Howdy,
Besides the fact that both contain, y'know, Christians, my churches actually have a little link to each other.
There are 7 continents in the world, and about 7 billion people.
There are 1 billion people in Africa, spread out over 61 territories.
There's an area known as Tanzania.
Inside of Tanzania there is a region known as Chamwino.
In that area, there are about 41,000 people. (Man, I do loves me some Wikipedia.)
Guess where both of my churches have sent missionaries to?
A few gals from Quest headed there a week or two ago, and I have a gal in NSFC who has been there two or three times. I'm sure there are some 6 degrees in there somewhere... but what if people who have traveled across the country to help others have met. Even though they only live a few miles from each other. ;)
Coincidence is a load of bull. I'm a big fan of providence. Or, if you need someone more esteemed:
"If coincidences exist, why do they always feel so contrived?" -Fox Mulder
Showing posts with label africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label africa. Show all posts
Monday, July 27, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Social Upgrading
Both my churches are big fans of global justice. We want the world to become a better place, and we'd like to think that we can help in some small matter.
Not surprisingly, the "cooler" of the two churches focuses most of their efforts on Asia. The congregation is largely Korean, so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't focus on Korean and island nations.
"Quakerville" is a little more old-fashioned. We stick to good ol' Africa. (You can always find plenty of poor and hungry folks in Africa. Always.)
Still, with all our care and concern for missions, it surprises me how often we're taken aback. I wasn't aware that human trafficking was more popular now than ever. Still, given the amount of dirt-cheap products being cranked out, I can't say that I was horribly shocked.
Yesterday the congregation of my home church was told that 4 million people had died in the Congo wars and that 100,000 women had been raped with very little judicial action against such a heinous crime. I'm not sure which is worse; the number of people who didn't have any clue and were completely shocked, or the fact that I wasn't surprised at all.
Plenty of people in the world to care about. But with 6.5 billion people and limited time, there are many that slip through the cracks and out of our scope of knowledge.
The day wasn't a complete somber-fest. I had probably the best hand-holder next to me in church. (Hand-holding/shaking is a lost art...)
Not surprisingly, the "cooler" of the two churches focuses most of their efforts on Asia. The congregation is largely Korean, so I don't see any reason why they wouldn't focus on Korean and island nations.
"Quakerville" is a little more old-fashioned. We stick to good ol' Africa. (You can always find plenty of poor and hungry folks in Africa. Always.)
Still, with all our care and concern for missions, it surprises me how often we're taken aback. I wasn't aware that human trafficking was more popular now than ever. Still, given the amount of dirt-cheap products being cranked out, I can't say that I was horribly shocked.
Yesterday the congregation of my home church was told that 4 million people had died in the Congo wars and that 100,000 women had been raped with very little judicial action against such a heinous crime. I'm not sure which is worse; the number of people who didn't have any clue and were completely shocked, or the fact that I wasn't surprised at all.
Plenty of people in the world to care about. But with 6.5 billion people and limited time, there are many that slip through the cracks and out of our scope of knowledge.
The day wasn't a complete somber-fest. I had probably the best hand-holder next to me in church. (Hand-holding/shaking is a lost art...)
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