Treasure in Jars of Clay

Trying to process home

2011-09-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today I went to the farmer’s market in my city. It’s generally one of my favorite places to go.

It’s hard to explain exactly what happens when we come home from faraway places like Haiti. It’s not like I make conscious decisions toward dysfunction. It’s more like I’m standing somewhere normally familiar and okay and my brain just short circuits.

And then I am completely overtaken by the urge to run away.

There was food everywhere … beautiful, yummy, fresh fruits and vegetables. And I was using WIC vouchers to get my produce, which should be a good thing, right?

Well, it is a good thing.

It’s just really hard to process when I was only a week ago triaging patients in an outdoor clinic who are unable to feed their children enough for normal growth and development, never mind fresh fruits and vegetables.

So, because I am a US citizen in a certain income bracket the State of CT will help me buy produce for my children.

But, there are mommies in Haiti who are living in a world of poverty I cannot even imagine who have no access to adequate food for their babies. And no government who cares to intervene.

And this comes down to where we were born.

Where I was born was not a choice I made or a circumstance for which I can take pride.

I am here. And they are there.

And now I can sit and eat my salad.

Only it just makes me nauseous.

Coming home is really hard.

August 10

2011-08-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

It is hot.

It is very hot.

Not hot like CT in a heatwave.

Hot like in your microwave hot.

And there are a lot of people here already.

And there are more coming.

A lot more coming.

And there is no power.

And we can’t flush the toilets.

But.

I just rocked a beautiful little boy to sleep for his nap.

Sasha is playing cards with the kids.

Kenni is rolling a ball on the floor with the toddlers in their room.

Tariku and Ashebir are sacked out from a morning of playing in the sun.

Pete is building bunkbeds outside using power tools plugged into a generator.

Rachel is sanding wood for the bunks.

Kim is helping too.

And it is in these moments that all seems well with the world.

This is why we take our children and spent our vacations in orphanages.

Because there is a piece of life that we would never experience outside of these places.

Worth the money.

Worth the risk.

Worth it all.

This is life.

And Jesus said, “I have come to give you life, life to the full.”

Haiti :)

2011-08-09T18:32:00.001-07:00

We arrived safely yesterday afternoon.

The airport is crowded and hot beyond your wildest dreams, but we managed to leave with all our suitcases and baggage accounted for! God is good.

The kids are having a ball.

The boys spent the day playing outside with all the kids. They were up at 5 am and went strong until about 7 pm tonight. They are sacked out now. The girls are as well.

Pete was able to get out and purchase the supplies to make a prototype for the bunkbeds they'll be constructing next week when the team arrives. Purchasing supplies always takes longer than you think in Haiti!

Me and the girls spent the day around the compound ... playing with kids, braiding hair, supervising water time and just enjoying out time together.

We love you all. We covet your prayers.

It is a good time, but it is hot and crowded. Pray for our patience and our love.

Can't wait to see the team in just a few days!!

Hopefully I'll be attaching some pictures for you.

Amy

Water

2011-01-27T07:27:00.000-08:00

Part of the responsibility of our group was bringing down supplies in order to make a water filtration system for the doctor’s compound. Basically, it consisted of Lowe’s 5 gallon buckets made into water filters. One of my nursing school friends, Jon, put 10 of them together and we set them up outside the house. It takes approximately an hour to filter one gallon of water, so the process is quite slow. The kids were arriving with their containers long before we had enough water to supply it to them. Before we could give them the water, we had to clean out their containers with bleach because they had been previously filled with contaminated water. So, my job was to start with one container and transfer the bleach water down the row of children until all the containers were clean.

Then they lined up for the water. We have some amazing pictures of these children, ranging in age from 2 to 15 waiting patiently in line for clean water. We were so proud of the filtration system, but felt immediately inadequate to meet the high needs of those right around us. We sent most kids home with some clean water, but we had no where near enough to fill all their containers to the top.

This was also the night that we had a meal for the kids and their families. Part of our team went to the market to get the food that was needed (the funds were donated by one of their moms back home) and then the ladies that work with Dr. Franco spent the majority of the day cooking everything from scratch. There was rice and beans and chicken with sauce. While I did not have any of it, it sure did smell delicious when I was serving it. I have truly never seen so much rice in all my life.

Before dinner Dr. Franco did a church service for everyone. The kids were all lined up on the benches outside, with the adults standing behind and to the sides. There were probably 200 people there at least. Church always lasts longer in other countries than it does here in the States. We sang songs in English and in Creole and people gave testimonies and Dr. Franco preached. He preached in Creole and then translated for us so that we could understand. He is a provocative combination of evangelical and humanitarian. He is a surgeon, and wants so desperately to bring proper medical care to those in need … but his heart is as a pastor. His greatest desire is for the people to come to know Jesus personally. It was both challenging and refreshing.

During the message, Miss Sasha went from sitting right in the middle of the kids in the front row to being held by several members of our team. She won their hearts over on this trip that’s for sure. During the testimony time Sasha went right up front and told everyone that she loved Jesus and that she hoped they would choose to follow Him too. She is a preacher in the making.

The dinner was amazing. The ladies had prepared a pan of rice bigger than I have ever seen, filled with beans and awesome homemadeness. I scooped rice onto plates until my arms were sore while others did chicken and sauce and others handed out plates. The children ate first, followed by the teenagers and adults. We ran out of chicken first, which was hard. So many people did not get chicken. How do you explain that? I’m sorry you won’t be getting chicken. That sucked is an understatement.

We fed people for over an hour, letting more people in the gate when the others were finished.
Sasha was exhausted by 8 o’clock. I took her inside and scrubbed her down and laid her in bed. She was out within minutes. Nothing like a long life filled day to help you sleep well.

The people were there until late, eating everything that the ladies had prepared, and taking with them all the water that had been filtered. We were exhausted, that good kind of exhausted when you have given of yourself in a way that uses all your energy. As with other nights, we sat and talked about the day by the light of the generator power. So much to debrief.

Porridge in Haiti

2011-01-26T13:44:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that I ate porridge for a year after the experience I had at the 30 hour famine a couple years back. Little did I know that that experience would hit me in the face all over again, this time on the other side of the world. When it was time for dinner at the orphanage, all the kids sat at long picnic like tables inside the dining area. Each child was given a metal bowl filled with a corn meal porridge that looked exactly like what I had eaten and a spoon.

I ate my porridge out of choice. There was no choice with these children.

I did not have a perfect track record in eating my porridge. There were days when I forgot, days when I did not plan ahead and ate something else on the road, and days when I just skipped lunch b/c I didn’t feel like eating it again. But this past week I sat with beautiful little boys and girls who eat this every night for dinner (and perhaps lunch and breakfast too, I was afraid to ask). Not out of choice, or because it’s cool to write a blog about. They eat this porridge every night because it’s all they have to eat.

I took pictures through my tears. Porridge for dinner everyday and no mommy or daddy to tuck you in bed at night. This is their world. This is a world I cannot even imagine being a part of everyday as a little child.

I know the big question many of you will ask yourself.

And the answer is yes. Yes, it is potentially possible to adopt these kids. If you really want to. And really wanting to is going to involve a level of grit and commitment you have never had to muster before. Adopting from Haiti is different. It's complicated. But it is the complicated children who really need adoption.

Feel free to ask me about adoption if you are interested ...if you believe you have the grit and commitment that will be required. These kids are older, they are sibling groups, they have special needs and yes, it will cost a tremendous amount of money ... but children like this are among the most needy. Adoption is not for everyone, but I can point you in the right direction if you are genuinely interested. Please know that I do not have any special connections, just information about who to talk to in order to ask questions.

And, please do not "shop" for children in any of my pictures. This is not the purpose for which I took these pictures and I do not personally know the individual stories of any of these children.

Instead, please let the faces of these children prompt you to pray and to advocate.

For them specifically, but also for the children all over this world who live parallel lives to these beautiful children in Haiti.

Our world is huge. The need is even bigger.

Be a voice of change. Be an agent of change.

Pictures

2011-01-25T18:46:00.000-08:00

This was taken the first day of our medical clinics in the tent city. These beautiful people were displaced after the earthquake, and now a year later they are still living in tents.

A year in a tent.

That is something I cannot even imagine.

And there is no promise of change anytime soon.

Many people wondered what Sasha did while I was working on the medical end of things. Well, as you can see from the above picture, she was not in any way bored. :) She quickly made friends outside with the children of the tent city ... they played games, colored pictures and just spent time together. She was in her element.

Haiti Part 2

2011-01-25T18:41:00.001-08:00

So many people wondered how Sasha would do on this trip.

Well, you can be rest assured that Sasha adjusted beautifully and had the time of her life. Here is a classic example of just how easy it is to go with what you have when you are little. This is Sasha sound asleep on the floor at JFK. :)

She carried her new doll that she got from mom mom and grandpa for Christmas all over Haiti. Here Abrianna is fast asleep with her at JFK. Later in the week she was riding along in the front seat as we drove through the political unrest, and then Abrianna even had a chance to be sprayed down with alcohol after we left the cholera clinic.

Taking Sasha with me was the best decision ever. Not only did the trip change her life, but seeing Haiti through her eyes changed mine as well. I love you, Miss Sasha and we are so very proud of the responsible and delightful spirit you added to this adventure.

So many more thoughts to come ... so much nursing school stuff in front of me. You'll have to be patient. :)

Haiti Part 1

2011-01-23T13:55:00.000-08:00

Last week I was riding in the back of a pick up truck through the streets of Port au Prince. At one point we were driving through political unrest complete with SWAT teams and UN soldiers everywhere.

This week I went to the gym and ran 5 miles on a treadmill.

On Wednesday I was haggling with street vendors for good prices on art in 100 degree sun.

Then the next day here in Middletown I picked out perfectly round imported apples from a display case inside a store that had no less than 10 varieties of said apples to choose from.

Now that I am sitting here in front of my computer, the trip seems sort of like a dream. The details are surreal and I am having trouble assimilating them with my life.

I will try and write what I can. I hope it makes sense.

I will be honest. I did not expect this trip to affect me like it did.

I have been lot of places and I have seen a lot of things in this world. I have seen poverty and sickness and injustice. But, the difference is, that I have never seen such things so close to home. Haiti is practically in our backyard people. It is a 3 1/2 hour direct flight from JFK to Port au Prince. That's closer than California!

And yet we sit in our warm safe homes and pretend like it is far, far away.

But now I have been there. And you are reading my blog. So, now we are both responsible for what we know.

Whenever one of us comes back from a trip like this we are bombarded with people who say they want to come next time. This particular trip has been no exception.

Will I go again? The possibility is very real. We are thinking and praying about going this summer after I am finished school. If we go, it will be as a family.

Can you go? Again, the possibility is very real. Haiti is close and Haiti is accessible. I would be more than happy to talk with you about serving in Haiti, if you are interested. But, please take the time to read my next few posts before asking me about it. While it may be close by, you will need to be prepared for inconsistent electricity, no hot water, air conditioning or fans, and very long drives in the back of pick up trucks over insanely bumpy roads.

With that said, a trip to Haiti also has the potential to quite literally change your life.

So, I would say that the long drives and lack of air conditioning are more like character builders rather than difficult factors to deal with. Talk to my daughter Sasha. She lived her 7 days in Haiti with great zeal and had the time of her life.

To be honest, I am not the actual person you would need to talk to about being a part of a trip like this. But, I can put you into contact with that person if you are interested. She is my friend and she is a dreamer just like me. She will also be very honest with you about what to expect and how you can be a part of changing the world in Haiti.

This is sort of a teaser blog post. My pictures will be back with me on Monday night and then I have no less than 8 pages worth of blogs to post which I will do so, complete with the pictures to accompany the stories. Be patient. The wait will be worth it.

2009-08-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Walk for Water …

This past week our family had the opportunity to attend Soulfest, a Christian concert festival held in New Hampshire. After a week of camping in the rain and sludging through the mud we were ready to come home and sleep in our own beds.

Above all the concerts and fellowship one event stands as the life changer for me.

On Saturday morning Kendalyn and I had the opportunity to participate in what’s called a “Walk for Water.” Basically, each person carries a 5 gallon bucket one mile out to a river, fills the bucket with water, and carries it one mile back.

The purpose of this activity is to show how difficult it is to carry water even one mile ... yet women and children carry water many more miles everyday all over the world. And often the water they carry, the water it takes most of the day to collect, is not even sanitary enough to bathe in, never mind drink or cook in. Yet it is the water they use for all daily activities.

How much water would I use each day if I had to carry it all even one mile each way to my home?

The average American uses 100 gallons of water each day. 100 gallons of clean and refreshing water. Water we can use for any purpose we wish without a care in the world.

It would have taken me 20 trips on my walk for water in order to carry that much water back on Saturday.

I can tell you now I would not have made it 20 times.

I’m not sure I would have made it 5 times. Let's just say I was sore for days even after just one trip.

At the beginning we were all together, maybe 50 people or so, each of us with our orange 5 gallon bucket. I had to fight for Kendalyn to be able to participate. They tried to tell me she was too young, that maybe we should save the buckets for a “real” walker. After many attempts at being nice, I basically just told them I was taking a bucket for her because she really wanted to do this. Why do people fight with mothers?

So Kenni and I started walking together. Oh yes, and I was carrying Tariku on my back in the backpack.

And then a man with a video camera asked if he could ask us a couple questions.
Oh sure, why not?

So, he casually asked Kenni why she was walking.

And, as if the very voice of God spoke through her, she said, “I’m walking for my brother Tariku and his first mom and her friends.”

And that’s when I lost it. Completely.

I then tried my best to answer his question as to why I walked. I blubbered through some sort of variation of what she had just so eloquently said and we walked on.

The walk out wasn’t so bad. An empty 5 gallon bucket doesn’t really weigh too much. An active 20 month old baby boy on your back is rather heavy, but I’ve done that plenty of times before.

We waited in line at the creek for our water. Knowing that in order to make the exercise realistic I would need to care a substantial amount of water, I asked the man to fill mine as full as he could. Kenni then filled her bucket with about a gallon of water I then dumped her water in my bucket and had him fill hers again. So my bucket was filled to about 3 inches below the top.

5 gallons of water weighs approximately 45 pounds. That seems all well and good until you try and walk with that much water in a bucket. It’s not only heavy, but incredibly awkward, at the same time. And add to that the 20 month old baby boy on my back trying to climb out of his backpack and the tears running down my face ... we were quite the site.

It’s quite the trick just trying to keep all the water in the bucket. If you’re going to walk that far to carry the water you sure as heck don’t want any of it to spill over the sides along the way.

While I was starting to fall behind, Kendalyn was in front of me leading the way and talking to everyone that crossed our path. She was telling them all about how they too should be walking for water rather than merely standing by the sidelines. That’s my girl. :)

Over the course of the mile I had to put my bucket of water down many times. But we both made it to the end ... tired, with sore hands and arm muscles, but we made it. One mile with one bucket of water. Hardly an accomplishment when I think of all the women and children who walk miles each day to carry water home, just to sustain life. Why me? Why them?

I'd challenge you to do some reading. Check out www.globalbenefit.org to find out more about our walk for water, as well as information on people who walk for water everyday.

And one of these days I'm going to organize my own walk for water here in CT.
Anyone want to help me?

Psalm 15

2009-07-13T18:20:00.001-07:00

Psalm 15

"LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?
He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the LORD,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things will never be shaken."

Now there's a list worth working on.
He who does these things will never be shaken.

The Last Day of School

2009-06-25T04:30:00.001-07:00

The last day of school ...

Hard to believe that today is the last day of school. Mind you, we're the only people still in school at this late hour (thanks to snow make up days), but it's still hard to believe the school year is winding up.

Our firstborn is finishing second grade and is well on her way to being taller than her mama. :) She is beautiful and funny, we have such a good time together.

Our sweet second born finished preschool yesterday. She came home with a backpack full of pictures from the year and a heart full of friends and memories. She loved school ... from the busride in to the busride home. She says she's excited that school is over, but I know she'll miss her friends before the week is out.

And wonder boy is now 19 months old. Our beautiful baby boy is a running, talking little person. Occassionally he will allow us to snuggle him close, but that doesn't happen very often. When it does we try to take deep breathes and savor the moments.

The summer is before us ... so much fun planned this year.

We're headed to the Science Museum in Springfield, MA tomorrow for the day. Buying the family pass to all the science and kid museums was one of our best moves.

Daddy has a missions trip next week for a few days.
We'll be camping at Rocky Neck for a week.
The kids are spending a week at my parents in Jersey after that.
We're all spending a week in PA with grammie and papa.
Soulfest is at the end of July.
Kenni goes to camp all by herself (6 nights in NH!) in August.
And then we round off the summer with family camp up at Spofford, our real vacation.

Whew. We might be ready for school to start again in the fall.

Now I'm off to enjoy one last cup of coffee for the school year.

Adoption Musings

2009-06-04T18:49:00.001-07:00

An adoption update ...

We are currently in the middle of the paperwork stage for our next adoption. I specifically remember a conversation Pete and I had on the plane ride to Ethiopia (probably right after Kendalyn's vomit incident) where we both agreed that Tariku's adoption would be the only adoption and that we were done having children. :) Hee, hee. I also specifically remember the moment when we saw all the beautiful children waiting for families at the care center in Ethiopia. We both knew then that we would be back.

Another boy ... this time he will be older. He can be as old as a year younger than Sasha, and it is likely that he will be that old, because the older they are the harder they are to place with families. We are hoping to bring him home within the next year and so that will make him about 5 years old at that time.

Our son. Only now he is someone else's son. And he will always be someone else's son too.

Our son who will soon find himself in the most horrific of circumstances. Circumstances that will leave him orphaned and in need of a new mommy and daddy. Circumstances so traumatic that I dare not even speculate what they might be.

And so what do we do now? Well, for one, we fill out piles of endless paperwork and get countless signatures notarized. We write checks. Big checks that are only being written because we have the ability to take out loans. And then we wait ... wait for our adoption agency to send all our paperwork to all the right places ... wait for visas and passports and medical evaluations, etc.

Why? So many people ask us why. People ask us why, and then generally they tell us why they are not able/choosing to adopt. *Sigh*

Why? Let me tell you why.

Because 15 months ago we traveled to the other side of the world to pick up our son who has forever changed our lives. He is beautiful and smart and a little crazy. He is our son.

But he did not start off as our son and he is not only our son. Due to the tragic imbalance of resources in our world, he was born to a beautiful Ethiopian woman who was unable to care for him. It is true that I will probably never meet her, but yet I see her every minute I look into his face ... and I wonder ... did his birth mommy have dimples ... and did she ever get to see his? Did she have long curly eye lashes? Did she love popcorn?

Did she get to hold him close, even for a minute? I pray she did. Oh God, I pray she was able to hold him.

Because my son is a gift. But he was her son first.
In a perfect world, she should have been able to raise him and love him and chase him all over the place like I do everyday.

And now there is another little boy ... a little older this time ... who is about to lose his family due to the tragic imbalance of resources in our world. And this time he will remember his birth family because he will be old enough to remember. And we will do our best to help him keep those memories alive.

So many beautiful children. So few people who are willing. And if they could only understand ... what we have "sacrificed" to bring these two boys into our home pales in comparison to the joy they have and will bring to us. It pales in comparison to the gift of family and the amazing mystery of adoption.

We might not own a home. We might not drive a nice car. We might not go out to eat or out on dates. We might eat too much pasta and not enough meat.

But we have experienced love, life and blessing like we would never have otherwise known.
The expense, the risk, the grief, the wait ... it's all worth it, I tell you. Well worth it.

Jackass Number 2

2009-05-19T05:03:00.000-07:00

The kids are still asleep (I know, I'm shocked as well) so this phenomenon leads me to believe I am meant to write something worthwhile and lasting this morning. Why else would they still be asleep at 8:05 on a Tuesday morning?

The cornmeal lunches are going well. Honestly, after a couple days of choking it down it got a little easier. My super amazing friend Alicia starts day 2 of her ENTIRE WEEK of cornmeal porridge today. She had a tough time eating it all day yesterday and felt pretty bad about herself ... the same way I felt the first time I choked it down.

Everyday I wake up and open my refrigerator and decide what to have for breakfast. After complaining to myself that I have to make it and wouldn't it be nice if I could just go out to Dunkin Donuts for breakfast like everyone else, I try and make something healthy for myself and the kids. Again, in my mind I think about how nice it would be to just go to Dunkin Donuts with the kids and not worry about health or money.

Before the cornmeal lunches, I would again look in the frig and try to find something for lunch after a long morning at the YMCA. I'd say to myself in my head, "You deserve so much better than this Amy ... but way to go for being so disciplined with your food budget, unlike so many others. You can prove what can be done with a tight budget and maybe someday someone will listen."

And then at dinnertime I would remove the small package of meat from the frig and make something with it that distributed the meat among all 5 (okay 4 of us, Tariku won't generally eat meat of any kind) of us in an economical way. I would again say to myself in my head, " Maybe for fun one night this week I'll buy a couple steaks from Aldi's and splurge for me and Pete ... maybe while we watch the Lost finale online after he gets back."

You see, in my head, I am not really satisfied or happy with the way we are choosing to eat on a budget. I do it because I know not only is it very do-able, but it is healthy and it is allowing us to do so many more exciting things with our money. But I am not REALLY satisified or happy with the scenerio.

Because, I too am a Jackass. (read my friend's blog for further reference)

I say I am sympathetic to the cause of the poor ... I am, really ... but it does not carry over to my head when I'm home alone cooking dinner for my family.

I think deep down that somehow I am more deserving than the beautiful Ethiopian mother who walks miles for dirty water and has nothing to feed her children. Somehow I have the right to whatever food I want today in my refrigerator, while she chooses to go hungry and instead gives her children the beans and cornmeal given to her by World Vision.

I think it may take more than a year to become really grateful for what I have. Not grateful on a surface level, but really grateful ... grateful in a way that even changes my thought patterns.

This morning I put fresh milk in my coffee. Fresh cow's milk in my refrigerator puts our family in the minority in this world. The vast majority of the world's population does not have access to fresh milk and I get annoyed when I have to use skim milk in my coffee instead of whole.

Come have lunch with me. Please. Let's talk together about how we might become more grateful people.

Live simply so that others may simply live.

Great friends

2009-05-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs great friends.

You know the kind ... while the rest of the world is trying to ignore your crazy idea about corn meal porrige ... there they are ... jumping in to eat it with you!
Thank you! You know who you are!

And the porrige is going well. Honestly after 7 days of it, I'm sort of used to it. I'm still booking lunch dates for those who would like to join me! If you would like me to come to your work, I'm flexible for that too. :) For a donation of $5 (tax deductable to World Vision) we will eat together what so many in our world pray for each day.

Love you guys! Let me know how the book reading is going.

The books are ready

2009-05-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

The books are on their way out. :)
Here's what you'll find on the inside cover.
Be sure to let me know if you'd like a copy.

Dear Reader:

Please know that many prayers are being said over you as you read this book.

After you are finished reading, please write your name and the date inside the book, and return it to us so that someone else can read it next. If you would like someone you know to read it, consider purchasing a copy to loan to them!

Also, please take a moment to email us your thoughts about what you’ve read, as well as your intended course of action. We can’t wait to hear what you’re thinking!

Together we will change the world.

Pete and Amy Zipf

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger of malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10

The Books Are Here!

2009-05-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I am quite the fan of Amazon. Nothing like free shipping and 3 day delivery.

The books are here and I'll be getting them out this week. If you'd like to come by for some porriage, I can give you the book at the same time. And I'll be at the church tomorrow eating porriage with Pastor Roger, so let me know if you'd like me to make enough for you!

Day 1

2009-05-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, here I am at day 1 of the Corn Meal for a year adventure. :) Many people have asked about what exactly I'm eating, so I guess I'll start with a brief description and recipe.

When World Vision brings in food to feed people who are starving, many times they provide ingredients to make a corn meal type "porriage." It is both economical and highly nutritious. It is not always what they use (depending on the region of the world, etc.), but it is a fair representation.

Here is the basic recipe:

1 cup cooked/smashed beans

3/4 cup maize or corn meal

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup dry milk

1/4 cup sugar

water to make it like cream of wheat consistency (you'll need at least 1 cup of water)

I mix everything together in a large bowl (bigger than you think might be necessary b/c the mixture tend to slosh around) until completely mixed. Then I pour it in a pan and cook it for about 5-10 minutes or until cooked through and bubbly.

This will make 2 servings, one for today ... and then I refrigerate the other serving so tomorrow I don't have to start all over again. I can just microwave it. With it I am having a glass of tap water.

Because I am obviously not starving, I have at this point taken out the oil and reduced the sugar by half.

Thanks everyone! I'll keep you posted on the progress!

The Hole in Our Gospel

2009-05-03T19:23:00.001-07:00

New book ... I just finished reading it.

The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns ... he's the president of World Vision.

World Vision is a global humanitarian aid organization.

I have known since I was a teenager that God put me here to fight for Africa. I have been using the excuse of "being young" for way to long. It's about time I step up to the plate and get something done.

Everyday 26,000 children die of hunger and hunger related causes. 26,000.

And, in a fair world, that should mean 26,000 mamas were wailing while they dug graves for their babies. But, likely, many of those children were orphaned long before they died. Which means they did not even have a mama to hold them and weep over them when they died.

So, things will be changing here at the Zipf house. And I'm here to challenge you to be a part of the fun. :)

1. If you promise to read it, we will personally supply you (free) with a copy of the book, The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns. I'll have 20 copies by the end of the week. When you are finished with it, either give it back or foward it onto someone who will promise to read it.

2. Those of you who were at the 30 hour famine will appreciate this one ... starting Monday I will be eating the Corn Meal Porriage we served at the famine everyday for lunch (Monday-Friday) for a year. If you think I'm stronger than you, you're mistaken. I ate a bowl of it, yes ... but I choked it down. Everyday I will put $5 in a jar to represent the amount of money I'm not spending on a regular lunch. At the end of the year, the money will be given to World Vision.

The money will give others the opportunity to eat corn meal porriage. And they will walk miles for it. And they will be grateful because it's the only food they have.

I will learn to be grateful. Damn it, I will learn.

And I'm inviting you to join me for lunch anytime over the next year. We'll be having corn meal porriage and the topic of conversation will be the book. Please bring $5 to contribute to the jar and let's see how much money we can raise together.

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail."

Taken from the Bible, Isaiah chapter 58