Hunger

I'm sitting here listening to Outside The Camp practice and, while they are excellent musicians, they are extremely loud. So, if there are any mistakes in this post it will be their fault.

The following statistics come from UNICEF, United Nations World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. I found them through Compassion International. My comments are in italics.

• 925 million people worldwide are chronically hungry - almost one in seven. Almost 73 million people in the United States of America are obese.
  

• 75% of the world's hungry live in rural areas, primarily in villages in Africa and Asia.

• 146 million children in developing countries are underweight, the result of chronic and acute hunger. And here in the USA we can find news stories everyday about our children being obese. One out of three are considered overweight or obese.
  

• 17 million children each year are born underweight, "inheriting" malnutrition from their undernourished mothers. Malnourished mothers have trouble breastfeeding their babies and in developing countries other feeding options aren't readily available.
  

• 7.7 million children die each year before age 5. In 53% of these deaths malnutrition is a factor. One child is too many. It is completely unacceptable.
  

The effects of hunger on the body:

• Normal growth is compromised.
• Physical activity is difficult.
• Resistance to disease is lessened.
• Learning ability is diminished.

The following are the numbers that really got to me.
Nutrition Comparisons: On average, the body needs at least 2,100 calories per day to allow for a normal, healthy life.

In 2007, these three countries averaged the most calories consumed per person per day:

• United States - 3,770
• Austria - 3,760
• Greece - 3,700

These three countries where Compassion works have the least calories consumed per person per day:

• Haiti - 1,850
• Ethiopia - 1,950
• Tanzania - 2,020

There's more than a tad bit of difference there.

Click here to find out how you can make a difference in the life of a child.

Needs and Wants

This time of year many people start thinking about the things they want.
My kids start getting pushed by their grandparents for Christmas lists.
We sat around my cousin's dining table yesterday going over the ads, looking at things we wanted and joked about if they were things we needed or wanted.

There are a lot of things I want, but in the scheme of everything else, there isn't anything I need.

I want a new stovetop. A wonderful gas 5 burner would be lovely. But, do I need it? Nope. Anytime I get grumpy about the one I have all it takes is a thought of the little house up in the mountains of China where Aaron, Stephie, Cassie and I stayed one weekend. They cooked our food on an open fire in their kitchen. That was their stovetop. That was also the only thing in their kitchen except for a table.

An oven with a door that really closed properly would also be lovely. But, do I need it? Nope. I know people that use old oil drums for their ovens. The majority of people in the world don't have ovens. My oven is a luxury.

The plumbing in our house is old and creaky. Comes from being in an older home and living on the ever shifting North Texas soil. I really don't think God ever intended house to be built on this stuff. Dealing with this plumbing can get really frustrating. Our guest bathroom makes me crazy if I let it. I would love to rip it all out and start over. But, you know what? I've got indoor plumbing. I don't have to walk to the neighborhood well or go to the creek to get my water. In another country we had to climb over two fences and squat over the openings in the floor while sharing the space with a pig. My indoor plumbing with clean running water is a luxury. Wanting better plumbing is a want, but it isn't a need.

I want a new camera. I've always loved photography, but I can't really pinpoint my motives for having one, so it is definitely a want, a luxury. I would probably waste a lot of time with it. I've got lots of friends that are fabulously talented photographers. I'll just enjoy their photos.

I want a Wilton icing thingy-a-bob like Lacey has. But, I want it just because I think it is really cool and fun. Lacey uses hers all the time because baking and decorating is one of Lacey's gifts and how she blesses people. My motives aren't pure like that. So, I am trying to convince myself that I don't want one. I know I definitely don't need one. Not even sure I would use it all that often. It would be a waste of money for me to have one. Most of the people in the world can't even afford to buy one frosted cupcake.

Today more than a billion people in the world live and die in desperate poverty. They attempt to survive on less than a dollar per day. Close to two billion others live on less than two dollars per day. That's nearly half the world struggling today to find food, water, and shelter with the same amount of money I spend on french fries for lunch. David Platt in his book, Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream - Radical

Needs and wants. They're different.
Lots of things I want. Nothing I need.

Reject Apathy

From Switchfoot, Reject Apathy, Relevant Magazine, and ONE

TOMS Holiday Catalog Makes Me Happy

Some of you know that I get plum giddy over TOMS Shoes. Really, I smile just thinking about them. And it isn't just the shoes that make me that way. Yes, they are amazingly comfortable and cute, but it is the mission and concept of the company that make me happy. Wasn't there a real corny cheer once that had H-A-P-P-Y in it somewhere? Sorry, I digress.

Back to the company. If I were young, single, and intelligent I would do everything in my power to work for them. Maybe if I were just young and intelligent I would do everything in my power to work for them. Being none of those things, I will do everything in my power to get the word out about the company.

So, back to being giddy. My TOMS Holiday catalog came yesterday and, as usual, it is just delightful. And my favorite thing, besides the black glitter shoes on page 6 and the Cordones on page 12 and the poem on page 22, is on the back cover.

There you will find TOMS Gift Pack for $50. It is COOL BEANS!
Included is a TOMS $50 gift card, a For Tomorrow DVD (it is wonderful) and a Limited Edition Poster. Plus, of course, you will be giving someone in need a pair of shoes.

If you have someone in your life that prefers their gifts to give a little more this would be perfect for them. And you would be helping get the word out. And that makes me H-A-P-P-Y!

Check out Brant's Blog

http://branthansen.typepad.com/letters_from_kamp_krusty/2007/07/asterisks.html

He says it like I can't.