Cultivate Hope With Nuru International On #GivingTuesday

This year Nuru is working to raise $300,000 to expand its efforts to 1,500 new households in the southern highlands of Ethiopia. And today, on #GivingTuesday, a generous donor from West Virginia has stepped forward to match every donation received up to $15,000 today. Will you make a donation to help maximize this match and help Nuru serve even more families in 2017? Every bit helps!

Since the summer of 2007, I have had the incredible honor of working together with a few of my friends from my undergraduate days, namely John Hancox, Jake Harriman, Andy Cogar, and Trey Dunham to make our own unique contributions to a massive global problem. The problem is global extreme poverty. And, while the problem by itself is huge, the very fact of its existence leads to the proliferation and thriving of an array of other problems including global instability, violent extremism, child soldiers, slavery, and human trafficking just to name a few. 

Back in 2007, we had no idea what might be in store in the years ahead, but we had a plan, a ton of passion, and a number of really smart and committed leaders contributing their skills to building an organization that could make a tangible impact in the lives of others. As we launched Nuru International in September 2008, a number of our friends had thrown their lot in with us and committed time and money to helping spread the word about the issue, and Nuru's unique contribution to the problem. In a matter of months, Nuru had grown from an idea to an actual organization that was serving approximately 2,500 people in southwestern Kenya. 

And as of this year, that number has grown to more than 100,000 people. That's more than 100,000 lives changed for the better because people like me and you stepped into the arena and chose to do something rather than stand by idly as our global neighbors suffered. And we are just getting started. In 2015, our western staff left Kenya for good, and local leaders are continuing to adapt and improve their efforts to address extreme poverty in their country. They are cultivating hope in areas of the world that are all too often forgotten by most.

Earlier this year, I had the honor of traveling with Jamie to visit our second country project in Ethiopia. The area where Nuru works is high up in the mountains of southern Ethiopia, and it is about a 2.5 hour drive from the nearest city to the area. Together, Jamie and I listened to stories from farmers and their families about the transformation that had taken place for them since Nuru's arrival. They talked about increases in crop yields and being able to feed their families. They talked about improving their savings and their health, and they talked about things I didn't think about with regard to programs. They talked about how their marriages were healthier because they were not frustrated by conversations about money or frequent discussions about children being sick. Their marriages were healthier because they were developing skills to improve their livelihoods. There are so many aspects of our lives and our relationships that improve when people have the ability to make meaningful choices for their future! As we walked along and talked with these families, we also witnessed how Nuru had equipped these families to be able to cope with one of the worst droughts in Ethiopia to occur in many years.

Farming is risky business, and farmers are inherently risk takers; it’s always been that way. All over the world, our food supply relies on farmers taking risks. All over the world, parents want a better life for their children than the one they had. Amarech Sama was among the first individuals to enroll in Nuru's programs in Meteka Mele Ethiopia in 2014. Her community was deeply affected by the drought, but because of Nuru, she and her family are thriving. In fact, Amarech just gave birth to a baby boy, and has not only improved her own financial literacy, but she is participating in programs to learn to better care for her newborn in Nuru's healthcare training programs (and teaching others) ways to better care for their infants as well! Please watch and share this video to learn more about Amarech and the work of Nuru in Kenya and Ethiopia as well.

This holiday season, you can help change the lives of thousands of our global neighbors, and cultivate hope in the southern mountains of Ethiopia and beyond. Will you share this post and make a gift to support women like Amarech Sama and move Nuru's mission forward today?

Reflection: Memorial Day Memories And Honoring The Fallen

Today across America families are gathering in city centers for concerts and parades or on area waterways for picnics and barbecues. They are gathering in CrossFit gyms to complete the "Murph" workout, or venturing out to local cemeteries for a time of remembering family members and friends who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of others by laying down their lives. Today is a holiday and a day of remembrance filled with a mixture of patriotism and reflection for some. For others it is a day off of work, a day for grilling out, and maybe the start of "vacation season" and the winding down of another school year. 

My earliest personal memories of Memorial Day are rooted in cemeteries. I can remember going with my grandpa, my dad, my mom, my brother and sister, and sometimes a couple of my uncles to tend a family grave plot in a larger cemetery about 20 minutes outside of the town where I grew up. We would drive out in an old pickup truck filled with lawnmowers and trimmers and us. We would cut the grass all around a what seemed at the time an infinitely large section of the graveyard. We would make these trips through the spring and summer, but in late May we would also lay out flowers and other tokens of remembrance for generations of ancestors.

I learned a lot during those care-taking times during my childhood. Some very old family and Shawnee cultural traditions were passed along to me--traditions that taught respect, honor, and service. We would never walk on graves, and we would never remove anything from the cemetery. In addition to certain etiquette around graves, we also made it a point to visit graves during the weekend of memorial day and to decorate the graves of all of our relatives with garlands, flowers, and flags--regardless of how those relatives left this world. Too seldom in our busy "modern" world do we take time to reflect and to remember all of those who have gone before us and wore down the paths over which we freely walk today. 

Although many uncles, great uncles, and older family members served, I was too young to know any who had made the ultimate sacrifice in combat. But, as I have grown older, my life has placed me in contact with a number of friends who have served in various capacities in our military. Again, thankfully, I have not lost any of my close friends in military combat, but I know many of them have lost loved ones in the line of service. Most of the year, we give very little thought to what our service men and women and the families of the fallen may be carrying all year long every year. Organizations like Carry The Load are helping to encourage us to take time to reflect on those who have fallen, their families, and their friends. 

Today, maybe you are traveling to visit a family grave plot, attempting a "Murph" workout, or maybe just enjoying a day away from the workplace. Regardless of the place this day may find you, may we each take at least a moment to honor the fallen and those who have gone before us. They deserve so much more than a moment, as do their families and friends, but even a moment of reflection is better than no reflection at all. May we each take a moment to hug those close to us, weep as appropriate, and fill our hearts with gratitude that we each continue to have the privilege of moving forward and ensuring that the ancient paths are free and clear for another generation.

#GivingTuesday 2015 and Nuru International

A generous West Virginian stepped forward to match every donation (up to $15,000) that Nuru receives in honor of Giving Tuesday today. And that has me doubly grateful. It's not just about the match that I'm grateful, its also incredibly gratifying to see more and more people from my home state step up and join Nuru's efforts. I'm deeply proud of the strong West Virginia roots of Nuru, and at the same time, I love the fact that there are people from around the globe choosing to join us in this fight.

A little over seven years ago, Nuru was an idea. But in seven years, we have seen incredible change taking place. In fact this year we are celebrating the fact that together with the help of generous and selfless people like you, we have been able to help more than 81,000 people lift themselves out of extreme poverty in Kenya and Ethiopia.



With your help, we will be able to do even more in 2016. We are planning to take Nuru's programs to even more families in 2016. Over the next month we are working to raise a total of $300,000 dollars. Want to help? Here's FIVE ways you can! 

1) Donate online to Nuru, and encourage others to do the same!

2) If you are on Twitter, Share the link to our Holiday campaign page. Here's a sample tweet.

Join me in supporting @IAmNuru. Up to $15K will be matched today! http://bit.ly/1MRAPH #GivingTuesday

3) If you are on Facebook, share the link to our Holiday campaign page on Facebook. Here's a sample post.

Friends, I'm a proud supporter of Nuru International. Watch the video in this link and you'll discover why. Will you join me in supporting Nuru as your way of celebrating #GivingTuesday? Each donation given today will be matched up to $15,000. Every bit helps! http://bit.ly/1MRAPHZ

4) Nuru sent out an eNews reminder December 1 about the campaign. Will you forward the eNews to five friends and add a note to tell them why you believe in Nuru?

5) Create your own fundraising page--you could invite friends and family to donate to Nuru this year. 

Your support means a lot to me and to our entire team at Nuru, but it means even more to our farmers. Thanks for all you have done and continue to do to help their lives become better! Let's keep changing the world together!!!

Columbus Day And/Or Native American Day

Today many people took time off from work to celebrate Columbus Day and/or Native American Day, and most of us give very little thought to celebrating Columbus' "discovery" of America. I can remember learning in first grade that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492 with three ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. But outside of some family stories around our own Shawnee tribal traditions, I learned very little about native people in school other than some very simple stories about  "The First Thanksgiving" and possibly a story about Pocahontas.

It wasn't until I was in college that I began learning more about the systemic destruction of native peoples, lands, and culture that Columbus ushered in when he landed in the New World. I remember reading some of the writings of Bartolomé De Las Casas in an English class and learning about his first-hand witness of atrocities committed against the Taino and others in the New World in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Bartolomé De Las Casas was a Dominican friar, and while he was once a participant in this exploitation and destruction, he began to be strong opponent to the injustices of which he participated and witnessed. Historians estimate that there were between 1-8 million Taino on Hispaniola in 1492, and that this number was reduced to about 60,000 in less than 30 years. In 30 years, hundreds of thousands were directly murdered, enslaved, or succumbed to diseases brought by their new neighbors.

The irony of this kind of exploitation is that Columbus wrote this of these new neighbors, "there is not in the world a better nation. They love their neighbors as themselves, and their discourse is ever sweet and gentle and accompanied with a smile; and though it is true that they are naked, yet their manners are decorous and praiseworthy." How in the world could these words be shared at the onset of one of the greatest combined genocide, land grab, and enslavement of a group of peoples that the world has seen?

Greed is the simple answer. An unquenchable desire for more is what led to this horrid beginning for the New World and the bringing together of cultures. 2% of the population of the US is now comprised of various Native people, and probably the reason why Columbus Day has not been replaced with a day for honoring Native people is because 98% of the US population is an immigrant population. Now that is a strange thing to consider, especially given the debates happening in our country regarding immigration and a potential influx of refugees from other countries seeking some safe haven, and maybe it is greed that keeps the door closed for a new wave of immigrants now.

It is all too easy to look back from the vantage of the present and see the sins of commission and omission of past generations, but what can we do to help prevent future generations from indicting us on similar charges long after we have breathed our last on this earth?

I wish there were simple answers, but when I think about it, there are so many different steps we can take, it is hard to know where to start. But, I believe there needs to be a starting point. If greed was the sin that led to thousands of tribes being wiped out, what can you and I do to curtail our own greed?

I think the key is to live a more simple life and to strive to do more with less. What does it look like? I think there are a number of simple activities that we can begin to build into our daily and weekly rhythm that can help us to let go of greed.

• Give things away (time, money, resources). Most of us have way more than we need--why not share?
• Walk or ride a bike when we can (traveling less than 1-2 miles) instead of driving a car. Not only is it good for the planet, but it is a reminder that for most of the world's history, people did not travel by using fossil fuels--they used their legs, or rode horses.
• Use less energy. Turn off lights when you are not using them. Power down appliances. We've come to accept that it is normal to constantly use energy. It's not normal...at all.
• Turn off the TV. Read a book. Talk to a friend or family member. Make a new friend.

When was the last time you did one or more of these things? I feel like activities like these help to cultivate simplicity and generosity in our life. When we cultivate simplicity and generosity, we are less likely to be consumed by greed. Saul of Tarsus once wrote that, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil," but I would say that the love of things could lead us away from loving people. 

So as you celebrate or observe this holiday, I think the best way you could celebrate it is to cultivate some habits that reduce greed. And, rather than celebrating Columbus' discovery today or brooding on the injustices of the last five hundred years, set your mind toward simplicity, and cultivate a heart of generosity. There is always a place in this world for more of both. 

Help Nuru Expand To 1750 New Families Now And Get Your Donation Matched

Earlier this year, my wife and I visited our work in Kenya and received update after update from individuals who for the first time ever were able to feed their families, and were also learning to save for the future. Their children were going to school, and they were learning about preventative health and sanitation interventions that were reducing the incidence of illness in their homes. So much has happened since this was just an idea being talked about. In 2012, nearly 3000 families were benefitting from Nuru’s programs, and we even began laying groundwork for starting an initiative in a second country.

I’m deeply grateful for what we have been able to do together over these last few years, and I’m excited by the prospect of accomplishing even more together in the future. It has been inspiring for me to have so many friends join us in this work by donating, sharing Nuru’s story, and inviting others to get involved with this work.

In 2013, Nuru is preparing to expand programs to 1750 new families which will mean even more people in southwestern Kenya being equipped with the tools and knowledge to lead their communities out of extreme poverty for good. As 2012 approaches its end, a very generous donor has stepped up to match dollar-for-dollar every donation that is received during the month of December, up to $100,000.  There are less than 96 hours left to take advantage of the opportunity, will you help us hit our goal?

Thanks so much for being Nuru!

Martin Luther King Day 2012

Today we remember the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and his legacy of working toward justice in America and in the world. It's pretty amazing to think about the fact that less than a century ago, the civil rights movement was in full sway. Less than a century ago, schools were segregated, restaurants were segregated, and even bathrooms and water fountains were segregated. Our nation has come a long way since Dr. King's death but there is still much work left to do in the realm of justice.

This weekend, I pulled a book off the shelf called "A Testament of Hope." It is a collection of the writings and speeches of the late Dr. King. I read a sermon, which was Dr. King's last Sunday sermon and it was given at the beautiful National Cathedral in Washington DC on Passion Sunday 1968, just a few years before I was born, almost to the day.

As I read the sermon, all I could think was that it could have been given yesterday just as easily as it could have been given 34 years ago. The words ring as true today as they did in 1968. Here's a small section.

"First, we are challenged to develop a world perspective. No individual can live alone, no nation can live alone, and anyone who feels he can live alone is sleeping through a revolution."

And another.

"Something positive must be done, everyone must share in the guilt as individuals and as institutions."

And yet another.

"There is another thing closely related to racism that I would like to mention as another challenge. We are challenged to rid our nation and our world of poverty. Like a monstrous octopus, poverty spreads its nagging, prehensile tentacles into villages and hamlets all over our world."

Dr. King, in this sermon centered the message around these words of Jesus, "Behold I make all things new--former things are passed away."

And as a closing remark, may the closing words of Dr. King's sermon be our prayer today, and every day, until Jesus returns.

"God grant that we will be participants in this newness and this magnificent development. If we will but do it, we will bring about a new day of justice and brotherhood and peace. And that day the morning stars will sing together and the sons of God will shout for joy. God bless you."

Serving For The Holidays

It was a little after noon, when I hopped in the car with Jamie and her parents and we made our way to the First United Methodist Church of Clarksburg.  Jamie had invited me into a tradition that had been part of her family since she was in middle school.  Each year, her family drives into town on Christmas day, not to take gifts to another relatives house, but to serve people behind the scenes.

We showed up and were given aprons and our charge—clean dishes until they were all done. “Why were the dishes dirty?” you might ask.  Well, they were dirty because the church had prepared over 1000 meals to be distributed throughout the county, and also enjoyed in the meeting hall of the church.  It was pretty amazing, and reminded me of serving  in a kitchen with my Dutch and American missionary friends one year in Amsterdam, but that is another story.

It was really special being able to give to benefit others as we worked on Christmas day.  It felt really refreshing to serve, and I hope that it is a tradition we can continue in coming years.   It is far to easy to make the holidays about us, about the presents we get, about the quality of the presents we give, or about other things that really have minimal lasting benefit, but there is something really special that happens in us as well as in others when we get out of our comfort zones and serve. 

Every time I spend time with Jamie and her family, I’m simply amazed at the way Christ shines through them in both subtle and profound ways, and I find myself learning and growing in my love for Him as well as for those around me. 

As I scrubbed out pots and pans, I thought about the generosity of the church for opening its doors to provide this service.  I thought about the 1279 people who had meals delivered to their homes by volunteers.  I thought about the volunteers who were driving around town with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and pumpkin pie and a little smile came on my face as I thought about lonely people who were greeted by a smiling face and a meal on Christmas day.  If only we would see more love of our neighbor, then maybe this world would be a much more beautiful and safe place for all.  

Happy Holidays From Nuru!

Happy Holidays From Nuru (Full Version) from Nuru International on Vimeo.

This holiday season is different for the people of Kuria, Kenya. Seven thousand people are beginning to experience a life filled with choices and opportunities. It's really hard to believe that just a little over two years ago, Nuru International sent it's first team on the ground to begin working toward a sustainable and scalable solution to ending the greatest humanitarian crisis of our generation, and now there is hope where once there was despair and desperation. It's hard to believe that things you and I take for granted, like being able to afford to send their young ones to elementary school or having enough food for everyone in one's family to eat, are being experienced by many people in Kuria, Kenya for the first time this holiday season.

Together, we have witnessed change that has quickly moved from a handful of people to literally thousands. It is absolutely amazing to think that Nuru has had such a transforming impact so quickly, but there is still much more work to be done. A spark has caught flame, and candles are being lit. Lives are being changed, person by person, and family by family. People are stepping up and spreading hope, light, and Nuru.

This year, as you begin your Christmas shopping, will you consider making a contribution to Nuru? Three families have stepped forward to match donations that come in during the the month of December. This is a great time to double your impact and contribute to lasting change for people you may never meet, but who could benefit greatly from your generosity. Thanks for considering giving a special gift to Nuru's work this month.

Ash Wednesday 2010

It is once again the lenten season, and this year, I thought I would take advantage of facebook and twitter to get some input on what people are doing for their lenten commitments. Of course feel free to read these blog posts from 2007-2009 to find out more about why I take time to examine my life during lent.

So people are giving up everything from red meat to sweets, and some are just drinking water so they can give the money they would have spent on other beverages to help make life better people in the developing world. Some are choosing not to eat out, or to maintain healthy habits like exercise. There are even a couple of people who are giving up snow (but there may be Someone else who has a say in that). It’s actually pretty cool to see so many people making commitments to yield areas of their life and practice self-control.

As for me, this year I’ve had a bit of difficulty. I mean the point of the lenten fast is to draw closer to Christ. We give up bad habits to know Christ better, or we commence new habits that help us draw more closely to Him. I’ve been trying to what things in my life distract me from knowing Christ more intimately, and I feel like it’s a little bit of everything, but none of it is essentially bad in and of itself. Part of the idea of lent is that we give up or add in order that we can better identify with Christ during his fast in the wilderness as well.

So here’s what I am thinking for myself this year. I think I’m going to attempt to make a habit of fixed hour prayer. In one sense, it’s nothing huge. I mean I’m not planning to spend 2 hours/day in prayer or read my Bible for 45 minutes or anything like that. Rather, I’m thinking about taking a few moments at 6AM, 9AM, noon, 3PM, and 6PM to just pause and reorient and center my life on Jesus. Just a few seconds—again it’s nothing huge like giving up soft drinks or caffeine, but my hope is that it will be pretty significant.

I don’t know if anyone can relate, but I feel like I can so easily get distracted during my day and miss out on the idea that whatever I do, I should do it with my whole heart and as an act of worship to God. Often, I find myself just doing tasks for the sake of people or organizations, or because they are good habits. I am also going to reduce my food consumption and do a partial fast during the week and increase my giving and service as I practice simplicity, but this year I just want to be intentional about knowing Christ better.

If you think of it, say a prayer for me as I strive to take a different tact with lent. I’m praying for you as I write this. My prayer is that if you participate in lent, regardless what you choose to add or take away from your life, that you would grow to be more like Jesus, and be more centered on Him.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great lent, maintain your commitments, and know Christ better!

Do They Know It's Christmas? Part I Commercial Christmas

Last night we started a new series at h2o called Do They Know it’s Christmas that will take us to the end of the semester. This week in particular we looked at a story Jesus told about a man who had so much stuff he found himself needing to build bigger barns. Before Jesus tells the story, he warns people to guard themselves against covetousness and tells them that their life consists of more than the abundance of their possessions.

Essentially, he says the exact opposite of what modern marketing gurus would like us to believe. Many of us have heard the story multiple times, and yet, when we are succumbed to over 30,000 commercials a year (on average) not to mention countless billboards, neon signs, and newspaper ads, it is easy to drown out the voice that tells us we have more than enough.

In the words of Ron Sider in his book Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, “The increasingly affluent standard of living is the god of the twenty-first century in Northa America, and the adman is its prophet.” His book doesn’t say that Christians are the problem, he just argues that affluence is not our god. But you know, if you were to look at the average American household, you might be tempted to think that our source of strength was found in the amount of stuff we could hoard. It is so easy to get caught up in “building bigger barns” or believing the lie that life does not consist in more than the abundance of our possessions. And so we go out and spend money like crazy to buy more stuff—last year Americans spent $455 billion during the holidays.

It’s not that buying things is bad either. Especially around Christmas time it is nice to celebrate the arrival of our Savior by exchanging gifts since God gave us the ultimate gift in Christ. But do we need to be so excessive in our spending? Sometimes I feel like we can get caught up in “building bigger barns” as the holidays arrive. I don’t want to seem trite or judgemental or even seem like I have it all together—because anybody who knows me well knows that I don’t. I still oooohhhh and aaaaaahhhhhh over every new release that apple makes.

But maybe, as we scurry about this holiday season, we can think about gifts and giving in a different vein. Last year, I made photo albums for my family and sort of wrote a little “book” for them. I think it might have been the best gift I had ever given. Instead of giving them more stuff, I gave them something that I took time and care and LOVE and placed them all into this unique gift.

My mom made me a quilt and a scarf just a couple of years before she died. While I won’t see my mom again until the day I go to be with Jesus, every time I see the things she has made, I am reminded of the intense love she has for me, and that she took the time to care for me many, many times over the years of my life. And to me, that’s the most meaningful gift of all.

Seems like it rings familiar of another story I read where someone else loved so much that He worked tirelessly to give us what we really needed in the greatest act of love history has ever known.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if our gifts echoed that this year.