Introducing the next week

Today I’m going on an Olive Harvesting trip to Bethlehem, along with 6 others, and will be doing a mixture of bits alongside the olive harvesting.

The goals of the programme are:

- To deepen our understanding of the situation in Israel-Palestine and the issues that affect people’s lives there

- To build friendships with people of another culture and faith, and by doing so to challenge our own stereotypes and prejudices

- To give practical support to farmers as they harvest their olives

- To be an international presence during the Olive Harvest

- To deepen our understanding, appreciation and respect for the culture, language, history and religious beliefs of others

And the itinerary is

- Tues 31st: fly to Tel Aviv, overnight in Jerusalem

- Wed 1st: tour of Jerusalem, travel to Bethlehem. Accomodation in Bethlehem for rest of trip

- Thurs 2nd: orientation and tour of Bethlehem

- Fri 3rd: olive harvesting

- Sat 4th: olive harvesting and visit to Tent of Nations

- Sun 5th: Olive harvesting and visit Hebron

- Mon 6th: Olive harvesting

- Tues 7th: visit Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, fly home

Prayers please if you have time, for safety and security, for wisdom and sensitivity, for ability to build friendships across the language barriers, for all those we meet – both Palestinian and Jews, and for the rest of the team.

I'm hoping to blog as we go but have no idea about Internet. So if you don't hear from me assume it's due to lack of Internet access, or too busy picking olives, rather than anything else and I'll do some reflective updates when back

TTFN!!

H

So many broken people in the world

So many broken people in the world
Who have been told lies about their identity
- you're stupid
- you're worthless
- you're not wanted
- you'll never achieve anything
- you're a waste of space
- you're unloved
Etc etc

Told these lies so often that they start to believe them, 
To live them
To construct their lives around them

And they end up with identities that harm,
That damage
That break
That destruct
That lead to people living out broken, damaged, dysfunctional, negative lives
Full of bad life choices,
Made because they don't believe they have any other choice

We need to put into practice a theology that preaches an identity that heals.
That tells people how loved they are
How special they are
How perfect they are
How they are a child of God
And how God wants the absolute best for them

We need to be showing that theology in how we are with others
In the welcomes that we give
In the unconditional acceptance that we show
In the non-judgmental approach that we bring
In the 'just coming alongside and being there for them' 

We need to help start that healing process
Through what we say
What we do
What we think
And through introducing others to our living loving Lord Jesus Christ

But we also need to start living it out ourselves
We need to believe it for ourselves
We need to allow God's love to heal our broken identities

So that from that place of ongoing healing, 
We can reach out to others

Whether it be the woman working on the streets
Or the student who has given up on school, and been told they will never achieve anything
Or the mother struggling to make ends meet for herself and her children
Or the carer consumed with looking after an elderly relative
Or the child who has additional needs and finds it hard to relate to people
Or the businessman who feels trapped in a relentless rat race of work
Or the person who feels as though they are circling the edge of a big black hole of despair

Whoever they are,
Wherever they are
Whatever their circumstances 

When we come into the same space as them, 
We need to be 'preaching' 
(In the gentlest and most non-preachy way possible)
A theology of identity that heals

And by preaching I don't mean standing in a pulpit and just saying it
I mean living it
Showing it
Getting our hands dirty with it
Hugging it
Listening it
Holding someone's hand with it
Letting the tears come in a safe space

Doing it in the myriad of practical ways that we have available to us, 
if we just stop and look around

To show it through serving
And through allowing others to serve us
That some of their healing will come as they find new ways to live
And to be rebuilt through getting the chance to serve

We need a theology of identity that heals
In our own lives
In the lives of our communities
In our nations
In the world

And we need to be the people who are bringing that theology to bear
Not letting others do it
But taking it forward ourselves

Lord open my eyes and my ears
Open my heart and my mind

To see the world as you see it
To see how you would have me live out this theology
In ways that bring healing
That bring true identities
That bring hope for a better tomorrow 
To people today.

The power of a home-made welsh cake

I made some welsh cakes last weekend - about 240 of them in all. It took me most of an afternoon to get them all made, and I have to say I'm not hankering to repeat the process soon, but I'm glad I did it.

I made the welsh cakes for the staff at our local secondary school, and I made that number because I wanted to ensure that there were enough for every one of the 219 members of staff to be able to have one. Teachers, admin staff, learning support, grounds and maintenance staff - I wanted them all to be able to have a welsh cake - hence the massive bake.

The thought came about when I was chatting to a friend who works at the school and who mentioned that the staff were all so very tired - as is the case in most staff rooms across the land due to the impact of cost cutting and curriculum-based changes being imposed year after year. There's not a lot I can do about stopping the cost-cutting, or the requirements of curriculum changes, but what I could do was make welsh-cakes, and write a card with encouraging words.

So I did!

They went in on Monday, and I didn't think anything more about it. Life moved on to other items on the to-do list. But what I hadn't anticipated was the response to the welsh-cakes.

E-mails from staff I don't know, as well as staff I do know, saying thank you, and commenting how special it was to them that someone from outside school was thinking about them. And texts and other messages from friends within the school commenting on the conversations that have come about as a result of the appearance of the welsh cakes.

Apparently, the fact that I had gone to the effort to make the cakes, and not just buy them, made a big impact. And some staff members who don't know me at all were particularly impressed that it was the mayor who had gone to all that trouble! I have also been told that there have even been conversations off the back of the welsh-cakes about faith, and some staff who are of no faith linking my actions to the fact that I am a Christian, in a very positive way.

It hadn't occurred to me to blog about the welsh-cakes, because for me, making cakes to bless people is just what I do. But this past week, the response has been such that I felt it was worth sharing. Not to big me up, but to put the idea out there as a simple example of how we can bless others.

I'm not suggesting everyone needs to start making hundreds of welsh-cakes. But is there a staff room in a school / doctors surgery / hospital near you where you know there are lots of hard-working, beleaguered, 'hanging in there' staff, and who could benefit from knowing that they are remembered, and loved and thanked. Cakes (especially if they are home-made) can go a long way in saying all those things.

Just putting it out there!!!

Solar phone charging – a good news story from Acholi

Over the past few years I have had the privilege of visiting with, and supporting, the Lubanga Ber group in Acholi Quarters, and seeing them grow from a disparate, surviving, not very hope-filled group to the empowered, visionary, cohesive group that they are today.

The involvement of CRED teams in coming and running activity weeks for the children, the wider impact of teams buying beads and paper goods made by the ladies, the continued support from individuals when they return to UK, and the increased awareness of the plight of this previously unheard of group – all these facets have resulted in the Lubanga Ber members believing in themselves, having a sense of self-worth, and feeling part of a wider community than just the square mile or so in which they live day to day.

Until last week, their group would have listed the Hopeful Haven children’s education as one activity that they run, with adult literacy classes and a savings group as the other two, plus of course their beads, bowls and other paper products as the underlying money spinner (albeit on a very ad hoc basis).

One thing they are keen to do is have some sort of microfinance scheme, so that individuals can take out small loans to help start new income generating activities, or develop further ones that are already in action.

But their challenge has been where to get the money for the ‘loan pot’ so that they can get started. The savings scheme doesn’t generate enough money for it, as the members struggle to have anything spare to put in it. What they need is something that will generate some income for the group, at a steady rate, that can in itself turn into the ‘loan pot’.

Enter the multi-port solar phone charger!

I had the joy of introducing the group to the concept of this idea earlier in the week, and taking along an example piece of kit that, if they can work out how to run it as a successful business, could make them a steady stream of income.

It was with great interest that they learned how the solar charger works and how to connect the phones to the charger. As they watched their phones charging, you could see their minds whirring with thoughts on how to use the equipment in such a way that they can protect against phones being stolen whilst on charge, how many phones could be charged per day, what profit they could make……

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to leave the equipment with them as it was actually en route to another project, but it certainly provided them with food for thought, and as I left the group were discussing a number of ideas on how best to utilize it  - for phone charging, but also for add on ideas to get even more benefit from it.

It was lovely to be part of the process, and to see the group members taking a further step into the world of having hope for the future, and knowledge that they aren’t on their own in their personal fight against poverty.

The positive power of Facebook

Saturday lunchtime: visit a very sick lady in Acholi Quarters. Single mum, two young sons, no near relatives, too ill to make food or earn money, 3 days until eviction from the shack they call home due to non-payment of rent for 4 months (been ill for 3 of those months). Has medication but unable to take as needs sufficient food for it to work. Downwards spiral. 

1hour later I post a simple request for prayer for the family on Facebook. No photos, no names, just a simple outline of situation

Three days later I have the privilege of being able to return and give the lady a host of good news: 

- some clothes that a lady from uk had made and sent it with me 'for whoever I felt needed them'

- some cookies I had baked on the new cooker at my hosts house

- enough money to pay the rent arrears donated by someone who read the post

- money to pay the next months rent, also donated by a Facebook follower

- money for food for the family and milk for the youngest child, who isn't thriving as weaned too early due to mums illness, also donated by a Facebook follower

- news that the older lad can now go to school as someone has offered to pay his school fees

- assurance that there is more donated money to be able to cover subsequent months rent so the mum can focus on getting better. 

It was a very special time being able to give all that news, and tears of relief and joy were wept on both sides. 

Prayers were definitely answered thanks to the power of Facebook, and some of the conversations I had via that medium during the donation discussions were very precious in many ways. 

I know some people have suffered badly as a result of Facebook posts and messages, but in this instance God definitely used it as tool for very positive change. 

This is Betty, she’s a Fair-trade, mercury-free gold miner

Betty – mother, wife, and Ugandan small-scale gold miner. And yesterday she told me how her life has changed for the better over the past few months, thanks to wonderful piece of kit called a Gold Kacha.

Betty’s role within the gold mining process was to do the sluicing of the sand, to try and extract the gold. Hours spent bent over, swilling the sand over and over, little by little, hoping to find some gold at the end of the process.

It would take 8+ hours to sluice 4 basins of sand, and as a result Betty’s options were either to take the children with her to help speed up the process using the ‘many hands make light work’ principle, or to leave them at home to fend for themselves, get themselves sorted for school, and try and find their own food until Betty would get home tired, late, and with little energy to prepare the single meal of the day.

But all that has changed thanks to the Gold Kacha, which utilizes centrifugal force, looks like a top-loader washing machine, and has carefully designed insides that catch about 95% of the gold, Betty can process the 4 basins in a fraction of the time it used to take her and have spare hours in the day to give to family life

The outcome: Betty gets to spend more time with the family, looking after the house, tending the garden, and providing at least 2 meals per day; the children get to reliably go to school as they aren’t required to help with sluicing, or stay home to care for younger siblings and do household chores; the household income has gone up thanks to the increased percentage of gold extracted from the same amount of sand.

The other massive positive about the Kacha and associated equipment is that the need for using mercury in the extraction process is negated. The miners had not been aware of the dangers of mercury before the Kacha was introduced, and as a result were using it in scarily slapdash ways. So the health of humans, livestock and the environment were being heavily compromised.

But now, through increased awareness about mercury toxicity, and with a technology that allows the miners to stop using it, the water sources are cleaner, the livestock are living longer, and the miners are no longer putting themselves, and their families at danger.

All in all, a hugely positive story all round (unless you are a mercury seller I guess, but I have no sympathy for them!). And the Kacha - well no wonder they call it the wonder machine!

Proof yet again that fairtrade really does make a difference to the producers, and that we, as consumers, really do have the opportunity to change lives for the better through our shopping choices

Refugees in Thornbury

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of being able to welcome 60 or so Syrian refugees to Thornbury. It was a visit that had been organized between myself and ‘Bridges for Communities’ – a Bristol-based charity that is taking the lead on supporting the Syrian families who have been rehoused in Bristol.

The families were with us for the afternoon, and during that time I welcomed them in the Council Chamber, that is part of the Town Hall, and gave a brief introduction to the town. We then went down to St Mary’s church where they had a short guided tour, before walking across to the park and enjoying the outdoor space and all the play equipment there. The afternoon finished at the Baptist church where there were copious amounts of tea, coffee, sandwiches and cake for consumption by all.

There were so many golden moments within it all, but a few that stand out include:

-       Walking with one of the mothers from the church to the park along a route that bordered open fields, and at one point she stopped and just gazed at the view and quietly said ‘it is so green, so green, I never see so much green’

-       Being able to provide the families with a space where they could all come together and enjoy being in the same place rather than dispersed across Bristol, and seeing the adults relax and chat whilst the children were able to play outside in a safe place

-       Being invited by one couple to go to their home for dinner – an indication that the visit was definitely a success

It really was a wonderful time, and there was a beautiful mix of Syrian families and local families, councilors and church members who came along to provide a welcome, to chat, and to show that it doesn’t matter if we don’t all speak the same language – we can still be friends together.

These families, and so many like them, have been through so much. The terror of war that led to them having to flee their homeland; the fear of not knowing where to go; the sadness of having to leave all their belongings behind, never knowing if they will be able to return; the mass of emotions that goes with all of that, as well as having to start again in a new place, where they don’t speak the language, where the culture is so different, and where every aspect of daily living needs to be relearned in some way or another.

What a privilege to be able to input even in a very tiny way, to give an afternoon of fun, laughter, welcome, hospitality and friendship. I pray that it won’t be their only visit to Thornbury.

Christian Aid Week, which starts this weekend, is 60 years old this year; and it is focusing on the plight of refugees. When Christian Aid first started, at the end of the Second World War, it was in response to the plight of refugees across Europe – all these years on the issue is still there, even if the countries that people are fleeing from have changed.

This prayer, which was from the first Christian Aid Week resources in 1958, still holds strong – may it be an inspiration to us, to show our support to those who are tirelessly supporting those in need:

O Holy Spirit of love,

Quicken our imaginations

That we may feel more deeply

For the needs of others

As we put ourselves in their place.

Give us hearts of self-forgetting compassion

Which will move us to give

From that which you have given us,

And to be good neighbours to those both near and far,

For the sake of Him who taught us

That it is more blessed to give than receive,

Even Jesus our Lord

Amen

O Christ our Lord

who came in homelessness,

that you might find a home in us

and that everyone would find a home in you,

We bring before you at this time

all who are homeless,

in exile or in suffering

Grant them the sense of being held fast in you

and enable all who love you

to strive together

for a world which shall be closer to your Kingdom

In which all may live together as a family

Each caring for all

and all caring for each

For the sake of peace

Amen