When I first started working with the ELCA World Hunger program, I couldn't eat when I was at work.  Not because I didn't have food, or because I wasn't hungry.  After reading, thinking and talking about world hunger at work, I just felt terrible that I had food in the refrigerator, and so many others did not.  Granted, I was not working full time here, so for me it was merely a once-a-week reminder of what an empty stomach felt like.  But really, when was the last time you were actually hungry?  For many of us, the clock dictates when we eat rather than our stomachs.  And the array of food choices we have are amazing.  It's not a question of IF, but WHAT we will eat.

As a mother, I cannot fathom the agony of mothers who are unable to feed their children.  Not just food they enjoy, but anything substantial and nutritious.  My children's worst food problems are that they don't like what I've cooked!

For the record, I have overcome my inability to eat on the days I am at work.  I do feel thankful each time I reach for my lunch though, and motivated to work on behalf of those who don't have that luxury.  With that, I am off to warm up my butternut squash soup from last night's dinner.  In case you're wondering, my kids did not like it, but my husband and I enjoyed it throughly.

Erin Cummisford

Go and Do Likewise

I was reflecting this last week on Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. The parable is a beautiful and surprising call to act on behalf of those who are in need, irrespective of race or creed. What I especially like about the parable is that when the expert in the law asks, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus completely changes the frame of reference. Rather than answering who, Jesus tells the expert how. The Samaritan exemplifies love of neighbor in his unfettered and extravagant care for a person in need. He transcends historic prejudices to bring healing, at no small expense to himself.

Augustine offers a curious interpretation of this parable. He allegorizes nearly every detail in the story—the man is Adam, the three robbers are the devil and the devil’s angels, the man is left dead in sin, the Samaritan is Christ, the inn is the Church (and Paul is the innkeeper!) and so on. I’ve always felt that Augustine’s elaborate interpretation revealed more about his brilliant mind than the intent of the parable. In fact, I wonder if his theological bent actually mitigates the force of the story—instead of hearing the call to “go and do likewise,” our attention is drawn to the activity of God. While reflecting on the goodness of God is not a bad thing, I worry that an interpretation like that of Augustine could lull us into complacency and inactivity.

But perhaps Augustine’s interpretation is not so sinister. The reality is that it is difficult to truly love and serve even people that we like, let alone those for whom we don’t have a natural affinity. Augustine reminds us of the grace of God revealed in the Christ event, that transformative power that enables us to live out the call to love our neighbors, both near and far, in the same way that we love ourselves.

David Creech

What Moves You?

Tomorrow night my wife is hosting (and participating in) a benefit concert for the Millenium Development Goals (if you live in the Chicago area and are interested in joining us, check out the website here). As we were talking about her event over coffee, she asked me how I would talk about the MDGs. I think my top two talking points are raising awareness of the enormity of hunger and poverty and stressing the Christian call to respond. She did not like either idea. The statistics are too depressing and bringing faith into the discussion may turn some people off, she reasoned. So this got me thinking. We all have different backgrounds and experiences, and respond differently pressing issues. I know what motivates me to action, what motivates you? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Biodiversity in Crops

I think I can fairly say that the loss of biodiversity in the world is something the media reports regularly. We hear about polar bears and how many other animals face extinction. We hear about how much rain forest is being cut down each day and what a loss that presents not only for the animals and plants that live there, but also the future of pharmaceutical discovery.


What I personally have heard less about is the loss of crop diversity. Here's something I came across today on the Web site of the Global Crop Diversity Trust: "...of the 7100 varieties of apple cultivated in USA 100 years ago, 6800 have disappeared forever."


We're down to 300 varieties of apples here. That's nearly a 96% drop! Of something we eat! They also say that about 165,000 crop varieties (all types of food) are currently endangered. It's not boding well for food security in the world.


The Global Crop Diversity Trust site gives several reasons that crop diversity is dropping, and one of them is climate change. Rising temperatures and drought are not helpful to many crops, especially in places that already trend toward the hot and dry.


There are lots of ways that climate change affects hunger in the world. Killing off the things we eat is the most direct one I've considered.

-Nancy Michaelis

Frightening Math

I've heard the statistic several times before: about 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger related diseases. I knew that translated into about one death every 3.6 seconds, or about the time it takes an adult to take a deep breath (if you have not already, check out this multimedia presentation on the ELCA World Hunger website). That is a scary thought. Here's another way to see it--this next year, nearly 9 million people will die of hunger or a hunger related disease. That's one and a half times the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. In one year. When faced with the horror of the Holocaust, the aptly named "Confessing Church" in Germany stood up against the powers and structures that allowed such an atrocity. Will the Church today follow their example?

Something in the Air (or Water)

I was planning on posting on water today. While I was perusing the web, I came across this excellent slideshow (with audio) and an accompanying brief article. Both deserve some time. Several points are noteworthy and I will mention two. First, waterborne illnesses, which according to their figures affect 2 million people annually (this is probably an underestimate), are preventable. All that is needed is access to clean water, and we have the technology to either move or purify water relatively cheaply (if you have not done so already, check out what the ELCA World Hunger did in Peru for only $7,000). Second, even for those who have access to clean water, very often that water is miles away. It is usually the women who are responsible for the gathering of water. There is a tragic picture in the slideshow of a four year old girl with a large bucket on her head, on her way to fetch water. She will fetch water instead of going to school. This is the plight of millions of women, and without education there is no hope to break the cycle of poverty.

So what can we do? I was thinking about water because when I was in Washington this last weekend at the 2008 Hunger Symposium, I learned that the SW Washington synod had committed to getting off of bottled water. They had taken the challenge offered at http://www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org/, and were working to get the word out (check out the website, they have facts and resources, including a great reusable water bottle that makes quite a statement). Bottled water is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and according to this NYT op-ed piece, if Americans spent only one quarter of what they spent on bottled water to address global water issues, we would have a very good start on getting clean water to all (not to mention all the environmental costs that we would avoid in manufacturing and shipping bottles). So get your reusable bottle, and donate the money you save to address this pressing issue.

David Creech

Living with natural disasters

While thinking about my third month anniversary of entering the ELCA universe of World Hunger & Disaster Appeal, I am both excited and humbled by my assignment. Never during my entire professional life have I been in such a supportive environment of colleagues. The learning curve is high and the mission of helping people both at home and across the borders is taken seriously and done with great passion and hard work. Fortunately, I have never lived through a natural disaster and I promise you, I have never experienced true hunger. I have been very blessed. So, in order to evolve my understanding and identification to others less fortunate in these experiences and consider the great importance of our efforts, I recently visited the Field Museum’s “Nature Unleashed – Inside Natural Disasters.” I walked through the Earth’s history of natural disasters in the formats of visual and audio recordings, pictures, interactive exercises and explanations of Hurricanes, Tornados, Earthquakes, and Volcanoes. I came across the following quote in seeking an answer for why these disasters happen:

“Hurricanes, Tornados, Earthquakes and Volcanoes can be disastrous for people. But on a planet fueled by heat, these vents are simply signs that the engine is running. Life on this dynamic Earth will not always be easy. Our challenge – to live here as safely as possible.” Unknown Author

I learned that heat in the Earth’s core and from the Sun cause such events to occur. My next question was, “what kind of good things can come from such unfortunate experiences, both here and abroad?” I later read these words:

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin". By William Shakespeare

Out of something as horrible as suffering from natural disasters, arise partnerships fueled by compassion. Walls of division that normally keep us captive in our own section of the world are torn down. As a result, we create new relationships and provide shelter, food, funding and most of all hope to families for a better tomorrow. This is my new place. A team of hope carriers that help make this volatile Earth we share connect and become a family.

Travel to Nicaragua tonight ... Virtually

Earlier this year I shared a little bit about my trip to Nicaragua to visit Fair Trade coffee farmers. Tonight at 7PM Central Time--from the comfort of your own home or office--you can hear directly from Lutheran World Relief workers in Nicaragua and at their Baltimore headquarters about how Fair Trade makes a difference for the people who produce the goods we buy.

Check it out:

Have You Clicked Today?

For the last couple years, my computer's home webpage has been www.thehungersite.com. When I log onto the internet, the website's page opens up with a nice orange button. When I click on that button, 1.1 cups of staple food is donated to hungry people all around the world. Sponsors pay for the advertisements (and most of the products are earth and hunger friendly) so all it costs me is about 5 seconds of my time. You should try it sometime!

Holy Cow!

This week's New York Times Magazine is all about food (see it here). In the issue, Michael Pollan, one of my favorite food authors, offers several food policy suggestions to the next president. He links health care, energy independence, and climate change to current (unsustainable) agricultural practices. The whole article is worth reading and reflection. My thoughts have been drawn repeatedly to one statistic cited in the piece--the average American consumes over 190 pounds of meat annually. Since it takes about 8 pounds of feed for 1 pound of beef, that means that the average American consumes 1,520 pounds of food annually, just in meat. That's 3/4 of a ton! Given the environmental toll of US agricultural practices, and the fact that the poor (both at home and abroad) are most vulnerable to the effects of global climate change, I think I'll have a salad for dinner tonight.

A district prepares to show their local dance

The following was written by Emily Davila, Assistant Director, Lutheran Office for World Community

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Before you enter a village in Papua New Guinea, you have to be invited in. After taking a power boat 3 hours up the coast from Madang, I arrived at the tiny village of Saibor, home to around 200 people. The villagers greeted us singing what sounded like Christian rock on guitars, placed two leis around my neck and escorted me to the entrance of the village where they had created a giant doorway out of palm fronds. They asked me why I had come to the village - the correct response is “to pray with you” - so I said that, and then we prayed together. Then I broke through the palm fronds to the other side. It was kind of like a football team breaking through the paper before the big home game. On the other side men were wearing red paint, grass skirts, and doing a ceremonial dance. They threw some flower buds at me, painted my face, and I was in.

Of course I was asked to make several speeches and offer official greetings from the United States. Not used to pontificating in public, which they are all pros at, I had a hard time finding the words to say… “Greetings from New York City, we have big bridges and tall buildings, but no one welcomes you like you have welcomed me…”

After the speeches, the village presented me with billums - purses they had woven out of twine or yarn that are to be worn with the strap crossing your forehead. Every man, woman and child in PNG carries one of these. The bag is a big part of the culture, and my hunch is they mainly exist so everyone can carry their beetle nut, a narcotic that turns your teeth red, looks like a big green acorn and grows on trees. To get the effect, they chew the nut mixed with mustard stick and powdered lime (as in the chemical). The combination creates a stream of bright red saliva that spews out of the mouth– so watch out for the pools of red spit on the roads. Anyhow, after visiting 3 villages I was presented with nearly a dozen billums, ranging from bright pink woven straw, to knitted mauve with the red and black PNG flag, to a plastic black and white one with sea shells attached with strings. You can tell where someone lives in PNG by the type of billum they carry. A billum can be used to do many things — like strung up to hold a sleeping baby, or wrapped around the front of the body as a shirt.

But having returned to NYC, the city of no welcome, I am thinking about the gesture of peace the Papua New Guineans make by building that palm fence. A country with a long history of colonization, tribal wars and even cannibalism, it’s no wonder they ask the visitor, “why are you here?” Visiting the remote coastal towns, I was impressed by how pristine they were, still practicing their same customs, communal and egalitarian, untouched by globalization. They farm and raise pigs and still trade for a lot of their goods because money is hard to come by. It seems idyllic — until you need to give birth or get malaria. Hospitals and health clinics are long journeys from many coastal and highland villages, and women sometimes end up giving birth on the back of bison as they travel to get help.

Papua New Guinea culture is changing, some of the old traditions are slowly disappearing, but I think alot will stay the same for a long time out of sheer isolation. With no roads, tough terrain and high petrol costs for boats, “development” is just too expensive. For Papua New Guinea, this is both a blessing and a curse.

Emily Davila

Greetings!

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is David Creech and I am the new Director of Global Hunger Education at the ELCA Churchwide Office. I am just finishing up (hopefully) my PhD in Theology, with an emphasis in New Testament and early Christianity. I am excited to participate in that long stream of Christian tradition that looks out for widows and orphans, or, in our context, the most vulnerable people in our global village.

The Gospels tell us that Jesus came announcing that the kingdom of God had arrived. Its coming meant that the poor would hear the good news, the sick would be healed, and the hungry would be fed. Throughout his ministry Jesus invited his disciples to join him in living out the kingdom. The first followers of Jesus were notorious for their care of the orphan and the widow. Greek and Roman authors mercilessly ridiculed the early Christians for their naïve (and self-sacrificing) attention given to the most vulnerable persons in the Roman Empire. 2,000 years later the Church is still called to live out the kingdom of God by meeting the needs of those who are most desperate.

Today, the most vulnerable in our global village are the chronically hungry. Though the statistics may be familiar, they are worth repeating:

• Over 850 million people wake up and go through their day until they finally go to bed without ever having their hunger assuaged. That’s nearly one in six people. Sadly, one in six people are also over fed.
• Every day, more than 31,000 children die of hunger and other related, and preventable, causes.
• Approximately one-half of the people in the world are malnourished.
• Perhaps most frightening of all, there is enough food for every person in the world—men, women, and children—to have 2,500 calories per day.

The numbers are staggering. They can be paralyzing. They call the Church to be and do what it has historically been and done. I am so thrilled to be a part of that mission and I look forward to conversations with all who want to see God's kingdom here on earth.

Education and Women's Rights in Papua New Guinea

The following was written by Emily Davila, Assistant Director, Lutheran Office for World Community.

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I spent the last week in Papua New Guinea - not something I ever expected to do! With over 800 languages, communication in PNG is fascinating. There is no internet and even phones are hard to come by, a few cell phones are here and there. Most people I met promised to write me - as in a letter. We will see how that goes.

I went to PNG as an invited guest to a Lutheran women’s conference. Colonized by Germans, more than one-fifth of the country is Lutheran. One of the key features of the conference was a bible study called “Jesus Liberates women in PNG from male dominated cultures.”

Growing up, Pastor Michael, a seminary professor, watched his mother suffer in a polygamous marriage. His father, a “bigman” would forceably take the pigs she raised so that he could enjoy a high status in the community, beating her if necessary. When menstruating, women were (and still are in some places) secluded, and some believe that even the food they touch is contaminated so they are not allowed to cook meals. After the age of 13, Michael was discouraged from spending time with his mother. Because of a tradition called the “Bride price” -similar to a dowry- a woman cannot divorce her husband because her family is expected to pay the money back. By paying for their wives, it encourages a culture where many men consider their wives a possession. In the case of Michael's sister, despite the fact that she was often beaten by her husband, culturally, it was impossible to divorce him and she eventually committed suicide.

All this caused Pastor Michael to read the bible searching for stories of women’s liberation. At the conference he distributed a 60-page book written in Pidgin (the national language) and English that systematically unwraps the stories of women in the bible to deliver a message of respect and encouragement for women’s leadership. It ends with a chapter: “Jesus’ approach to the Samaritan Women (and others) could be a model for PNG men to follow." Some of the suggestions:
-PNG men should put aside their beliefs of gender-based concepts of clean and unclean…
-Women ought to be given equal invitation and opportunity for leadership roles in the church
-Women should be given equal theological education…
-Women should be ordained

Now - the format of this communication was not modern: it came in a dense booklet - footnotes - even the original greek in some cases. But he systematically made the argument for gender equality in a country where it is an urgent life or death issue with one of the highest infant and maternal death rates in the world. He took nearly 8 hours over four days to deliver his lecture to 1,000 women and some men, including high ranking pastors and the Bishop.

But this is an oral culture, so the women may not read this thesis booklet. But they will remember his new interpretations of the Samaritan woman and the woman at the well, and they will take it home to their villages and retell the stories. They asked him to address the synod meeting next year, which will be mainly men, and hopefully this will happen. In a male-dominated culture, it will help women gain credibility to have a man - and the Bible - speaking on their behalf.

I think this was a historic occasion in PNG, and it speaks to the power of education. He went to school and chose to study this subject, and is now preaching a new gospel in his own language in a country that is hungry for it. The “West” cannot export gender equality, it has to come from the grassroots within. PNG is a very religious country. They have mixed Christianity with their own beliefs and it permeates almost everything they do. I can’t think of a more credible way for a gender equality movement to gain foothold in this country.

Heros in faith

I visited on of my heroes last Thursday. I had heard that Ken Peterson, from NE Minnesota, was being moved to hospice care, so I decided to make a pastoral call.
If you don't know Ken, let me tell you a few things. He has been working for social justice since the mid-60's. He once said that he felt the tug of the Spirit when he took a bus ride through the south and heard a young Black man talk about freedom and dreams. I will always think of Ken as a red (flannel shirt) liberal. Who would think you would find one in the woods of Northern Minnesota. Ken loves Jesus, the Bible, and the church, probably in that order. He has farmed his entire life on land that his grandfather homesteaded and that has never been tainted by human concocted chemicals. He is loved by his family, friends and nearly anyone who has ever met him. He is the salt of the earth.
Ken told me the best time he had working to end hunger was in the 1980's touring Minnesota, city by city, in nearly revival style. His small group told the stories and encouraged stodgy Minnesotans to remember Jesus' call to care for the poor. In that trip they met over 800 people who committed to helping the cause.
I spent about an hour with Ken laughing (he has not lost his humor), crying, telling stories and, for me, gaining more wisdom. I asked him what advice he might have for the rest of us, especially for someone who might be just entering justice oriented ministry. He thought for a moment and then said, "work for peace". He went on to say that unless we can achieve peace we will never be able to fully conquer hunger. With his signature smile he said, "you know the peace I mean, the peace that passes all understanding!" I sense he was talking about peace within the minister (lay or ordained) as well as in the world.
He complained that his eyes keep watering alot, as where mine, and we prayed. I wish I had been able to spend more time with this hero of mine, both last week and through life. I cherish what I was given. I am now thinking that I need to find other heroes and be intentional in sitting in their presence. Keep Ken and his family in your prayers.
Rodger

ELCA on the Travel Channel

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is currently running two ads on the Travel Channel. You can view them here. According to the ELCA News Service:

"'We hope that through television, billboards and printmedia, members of the
ELCA will be equipped to own and tell this church's story, the story of what God
is doing in us and through us for the sake of the world,' Bangert said."

We in ELCA World Hunger especially like these two ads because in addition to telling what it means to be Lutheran, they also demonstrate that there are many ways to approach the problem of hunger. Again, from the ELCA News Service:

"One television spot -- "Hope" -- shows a woman quizzing her daughter as they
walk along a road near Yeumbeul, Senegal. It highlights Senegal Lutheran
Mission, which teaches women how to start their own businesses.

The other spot -- "Dignity" -- opens with workers setting tables in a fancy
restaurant. The "restaurant" is actually Trinity Lutheran Church, Bismarck,
N.D., and volunteers are preparing a banquet for homeless neighbors."

I've written before about the importance of girls education to reducing poverty and hunger. Teaching women how to start their own businesses falls along the same lines and addresses the 3rd Millennium Development Goal: Promote gender equality and empower women. Poverty is disproportionately prevalent among female-headed households. In many places, patriarchal societies make it difficult for women to own property, find work, or participate in decisions that effect them. Thus marginalized, they lack the means to provide for themselves or their children.

On the other hand, women who are able to earn their own incomes have more choices and greater ability to lift themselves out of poverty. What's more, this ability typically spills over to their children. Educated women are better positioned to tend to their children's health and educational needs, thus raising a future generation that is also healthier and more skilled. Beyond education, women with their own income have greater access to resources, and more power in their communities. The work the ELCA is doing in Senegal and other places to help women start their own businesses is critically important to ending hunger.

The ad about serving a meal to homeless neighbors is another part of the fight to end hunger. Education is critically important, but when you're hungry right now, simply eating is top priority. Without adequate food and nutrition, people are more vulnerable to illness, lack the calories to physically move through the day, and are less able to concentrate. Is it any wonder that hungry people are unable to work and, without work, unable to pay for shelter? In such cases, food aid is just as important as longer-term solutions like education. Again, the work of the ELCA is critically important to ending hunger.

It's a lot to think about during that next commercial break.

-Nancy Michaelis