Our Amazing Delta Airlines Experience Part Two: The Good Lie

A year ago, after a layover that afforded us enough time in Atlanta to grab a meal at the Café Intermezzo (which I highly recommend in ATL), we boarded for our cross-country flight to Orange County for a Nuru summit. We were placed in a row with plenty of space and we were able to board with the first group. I personally loved the early boarding because it meant there was no question that our bag would be able to be stowed onboard without being checked. Jamie and I strive to travel light, and we had a brand new suitcase (an awesome Christmas present from her mom and dad) that we shared as our carry on (along with our backpacks).

We were seated, and then the in flight movie preview commenced shortly after takeoff. The movie? The Good Lie, starring ReeseWitherspoon. I can honestly say I have not seen many, maybe zero movies with Reese Witherspoon in it, but I can remember seeing the preview for this movie when it was initially released. Because of the nature of the work we are doing with Nuru, and the way God has opened our eyes to global issues, we were keenly interested in this movie. It is a film based on true stories of Sudanese child refugees who were named “The Lost Boys Of Sudan.” The film documents the 800+ mile trek of these children, who after losing their parents when warlords attacked their village, traveled across Sudan and Ethiopia to Kenya, where they spent 13 years in a refugee camp. They had to grow up way too fast—tens of thousands of children—fleeing their homes, and struggling to survive, but always holding on to their rich Christian faith.

The movie had us in tears. It was heartbreaking, inspiring, and soul moving. I’m grateful to Delta for choosing that movie as our in flight entertainment. As refugees are offered safe haven in our country, I can’t even imagine the difficulty of adjusting to a new culture as they work to make life-long dreams a reality. The movie stirred us in our mission to bring meaningful choices to people living in extreme poverty through our work with Nuru International, and made us appreciate Reese Witherspoons commitment to raise the profile of the challenges experienced by refugee populations abroad and in the US. Most of us have very little idea how incredibly blessed we are from a global perspective.

Delta could have shown us any film, but they chose The Good Lie. Hat’s off to you Delta for choosing to show a film that celebrates faith, perseverance, and family!

Birthday Wishes

That photo is of my good friend Meghan Baird. Not sure if you know her or not, so I'm going to give a brief introduction. Meghan received her undergraduate degree in Art from Shepherd University. She then proceeded to come to WVU and added a degree in International Studies with a specialization in Africa and International Development. While here, we became friends through the college ministry of Chestnut Ridge Church. It's called 17three and if you are ever in Morgantown, you should check it out.

Anyway, Meghan went on to spend a year teaching in Sudan after graduating. While she was in Sudan, some other friends were starting Nuru, and so I told her about the organization. She applied for a posiition working with Nuru when she came back from Sudan, and was hired as the first education program manager for Nuru's project in Kuria, Kenya. Now part of Nuru's model is that anyone serving on the ground in the developing world will do so for a period of six months, and then will return to the USA for a period of about 10 months and work in one of three areas. Meghan is working with me in Morgantown on our grassroots team.

So why all of that introduction? Meghan's Birthday is in a couple of days. And she, along with a couple of other friends, Tara Rickard and Stuart Godwin, have decided to use their birthdays (all are happening this month) as an excuse to fight extreme poverty (which, if you didn't know, is exactly what Nuru does!). So they joined Nuru's cause page on facebook. This cause page has a cool feature. It allows you to "make a birthday wish" and invite people to give to your favorite cause instead of giving you a bunch of presents.

So if you want to join in celebrating Meghan's, Tara's or Stu's birthday, here's an opportunity to give. Here are the links to follow. For Meghan's wish click that link. If you want to help Tara's birthday wish come true, then click this link. And if you want to pass on birthday wishes to Stu, well, you know what to do.

Or, maybe you have a birthday coming up pretty soon. Ever thought about using the day you were born to bring hope to the lives of others? Now is your opportunity. If you are on facebook, join Nuru's cause and invite others to contribute. If you aren't on facebook, you could still do something creative like this with your birthday or another holiday. Think about it.