Sunday - a day of rest, reflection, and fellowship
In the morning worship service, Theresa said it so well for all of us. To paraphrase, "I am on this bicycle trip for selfish reasons ... to see if I can do it, to see the country, to experience the community of cyclists ... and for personal reasons. I feel guilty to have spent over $3,000 to purchase my bicycle and all the accessories, to be treated like a celebrity and to do so in the name of poverty. I live with this tension in my life." Me too!
Every Sunday we have a celebration service in a local church. We also have a ministry fair where the local outreach of the community is highlighted and where the recipient organizations of the one million dollars plus will be utilized. To be honest, I am somewhat disappointed in the interest and in the engagement of people. I kinda feel like Greg Mortenson in his book 'Three Cups of Tea' (one man's mission to promote peace one school at a time in Pakistan) where he describes all his speaking engagements and on one occasion only has one person come to his presentation. Another time one person in a small group left quietly, without saying a word, but left a check for $20,000.
Then, today Jack and Carol Vander Ploeg came up to our Partners Worldwide tent and talked with me for twenty minutes. They described a trip they are planning that will take them to Haiti, Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia under the banner of Partners Worldwide. They are deeply engaged. I am becoming increasingly convinced that change and engagement really only comes one person at a time.
This afternoon was a nice break. We were invited out to Dr. Cal and Ruth DeWitt's home. He is a renown ecologist and environmentalist. What they have done with land trust and buying up development rights on rural farm land is incredible. His knowledge of wild flora and fauna is impressive. It was just a delight to be with such knowledgeable and passionate people. He had to run for political office to bring about some of the changes he was advocating. Again ... one person at a time. I wonder ..... if you and I are the one person to make a difference.
Every Sunday we have a celebration service in a local church. We also have a ministry fair where the local outreach of the community is highlighted and where the recipient organizations of the one million dollars plus will be utilized. To be honest, I am somewhat disappointed in the interest and in the engagement of people. I kinda feel like Greg Mortenson in his book 'Three Cups of Tea' (one man's mission to promote peace one school at a time in Pakistan) where he describes all his speaking engagements and on one occasion only has one person come to his presentation. Another time one person in a small group left quietly, without saying a word, but left a check for $20,000.
Then, today Jack and Carol Vander Ploeg came up to our Partners Worldwide tent and talked with me for twenty minutes. They described a trip they are planning that will take them to Haiti, Uganda, Kenya, and Zambia under the banner of Partners Worldwide. They are deeply engaged. I am becoming increasingly convinced that change and engagement really only comes one person at a time.
This afternoon was a nice break. We were invited out to Dr. Cal and Ruth DeWitt's home. He is a renown ecologist and environmentalist. What they have done with land trust and buying up development rights on rural farm land is incredible. His knowledge of wild flora and fauna is impressive. It was just a delight to be with such knowledgeable and passionate people. He had to run for political office to bring about some of the changes he was advocating. Again ... one person at a time. I wonder ..... if you and I are the one person to make a difference.
posted by Jan at
10:43 PM
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