I am a little uncomfortable with calling myself an "earthquake survivor". When I got back from Haiti, I had my little 15 minutes of fame as all the local news channels tried to get an interview with the "local Orange County woman who survived the earthquake". It all seemed very overdramatic to me - but I realize (sadly) that people tend to be more interested in a story about someone they identify with. I did the interviews, most of them on my first full day home, because I wanted to use the attention to talk about humanitarian parole. As I saw the stories later, I chuckled at the little liberties they took to make it sound more dramatic, and I rolled my eyes at the descriptor of "earthquake survivor". It doesn't seem a fitting title for someone who doesn't even live in Haiti, for someone who came out unscathed, from someone who took a plane home to a normal life and an intact home.

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As I was leaving our Hope Center celebration, the moon was full behind a high palm tree and someone was blasting a Spanish version of "I Just Called to Say I Love You".  It had been one of those perfect moments you can't plan:  smiling community leaders, weeping volunteers, chocolate faced kids, a full moon, and pretend Stevie Wonder.  These are the moments I live for.  If I believed in the stars aligning it would be the alignment of stars.  But I don't.  I believe in grace.  I believe in power.  I believe in the power of the grace of Christ to align the hearts of a Newport Beach debutante, an Oregon country girl, an ex-Mexican political campaigner, a handful of housewives, and college students and cocky teenage Mexican Americans.  Only Jesus could bring this group together.  And He did.  There we were crammed into an apartment, glowing in the joy of having achieved a dream, of having opened this community center.  As I walked toward home to the oompah of the Mexican Stevie Wonder, I reflected on the evening- there was Eric, the professional tutor who shows up twice a week to tutor Freddy, Juliet, the MissionYear graduate, who shared her cake with me.  Then Andy, the faithful volunteer read a note from his student and looked up with tears in his eyes saying, "That's the best thing anyone could have given me."  Juana bragged about her healthy salad and Claudia fretted if there would be enough food.  Then there was America.  America, the beautiful, the woman of grace who links us between languages and cultures.  America, who confidently introduces herself and graciously thanks all who participate.  She represents our hope.  All our hope- the moms want a daughter like her, the tutors want a student like her, the leaders want a disciple like her.  She is who we want other kids to grow up to be- one who loves Jesus, who loves the community, who graduated from college and works hard.  She is our hope.  She is also undocumented.

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I’m done with numbers. Numbers are too black and white and just don’t seem good enough when dealing with human trafficking. Numbers are just numbers.  They are only words spoken and lack any attachment or feeling and understanding. It’s just not that easy when it comes to buying and selling humans. And that is why. They are humans; not cattle. You can’t number them and move them along. We are complicated beings and require much more out of life and from each other than a number.

It’s important to hear survival stories of the rescued. Stories are bridge builders. They bring humanity together and open the door with an invitation to stay for dinner, serving a fine dish of common ground. Moms and dads are compassionate towards the world’s hungry children because they can’t imagine their own children being hungry. Women are moved by the Eastern Congo conflict where women are repeatedly raped and sexually mutilated by rebels and child soldiers because they know someone who has been sexually assaulted.

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Over the weekend I tweeted and updated my facebook status with the simple statement: Muslims killing Christians in Nigeria followed by a simple question: Will we respond like Christ or like humans? It’s always interesting what captures people’s imaginations and provokes response.

After a year of conversations on facebook, I was still amazed at the response the simple status update received. Feel free to check it out here: http://bit.ly/auO0bH

Reflecting on responses, the following points are worth of mentioning:

1) There is no emotion like religious emotion.

Wars over the centuries have demonstrated that religions are frequently front and center in every war. Religious emotion is a product of two things as I see it. First, it is an indicator that people genuinely care. If they didn’t care, they wouldn’t get so upset.

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When asked what Americans can do to help lessen the demand for slavery abroad, IJM staffer Lauren Johnson talked about Americans considering what they are purchasing. In case you missed it, you can read more of what she had to say here.  

Trade As One is an organization that works alongside churches in hopes that entire congregations of people will understand the global impact of their purchases. 

The market today truly is a global one. We buy produce, coffee, chocolate, clothing, jewelry, etc. and most of it comes from another part of the world. But how often do we consider the hands that have sewn our clothing, made our jewelry or farm the food and drink we are consuming today? We buy chocolate but aren’t told that the majority of the world’s chocolate is from Sierra Leone. There are over 800,000 children enslaved to the coca farms in Sierra Leone. I’m a sucker for chocolate but I don’t need it so bad that it would ever justify a child enslaved and deprived of his/her childhood so that I can eat a chocolate bar.

Check out this video that Trade As One released. Fair trade is not a perfect system but it is headed in the right direction. What are your thoughts on buying fair trade versus non-fair trade products? What are some other ways you know of that American consumers might help lessen the demand for slaves abroad based on what they purchase?  

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I don't really think the latest Glen Beck quote needs much editorial from me - but I am concerned about the implications, given Beck's popularity with evangelical Christians.

"I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!"

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Last summer I had the chance to travel the country with my wife to interview influential thinkers and actors in the areas of the social gospel and Christian humanitarianism.  On one occasion I sat down with Tony Campolo, one such influential thinker and author of Red Letter Christians, in his office outside of Philadelphia. 

Our conversation touched on numerous topics that didn’t make the final cut for the book (Humanitarian Jesus).  One of those topics was health care reform.  What follows is a rather un-edited snippet of the interview on that topic:

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A comment to my post on Elmo caused me to consider the “heart” of environmentalism.  I am by no means an expert on the topic, but for me, as a follower of Christ, my heart for the environment begins with an understanding of where creation fits in God’s greater plan of redemption.   

 

A while back I was given the chance to publish an article online at Flourish responding to Wendell Berry’s great work “The Gift of Good Land.”  Looking back, I think it really sets forth my thinking in this area:

 

“The Gift of Good Land,” was published 30 years ago, and we reprinted it in the Fall 2009 issue of Flourish Magazine to celebrate Mr. Berry’s work, but also to provoke some questions: How has the natural world, and efforts to steward it, changed in these 30 years? How has Christianity changed? What is still relevant about Mr. Berry’s words today? What have been our successes and failures as creation’s stewards in these three decades? Where do we go from here?

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The Hold Out is over!  After spending 262 hours in front of Senator Coburn’s office, we have received word that Senator Coburn has released his hold on the bill.

The long nights in freezing weather, the excess of pizza, and the shortage of showers have paid off.

This means the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act is going to the Senate Floor where it already has 62 co-sponsors. We don’t foresee any more obstacles to its passing.

We could not be more ecstatic. Thank you to our friends at Resolve Uganda who made this happen. And thank you to everyone who has supported the demonstration in person, in spirit, or in $$.

We did it!!!!

From Resolve Uganda: IN THEIR WORDS....

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