Serving at Siloam

Yesterday my friend Rob and I helped to prepare and serve lunch at Siloam Mission, a soup kitchen in downtown Winnipeg.  This was a brand new experience for both of us, at least a Canadian version for me.  I spent a lot of time, between cutting peppers and putting buns on plates to start the lunch line, thinking about similar experiences from when I was in Costa Rica in 2009.

I had to remind myself not to be cynical, which was hard to do.  In Canada, these kind of experiences start with paperwork, not people.  And I understand that it's the system we are in, but it's just frustrating when I thought back to Costa Rica, when we just walked in to various soup kitchens and served.  I was amazed about the amount of food and type of food (especially meat) that we served yesterday.  I know Costa Rican food is different than what we are used to, but a bun, beans and rice seemed so very basic compared to the bun, shepherd's pie, salad and cookie that each patron received at Siloam.  In Costa Rica only 18 people were fed at a time because the Salvation Army only had 18 spoons - obviously the line moved slowly and people were asked to eat quickly.  In Winnipeg we very quickly served 200 people (150 - 450 people are served 7 days a week, 3 meals a day) and they were able to sit down and enjoy the meal.

I was both nervous and excited for the opportunity to get involved at home and I look forward to returning to Siloam again.  I'm not sure if it was butterflies or something else, but I was awake from 4 - 5:30 early Friday morning, wishing I could fall asleep as I knew it was a big day ahead.  In that time, I went online and found a new Invisible People post.  I think this young man from St. John's, even in his struggle with mental illness which so many homeless people struggle with, was incredibly articulate in giving homelessness a voice.  Thank you Jason!

invisiblepeople.tv/blog

Speak Up

Last week I did something I have never done before. . .I decided to speak up.

Those of you who know me best know that I'm passionate about fair trade ('passionate' may not be strong enough a word!).  Being from a smaller community, sometimes you have to settle for less because fair trade is not always available.  In Winkler, we have a local coffee shop (a hot spot of sorts) called Jonny's Java.  They don't have fair trade coffee - instead they have direct trade.  One basic difference is that direct trade does not require the certification that fair trade does.  Both deal on a more direct basis with farmers and co-operatives, ensuring that farmers get paid more (and they actually get paid more through direct trade versus fair trade).  The issue that I have with direct trade (specially the coffee beans that Jonny's is dealing with), is that they want perfect beans - literally.  With fair trade, the farmer can count on being paid because of the contract they sign (which ensures they are paid above commodity, as coffee is a major player on the stock exchange).  Farmers cannot rely on getting paid through direct trade because their coffee beans may not be of the quality that direct traders are looking for and they simply won't buy the beans.  Fair trade is about maintaining the relationship and so the farmers can rely on the contracts signed, even if it's a bad year (which we understand in the farming land of southern Manitoba).

That's the background.

One of the owners from Jonny's came to school to share about direct trade with our Amnesty group.  I sat back and took some notes and asked a few questions.  One thing that came up in the discussion was the fair trade farmers lose out when the commodity price is higher than the fair trade price - this was not my understanding and so I did a little research on my own after the presentation.  I had a graph in my mind and dug into all my fair trade material, only to find out it was a graph about cocoa, even though the explanation included coffee.  But I thought if I really wanted to prove my point, I should get information specifically about coffee, so on went my search.  I knew that Level Ground (the coffee suppliers for Ten Thousand Villages) had a great website and that they are very transparent, so I went to check it out and found the graph I was looking for!

Here's the thing I never do. . .

The next time I went into Jonny's (which happens a lot), I brought along the graph and stated that I wanted to make sure that both of us had the right information since we're passing it along to other people.  The owner listened and said he would check into it, which I was happy with.  If fair trade farmers lose out when the commodity price rises above the fair trade price (which does not happen very often at all), then I would say that the fair trade process, in regards to coffee, needs to be examined and that's where my next questions would be directed, if necessary.  As a side note - I don't drink coffee.  To me, this is not about coffee - it's about farmers who deserve to get paid fairly for the time and energy that they put into their crop, especially given that coffee is such a luxury, not a necessity (though some coffee-drinkers may disagree with me on that point!).

The reason that I have posted the name of "Jonny's Java" is because I know that direct trade, though not perfect in my mind, is a good alternative to conventional coffee trading.  More than that, I support their efforts and I appreciate the fact that, when I went into Jonny's the next time, I was told that the owner had the wrong information and that I indeed was correct!  And if felt good at the end, not that I could gloat, but that I had done the right thing by simply speaking up.

CNN: The Price of Sex

 

 thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com

 priceofsex.org

CNN: Mauritania - Slavery's Last Stronghold

You will need about 1/2 an hour to watch this documentary but it is definitely worth it.

thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com

World Water Day 2012

Today is the UN's World Water Day - check out more information at their website:

www.unwater.org/worldwaterday

Consider how you can get involved and make a difference today.  Some great water projects you may wish to get more information about and support include:

www.sodis.ch

www.waterschool.com

www.waterforlife.org

www.samaritanspurse.ca/ourwork/water/Default.aspx

Fear

As a child, I was afraid of dogs.  Actually 'afraid' doesn't accurately describe my feelings - I was terrified of them - and I have no idea why.  Our dog growing up was not only good with kids and mellow as a breed of dog, she was really calm and so I'm sure that it wasn't a specific experience I had with her.  Perhaps it was something that happened with another dog - I just don't know.  All I know is that I missed out on a lot of things because of my fear.  I became an 'indoor person' by choice rather than a natural way of being.

I have wanted to blog on a more personal level lately, but it's been fear that has held me back.  It's much easier to post about injustice on the outside versus injustice on the inside.  Some of you may or may not know that I've been seeing a counselor since November.  It's been an amazing journey and I've been learning so much about myself.  I'm proud of myself for overcoming fear and making the decision on my own to start going.  My counselor said that the hardest thing is to know yourself and it's so true.

Beyond knowing yourself, it's hard to change bad 'habits' (for lack of a better term) that are so ingrained in your being.  And it's fear that stands in the way.  I've made a lot of progress over the last few months and I don't want to regress back, because that would be the easiest thing to do.  At the very same time, the next step is uncertain and I can become paralyzed trying to figure out what to do, worried about messing things up and disappointing people (the first person, being myself).

Fear puts a wall around your heart.  It says that it's easier not to feel and block others out - that it's 'safe'.  If you tear the wall down, pain and suffering are inevitable, as are joy and laughter - we don't get one without the other.  There have been many moments since November when I've looked in the mirror and I see the mess of my life and I feel like I just can't keep going.  I can't go back because I don't want to, and I don't think I'm strong enough to make the next step because there's too much to do.  It's a matter of embracing the pain and suffering, knowing that it does build character.  That it's better to really feel than to live safely (which really isn't living at all).

Backpage

Human trafficking is happening all over North America - check out the video and article from Nicholas Kristof:

video.nytimes.com/video/2012/03/17/opinion/100000001433511/age-16-she-was-sold-on-backpagecom.html

www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/kristof-where-pimps-peddle-their-goods.html?hp

Wounded Healers ~ Ashley Judd

I was so moved by a portion of CNN's video with Ashley Judd that I posted yesterday, that I want to quote part of it (please forgive my punctuation and sentence structure!):

"Well, I get the distinct impression that a lot of us who are warriors for peace, who are advocates for change, who really try to embody progressive values of social justice and equality are wounded healers. That there was something that happened to us, so that we, in a very particular and personal way, experienced injustice, whatever that may have looked like. And I know that the details of my personal story are quite different from the details of an HIV/AIDS orphan’s life in Cambodia, or a woman who is a sex slave in Madagascar, or an educated woman in Congo whose entire family has recurrent episodes of diarrheal disease because they don’t have access to safe drinking water, but we identify with each other’s feelings and that’s the use of narrative, of story-telling, of simple human relatability, because I believe that we are created to be in relationship. And the more I can look inside and clean house and take care of transforming my own toxic narrative, which is (you know) perhaps strong language, but let’s go with it, into a narrative of redemption, of resilience, of creativity, and of service, I think the more help I’m going to be in the world and that the help I give will be of a higher quality and that’s why I think that there is a band of us wounded healers trying to carry the light in this world."

~Ashley Judd (CNN video 6:00 - 7:30)

CNN: Ashley Judd

thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com

Strong Enough ~ Matthew West

You must
You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through

Well forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not stong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough
Strong enough
For the both of us

Well maybe
Maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up

Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
Well that's when I start looking up
And reaching out

Cause I'm broken
Down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to the one thing
You are God
and you are strong
When I am weak

I can do all things
Through Christ who gives me strength
And I don't have to be
Strong enough
Strong enough

Kony 2012

I would ask you today to join in the global movement called Kony 2012.  To find out more about it and watch the amazing video (it's 1/2 an hour long, so give yourself some time), click on the link below.  And just in case you think that this video is simply for Americans, please note that 1 of the 12 policymakers on their list is Stephen Harper (and even if he was not on the list, this is about the entire world).  So head to the website, watch the video, share the information and do something about it!

www.kony2012.com

Happy International Women's Day!

I hope that you were able to celebrate International Women's Day in some form today and recognize not only the women in your own life, but the many women who have come before us.  I seized the opportunity to talk to my classes today about IWD and also about Fair Trade, which is making such a difference in the lives of women all around the world.  To learn more about IWD, check out their website at:

www.internationalwomensday.com

CNN: Lincoln's Legacy Fights Modern Slavery

 

thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com

Nuba Mountains ~ Nicholas Kristof

Check out the following videos from The New York Times - Opinion page by Nicholas Kristof about the people living in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan:

video.nytimes.com/video/2012/02/25/opinion/100000001385038/the-man-who-stayed-behind.html

video.nytimes.com/video/2012/02/23/opinion/100000001379424/beseiged-in-sudans-nuba-mountains.html