checking the GAO figures, that the US allocates approximately $15 billion each year to fight global poverty. Which while a significant amount equates to less 0.15% of our GNP. Another way of putting is that we spend 15/100^th of a penny on global poverty relief for every dollar in our GNP. Commenting on the wisdom of such a figure, Sachs writes: The share of US GNP devoted to helping the poor has declined for decades, and is a tiny fraction of what the United States has repeatedly promised, and failed, to give. It is also much less than the United States should give, both to solve the crisis of extreme poverty and thereby provide for US national security.

Sachs also begins his book by pointing out that we need not fear that economic development elsewhere will hinder our way of life. On the contrary, it may in fact give us a leg up economically and with regard to national security. Again, he writes: Economic development is not a zero-sum game in which the winnings of some are inevitably mirrored by the losses of others. The game is one that everybody can win. Then he backs this statement by tracking economic development and gross world product (GWP) over the past 200 or so years.

I’m also reminded, although not by this book as it is completely secular, that this topic of economics is biblical. From the earliest days of Israel, the promised land was to be one that considered the value of economic justice. You can see this not only in the Torah (consider Leviticus 25, for example), but in the Prophets as well (for example, see Jeremiah and Zechariah).

In all of this I’m struck by where God has placed us. We’re in a time and place where I believe we can, as a church, help those living in abject poverty find both economic as well as spiritual hope. This is my prayer, that we can be a part of God’s move in their lives, one that will cause them to thank their Creator for his goodness and melt our hearts in the process. I am so thankful for Side by Side.

Okay, I’m going to get back into my book now and the next 6.5 five hours of our first flight. I’ll post more on it, and the trip of course, later. But before I do, I just have one encouragement. Take part in this blog by leaving your comments and thoughts. This journey to Swaziland – and even more into the middle of God’s dream – is not about Erin and me. It’s something that God is including us all in; it’s the story into which we’ve been called. So take part (as you feel so inspired) by engaging in a discussion on any of these themes. Feel free to agree or disagree…to ask questions…to write a prayer… We’re all writing this blog-and living in God’s story-together.

Traveling with you,
Reed and Erin