August 1 Friday Night Thoughts .........
Another 95-mile day with a strong head wind for about three hours. The last three hours were the best. It was all corn and soybean fields. In fact I had tears in my eyes. Let me explain.
I was raised on a dairy farm. I have a degree in agriculture. I worked for 10 years in the agriculture profession. Today as far as the eye could see I saw dark green, lush growth. We were passed by huge 60-ton trucks hauling grain from the elevators and farm granaries as they get them empty for the fall harvest. There was a plane flying low over some fields applying some pesticide. There were signs for a local livestock research station. The corn and bean plants are genetically programmed to maximize the use of sunlight and field space to enhance production. We passed at least two John Deere dealerships with huge equipment for planting and harvesting. All the crops are irrigated in this part of Nebraska. We are not even in the bread basket of America. We bicycled past a huge irrigation pipe manufacturing company. One central pivot irrigation system can provide water for over a 100 acre field...at least. I could go on. We saw tens of thousands of acres of corn. This is the most sophisticated and high performance agriculture system in the world.
In 1994 I was working in Rwanda in a food security program for returning refugees. I remember one day when I had two semi trucks deliver corn, beans, and oil to a local warehouse. People were desperate for food, for work, for a hoe to use to plant a crop for which they had no seed. As I locked the doors of the warehouse and paid the local labor I noticed an old man and two small children under five. They were squatting on the ground scratching through the dirt and mud; picking up one kernel of corn at a time. I stood there...silently. I have never in my life been that hungry, that desperate. One does not have too go far to see that picture, even here in America. We saw beggars on the streets of Denver and many homeless in the park.
I can't put those pictures together and neither can I put them out of my mind. I am reminded of the story Jesus told of the poor man who sat at the feet of the rich man. They both died. One went to heaven and the other went to hell. Jesus never said a word about worship, belief, belonging to a church. He did say something about the heart of the rich man while he was alive. Lou...Friday evening.
I was raised on a dairy farm. I have a degree in agriculture. I worked for 10 years in the agriculture profession. Today as far as the eye could see I saw dark green, lush growth. We were passed by huge 60-ton trucks hauling grain from the elevators and farm granaries as they get them empty for the fall harvest. There was a plane flying low over some fields applying some pesticide. There were signs for a local livestock research station. The corn and bean plants are genetically programmed to maximize the use of sunlight and field space to enhance production. We passed at least two John Deere dealerships with huge equipment for planting and harvesting. All the crops are irrigated in this part of Nebraska. We are not even in the bread basket of America. We bicycled past a huge irrigation pipe manufacturing company. One central pivot irrigation system can provide water for over a 100 acre field...at least. I could go on. We saw tens of thousands of acres of corn. This is the most sophisticated and high performance agriculture system in the world.
In 1994 I was working in Rwanda in a food security program for returning refugees. I remember one day when I had two semi trucks deliver corn, beans, and oil to a local warehouse. People were desperate for food, for work, for a hoe to use to plant a crop for which they had no seed. As I locked the doors of the warehouse and paid the local labor I noticed an old man and two small children under five. They were squatting on the ground scratching through the dirt and mud; picking up one kernel of corn at a time. I stood there...silently. I have never in my life been that hungry, that desperate. One does not have too go far to see that picture, even here in America. We saw beggars on the streets of Denver and many homeless in the park.
I can't put those pictures together and neither can I put them out of my mind. I am reminded of the story Jesus told of the poor man who sat at the feet of the rich man. They both died. One went to heaven and the other went to hell. Jesus never said a word about worship, belief, belonging to a church. He did say something about the heart of the rich man while he was alive. Lou...Friday evening.
posted by Jan at
9:43 AM
2 Comments:
Hey guys.You know what,no words describe my feelings of awe and respect to your projects.Mum once told me, Do not do to be repaid on Earth but in heaven.The poor souls you are helping here in Africa will forever be thankful.If we had more people like you the world would be a heaven to the unfortunate.We are behind you.Tell us how we can help,AND GOD BLLLESSS YOU FOR YOUR OPEN HEART.Keep on keeping on!
By
johnpatrique, at August 02, 2008
Your contrasting images are haunting, particularly as one realizes that the great corn fields of Iowa, Illinois, and other states are flourishing to provide ethanol fuel for our SUV-lust, and by the law of unintended consequence driving up food prices worldwide, and that the depleting of the great Ogallala Aquifer to irrigate the crops in the great plains is a threat to the livelihoods of future generations. We live in a complex world. What can we do about it? I think we all know!
By
Uncle Bob, at August 03, 2008
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