Not fully home yet...

Well, it's been a while since I've added to this blog. So here is a brief update.

A few weeks ago I started a little campaign that I called 41 for 41. The intention is to get 41 new sponsors for children through Compassion International before my 41st birthday which is March 8th. I made a few post about this and then perhaps it looked like I just stopped, died, or simply stepped off the earth for awhile. Well, none of that is true. The fact is that I went on a trip to Bangladesh where I had the opportunity to meet, eat with, play soccer, play cricket,and to dance with some of the wonderful children who are not just surviving but are now living because they are sponsored through Compassion. I've been back home now for a while but have found it difficult to write (although I will be sharing more of this great trip later) because frankly I'm not fully home yet. Truth is part of me is still in Bangladesh. Part of me who had the chance to laugh, cry, and hug these wonderful children is still there but with the added pressure of not actually being there. There is the desire to be there and to protect them from the harsh realities of the world that they must live in.  Never the less, I'm here far away and detached. This is something that I'm still struggling to process.  All of this is further complicated by my desire to be fully home for my family here. We must never forget the present of being present.

So I am home, but not fully home yet. Perhaps the remedy is found in extending my definition of home. One of the last things I said to Munna, our sponsored child, before we left was that he is family. So perhaps I will never by fully home or perhaps my home is in North Carolina, Florida, Ethiopia, and now Bangladesh. I'd like to encourage you to extend your heart and to extend your home. Extend your family to a child that is perhaps half way around the world. Extend your love to a child by sponsoring today. 

Finally, when you do sponsor a child will you please send me a message so I know how close we are to reaching the 41 for 41.  And would you be so kind to help share this with others as well. Thank you and God bless.

                                                       SPONSOR A CHILD HERE!

Family

 

Just a Comparison

I thought I'd take just a moment to share a little side by side comparison of the life in the United States of America to life in Bangladesh.  Enjoy the facts and then head over the Compassion site to find a child whose life you can change forever.  

	Bangladesh	United States
Capital	Dhaka	Washington, D.C.
Population	156,050,883 (July 2010 estimate)	307,212,123 (July 2010 estimate)
Languages	Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English	English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)
Religions	Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, other 0.9% (2004)	Christian 78.5% (Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%), Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
Literacy rate Definition: Age 15 and over can read and write.	Male: 54% Female: 41.4% (2001 Census)	Male: 99% Female: 99% (2003 estimate)
Percentage of population using improved drinking water sources	Urban: 85% Rural: 78% (2006 estimate)	Urban: 100% Rural: 94% (2006 estimate)
Percentage of population using adequate sanitation facilities	Urban: 48% Rural: 32% (2006 estimate)	Urban: 100% Rural: 99% (2006 estimate)
Climate	Tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)	Mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the Great Plains west of the Mississippi River and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are warmed occasionally in January and February by chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.
Percentage of population urbanized	27% (2008 estimate)	82% (2008 estimate)
Life expectancy	Male: 57.57 years Female: 63.03 years (2010 estimate)	Male: 75.65 years Female: 80.69 years (2010 estimate)
Under-5 mortality rate	54/1,000 (2008 estimate)	8/1,000 (2008 estimate)
GDP per capita	$1,500 (2009 estimate)	$46,000 (2009 estimate)
Monetary unit	taka (BDT)	U.S. dollar (USD)
Number of people living with HIV/AIDS	12,000 (2007 estimate)	1.2 million (2007 estimate)
Percentage of population living below $1.25 a day	50% (1992-2007 study)	Data not available

Sources for facts: The World Factbook, 2010; The State of the World's Children, 2009

Life in Bangladesh

It won't be long now before I head off to Bangladesh with Compassion International.  Before I go I thought I'd share this little write up on life in Northeastern Bangladesh where the boy that we sponsor lives.  This information comes from Compassion:

Many of the people living in the villages of northeastern Bangladesh are from the Garo tribe. Known for their honesty and industrious spirit, most Garos earn a living by farming. Many of them work on larger farms as day laborers. However, despite their hard work, they earn only a meager wage, insufficient to provide for their children’s basic needs.

Garos typically live in houses made of bamboo, straw and mud. Those who are better off have houses with brick walls and tin roofs. As a rule, these simple houses lack electricity, running water and adequate sanitation facilities.

Unlike the majority of Bangladeshis, who are Muslims, most Garos practice Christianity, and in the northeastern region, Compassion partners primarily with local churches in Garo villages to minister to their children.

Garos typically build their homes with bamboo and straw. Some houses have mud-made walls with a roof of straw or plastic sheets. The houses are 7 by 14 feet in size, and usually house five or six people. Most homes have front yards where families keep their pet cows, chickens and ducks.

                                            Oh yea, now please go and SPONSOR A CHILD!

Follow Compassion

As most of you know I'll be traveling soon to Bangladesh with Compassion International where I'll get the chance to see first hand the work of Compassion.  Also, on the trip I'll get the chance to meet the young boy that my family sponsors. I cannot wait for this amazing opportunity. However, there is still a couple of weeks before I leave and in the mean time I wanted to let you know of another Compassion trip that is taking place right now in Uganda.  This trip is featuring Compassion bloggers who are blogging about their trip everyday.  It is a wonderful opportunity for you to hear first hand accounts of what Compassion is doing and how the lives of children in extreme poverty are being changed.  I encourage you to read their stories and then to sponsor a child.