Grace B

SOOO Behind

2011-01-18T08:05:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened since I last posted. I went to Guatemala with the Chalmers Center on a wonderful trip where I got to teach classes on small business principles for low-income people.

With Sara Mamani from Bolivia, a member of the Chalmers Global Fellowship of Trainers and FABULOUS facilitator. She and I co-taught the class. She's amazing.

Teaching. LOVED this. Great group of students and practical subject.

Market set up in Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

I went to Peru for work on Peru Paper with Mason and designer (now my new BFF) Elizabeth Carlock and had a wonderful time with them and the Peru Paper ladies.

Riding in a taxi in Trujillo w/ Mason and Elizabeth

In the Trujillo Plaza de Armas with Mason

Then, Mason and I got engaged the day before Thanksgiving!!! So, my life has been busy and wonderful and full of wedding planning and trying to run a business in the midst of everything. See here for more wedding info and the engagement story! Keep up with Peru Paper on our website, Facebook, and twitter. Still LOTS going on there and many new things in store!

With Mason outside my parent's house on Thanksgiving Day.

Now, I'm getting ready for the Dallas Market Center! Leaving tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

End of Lausanne Report

2010-11-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here's the end of the report on the Lausanne trip to First Pres. Jackson last Sunday. (Read the first part in the previous post.) I'll report on what's going on in Guatemala soon!

We were exhorted by Os Guiness to remember the importance of truth in a plural world, heard from Tim Keller about the importance of taking the Gospel to the cities, learned from Femi Adeleye of Nigeria of the harm and false teaching of the prosperity gospel which is rampant across the world, heard from Antoine Rutayisire from Rwanda how only the Gospel can bring healing and reconciliation to a country torn apart by genocide.

We also heard riveting testimonies from people around the world including:

-Christians suffering from AIDS

-a Nigerian pastor who has routinely been beaten and had his life threatened for preaching the name of Christ

-a widow whose husband was martyred while on a medical mission in Afghanistan earlier this year who challenged us to be the aroma of Christ to those who are perishing so that they might seek and find the true bread of life

-an orphan from North Korea whose father was arrested and most likely killed by the North Korean government for his gospel ministry who now has a heart for the people of North Korea and is seeking to return to that country to spread the love of Christ, despite enormous dangers to her.

-a woman from India who works with International Justice Mission to free people caught in modern day slavery and many, many more stories of those laboring for the cause of Christ, people of “whom this world is not worthy.”

Some of you may have heard that the delegation of nearly 200 people from China was not allowed by their government to attend the conference. This reminder of the religious persecution faced by those around the world today spurred us on to pray for their protection and witness, while simultaneously being encouraged that the gospel of Jesus Christ will go forth, even under difficult circumstances.

Also very noticeable at the conference was the emphasis on the shift of the center of Christianity to the global south: to Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Christianity is no longer a Western religion, and the Western church was humble in seeking encouragement and partnership with those around the world while recognizing the need to hold fast to the truth of Scripture; to not be ensnared by the false idols of materialism, consumerism, and secularism; and to see that God truly is raising up for Himself a people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

We were encouraged by letters from Billy Graham and John Stott, both who were pivotal in starting Lausanne decades ago, but who were not able to physically participate in this Congress due to their health and age. We were encouraged as Hebrews 13:7 states to “remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

I was personally encouraged to meet and fellowship with people from around the globe who claimed the name of Christ and sought to make His name known in their countries and around the world. Meeting Christians whose lives are in danger for even speaking the name of Christ was humbling, but knowing that they are ministering the word of God in those contexts and were more zealous for the gospel than I have ever been was a challenge and exhortation to me unlike any I have ever experienced. It was incredible to see how God’s kingdom is expanding and Christianity is growing to reach every part of the world.

The closing worship ceremony last Sunday was a foretaste of heaven as people from around the globe gathered to take communion, hear the truth of God’s word, and worship our risen Lord together. Singing “In Christ Alone” together was a moving experience, and meditating on the words “for every sin on Him was laid,” knowing that the thousands present represented the billions of people on earth, making the cost of our salvation and the worth of Christ more real to me than ever before. We ended the conference by singing “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” as was sung at the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland and anticipation of the day when we will together with the whole world celebrate the lamb upon his throne!

Update on Lausanne

2010-11-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday night, I gave an update at my church, First Pres. in Jackson, about the trip to Lausanne. Also, I just arrived in Chichicastenango, Guatemala for a CEDI (Christian Economic Development Institute), so I'll try to update on here. Read more about the CEDI here.

But, back to the Lausanne update. It's a little long to read, so I'll post it in two parts. Here's the first part:

I, along with Dr. Duncan, was privileged to recently participate in the third-ever worldwide Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism held in Capetown, South Africa. The Congress brought together over 4,000 representatives from evangelical Christianity from 198 countries. This global church council came together to discuss pressing issues facing the spread of the Gospel worldwide. The Capetown 2010 website states that meetings like this “allow the body of Christ to come together on issues which impact the integrity of the gospel and the future of the life and witness of the church.” Some of the issues discussed included “responding redemptively to challenges to the gospel by other beliefs; HIV/AIDS; poverty; the need for in-depth discipleship, environmental concerns; and globalization and urbanization” among others. Capetown 2010 was designed to allow brothers and sisters in Christ to come together as leaders in the church, prayerfully seeking God’s wisdom for solutions to overcome the barriers to sharing the good news of the Gospel.” The theme verse of the week was 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God in Christ, reconciling the world to himself,” a fitting verse as it points us to the truth that it is through Christ that we are reconciled to God and that this reconciliation is for the whole world.

For those of you not familiar with the Lausanne movement, it was started by Billy Graham, when in 1974 he initiated the first worldwide Congress on world evangelism in Lausanne, Switzerland, gathering leaders from around the globe for discussion, fellowship, worship, and prayer, seeking to be “The Whole Church taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole World". Since 1974, dozens of Lausanne-related global, regional, and topical conferences have been convened all over the world, with a second worldwide congress held in Manila, Philippines in 1989. The Capetown meeting sought “to discern where the church should put its efforts and energies so that we can most effectively respond to Christ’s call to take the gospel into all the world and make disciples of people,” with three primary goals: a greater sense of unity in the body of Christ, a greater sense of clarity of the gospel, and a greater sense of ordered priority in the task before us.

It is impossible to sum up all we learned, experienced, and felt during 7 very full days of sitting under the preaching of God’s word; worshipping with believers of different nationalities, cultures, and languages; discussing global issues and how the Gospel applies to them; networking and strategizing for possible partnerships; and hearing how God is at work around the world. It was a stimulating, encouraging, challenging, and humbling time.

The Congress was structured around table groups of 5 and 6 people, allowing you to get to know a small group of people from different countries and discuss the specific issues and how they related to their individual contexts. My table included people from Hong Kong, Germany, India, and Papua New Guinea, and I was thankful for all I learned from them. We studied through the book of Ephesians (which, we have also been reading through here at First Pres.!) with those at our table and heard daily expositions from Ephesians from teachers from around the world, including John Piper from the US who challenged us that we are to care about all human suffering, temporal and especially eternal, and that to not care about human suffering indicated that we either had a defective view of hell or a defective heart. Challenging words indeed!

South Africa

2010-10-29T08:11:00.001-07:00

Was my last post really in July?! Am I really that boring?! Sorry, folks. There's been a lot going on, and in between updating the Peru Paper website, our facebook and twitter pages, and just keeping up with email and life and running a small business, my blog sat neglected.

The last two and a half weeks, I was in South Africa for the Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism, as well as a bit of sight-seeing. South Africa is a beautiful country with an interesting and often sad history, although grace and redemption abound in their story and people.

South Africa's flag on Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned.

I hope to post more on what I learned and saw, but until then, check out the Lausanne website here and enjoy some of the pictures below while I get back to work!

Clara Lee and I on the ferry to Robben Island

Taken on Robben Island with Capetown and Table Mountain in the background.

Penguins!

Cape of Good Hope

Talking about Peru Paper

2010-07-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Wow- I looked at my blog and realized it's been over a month since I posted anything. It's not that there's nothing going on, because there's been tons going on, actually. I went to a tradeshow in Atlanta where I had a great time with Bethany Heath who was an amazing help in the booth, hung out with my very hospitable extended family, and met some incredible folks with cool businesses. Oh, and I sold cards and got new retail locations too. And Heather an d Calin came to visit me in my booth. Loved seeing friends from Peru state-side...

I'm not really a huge fan of seeing myself on tv, but I do love to tell the story of Peru Paper, and I love for other folks to know us and give us business and tell others. I love how God is using this business to change the lives of women in Peru and encourage people all over the world.

So, watch the interview here if you have the time (and you can fast forward through the parts where the commercials would go on tv, or the cooking part in the middle where you can learn to make blueberry muffins. Unless you'd like to learn to make blueberry muffins...) or, if you're in the Jackson area, it will be on WAPT (ABC) on Sunday morning, Aug 1 (my mom's birthday!) from 10:30-11. I'll be in Sunday School then, but like I said earlier, I'm not a huge fan of seeing myself on tv, so watching it through once on my computer will do for me for now. Although I hope tons of people do watch it to learn more about Peru Paper. Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy! And then go buy some cards. Really. We can't run a business without customers, and without this business, these ladies don't have these jobs (and, also, because they're just cool cards).

My New Favorite Thing

2010-06-26T07:50:00.002-07:00

I've always liked Tim Keller: I love his books The Reason for God and Counterfeit Gods, and I've heard from many that I need to read his other book The Prodigal God (I love his sermon series on the topic.) Also, my good friend Clara Lee works with his church, Redeemer in New York, and I love the work they're doing in NYC and around the world. My newest favorite thing is listening to his podcasts in the car. He is amazingly encouraging and convicting and understands and communicates the Gospel in a way that few do. I'd highly recommend his sermons to anyone and everyone. Get the podcasts on itunes here. If you have questions about Christianity, he answers them and explains the Gospel wonderfully. If you're a Christian, you will be greatly encouraged in your faith.

Cool new products!

2010-06-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

I know my blog has been far from interesting lately (and that's my fault- there's been interesting stuff going on with two markets in the last month), and hopefully I'll pick things up soon. With trips to South Africa and Guatemala and hopefully Peru in store for the rest of 2010, there should be lots of amazing things to tell about new experiences and seeing God at work in new ways.

But, one thing I'm really excited about now is a very cool new product that we've been working on for a while- single initial monogram stationery sets! Yes, that's a mouthful for a product name, but they're very cool and would make great gifts (Father's Day is coming up! Lots of men have expressed interest in these sets.) Check them out, order a set (or 2...or 3!), and tell your friends!

Also, we're adding more retail locations where Peru Paper is sold. Check out the list here and visit the stores in your area!

Updates

2010-05-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

I've had a ton going on lately, and I hope to update the blog about everything that's been going on, especially the National Stationery Show that I was at recently in New York City. I got to hang out with Allen Bradford and Clara Lee who I was with in Peru, my wonderful friend Melissa from grad school, and my wonderful brother.

But, you can check out this other blog to read about what my mom and sister Jackie have been doing lately in Japan! I can't wait to see them when they're home next week and see their pictures and hear how everything has gone.

Russell Moore on the Oil Spill

2010-05-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

I love Dr. Russell Moore. His blog is great. His book Adopted for Life is incredible- everyone who wants to know more of God's heart for orphans (and what our heart should be for orphans) and God's adopting love for his children should read it. His recent blog article entitled "The Gulf of Mexico and the Care of Creation" is worth the read. Here's an excerpt from the article:

We need the creation around us, including the waters and all they contain, because we are not gods. We are creatures who thrive when we live as we were made to live. We exercise dominion over the creation not only when we use it, but also when we conserve it for the generations who will come after.

So pray for the Gulf Coast, that the oil wouldn’t devastate a people and a land already devastated by so much. As you do, remember: real conservatives protect what God loves.

Read all of it here.

This encouraged me today

2010-04-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

This blog post on The Gospel Coalition entitled "All that matters is who God is" was a tremendous encouragement to me. Here's an excerpt for you:

“Well, you say, but though God is able to help me, I fear that God is not willing to help me, and therefore I am discouraged. But be of good comfort, says the Lord, for my name is Merciful, and therefore I am willing to help you.

But you say, though the Lord is willing to help me, yet I am a poor unworthy creature and have nothing at all to move God to help me. Yet be of good comfort, for the Lord says again, My name is Gracious. I do not show mercy because you are good, but because I am good."

Read it all here.

The best way to celebrate Earth Day?

2010-04-21T14:47:00.001-07:00

With $5 off your Peru Paper purchase! Click on the latest newsletter below for more info!

Special on Baby Cards!

2010-04-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

In honor of my new nephew, all baby cards are $1.25 off now through the end of the month! Use the code NEWBABY at checkout to use this discount. Our baby cards are some of my favorites, and I always get compliments whenever I give them. They're also great to frame in a collage in a baby's nursery! Read our latest newsletter below for more info.

Just call me Tia!

2010-04-07T09:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my nephew Carson Bateman Edwards made his grand entrance into the world. He came at 3:52 pm and weighed in at 6 lbs, 13 oz, and was 20 inches long. Rachel did a great job, and Carson's receiving lots of love. As the first grandchild on both sides of the family, he's sure to be spoiled. We're all in love with him, and he's very handsome. We are praising the Lord for a good delivery and a healthy baby.

Less than an hour old.

Mama Rachel and Tia Grace

Beautiful new family.

What's Been Going On

2010-03-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

A lot more than just Peru Paper! I know it seems that's all I've posted about lately (and I'm thankful that there's been a lot to talk about!), but lots of other stuff has happened lately, like my sister Sarah getting married last Saturday! We love our new brother-in-law Guin Kendrick and are so happy he's part of our family.

Sarah and Guin leaving the reception.

Me and Rachel at the rehearsal

Rachel, me, and Jackie waiting for pictures before the ceremony.

If you can't tell from the pictures, my sister Rachel is going to have a baby SOON! I can't wait to be an aunt. Lots of pictures will follow once my nephew makes his grand debut! (And thanks to my cousin Elise for these pictures!)

Who received Peru Paper cards at the Oscars

2010-03-08T20:41:00.000-08:00

Well, the Oscars were last night so the stars got their swag bags, and a lucky group of them got a bag with Peru Paper cards in them. Check out this list. It's pretty amazing to think that all these folks have my cards! Hopefully they'll take the time to read the story behind Peru Paper and see the amazing work that this little business is doing in the lives of some amazing women.

1.Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
2. Colin Firth
3. Jeff Bridges
4. Vera Farmiga
5. Anna Kendrick
6. Morgan Freeman
7. Stanley Tucci
8. Zoe Saldana (Avatar)
9. James Cameron
10. Carey Hannah Mulligan ( Nominee "An Education")
11. Stephen Lang (Actor Avatar)
12. Sandra Bullock
13. Jamie Foxx
14. Mo'Nique
15. Ryan Seacrest
16. Jon Landau (Producer Avatar)
17. Maury Yeston (Song Writer Nominee for "Nine")
18. Jess Dorman Editor "Entertainment Weekly"
19. Mendhi Eftakari GM Four Seasons Hotel Beverly Hills
20. Erika Hampson Producer The New Tenants
21. Sam Bisbee Producer The New Tenants
22. Simon Bax CEO Pixar
23. Maggie Gylanhall
24. Susan Sarandon
25. Oprah Winfrey

Peru Paper in the News

2010-03-05T08:25:00.000-08:00

I've excited about some of the press that Peru Paper has been receiving lately. The biggest news is a story that a Jackson, MS news station ran on our company and how we got our products into Oscar swag bags. (I'll tell you in a minute how we did that.) Watch the video here and read the story on their website here.

Also, my friend Kristina has a great blog and wrote a great post entitled "Inside the Artist's Studio: Peru Paper." She does a wonderful job highlighting some of the women who work with Peru Paper and does a fantastic job explaining what we're trying to accomplish with this business. Check it out here. She put together some great compilation pictures of our cards and the people of Peru Paper.

So, how did I get the cards in Oscar swag bags? Well, there's a fabulous resource called "HARO" (Help a Reporter Out) which all my friends who have their own business should be on. It's an email query list where reporters of all sorts (from major news outlets to mommy bloggers). They also have requests for products for gift bags. A few months ago, I read a query for products for Oscar swag bags. I emailed the lady with the request about having Peru Paper in the gift bags. She like our products, I like who would get the bags (nominees and presenters at the Oscars), so I sent her the cards and am now waiting to see who's going to get the products!

So, check out those stories to see what others are saying about Peru Paper, then go buy some cards to contribute to the success of the story yourself!

Where would you like to see Peru Paper?

2010-02-17T10:28:00.000-08:00

Check out Peru Paper's latest email update. We're looking for new retail locations where our products and story can be on display. Read the email here, and sign up to receive these at our website! Also, the card giveaway is still going on at sweeps4bloggers. Enter to win a Spring Boxed Set!

Haiti: Helping Without Hurting

2010-02-16T14:17:00.000-08:00

Want to learn more about Haiti and how the church can and should be involved? Want to know how you can and should be involved? The Chalmers Center has a 3-part webinar starting tomorrow February 17 from 1-2 pm EST entitled Haiti: Helping Without Hurting. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in relief work in general, what is going on in Haiti, or what long-term work there should look like. The webinar's are free, and you can register here. Definitely worth doing!

Lately

2010-02-15T10:05:00.001-08:00

A few cool things I've gotten to do lately:

1. Attend a 1-year welcome home anniversary party for Karina Nasekos, daughter of Matthew and Sheila Nasekos who God brought into their family through adoption. Karina spent most of her 13 years in a Ukrainian orphanage, and is now a daughter of the Nasekos, a fellow member at First Pres. in Jackson, an advocate with her parents for orphaned and abandoned children, and a joy to all who know her. What a blessed event to celebrate! Check out the Nasekos Family blog to learn more about Karina and her amazing story!

2. Talk to the ladies of Peru Paper on skype last Saturday. Oscar had a meeting with them all to update them on the business and to celebrate Valentine's Day and he called in from his computer. Here's a picture from the call. I loved getting to "see" the ladies and talk with them.

One half of the room- L to R: Monica, Marleny, Teresa, Azucena, Jackeline (and her son)

3. I saw The Blind Side, and I LOVED IT! If you get the chance, go see it. It's a great story about adoption, sports, a family living out their faith, and Michael Oher overcoming some pretty big obstacles among other things. Plus, it was funny and the acting was great. I highly recommend it. It's nominated for an Oscar Best Picture and for Sandra Bullock for Leading Actress. I hope the movie wins both awards!

Peru Paper Card Giveaway!

2010-02-10T13:59:00.000-08:00

Peru Paper Company cards are currently listed on the Sweeps4Bloggers website! I sent some cards in for review, and three Spring Boxed Sets are going to be given away. The lady who runs the site, Valerie, wrote an amazing review of the products and company. Here's a little of what she said:

"Peru Paper is based in an impoverished neighborhood in Trujillo, Peru and gives women the opportunity to earn a livable wage in an area where unemployment and opportunities are scarce. And… the women don’t need to kiss their children goodbye and head off to a factory to work. Peru Paper allows them to work from home as their family schedules permit. The paper is made and the cards are assembled in their own homes! You can read more about these women and see photographs of the paper and card making process on their website....

The women put the cards together precisely. Mine look just like the ones in the picture. The texture of the brightly colored handmade paper is gorgeous. The boxed set would make a great gift as is or you can keep the cards for yourself and make 8 lucky recipients happy."

Check out the entire review here, and enter to win the cards yourself! She posted the instructions with the review, but basically, you write what your favorite card or aspect of the business is and post it to her review, and then you can have bonus entries by following Peru Paper (and Valerie) on facebook and twitter, and joining our newsletter. Let your friends know as well! This is a great way to spread the word about Peru Paper Company! There are other cool things being given away on the website as well...in fact, I might enter to win some of those. (Jason was looking at it last night and kept commenting on all the things he'd like to win.."oohh, a percolator.")
And one last thing, I found out about this through HARO (Help A Reporter Out). EVERYONE in small business (and most everyone else) should check this out and be on their lists. Amazing the exposure you can get through them. Thanks to Marianna at HALO Business advisers for letting me know about HARO!

Thinking About Haiti

2010-01-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

My heart and mind have been full this week with images of Haiti and the devastation there. I wish I could hop on a plane and go down and help. I can't do that (nor do I think I'd be a whole lot of help- I can't speak the language, and I'm not a trained relief or medical professional), so I thought I could help by donating a portion of the sales of Peru Paper Co. this week towards relief work in Haiti. Here's our latest email update, explaining a little more (click on the picture to get a full-size view.)A portion of our sales will go to Food for the Hungry's relief efforts in Haiti. You can also click on the link to the right to make a donation to them or read more about their work. In that email, I reference the generosity of many towards the people of Peru after the earthquake there in 2007. To read some about that, visit my friend Clara's blog. She visited the affected areas a few times after the earthquake.

Also, there have been sad public statements displaying bad theology by some regarding the reasons for the earthquake (Russell Moore tweeted that "Pat Robertson's reported comments on Haiti are embarrassing, unhelpful, and counter-gospel. Jesus loves Haiti.") In light of this, I'd encourage you to read Al Mohler's article "Does God Hate Haiti?". And please, be in prayer for Haiti, and be generous in your giving towards credible relief agencies (I can let you know more if you're interested) so that those working can have the necessary resources to help those in need.

Great Deal on Christmas Cards

2010-01-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest edition of Peru Paper Company's email updates. There's a great sale on Christmas cards to make room for new inventory coming in!

How Many Cards to Make a Kitchen?

2009-12-22T13:08:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Peru was the Christmas party with the ladies of Peru Paper. We had hot chocolate and paneton (a cake they eat around Christmastime in Peru) and gave out Christmas baskets full of food and celebrated a great year of growth in the company. The women brought their families, so we had a great group.

Peru Paper women and families.

The party was held at Deisy's house in the Arévalo community. While she was making the hot chocolate for everyone, I walked into her kitchen and noticed it looked different from the last time I was there (over a year ago). I asked her if she'd made changes and she said "Yes, the tile on the floor and the walls are new, as well as the counters and the stove. I saved up my money from making cards and with that money, my husband and I put all this in." Oscar looked at me in amazement and said "that's an impact! You have to tell people in the States how this business is changing lives."

Deisy's kitchen now- Oscar and Monica look on while she makes hot chocolate.

At this point, I tried to remember back to what Deisy's house looked like before. I pulled up some old photos from other times we'd been in her house and I realized that previously, all the walls in her home were exposed adobe and brick; the floors were unfinished concrete or dirt; and there were only old, falling apart small tables, not counters, in her kitchen. I could hardly believe it, that employment with Peru Paper Company could bring about something so drastic as a kitchen floor. Now, most of the floors and walls in the house are finished, and the kitchen has tile and counters!

Deisy's kitchen before- check out the walls, counter, and floors.

I left the party thinking how blessed I am to do work that I love that is making a very real difference in the lives of many women in Peru. It's not every day you get to see in real life the truth we sing in Joy to the World that "He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found." No matter which gifts I open on Christmas day, I've already gotten more than I could have asked for this Christmas.

Christmas Gifts That Make a Difference

2009-12-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here's the latest email update from Peru Paper Co. For the larger version, click here. Sign up to receive our updates on our website.

Savings Not Shame: Arevalo Savings Group in Chalmers Newsletter

2009-12-15T14:19:00.000-08:00

The story of the savings group I worked with in the Manuel Arévalo community a few years ago was recently highlighted in the latest edition of the Mandate e-Newsletter by the Chalmers Center.

It starts with:
"I walked into the Arévalo Presbyterian Church of Peru this past February to attend a women’s Bible study after being back in the U.S. for a few months. My friend Margarita ran up to greet me and excitedly told me “Grace, we did another savings group on our own, and it worked!” I too was excited to hear that, as the group had expressed considerable doubt the year before about their ability to run a savings group in my absence. Assuring them that they were capable was hardly convincing to them, but equipping them with the tools to execute a group on their own showed them a different, more persuasive reality about their giftedness and ability to use their God-given talents and the resources in their community to positively affect their situations."

Check out the entire article, entitled "Savings Not Shame" here. You can read the entire Mandate newsletter here.

A Few Wedding Pictures

2009-12-13T06:23:00.000-08:00

Lenin and Elva are married! The wedding was Friday and was full of friends, celebrating, praising the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness in bringing Elva and Lenin together, feasting, and dancing. I could do this every weekend! Here are a few of my favorite pictures. More to follow.

Entering the reception.

With Elva's niece before the ceremony.

Friends and family of the bride and groom at the reception.

A special guest appearance by Brad with Muyupampa for his farewell to Lenin and Peru.

Near the end of the party with Clara.

Peru Paper Email Update

2009-12-10T13:43:00.001-08:00

Read it for yourself here! Sign up to receive the Peru Paper email updates at our website, www.perupaper.com.

Greetings from Trujillo

2009-12-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

I made it to Trujillo on Sunday evening, and it has been wonderful to see everyone and catch up with them. There's a lot going on for Lenin and Elva's wedding, which has been great fun. Here's a picture with Elva on Sunday night after arriving.
I also had the chance to meet with some of the women who work with Peru Paper Company. It was a joy to see them again, and also to see that more women had been hired to work! There were some new faces there I'd never seen before. Your Peru Paper card purchases help provide employment to these amazing women. Watch this video I took yesterday!

Elva's Getting Married!

2009-12-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm headed to Peru! I'll do lots with the ladies of Peru Paper, but my primary reason for going is the wedding of one of my best friends, Elva!!! Elva and I have been friends since I first lived in Trujillo in 2004, and she is one of the dearest and truest friends anyone could ask for. She is a living picture of the gospel to me- showing me forgiveness and grace while pointing me to Jesus. She knows me well and still loves me. She is a jewel and her husband-to-be, Lenin (another good friend of mine), will be blessed beyond measure to have her as his wife. I am so excited and could not be happier for the two of them. I cannot wait to see Elva again and celebrate with her this week!

At Elva's birthday this past February, my last visit to Peru.

Ringing in the New Year: 2008. The Batemans celebrated with Elva and her family.

Peru Mission Newsletter

2009-12-03T13:16:00.001-08:00

Many thanks go to the folks at Peru Mission for their mention of Peru Paper Co. in the most recent email update. See an online version here.

The Brothers Karamazov Free Audio Download

2009-12-01T21:51:00.000-08:00

I travel a lot, and audio books and sermons are a great way to make good use of my time, especially in the car. I saw this on my friend Corrin's blog a few months ago, and I have to share it. Each month, christianaudio.com has a free book download, and they've been awesome books for the few months I've been signed up. October was Just Courage by Gary Haugen of the International Justice Mission (a cool organization- check it out.) Last month was Desiring God by John Piper, and this month is The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky (it's the abridged version, which Jason wasn't too happy about, but it would take about 3 weeks to listen to the unabridged version.)

But, back to the book...as the email they sent says "Sin, forgiveness, grace...not only do these themes abound in Scripture, but also in one of the most important Western novels ever penned. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky has long been viewed as one of the best novels in world literature and now it's the free download for December, only from christianaudio." Go here to get your free download and enter DEC2009 as your coupon code at checkout to get it free. Then sign up to get the monthly downloads. Happy listening!

Cyber Monday Special

2009-11-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

Running a business will teach you a lot...like I recently learned about Cyber Monday specials. So, because we're running a "cyber" business of sorts and in honor of Cyber Monday, all orders at Peru Paper Co. today, Monday, Nov. 30th, will receive 12% off their entire order by using the coupon code CYBERMON at checkout. So if you've been thinking about ordering cards, today's the day to do it!

Email update

2009-11-23T07:03:00.000-08:00

With the help of the folks on the Halo Business Team and FoxWebCo, I recent sent out an email newsletter for Peru Paper Co. See it here. Sign up to receive them on our website here.

Making a Card

2009-11-11T18:56:00.000-08:00

I'm always amazed at the process to make one of the cards for Peru Paper. It's a fairly involved process, and the women do an incredible job to make these pieces of art. Read more below, then visit the website, www.perupaper.com to learn more and get your own!

Making a Peru Paper Co. Card

The women sort through paper that would otherwise be thrown out, choosing which pieces are best to be turned into handmade paper. This is paper that is collected from offices or from individuals who save their paper for us to recycle.

The paper is then torn it into very small pieces and soaked in water for a few days until it turns into a pulp.

The pulp is put into a tub of water and dye is added. Sometimes other things like flower petals or sugar cane fibers are added to give the paper special texture.

The pulp is sifted through a screen, and fabric is stretched over the screen on top of the pulp.

The screen is turned over and the excess water is absorbed off of the fabric.

The fabric is taken off the screen and hung to dry on a clothesline or laid in the sand with the wet paper attached.

Once the paper dries, it is peeled off the fabric. It can then be used to make designs for the cards.

The women hand-make all of the cards, cutting or tearing out each piece and crafting them into beautiful designs. The designs are then glued to card stock, packaged in a bag, and sent to the US! It takes about two weeks total from start to finish to have a finished card!

It's finally here!!!

2009-10-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

I've been talking for a LONG time about a website for the cards, and www.perupaper.com is finally up and running! Check out Peru Paper Co. I love it! A big thanks to Marianna, Andy, and Laura at Halo Business Consulting and FoxWebCo for all their hard work to get this up and running. Also thanks to my family and Jason for tons of encouragement and support. It was a lot of work and I needed all their help!

Mission Market

2009-10-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be at the Mission Market at Broadmoor Baptist this Saturday (think Mistletoe, but at a church and to raise money for a missions project). If you're in Jackson, you should come!! I'm going to be one of the vendors, with a booth for Peru Paper Company, selling lots of cards- Christmas, birthday, baby, thank you, general cards....they'll all be there. So come by and see us! Tickets are $5 to get in to shop, and there's a lunch that is $5 for adults and $2 for kids. There will be over 40 vendors, a bake shop, a children's consignment sale, and various workshops throughout the day. All the money raised will go towards a missions project in Togo, West Africa, making it even more worth coming out. It's from 9-3 and should be lots of fun. Stop by and see me!! Check out the website here for more info.

Also, check out the new logo for Peru Paper Company! I love it. We're gearing up for a website launch on October 20th, so be on the lookout for that! Also, there's a facebook fan page for Peru Paper. You can join by clicking on the link to the right of the blog and joining the group!

Chalmers Webinar

2009-10-06T20:05:00.001-07:00

There's another webinar tomorrow from noon-1 pm EDST with the Chalmers Center! When Helping Hurts co-author Steve Corbett will be teaching/ taking questions on the topic of "Distinguishing Amongst Relief, Rehabilitation, and Development." We received great feedback on the first Webinar, so sign up and learn more about the role of the church and Christians in poverty alleviation and economic development. There is no cost for the webinar, but you need to register ahead of time. Go here to register.

I know I've said a lot about the book, but to get opinions of others, here are a few blog posts and articles about the book:
-Missions Blog for Churches
-Another here
-And here

Take 5 minutes and watch

2009-09-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

This morning I gave a Sunday School missions report on working with the poor at Morrison Heights Baptist Church, where my good friends Tim and Stephanie Peabody are members and where Tim is the college minister. It was their Global Impact Sunday, and this was shown at the service. I thought it did a good job presenting some of the issues and sin in the world today. We should be concerned about these things not only because they are a tragedy, but because we serve a God who is deeply concerned about these things and who calls us to minister the Gospel to the poor, sick, and oppressed. Take 5 minutes and watch.

I'm not sure the accuracy of all of the statistics, but I know that the poverty statistics are very close to the latest I've read.

For those of you wanting to know more about a Christian's call to minister to the poor, needy, sick, and oppressed, here are a few books to check out: When Helping Hurts, Good News About Injustice, and Walking with the Poor to name a few. Also, check out www.chalmers.org to see what we're up to and how you and your church can and should be involved in working with the poor.

Chalmers Webinar!

2009-09-14T12:38:00.001-07:00

Next week, there is a free Chalmers webinar entitled "The Church and the Concept of Poverty" from 12-1 pm Eastern Standard time. This is the first in a series of 6 webinars based on the book.

The "When Helping Hurts" webinars are a series of live, one-hour web-based training seminars about how to effectively minister to the poor. They review and expand upon the topics presented in "When Helping Hurts." Each session covers one or more chapters of the book and is facilitated by the book authors, Brian Fikkert and Steven Corbett, and occasionally a special guest. You will view the presenter's slides on your computer and hear the audio presentation, with the opportunity to submit questions in advance of the webinar.

There is no charge, but you must register to reserve your spot. I'd highly recommend these to people who have read the book and would like more interaction with the material and the authors. Go here to register or learn more about the Webinars.

If you'd like a book to prepare for the sessions, you can get them on Amazon, at the First Pres. Jackson bookstore, in most Christian bookstores, or from me if you're in Jackson.

Peru Paper Company

2009-09-10T18:50:00.001-07:00

I haven't blogged in a while, and it's been even longer since I've mentioned anything about the cards, but that isn't because we haven't been working on them! LOTS is being done, with some very exciting changes coming soon, including new designs...

BABY

CHRISTMAS

GENERAL- perfect for thank yous, birthdays, etc.

...a new name....Peru Paper Company...with a new logo, seen below on the back of a card (thanks to Marianna, Jason, and Oscar for their input on the wording and layout of the back of the cards):

...and the biggest news being a website that is well under construction and should be up and running in about a month. From there, you'll be able to view the cards, place orders and pay online, and they will be delivered to your front door soon after your order is placed! But, just because the website isn't up yet, doesn't mean you can't order cards yet. Get in touch me (the new business email is grace@perupaper.com), and you can purchase cards, including the beautiful new designs, some of which are featured above.

Many thanks to Andy and Marianna with Fox Webco and Halo Business Advisors for their excitement about this project and the countless hours they've put into this project with me. I'm ecstatic about the launch of this website and will keep you updated about all that's going on. Lots of thanks also goes to Oscar Rodriguez, my Peruvian colleague and friend who is managing the business side of things in Peru. He's the one who organizes the ladies to get the new designs made, the cards produced quickly and at a high standard, and who gets the cards to me. The last order was about 2,000 cards, all handmade, and it was to my front door all the way from Peru in about 2 1/2 weeks from when I placed the order with him. That's not an easy accomplishment.

Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks!

Seeing the Bradfords

2009-08-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

Two Saturdays ago, the Bradfords from Peru were in Jackson. I was so excited to see them and get to hang out with their family for a little while. I love the Bradfords, having met them on my first trip to Peru when I was in high school, then living with them one summer in Cajamarca, then spending lots of time with them in Trujillo, including working with the women's group in Arevalo with Allen. They're on furlough this year in Corinth, MS, so I'm hoping to see them more in the coming weeks and months. Here's a picture with Mollie at Broadstreet, one of my favorite places in Jackson.

Thanks for the picture Allen!

Family Time!

2009-08-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

L to R: Dad, Auston and Rachel, Mom, me, Jackie, Guin, Sarah, and Joe.

This weekend was the first time since January that all my siblings were together. With Joe studying abroad in Argentina, and me finding my way to Peru, Africa, and all over the States, our get-togethers are usually missing someone. It was a joy to have everyone together this weekend, including my future brother-in-law!! My sister Sarah got engaged last week to Guin Kendrick, and we could not be more pleased. What a blessing and joy it is to have such a wonderful family!

Review of "When Helping Hurts"

2009-08-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

Check out an article in WORLD magazine, written by Joel Belz, about When Helping Hurts. Here's a little of what he says:

Are poor people poor because they're paying the price for their own personal failures—or because the systems in which they find themselves have been broken and have failed the people within them?

It is, of course, an age-old question. Authors Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett, in a brand new book called When Helping Hurts, note that political conservatives have tended to stress the former explanation, while liberals have emphasized the latter. Which, they ask, is correct?

To the question—is it personal behavior or systemic structure that produces poverty?—When Helping Hurts never cheats by merely trying to split the difference or to find a clever balance. The book is built instead, from beginning to end, on a radically biblical foundation that assumes the pervasiveness of the fall after God's good creation. The fall, according to Fikkert and Corbett, profoundly affects both individuals and systems. Both need profound redemption.

Read the entire article here.

Also, the book was the #1 seller on the Westminster Bookstore online last month, where it is also on sale for the great price of $9.89.

Chalmers Video

2009-07-24T07:18:00.001-07:00

This video is a few years old, but it still gives a good picture of some of the international work that the Chalmers Center does. It focuses on Dr. Brian Fikkert's time he spent in East Africa a few years ago.

Also, don't forget that there's one week left to receive a copy of "When Helping Hurts" with any gift of $50 or more to the Chalmers Center! Don't miss out on this opportunity to support the work of Chalmers and get a book!

Donate and Receive a Book!

2009-07-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

Make a donation to the Chalmers Center of $50 or more now through the end of July and receive a copy of the new book When Helping Hurts written by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert!

This is a great opportunity both to support the work of the Chalmers Center and to get your own copy of the new book, When Helping Hurts!

Reasons I'm Happy

2009-06-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

1. I received a HUGE shipment of cards from Peru last week. Let me know if you'd like any. Beautiful designs....lots of cards. And when I say lots, I mean thousands....literally.

2. I got upgraded to "Medallion" status for Delta Skymiles meaning free upgrades on flights! (if there's room...I've never been a "Medallion" before, so I don't know how often they're available.) Also, I got Delta luggage tags to go with it....it's the little things! ;-)

3. I get to see family for the 4th of July and celebrate my grandfather's birthday with him on July 5th.

4. I had a great meeting today about getting a website set up for the cards...be on the lookout for news about it in the coming weeks. It's going to be AH-mazing! (Until it's set up, just email or call for card orders. I'd love to sell you some! Did I mention I have a lot of cards at home?!)

And last (but certainly not least!)...
5. The Chalmers Center book When Helping Hurts is being released tomorrow! It's awesome! Get your copy ASAP!

Foreword to "When Helping Hurts"

2009-06-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

When Helping Hurts by Chalmers staff Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett, will be released to the public this Wednesday, July 1.

Here is an excerpt from the foreword, written by Dr. John Perkins, founder and President Emeritu of the Christian Community Development Association (and also a fellow Mississippian who has done lots of work among the poor here):

"I have devoted most of my life to helping Christians minister effectively to poor people. The [When Helping Hurts] book builds on that tradition in a profound way. The authors combine sound theology, solid research, foundational principles, and proven strategies to prepare you for transformational ministry amongst "the least of these" both at home and around the world. But it would be a mistake to think that the power of this book lies in the tools and techniques it presents. Rather, the central message of this book is that we need the person of Jesus Christ to transform not just the poor but also ourselves.

Hence, I urge you to approach this book not just with your mind but also with your heart. Meditate on the Bible passages. Reflect on the questions and exercises. Pray for the Holy Spirit to break you and to change you. And then do not be just a hearer of the Word but a doer. Ask God what you and your church can do to truly engage in helping the poor without hurting them . . . and yourselves."

Read the entire foreword here.

Then buy your copy of the book!

Invisible Children

2009-06-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

L to R: Okori Eric, Jolly Grace, me and Sam

I've been back in the States for a while now, but wanted to write about the group Invisible Children in Uganda. Many of you have probably seen the Invisible Children movie (if you haven't, you need to!) about the war in Northern Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) led by Joseph Kony, seen Invisible Children staff on Oprah, worn a bracelet, participated in a rescue, etc.

While in Uganda, Sam Kisolo (a member of the Chalmers' Center Global Fellowship of Trainers) and I were able to meet with the Invisible Children Country director, Jolly Grace, and their economic director, Okori Eric. Those of you who have seen the Invisible Children video may recognize Jolly Grace as the driver who takes the guys making the Invisible Children movie around Uganda (in the video she's pregnant and explains much of the situation in Northern Uganda with the LRA).

Invisible Children is now working on long-term development efforts, as the region has thankfully been more peaceful in recent years. They are working with Internally Displaced People (think refugees but within their own country) at the IDP camps, helping them return to their communities and working with them with educational and development efforts so that the IDPs are equipped to better handle life's challenges living in a developing country when they return home.

This information from their website offers an idea of their current work:

"Our approach to humanitarian work is founded in the strength and intelligence of the Ugandan community. We learned early on it was not only important but essential to heed the wisdom of people that had not only lived in the war, but were surviving it. People who would know better than anyone what the greatest needs were and the best ways to meet them. What we came to find is that while there have been many efforts to address the issues that stem from living and fighting in such a long-lasting war, the people of Uganda are asking for a future beyond the conflict.

Their pleas have become our development strategy.

All of our programming is a partnership between those of us at Invisible Children and those in the Ugandan community. We focus on long-term goals that enable children to take responsibility for their future and the future of their country. Our programs are carefully researched and developed initiatives that address the need for quality education, mentorships, the redevelopment of schools, resettlement from the camps, and financial stability."

Sam and I met with them because one of their strategies is to promote community-based savings and credit associations (similar to the savings group I worked with in Peru) among those they work with. The Chalmers Center has done extensive research on these savings and credit associations, has written a curriculum for it, has trained hundreds of people around the world in this poverty alleviation strategy, and believes that it is a great tool to spread the blessings of the Gospel to the materially poor around the world. So, we were very excited to meet with Invisible Children to see how we could partner with them to offer training as they work among the people of Northern Uganda. I was very impressed with Sam's knowledge of Christian economic development and what holistic ministry should look like. He will most likely do the training with Invisible Children staff in the coming months. It was wonderful to see the Chalmers training put into practice in the form of our GFT, to see how practical and applicable our economic development strategies are in so many settings, and to meet with this great organization. My only complaint is that I probably won't be able to go back and do the training alongside Sam, but I'll keep hoping. ;)

Book Website

2009-06-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

My last post was about the Chalmers Center new book When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett. There is a related website for the book with more resources related to the subject as well as background information, author bios, rationale for the book, forward by John Perkins, etc. Check it out at www.whenhelpinghurts.org.

Buy This Book!

2009-06-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

When Helping Hurts, written by Chalmers staff Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett with a forward by John Perkins, is set to be released next week. Chalmers Center staff got a sneak peek at the book, and I can tell you it's amazing!

byFaith Magazine recently ran an article about the book:

“If you are a North American Christian, the reality of our society’s vast wealth presents you with an enormous responsibility, for throughout the Scriptures God’s people are commanded to show compassion to the poor. In fact, doing so is simply part of our job description as followers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:31–46).”

So opens the second paragraph of When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor, a new book by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College.

With this book, Fikkert and Corbett hope to reshape mercy ministry. They want to alter church practices and—more than that—revise our thinking and theology. Rich and poor alike, the authors tell us, suffer from the effects of the Fall, and both require the gospel of grace to bring Christ's reconciliation. Until the wealthy embrace their own brokenness, Fikkert and Corbett claim, they are likely to do harm, to the poor and to themselves."

Check out the entire article here.

Who should read this book?
-Anyone interested in mercy ministry
-Anyone who has been on a short-term missions trip
-Anyone who has supported or prayed for a long-term or short-term missionary
-Anyone who wants to know how to best help the poor
-Anyone who has ever asked "Why are people poor? How can we stop putting band-aids over the problem of poverty and get to the root of the problem? How can we help the poor to help themselves?"
-Anyone who looked at my pictures of the Kibera slums below, and like me had their heart broken by the poverty and injustice seen in the pictures.

The book is available for pre-order on Amazon. Get it here. I promise you'll be thankful you did.

Photos from Kibera Slums

2009-06-10T06:54:00.000-07:00

During my time in Nairobi, I was able to tour the Kibera slums with one of the EAFC alum, Beryl Maritim, daughter of EAFC Kenya country coordinator Onesmus Maritim. She studied Environmental Health (similar to Public Health in the States), and we toured with some of her classmates who are working with a sanitation project in the slums. I wrote in a previous post how I was overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of the poverty I saw there, and I wanted to post a few pictures from my visit.

Children hanging out. I cringe to think what is on that child's shoe that is in his mouth due to the poor sanitation.

The slums stretch like this in all directions- over 1 million live there.

Sanitation is very poor in Kibera, leaving filth everywhere.

Every turn looked like this.

A very common mode of transporting goods.

A train coming through the middle of the neighborhood.

Lots of rooftops

Beryl and some of her classmates that gave me a tour.

A few pictures

2009-06-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hello again from Kampala. We're back here after a few days traveling in Northern Uganda, first to small towns in the "bush," Kagade and Mabaale, where Pastor Frances (I can't remember his last name...a very long African name) has an amazing work that includes a church, Christian school, and an orphan ministry that is taking care of 64 AIDS orphans from the community. The church has a number of projects going to provide for those in their care and provide sustainability to all the work including growing pine trees and coffee trees, collecting rain water for the community in a large tank, and growing other crops and fruit trees. Below is a picture of the church and some of the children at the school.
After our tours of Kagade and Mabaale, we visited Murchison Falls, part of the Ugandan Wildlife park systems. It was beautiful and I was amazed at all the animals we saw! Giraffes, elephants, monkeys, baboons, many different types of antelops, lots of tropical birds, hippos, crocodiles, warthogs, cape buffaloes, etc. I had so much fun seeing them on the grounds of our hotel and around our bus. We also saw Murchison Falls which is a huge, beautiful waterfall feeding from Lake Victoria into the Nile. Below are pictures from the Falls and the safari ride!

in Northern Uganda

2009-06-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

We are doing well, and have been on the road in Northern Uganda the past few days. Spent some time in the bush and saw an AMAZING work that a pastor there is doing....a church plant with a Christian school, orphanage, farm, etc. It was awesome.

Today we saw elephants, hippos, warthogs, a python, antelope, water buffalo, and baboons, and we were just driving to our hotel- not even on a game drive yet! We also saw Murchisson Falls, which is a huge waterfall feeding into the Victoria Nile (the area of the Nile we're on now). Tomorrow we will head on a safari, and then we'll be back to Kampala for a few more days work before heading home.

I wish I could post some pictures, but there's no wireless here, so I'm on a slow public computer, but I'll get some up when I can.

Thanks for your prayers and for reading!

in Uganda

2009-05-28T13:09:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Kampala, Uganda! I hope to post some pictures of my last few days soon. We traveled to Uganda from Nairobi yesterday, and have met up with some other missionaries and EAFC students here. I've been in touch with and even met some Ugandans who have done Chalmers training in their communities, and it's amazing to see the Lord working through them to transform their communities.

On Tuesday morning while still in Nairobi, I toured Kibera slums. I have seen and worked among poverty for many years and heard all about Kibera, but it didn't really prepare me for the depth and especially the breadth of the poverty there. Over 1 million people crammed in one slum is mind-boggling. One tour is not enough to understand all that's going on, but it has renewed my zeal for economic development, ministry to the poor, and a desire to see God's "Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."

The day before visiting Kibera, I read Psalm 107 and how God will turn "a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water. And there he lets the hungry dwell, and they establish a city to live in;....when they are dimished and brough low through oppression, evil and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad and all wickedness shuts its mouth." After seeing the poverty and injustices of Kabera, I am thankful that we serve a God who cares for the poor and I pray that my heart will be moved to love and service to the poor just as my Lord's is. What a comfort to know that Jesus came to make all things new and what an honor and privilege that He chooses to use us, His servants, in ministering the Good News of the Kingdom.

More pictures and posts to come. It's late here and I need to head to bed, but I wanted to post something tonight. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

Meeting a Colleague and a Few Pictures

2009-05-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

Today we had the Leadership Training Seminar with EAFC students and alumni at NIST (Nairobi International School of Theology). Val Vickery did most of the teaching, but I did a few sessions on poverty, holistic development, and the work of the Chalmers Center. I was excited to have Carlos Chege join me for some of the training. Carlos is a member of the Chalmers Global Fellowship of Trainers, a group of people all around the world who are certified to teach Chalmers training in their communities. There are more GFT members in Eastern Africa than anywhere else, and I was excited to introduce the EAFC students and alumni to the Chalmers' economic development strategies, and then be able to put them in contact with someone who is here permanently and who can assist in training in the future. Carlos is a distance-learning instructor for Chalmers in addition to working full-time with CMS-Africa (not to be confused with the CMS of Peru Mission), a missions equipping and sending agency based in Nairobi.

Carlos and I on the campus of NIST.

I also downloaded my pictures from yesterday, and here are a few of my favorites:

The church plant of James, an EAFC scholarship student where I attended church yesterday.

Nelson (nephew of EAFC country coordinator, Onesimus) praying for the children of the church with Pastor James before they are dismissed to their class.

I was so impressed with the work James has done. The church is only a year and a half old and is a very poor neighborhood, yet they own their building and all the furniture and equipment inside, have a few elders, a women's ministry, a children's ministry, a music ministry, and an outreach ministry to take care of the poor and needy in their community. What a blessing to see the Lord at work around the world, using His people to build the church and minister the Gospel.

After lunch, Onesimus, Nelson, and Onesimus' grandson took me to the Nairobi National Park.

I was down looking at this cheetah at the Animal Orphanage when our tour guide said "let me see if I can get you a better picture." Next thing I know....

...we're in the cage with a few of them!! They didn't seem to mind at all and were calm and let us pet them.Feeding a monkey...I didn't break any "don't feed the animals" rules. Our tour guide said it was ok to give him a few peanuts.

Hey there!

The ostrich checking us out.

And my favorite...
Sorry if this is too touristy, but Onesimus and Nelson were excited (as was I) about getting a picture of me with some Maasai men inside the national park. They all stood around me, then two of them grabbed my hands and they all started jumping. The Maasai are famous for their "jumping dance" which I found quite entertaining. (Oh, and check out their shoes- they're identical to the recycled tire shoes Peruvian campesinos wear!)

Karibu Kenya!

2009-05-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

This is the phrase I heard upon first meeting alumni from the Educating Africans for Christ (EAFC) at the Nairobi airport. It is "Welcome to Kenya" in Swahili, and I have since learned the proper response: "Asante Sana" or "thank you very much."

I have been in Kenya only a short while, but have enjoyed myself immensely already. Let me start by saying I hope this entry does not seem commonplace, trite, or overly-touristy to my African friends or my ex-pat friends who've lived and worked in Africa for years...much of it is new and exciting to me, and I hope it is to some of you too. :) It's been great to see what EAFC does and I have so far been very impressed with their organization. They scholarship Christians all over Africa to study in universities in Africa. They base their student selection on how the students plan to use the education to serve the Lord in their communities when they finish. Today we had lunch with about 15 scholarship recipients at Pan African Christian University here in Nairobi. Besides meeting everyone, we got to hear what they were studying and how they plan to use their education and how they're ministering now. Just in that group there were people from Kenya, Rwanda, and the Congo with incredible ministry plans. I attended a church today planted and pastored by one of the Congolese students, there was a lady working in the Kibera slums, another lady who ministers with her husband among the Maasai tribes, another student who's getting a counseling degree to return to Rwanda to work ("we need a lot of counseling in Rwanda" were his words), etc., so it's exciting to be a part of this group and see what they're doing and also to introduce them to the work of the Chalmers Center, which will hopefully be useful to them in their communities. I was very impressed and encouraged by a student who said "God blessed me through EAFC not to raise my standard of living, but my standard of serving."

After lunch, I went to the Nairobi National Park where they have the Kenyan Wildlife Society headquarters and an animal orphanage. I visited the animal orphanage with the EAFC Kenya director and his nephew and grandson and got some pretty cool pictures, especially when I got to go in the cage with the cheetahs and pet them!! Apparently, cheetahs are fairly docile and calm when well-fed and unprovoked. Who knew?! After the park, we drove to the Kibera slums and looked over them. The country director's daughter is a public health worker who's done some work in Kibera and he's going to see if she can walk me around the slums and fill me in on them more (for those of you not familiar with Kibera, it is the largest slum in the world with over 1 million people living there). It is mentioned in the article of a previous post here. I had a ton of questions for the guys I was with today, and it was interesting to get their perspective on the slums, poverty and inequality in Kenya, and solutions for development and ministry with over a million people piled in these slums and the poverty in Kenya in general. Seeing such poverty simultaneously breaks my heart and gets my brain going a mile thinking of ways to minister in this context.

I did get some cool pictures today, but I haven't been able to load them on my computer yet. I'll try my best to get them up soon because I'm sure you're all dying to see me petting a cheetah. ;)

Tomorrow, we are doing the Leadership Training Seminar for EAFC alumni where I will present some of the work of the Chalmers Center and ways for EAFC students and alumni to be involved. Please be in prayer for the seminars and for the work of EAFC and the Chalmers Center!

Waiting to go to Nairobi

2009-05-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in the Amsterdam airport, waiting to head to Kenya. It's 8:49 am here, but 1:49 in Jackson, so I'm doing my best to stay awake after only a short nap on the plane here. However, we're trying to stay up so that we can go to bed and try to get on the right schedule when we arrive in Kenya. I'm traveling with Val Vickery, Casey McGee, and Peggy McKey, and it's been great to hang out with them and hear all their stories of previous experiences with Educating Africans for Christ throughout the country.

I'm very excited about heading to Africa. Thanks for your prayers and well wishes!

I better publish this before my internet time runs out....see you in Kenya!

Taking a Trip

2009-05-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving in about ten days to go to Africa, more specifically Kenya and Uganda (I told one of my friends recently I was headed to Africa and he said "that's a big country, you know," so now I make sure to clarify. ;->) for a few weeks. I know, I know, I should probably change the title of my blog, but for now, I'll just say that the "everywhere in between" part includes Kenya and Uganda.

So, how does a girl with her sights firmly fixed on Peru who has just recently taken a job with the Chalmers Center (more on that in a later post....I'm way behind on updating people) end up going to Africa for a few weeks?! I'm wondering that a little myself, amidst my incredible excitement to travel and see a new part of the world and how God is at work there! Well, it happened pretty quickly, actually. Not much time to think or plan for it, although all the pieces have come together amazingly.

A few weeks ago, I was talking with my mother's friend Val Vickery, who helped start an organization called Educating Africans for Christ (EAFC) about an upcoming trip they had to Kenya and Uganda. I had just begun working with the Chalmers Center and we were talking about Chalmers' work in transformational development and the training they offer to churches around the world to equip them for holistic ministry to the poor. She was telling me about the leadership training seminars they were going to hold for their alumni in Africa and said "Grace, you need to come to Africa with us to teach the Chalmers' economic development material to the people who are going to attend." I told her I'd love to, but I'd just started this new job, the trip plans were well underway, where would the funding come from, etc. etc. She said, "well, let's pray about you going to Africa." I agreed, although I still thought it wouldn't come together in time (remember, this was a few weeks ago, and we're leaving on May 22), but I have incurable wanderlust, love economic development work, love seeing the worldwide church at work, and have never been to Africa, so I prayed about it too and started to get excited about it, although not too excited, because I really didn't think it would happen.

Well, Val contacted the Chalmers Center on my behalf, made her case as to why I should go to Africa in a few weeks, and they thought it was a good idea! To make a long story short, I will leave May 22 and travel first to Kenya, then to Uganda, and be back home on June 8th. We will be doing leadership training with some alumni of EAFC, and I'll do some teaching on economic development strategies that can be used in their communities. I believe strongly in the Chalmers' method of equipping the church worldwide to minister to the poor, and I'm excited to work alongside these leaders in the African church to see how economic development can help them minister in their communities. Having seen how the Chalmers training helped me in my work in Peru, I can't wait to see how it applies to an African context. There are a myriad of examples of how the Lord is already using it in Africa, and I can't wait to see it myself. Hopefully from this trip we will also be able to connect EAFC alumni and church leaders with the folks that Chalmers has trained over there for more training and follow up with economic development work. Also, I'm excited to visit some of the people that Chalmers has trained and see the work that they're doing.

So, please be in prayer: for the preparations for this trip (not much time left!); for health and safety; for humility and wisdom in interaction once there; for eyes to see and ears to hear how the Lord is at work; for our training to be relevant, helpful, and encouraging; and for Jesus to be glorified as the work of His bride, the church, is advanced.

More updates about the trip to come!

Card Slideshow

2009-05-01T15:41:00.001-07:00

I found a fun new website (well, I saw it on Allen Bradford's blog, actually) called animoto. They do these short slideshows for free. I wanted to see how it'd turn out, so I gave it a try. I thought it was pretty cool, and think I could waste some serious time making slideshows on their website. So, here are a few more pictures from Peru and the card business.

"Remember the Poor"

2009-04-28T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a great sermon by Dr. Brian Fikkert, director of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, on Galatians 2 and our call as Christians to remember the poor. Worth listening to!

The sermon can be found at this link: http://www.cpctulsa.com/files/documents/20090308_Brian%20Fikkert.mp3

It's from a recent missions conference at Christ Presbyterian in Tulsa, OK that Dr. Fikkert and I attended to speak about the work of the Chalmers Center and Christian Economic Development.

"White Man's Burden" Documentary

2009-04-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

The White Man's Burden" by William Easterly is one of my favorite books. I'm looking forward to a documentary coming out next year. His book influenced my decision to get a graduate degree in economic development, and it's something I recommend to anyone interested in working with the poor or working overseas. Watch the trailer, then go read the book.

Beautiful Poster!

2009-04-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a beautiful poster made by Jennifer Ellis of Independent PCA in Memphis to advertise the cards. This is to go up in their bookstore and is going to be used in other places where the cards are sold. Thanks so much Jennifer- it's amazing!

Great Article About Foreign Aid

2009-04-03T13:32:00.001-07:00

The following is a great article from the Wall Street Journal about why traditional foreign aid is hurting Africa, although the same principles apply to all developing countries, including Peru. I highly recommend this to everyone who's interested in poverty alleviation, ministry to the poor, economic development, etc.

It starts with the following provocative introduction.....

Money from rich countries has trapped many African nations in a cycle of corruption, slower economic growth and poverty. Cutting off the flow would be far more beneficial, says Dambisa Moyo.

Happy reading!

Read the article here.

Missions Reports and Visiting Friends

2009-03-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Two Sundays ago, I headed up to north Mississippi, Okolona to be exact, to visit my good friends Kelly and David Perkins and give a missions report of how the Lord is working in Peru at First Baptist, Okolona, where David is a pastor. It was great to see Kelly and David, and an encouragement to see the interest of their congregation in missions and the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. They were excited to hear about the projects I was involved in, asked lots of great questions, bought LOTS of cards, and were a great encouragement to me.

Setting up the table with stuff from Peru, along with cards to be sold.

A cute little llama from Peru.

I got to read to Kelly's 4 year old preschool class on Monday morning. It was Dr. Seuss' birthday last week, so we read "Green Eggs and Ham" in his honor. They were very entertaining.

With Kelly before heading out. Thanks for your hospitality and for inviting me to your church!

Wrapping Up

2009-02-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful time in Peru and was able to accomplish most of the things I had set out to do during my visit. The things that aren't yet fully finished are under way and should be taken care of soon. It was wonderful visiting with friends and brothers and sisters in Christ, and it is always bittersweet to leave. It's always good to see family and friends back in the States, but that is mixed with some sadness at saying good bye to my Peruvian friends. They always tell me not to forget them and to come back soon.

Back: L to R: Elda, Deisy, me, Margarita, Virginia, Vanessa
Front- L to R: Rosa, Monica, Azucena

Here's a picture from a meeting yesterday of some of the ladies who are involved with the card project, either through making paper (see post below) or through making cards. If you've purchased a card in the past, it has probably passed through at least three of their hands in the process through the various steps of making paper, then making the designs, then gluing and packaging the cards. Please be in prayer for these ladies and the business, that God would continue to bless both!

Lots of Recycled Paper

2009-02-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

For the past few years of the card project, we've bought the majority of our recycled paper from some women in Trujillo who make this paper. We initially tried to make our own paper, but found it was a hard process and that it served us better to buy it from a supplier. However, as our business grew, we often needed more paper than they had, or we had to place special orders and wait for the paper to come in. This past year, we decided to try again at making our own paper, recognizing that we needed more paper than we could buy from our supplier and more control over when we could get it. Also, this would offer more employment opportunities for women in our communities. Finding flexible, well-paying work for women who have little education and children at home that need care is not an easy task, especially in a developing country with high unemployment.

I'm ecstatic with what I saw yesterday- thousands of sheets of recycled paper made primarily by women from our Arevalo community, all of it beautiful and ready to be crafted into handmade designs for the cards. What's amazing to me is that all of this has been transformed from trash: used paper that was going to be thrown away.

Yesterday we met to begin the process of labeling, filing, and cataloging our recycled paper. The idea is to know which colors we use the most for our current designs, catalog the colors so it's easy for the ladies who make them to produce an exact match for future designs, and get a good inventory count.Here, Azucena and Oscar start sorting, while Deisy and Monica look over the current catalog of paper in the background.Look at all that paper! You can't see, but there were boxes of paper piled up around the room.
Here are some different colors and designs the ladies have made. I'm constantly amazed at their creativity and artistic ability!
Here are the direct beneficiaries of this business: the children who will receive better medical care, nutrition, educational opportunities, and have a brighter future because of the hard work of their mothers.
One of the things I love the most about this project is that it allows the women the opportunity to work while being home with their children. When we have meetings, there are usually many children present, as they accompany their mothers and then play with their friends while the ladies meet.

"She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed." Proverbs 31:27-28

Overheard in Conversation

2009-02-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the things the ladies are saying about working with the card project to me and others:

-"this is the most money I've ever gotten at one time." (one of the ladies said this to Oscar upon receiving their most recent payment.)

-Ladies: "Grace, are we going to present our work to all the groups that come?"
me: "yes, if you'd like to, of course you can."
ladies: "of course! We love to meet the people who buy our work, and it gets us more excited to work hard in the future when we see how much they like the cards. We love being able to build relationships with the people who buy our cards."
(said to me by Monica and Deisy in the taxi on the way to sell the cards to a visiting group from the US.)

-"this business has grown so much. In the beginning, we only had orders for 200 cards at a time, now we are making thousands of cards at a time." (Azucena telling the history of the business and how it has grown over the years.)

-"we work hard to create the designs and make these cards. We hope that you like them." (Monica to a group from the US.)

-"this work is wonderful. It allows us to work from home and take care of our children at the same time. We don't have any other opportunities to work like this." (said by Deisy to a group from the US, explaining why she appreciates this work.)

-"I would like the opportunity to work with this business." (said to me and Oscar by many ladies from all of our churches.)

Please be in prayer for this business, that it would grow, allowing many more women the opportunity to be employed by this project! I would love nothing more than to have similar stories from dozens of women in the future.

Pictures:
Top: Discussing details with Azucena
Bottom: Monica, Deisy, and others learning to make recycled paper.

Meetings, meetings, and more meetings;

2009-02-13T07:21:00.000-08:00

Since arriving in Trujillo, I've tried to meet with everyone involved with the cards as quickly as possible to line up what needs to be done and maximize my time here. I've met with Oscar Rodriguez, my Peruvian accountant friend who is managing the Peru side of operations; the ladies who are currently working with the cards; Chris Bolton and Brad Ball of Parish furniture wood project for business advice; the mission accountants to figure out the current accounting situation for the business (I'm now thankful for the accounting classes I was required to take in grad school!); etc. etc. Here is a picture of Oscar going over some details with a few of the ladies that currently make cards (notice the catalog of card designs that they're working on- we're slowly getting things in order!)
While down here, I hope to accomplish the following:
-start the process to get the business formalized with the government (not an easy process in Peru; that's why I just hope to get it started)
-have a better idea of the current accounting situation
-have all the ladies fill out formal job applications and do interviews to make sure we have the ladies in jobs with responsibilities that fit their gifts and abilities
-open a bank account here so it will be easier to transfer money from the States and to aid in accounting.
-fill open job positions with new ladies
-get biographical information for all the ladies to tell their stories to customers
-get all the ladies on formal work contracts to better define their responsibilities and relationship to the company
-have a good understanding of the cost and rate of production for the cards

After this trip, I hope that things will be in better order to being a larger distribution of the cards, either through an internet store or through finding a distributor who is interested in our products.

Please be in prayer for all of these details, as they are a lot, and my time here is short. This business is truly a blessing to the ladies who have few economic resources. As it continues to grow, it will be a larger blessing to the communities in which Peru Mission works, as the Gospel brings about transformation in all areas of life. I am wonderfully blessed to be a part of this project, and hope that it will bear fruit economically, spiritually, and socially in the lives and communities of all involved for years to come.

Having fun

2009-02-11T17:52:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of work since arriving in Trujillo, but am also enjoying seeing friends, eating wonderful Peruvian food (it's my favorite...sooo good), and catching up with those I love and have missed! Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to so far:

My good friend Elva. I'm staying with her and her family during my stay. They are incredibly generous and hospital and a great blessing to me. Here, we're at a restaurant that serves Peruvian jungle food: juanes, tacacho, platanos fritos, chancho, etc. Muy rico!

Clearly Joe enjoyed his juane y tacacho.

Joe about to ride the waves at Huanchaco, getting some last-minute pointers from Elva's brother Ivan.

With my dear friend Maria after a wonderful lunch at her house. She lives in the Manuel Arevalo community and is a children's Sunday school teacher at Arevalo and a leader in the savings group. It was wonderful to catch up with her!

Lucia and her daughter Grace. So wonderful to see them again. Grace has grown so much. See this previous post to read about their family.

I'll post more about how work is going as well as a few prayer requests soon. Thanks for checking in!

Back in Trujillo

2009-02-06T21:20:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Trujillo last night, and it has been wonderful to see friends again. The weather here is warm and beautiful, and I'm thankful for a change after all the winter in the States! I'm staying with my good friend Elva and her family, and it's been fun to fellowship with them. Their hospitality and generosity are a blessing to me!

This afternoon, there was a meeting of the women in the church in Arevalo, a group that I was a part of during my time in Trujillo. Many of the women there participated in the savings group, and others work with the card business. Here is a video that Allen Bradford put together of some of the things the ladies have participated in. The ladies shown here are precious sisters in Christ, who I esteem greatly and am honored to count as friends. Watch the video to get a better idea of how God is at work in and among them, and how they are reaching out to the community.

Be in prayer for the church in Arevalo that it will continue to grow and be a light for the Gospel in her community! Praise the Lord for the faithfulness of the women in the church, and be in prayer for their continued growth and encouragement.

Join the Chalmers "Cause" on Facebook

2009-02-03T20:10:00.001-08:00

If you are on facebook, join the "cause" for the Chalmers center at:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/194884?m=c60dca3e&recruiter_id=20685690

For more information on the Chalmers center, visit their website at www.chalmers.org.

I'm headed to Peru tomorrow and will update the blog about all my work, so stay tuned!

Headed to Peru!

2009-01-30T10:29:00.001-08:00

Wednesday February 4, I'll leave for a 3-week trip to Peru to work with the card business we have going there. God continues to bless the work, and I'm excited about this planning trip. I'll write more about the details soon, but the trip will include things such as opening a bank account for all financial transactions there, getting the business registered with the government (which could take a long time, but at least we'll get the process started), getting work contracts set up for the ladies that are currently working with the cards, researching the best shipping/export options, etc. I'm so thankful for the help of my friend Oscar Rodriguez, an accountant who knows the business landscape in Trujillo and has great ideas for the business, who has come on to manage the Peruvian side of the work with the cards.

Please be in prayer for the trip and for all the work that needs to be done! Also, if you have any special card orders that you'd like, let me know and I'll place those for you!

Great Story/ Answer to Prayer

2009-01-23T09:06:00.001-08:00

I have been blessed lately to watch many different friends of mine go through the process of adopting. One of those families is the Nasekos, who I know from Peru connections as well as First Pres. I have been in prayer for the Nasekos family as they work on adopting Karina from Ukraine. This week, all the papers were finalized, and Karina was able to leave the orphanage with them as their daughter! They should be coming home to the States soon with Karina.

Take a minute to read their story at their blog, storeygraceinperu.blogspot.com. It will warm your heart and cause you to rejoice and praise our Lord who takes care of the orphans and who has provided a family for this child. Continue to pray for them as they get a passport for Karina and work on the last few details to bring her home.

Bible Reading Plans

2009-01-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to some daily Bible reading plans from the ESV website that are great for the new year. Even though we're a few days into the new year, you can pick up a few days late or read a little extra to catch up. There are different plans to choose from, so check it out at: http://www.esv.org/biblereadingplans.

Closing out 2008

2009-01-06T17:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks of 2008.

Auston, Rachel, Sarah, and I after Sarah and Rachel finished the Memphis half-marathon. I wasn't recovered enough from my appendectomy to run with them. :(

Mom getting a lesson in the guitar for rock band on Christmas day (those of you who know what an incredible musician my mother is may find this lesson a bit ironic). You can see Auston in the background ready to go on the drums. Rachel and Auston were very kind to share their Christmas presents (a Wii and Rock Band) with the family.

With my grandparents (on the Bateman side) and some of my siblings and cousins.

The AMAZING Peruvian food at Mango, a Peruvian restaurant in St. Louis. The Gibson, the Silvas and I dined on Lomo Saltado, Ceviche, Aji de Gallina, Papas Rellenas, Papa a la Huancaina, Palta Rellena, Tallarines Verdes, and Platanitos Fritos (those of you familiar with Peruvian cuisine will be able to appreciate what a feast that was!) Everyone loved it, including all the kids! We even got to talk with the head chef, who's from Chiclayo, just north of Trujillo on the Peruvian coast. What a treat!

The Gibson and Silva children in downtown St. Louis on New Years Eve after the wonderful Peruvian dinner.

Interesting Article on Missions work in Africa

2009-01-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to an article entitled

"As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God"

that my roommate from Peru, Clara Lee, recently sent me.

The article is very interesting and shows how Christianity, which gives a right understanding of oneself as a child of God, is the only way to bring about true change in countries suffering under the weight of poverty, injustice, and oppression. Because the author is not a Christian, he cannot understand the work of the Holy Spirit in a person's life to bring about a heart change leading to godliness, but his observations about what Christianity does to and for the poor and oppressed are right on.

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin." Psalm 146: 5-9.

Christmas Gift Idea

2008-12-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

Looking for a Christmas gift to give someone who has everything? Here are some good ideas to give that will fight poverty, spread the love of Jesus, and provide a great blessing to those in need. ECHO has a gift catalog here that allows you to give trees, new crops, books, education, or appropriate technology which will provide gifts and training to aid the poor, hungry and suffering throughout the world.
What better gift to give someone that to tell them that you have purchased something in their honor that will make a lasting difference for good in the world? These are a few ideas to start, but other organizations such as Samaritan's Purse have similar programs and any development or missions organization (including Peru Mission!) will use these types of gifts to spread the love of Jesus and fight poverty. Merry Christmas and happy gift giving!

ECHO Conference

2008-12-12T17:44:00.000-08:00

This past week I was able to attend an agricultural conference with a Christian development organization called ECHO, or Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, in Ft. Myers, FL. A few months ago, Stan Doerr, President and CEO of ECHO spoke in Jackson, and I was thoroughly impressed with the presentation he gave and was excited to know more about his organization. To read more of my initial thoughts, read a previous blog post about ECHO.

You might wonder why I attended an agricultural conference, as all of my previous work has been done in the city, and I don't know if I've really ever grown anything in my life. Besides having a chance to be warm in South Florida while there was a snow storm in Mississippi, a reason I wanted to attend is that agricultural and rural development is a primary component of economic development and fighting world poverty and hunger, as approximately 68% of the world's poorest have agriculture is their primary income source, and agricultural investment is 2.7x more effective in reducing poverty than investment in other sectors. Rural to urban migration is another huge issue in development, as masses of people move from to the cities looking for jobs. However, the cities do not have the infrastructure, jobs, public safety, drinking water, sanitation, health facilities, etc. to handle the influx of population to the city (if you've ever been to Trujillo, think Wichanzao and then Clementina). Here's a quote I included on the subject for a grad school paper: "Rates of rural-urban migration in developing countries have exceeded rates of urban job creation and thus surpassed greatly the absorption capacity of both industry and urban social services. Migration today, particularly to the largest [less-developed country] cities, must be seen as the major factor contributing to the ubiquitous phenomenon of urban surplus labor, a force that continues to exacerbate already serious urban unemployment problems."

I have known for a while the importance of agricultural and rural development, and I knew that I was very deficient in my knowledge in this area, so in an effort to be a more well-rounded development practitioner, I thought it would be very beneficial for me to attend.

I learned some very cool things, such as how the moringa tree is amazing, how to grow gardens on concrete slabs using trash to cover the roots, (I'm not even kidding- check out this link), etc.
It was also wonderful to network and meet other Christians working throughout the world to fight poverty and injustice. I feel like I better understand God's heart of love for the poor seeing the example of His servants who selflessly work on the behalf of the poor and hungry throughout the world.

Chalmers Center visit

2008-11-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

Last week, I had the tremendous blessing of visiting the Chalmers Center of Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, GA. I did online studies in International Community Development with the Chalmers Center in 2006 and 2007, and the knowledge I gained from them was foundational for the economic development work I was a part of in Peru and a great help to me as I worked on my masters in Community Economic Development. The staff at Chalmers was always ready to offer advice, support, and encouragement while I was on the field, even though I'd never met them in person! So, after being such a blessing to me for years, it was wonderful to meet them in person and see how the Lord is at work through their efforts. They also offered me the opportunity to participate in some of their undergrad classes and present some of the work I was involved with in Peru to their students, a tremendous honor!

The Chalmers Center seeks to train the church worldwide to minister to the poor in their community without creating dependency by helping the church to help the poor to help themselves. Chalmers offers training for Christians throughout the world, even in the US. I would encourage ALL CHRISTIANS interested in learning how to better serve the poor to take their online classes. They have a US track to better equip Christians and the church to serve the poor in the communities around us in the US. Anyone interested in overseas missions work, even short term work, would also greatly benefit from these courses. The first course that all participants take is "Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry," a course that all Christians can benefit from as they seek to serve the Lord and others. Please visit their website and also watch this amazing video clip to see how the Lord is working through the Chalmers Center in Africa. It is especially amazing to see how they work among the rural poor (which is very difficult for economic development) and among AIDS victims.

I am passionate about this subject and am thankful for a place like Chalmers that aids the church in better ministering the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor worldwide.

"A" is for "Appendicitis"

2008-11-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

This week has proved to be more of an adventure for me than I had planned! Now, I have a few new scars and am minus my appendix. I was up in Memphis for the weekend, and loved seeing friends and former students of mine. I was able to visit Redeemer for some missions events they were doing, and on Monday, I went to ECS to speak to Mrs. Coleman's 10th grade Bible classes, which were the students I taught when I was at ECS.

As I was leaving Memphis (at 4:45 to be exact- I remember checking the time to see when I'd make it home), my stomach started hurting. I figured it was the pizza I'd eaten earlier, and wasn't looking forward to driving home with a stomach ache. I made it home, still not feeling well, and went to bed as soon as I could. I woke up a few times in the night with the same stomach ache, and tried all I could to remedy it- I ate a bit thinking maybe I was hungry, then later took Pepto-bismol, then later drank hot tea, etc. etc. Nothing seemed to help at all, and the next morning, I was still stuck with the stomach ache. I then called a doctor friend of mine, who after asking a few questions said "you know, I don't like the answers you're giving me. I think you have appendicitis." I thought, "no way, I don't feel that sick" because I've always heard about how painful appendicitis is. But upon his insistence and the insistence of my sister Rachel (an RN), I went with Rachel to MEA to see what was going on. The doctor there was wonderful, and after ruling out everything we could, she said my symptoms were consistent with appendicitis and ordered a CT scan. So, we then headed to River Oaks where I got a CT scan which confirmed I had appendicitis.

I'll spare you any more details, but I spent the night in the hospital, had surgery this morning, and came home tonight with a few new scars, no appendix, and all of this nice hospital "jewelry" (that's what Rachel called it.)

Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes, prayers, phone calls, and gifts! The Lord was really gracious in that it was caught early, so I did not experience much pain, and I'm back home and hoping for a smooth, quick recovery. My family was awesome, especially Rachel and my mother who were at the hospital with me nearly the whole time and made sure I had everything I needed. A giant thank you is due to my sister Sarah, who was on the phone with my insurance company while Rachel and I were at the doctor, to make sure that we had all the details of my coverage and the hospitals I could have surgery at. Also, I have to give kudos to the River Oaks staff. The doctors, nurses, and support staff were all wonderful, very friendly, and made this as pleasant as possible!

New Peru Mission Slideshow

2008-11-10T14:33:00.001-08:00

Here's an updated version of the Peru Mission slideshow giving an overview of our work and ministry opportunities. Please be in prayer for the work of the Gospel in Peru!

Adoption

2008-10-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

"so that we might receive adoption as sons." Galations 4:5
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." - James 1:27

For many years, I have been convinced of the value of adoption, as Christians are commanded to care for orphans and widows, and it is patterned after our own adoption as sons by God the Father. I've always thought it was something that I myself would like to do one day, especially after working in different childrens homes in college and seeing the large number of abandoned and abused children, even here in the US. Lately, God has blessed me to witness Christian families heeding God's call to care for orphans and widows. One of my best friends, Bailey, has a nephew that is adopted. John and Heather Ferguson, who I served alongside with in Peru, adopted two children from the US foster care system, and it was a joy for me to have their daughter Miranda in a girls Bible study in Peru. I'm currently praying for families such as the Nasekos who are in the adoption process to adopt Karina, a Ukranian orphan. It has been a tremendous encouragement for me to watch the faith of these families as they seek to honor the Lord by bringing these precious children into their families. Check out their blogs to see how you can pray for them and to read the stories of God's goodness and faithfulness as they go through the adoption process.

I also recently ran across a video about Georgia football coach, Mark Richt, and his family's story of adopting two orphans from Ukraine.

Photos of All the Cards!

2008-10-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

I have uploaded pictures of all the cards to my picasa sight. You can view them here:

Card designs- Oct '08

Shipments for new cards are coming in a few different times in November, so let me know if you have a special order you'd like to have included in those shipments! We are working on a website to showcase all the cards, give information about the ladies working in the project, and let you order online, so be looking for that in the future! I have been amazed at how God continues to bless this project with so much business. What a blessing to all involved!

Why Am I Smiling?

2008-10-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Because I got another shipment of cards from Peru! With the gracious help of Gillian Baikie and Beth Bradford (Allen and Bill's sister-in-law) in transporting and shipping, I received some more cards from Peru today! They're all beautiful, and there are some new ones (like the one I'm holding), that I had not seen before, but that I love! The ladies in Trujillo are so creative and artistic and do great work. The only problem (which is a good problem to have), is that I still need more cards! There has been such great interest in these wonderful cards, and God is blessing this project more than I had ever imagined. But, continue to place orders, as the ladies in Trujillo are steadily making them and genuinely appreciate your business!

Cuy Festival

2008-10-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Props to Emily Guthrie for sending this to me. In Peru, they do eat guinea pig, or "cuy" in Spanish, and according to this clip, a lot of it. I've had it a few times when it was served to me, and although it wasn't my favorite dish ever, I'll have to admit it wasn't that bad. It's more popular in the mountains than the coast, so I didn't have it on a regular basis. This festival showcases some of the traditional mountain garb- you don't see many folks in Trujillo or Lima dressed like that, but it's definitely still the style in many parts of Peru. When Peruvians ask me about my time in Peru or what Peruvian cuisine I've tried, they always are eager to ask if I've tried cuy. Most have heard that we have them as pets in the States, so they think it's funny to watch our reactions when asked if we've eaten them.

What's Been Happening

2008-10-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

Since returning home from Peru in September, I have been in Jackson working and hanging out with family. I've really enjoyed seeing everyone, as I haven't been in town for this long in a few years. I've been working for my dad and am SO thankful for the employment and the opportunity to learn new things. I've helped some to get the website for his new company, Environmental Turf Services, up and running. Check out the website to get an idea what his company does. I've been able to see my sister Jackie run cross-country for Belhaven in races both in Jackson and Memphis. She's done a great job and get's faster every race! Last Friday, I went to the State fair with all my sisters and we completely pigged-out on fair food for lunch. It's fun once a year (I don't think our stomachs could handle it any more frequently!)

Last weekend, I went to the State football game and had a great time with Sarah, Rachel, and Auston. On Sunday, my family surprised me with a birthday party at Rachel and Auston's for lunch. My birthday's not until Saturday, but Sarah was in town for fall break and wanted to celebrate while she was home. Included in my gifts were two books I've wanted to read for a while: The Poisonwood Bible and Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. I'm excited to read them and will let you know how they are.

Even though I miss my work and friends in Peru, I am thankful for this time home with friends and family and know that God has given me this time for reflection and respite, and to prepare for future work and service. I am still working on plans to head back to Peru, and I thank everyone for their prayers for me during this time!

Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO)

2008-10-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

Friday night, I attended a lecture at Belhaven College hosted by their biology department to hear Stan Doerr, President and CEO of ECHO, speak. ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization), is a non-profit, Christian organization in North Fort Myers, FL. The website, http://echonet.org, states their vision: “To bring glory to God and a blessing to mankind by using science and technology to help the poor.” To accomplish this goal, they work with community leaders in developing countries, using education, training, problem solving and networking to formulate hunger solutions for families and food grown in a difficult environment. His topic was "Using Science to Help the Poor." I was fascinated by the organization and what they're doing to fight worldwide hunger and poverty in Christ's name, and hope to be able to partner with them some in the future.

ECHO has a huge farm in Southern Florida, in which they test the best ways to grow nearly every fruit, vegetable, and grain known to man, in nearly every condition seen on earth. They then publish that information so that missionaries and development workers worldwide will have access to their research to best help the poor and hungry. I'm interested in their urban gardening and how that could be put to use in Trujillo. I'm going to see if I can visit them before heading back to Peru.

Check out this short BBC clip about ECHO and the world food crisis to get a better idea of what they do.

Christmas cards available to order!

2008-09-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of some of our newest Christmas card designs that the ladies in Trujillo make. If you are interested in ordering some, let me know! We can handle large amounts as well as special orders if you have something in particular in mind.

Parish Comes to Town

2008-09-09T19:11:00.000-07:00

Brad Ball, Chris Bolton, and Don Charlet were in Jackson yesterday and today on their Parish fundraising/ showcasing tour of the southeast. It was fun to see them outside of Peru and to have a chance to show others the cool work they're doing in Peru. They showcased a few of the furniture pieces that Parish has recently produced while talking with folks about the opportunity to partner with the work. Here are a few pictures from their set up.

Their presentation included the following film which gives a great overview of the project. Watch and enjoy!

Please be in prayer for this project that the necessary funds would be raised and that God would bless the project for His glory. Please consider how you may help out through prayer and/or giving. Also, visit the Parish website to see more.

A Sad Commentary

2008-08-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

I came across this graffiti in Moyobamba (in the Peruvian jungle) a few days ago. It reads "Iglesia Nueva, Igual Pobreza" or "New Church, Poverty is Equal." How sad that we as the church of Jesus Christ are often guilty of this. A new church comes, yet the people near it do not feel the love of Christ, for they are often still hungry, still poor, still sick, and still oppressed, and they notice when the church does or does not act on their behalf. Ezekiel 16:49 speaks of the downfall of Sodom saying "Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy."

As the people of God, the church is commanded to "seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." (Isaiah 1:17). Equally, Christ says in Matthew 25 "for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." These actions are expressions of true faith and are the response of a heart that has freely received the wonderful Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel changes everything and will affect all areas of life. Even places and circumstances full of the brokenness of poverty, injustice, and suffering will be changed by the Gospel. One of my favorite Christmas carols, "Joy to the World" speaks of this. One of the verses says "He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found." Jesus Christ came to change people who would then change the world around them! The Gospel can and should bring the blessings of Jesus Christ to even the most hopeless, destitute places.

Let us pray that we as the church of Jesus Christ will never be accused of this sad commentary and that God will see fit to use us His servants to cause His blessings to flow even "far as the curse is found."

Woodshop

2008-08-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the Peru Mission Woodshop project, headed up by missionaries Chris Bolton and Brad Ball. The guys have produced some beautiful furniture and will soon be in the States to showcase the furniture and raise money for the next phase of the work. Read more about the work here. Please be in prayer for this project that God would bless the work and that it would be used as a means of economic development and discipleship.

Back in Trujillo

2008-08-13T22:25:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from my first few days in Trujillo. I'm enjoying seeing friends and seeing progress in the work here!

With friends Lucia and Enrique, and their sweet girls Andrea and Grace.

Andrea displaying her new Bible story book.

My god-daughter, Grace and big sister Andrea modeling their new outfits, courtesy of Target.

With my friend Briggith in the office.

At the Arevalo church that now has LIGHTS in the sanctuary!! Great job Ludving and crew. It looks so much better and now can more easily host events in the evening.

Ludving figuring out the water situation at Arevalo with Carlos Alcalde, another engineer that does a lot of work with the mission.

Return Trip to Peru

2008-08-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to a return trip to Peru tomorrow and will stay for two weeks. the purpose of this trip is to meet with the mission and plan for the future, including items such as future work with the mission, wrapping up a few of my projects, visiting friends, and catching up with the work there.
Because this is a short trip, I will have much less luggage than normal, allowing extra room to play Santa Clause and bring down gifts and items that are not easily available in Peru. Below is a picture of most of the items that will travel down with me.

Some of my favorite things are the baby clothes I picked up for my ahijada (god-daughter), Grace, and her sister Andrea. Please be in prayer for my time there, that God will provide clarity for future work, that I can wrap up things with past projects, and that I will have good visits seeing friends.

Finishing grad school

2008-07-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've been back in the States for two months now, but I've been so busy I've haven't had much to post. I went back to New Hampshire and finished up my graduate school classes for my degree in International Community Economic Development, and have been home for about a week, frantically writing my thesis and other reports so I can finally get my degree. There was a graduation ceremony, which was in fact, only ceremonial, as we will receive our degrees pending after getting all our work in and having our thesis accepted.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity I had to learn with people from around the world who have great experience and insight from years of working in development. I feel better equipped with knowledge to work in economic development and am ready to make plans and get back to work!

More updates to come now that I've recently turned in a draft of my thesis and will have more free time!

With my wonderful advisor Catherine Rielly and my parents who made the trip to graduation!
With my classmates- a very international group. Melissa and I were the only Americans!
With my dear friend Melissa.

Smith Family Performance

2008-06-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

Before leaving to come to the States, the Bradfords hosted a wonderful despidida (going away party) for the Bakers who returned to the States for furlough. One of the highlights of the night was Sandi and Allen Smith performing their "We're Gonna Miss the Bakers" song which Allen composed. Allen sang and played the guitar and was accompanied by his able wife Sandi on the harmonica along with a rain stick and shaker. Watch and enjoy.

Last Days in Peru

2008-05-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

Surprise Night "Despedida" for the Bakers at the Bradford's house.

At Lenin's 30th birthday party with brothers Lenin and Ludving.
With my ahijada (god-daughter) Grace Maree after her baptism on Mother's Day at Larco.
In the bus station getting ready to leave Trujillo.
My last day in Peru: in Lima.

I recently left Peru to head back to the States. My last few weeks in Peru were great, although very busy and full of good-byes. I've made it back home to Jackson, MS, and will be with my family in Jackson, MS for just a few more days before heading to New England to finish my masters degree in Economic Development at Southern New Hampshire University. It has been wonderful to be home and see friends and family again.

I've posted a few pictures from my last bit of time in Peru.

Cards!!

2008-04-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

Here are some designs of the cards for sale with one of the economic development projects I work with. All the cards are handmade using homemade, recycled paper. The project employs women in Trujillo, and all of the profits are re-invested in the project to employ more women and increase the sustainability of the project. Let me know if you're interested in purchasing cards, and I'd be happy to fill an order for you! They make wonderful gifts and are a great way to support economic development and spread the blessings of the Gospel to the women of Trujillo!

New Baby!

2008-04-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Lucia and Enrique at her baby shower.

Grace Maree just a few hours old.

Visiting in the hospital

On March 24th, my dear friends Lucia and Enrique welcomed a new addition to their family, Grace Maree. Grace joins proud big sister Andrea as God continues to bless this young family. I was privileged to attend Lucia and Enrique's wedding a number of years ago, and it has been amazing to watch God grow and bless their family. I am thankful for their friendship and honored to be the madrina (God-mother) of this beautiful covenant child. Please be in prayer for this family as they seek to honor the Lord and grow in Him.

Savings Group Updates

2008-04-10T16:08:00.001-07:00

One of my primary projects in Trujillo has been to establish savings groups in the Arevalo church. The program began small with ten women meeting regularly saving between $1.75 and $7 a week over a three-month period in order to pay for their children's needs at the start of the school year. The group dynamic built trust between the women and has given them hope that they can better provide for their families, while simultaneously breaking the myth of "too poor to save." To celebrate the accomplishments of the group, we held a celebration ceremony in which we invited the community to learn more about the program and hear how the Lord was working through the program.

The group immediately started saving again, this time with much more interest and more participants than before. I hope and pray that this group would be both a spiritual and financial blessing to the women as the group grows and we learn together about stewardship.

Liz and Obal's wedding

2008-04-10T12:50:00.000-07:00

Hello All.

Sorry for the delay in between posting. A very exciting event a few weeks ago was the marriage of my good friends Liz and Obal. They met through Sociedad San Agustin, a university ministry associated with our churches, and are faithful members at our Larco church. Liz is the director of a Christian orphanage in town and Obal works part-time with the mission while finishing his university degree in math. I was honored to be a bridesmaid for the wonderful event. Praise the Lord for pouring out His blessings on Liz and Obal, and may He continue to bless them as they begin their life together!