A Big Reality Check

A Big Reality Check

Did you know that Honduras is the murder capital of the world? They have 82.1 murders per 100,000 residents. Compare that to 5.5 murders per 100,000 residents in Florida. How does that make you feel? Anything at all? Perhaps you were like me and for a second said to yourself, “Wow! That’s crazy!” Yesterday I was talking to my close friend from college. He lives in Honduras. I asked him, “What’s it like in Honduras?” He said, “It’s the murder capital of the world.” I said, “Wow! That’s crazy!” My buddy then said, “Yeah. Just Google Honduras Murder Capital and you’ll see it all.” So, sitting in front of my computer I Googled “Honduras Murder Capital”. Here are some of the headlines I found on Google:     Honduras: murder capital of the world     Instability in Honduras     Honduras: A Violence, Repression and Impunity Capital of the World     Peace Corps pullout hits Honduras, world’s murder capital As I was reading through these headlines on my computer my buddy was painting the picture for me. He said there was a time when he showed up to the airport 30 minutes after 6 people had been shot right there in the airport. The bodies laid there uncovered for 2 hours before being tended to. Another time my buddy was walking past the French Embassy at 3 pm in the afternoon when two kids rolled up on their bikes. They pulled out their handgun, pointed it at his head and asked for his phone. My buddy talked about the death and government corruption he is surrounded by. Something very interesting was...
Amy Schiebel: Up Close and Real.

Amy Schiebel: Up Close and Real.

I have to admit also that it wasn’t until this past week, and technically the past couple of days, that this is all really starting to set in. Like Jenny’s blog the other day about seeing the homeless people… that one really hit me yesterday.  I was out with friends at Gov’s Park Tavern for a bike ride.  As I rode in to the bar, there were two homeless men tucked up under the over hang of the building across the street.  That is when it hit me that it’s not just about me.  It’s not just about the children, or one country or another.  It’s about everyone, every where.  I walked into the bar and order a water and a pitcher of water, then perused the menu for a healthy simple meal that I could take across the street to those men.  I ordered them a side salad and some chili and walked it over. My friends that were with me, at first they didn’t believe I was going to even do it.  But as I climbed over the railing with the food in hand saying “I’ll be back in a bit”, their faces went from disbelieving to kind of shock and amazement. I sat with those men for about 5-10 minutes asking them about their lives on the street, telling them about 25 In Change, and telling them about Pathways.  The one gentleman, Davy Boy, was a real charmer.  He asked me if I was a Christian woman and I never felt so proud to say yes!  He then proceeded to ask me to marry him, but...
Day 18: Empathy, like Ron Burgundy, is kind of a big deal.

Day 18: Empathy, like Ron Burgundy, is kind of a big deal.

Mother Teresa once said, “If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.”  Recently, these words began to make more sense to me.  At a surface level, it seems easy to understand that she is speaking about the discouragement all of us face at the overwhelming problems of the world, and how if we only limit our vision to one person suffering, we can make a difference in the world.  This is a fair interpretation, but what if she is talking about something a little bit more profound and personal? What if she is pointing to a truth which is only learned through solidarity with the oppressed, or more specifically, someone who is oppressed? We are now on day 18 of 25 in Change, and this week we focused on the need to empathize. In fact, all the curriculum of 25 in Change (Self-examination, education, empathy, equipping, and measuring effect) is meant to help us be more effective at empathizing with those who are marginalized. This is how it works: 25 in Change teaches people how to empathize, by building a community which values empathy, and for this reason it is a virtuous circle.  By building an empathic community–which values empathy through self-denial–so that others are helped, we begin a conversation about the value of empathizing with others, and through this we learn how to empathize with others, which in turn reinforces our bonds of community built on the value of empathy. So the cycle continues. It’s like a gift which keeps on giving. And if someone has an easier...
Day 16: The Freedom of Empathy

Day 16: The Freedom of Empathy

Change in most cases does not come easy however, occasionally it happens without consent. Sitting at the stop light at Speer and Blake I see the same group of homeless individuals regularly. Living and working downtown I feel as though I am almost numb and accustomed to their signs and pleas for help. While these have been thoughts within my head for some time now, I feel a wave of guilt writing this down and looking at these words on the page. I am ashamed. I think back to when I was younger and I know that I was not always this far removed from the idea of helping. If change is so hard, why is it that I don’t ever remember making a decision to stop caring for those who have less? I honestly do not have a good answer to this question. I suppose that over the years one stop light at a time, I just “wrote off” helping. At each of those stop lights (at least 3 times a day in Denver) I have always felt bad for those individuals, but my attitude has never been anything more than sympathetic. Sympathy. The English Dictionary defines sympathy as “the sharing of another’s emotions, especially of sorrow or anguish; pity; compassion”. I “shared” their sorrow from the comfort of my car; A/C on, windows up and doors locked – clearly sharing a lot through the windows. Somehow my sympathy for them had been diluted to this. I had dehumanized their pleas. I had convinced myself that I was better off not trying, that my help would not change...
Day 15: My Tea Party with Grandma

Day 15: My Tea Party with Grandma

This weekend I was having a nice chat with my Grandma and told her about 25 in Change. I told her why it is such a great campaign. About 14,000 kids are dying every day due to lack of food. I have never seen a look on her face like that before. She couldn’t comprehend those kinds of numbers, and I don’t blame her one bit. By eating beans and rice for 25 days, we try to place ourselves in the lives of the kids that suffer from lack of food.  We can’t see or experience all of their suffering, but through being in solidarity with them in their fight with chronic hunger, we get a little bit closer to understanding them and ourselves. Last Sunday, after our group meeting, I couldn’t sleep. Not because I was hungry, but because I was pumped in seeing the people around me changing. Since I was 18, I have been pretty involved with mission work–both locally and globally. A thought came to me during last week’s session: We are on a mission trip. We haven’t applied for passports, and haven’t received any shots to prevent tropical diseases, but we feel connected the same way one feels when going to a developing country and immersing oneself in a radically different culture. To be honest, I am amazed at the feelings we are all experiencing; I even lose sleep some nights because I get so excited about what this is doing in my life,  the lives of advocates around me, and especially, the lives of children who are getting a fighting chance in life. As...
The Cost of Consumerism

The Cost of Consumerism

Close to 20 years ago, I had a dear friend come to the States from Belarus, former Soviet Union, to study for year. We formed a deep friendship despite language barriers. Many nights giggling over my lack of eloquence with Belarusian as she patiently taught me simple words like good morning and good night. She was a consistent source of joy and always beaming with life, however one day she came back from running errands sobbing and undone. I helped her unbind her heart and apprehensively reveal her days events. She ran to Walmart, of all stores, to purchase a simple tube of toothpaste. This was her first experience going into an American grocery store which, as I write this, seems absurd to call it that. What she came upon was nothing less than complete culture shock. She had never been faced with so many choices in her life. In Belarus, there is only one choice for a tube of toothpaste. My friend ended up coming home empty handed, but a heart full of defeat and anger. I’ve never forgotten this. For her, a simple trip to the market turned into an experience with a machine that will eat you alive if you are unsuspecting. I was listening to NPR last week and heard an interview with Dr. Chow from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. He uses mathematics to solve everyday problems of real life. In the interview, the question was asked, “Did you ever solve the question – what caused the obesity epidemic?” and this was his answer, “We think so. And its...
The Man Who Talked to Himself

The Man Who Talked to Himself

Yesterday I was in King Soopers. I had one mission. To quickly and without much thought check off a to-do on my productivity list. One of my to-do’s this day was to pick up several days worth of rice and beans. My thought process minutes before – while sitting in my car – was this: – Take check to the bank and deposit it. – Run into King Soopers to grab rice and beans. – Stop by gas station to fill up with gas. You see I made a 25 day commitment to eat only rice and beans when someone donates $25 to provide 100 school meals to chronically hungry children through the world food program. With my commitment, I made the choice to give up the privilege I have in life to eat what I want to eat, when I want to eat it, and how much of it I want to eat. As I was in King Soopers heading towards the rice and beans isle, I began to ponder about all the food I would be able to eat when my 25 days was up. As I turned the corner to head down the isle toward the beans, fate introduced me to the man who talked to himself. He was a tall, frail, black man. He appeared to be in his late 60’s to early 70’s. He had a thin, scruffy, gray beard and a face that seemed to tell the story of a rough journey in life. As I got closer to this man I realized he was talking to himself. I also realized he was...
Day 12: Krispy Kreme puts an addictive chemical in its donuts which makes you dumber and then kills you. The scientific term is "sugar".

Day 12: Krispy Kreme puts an addictive chemical in its donuts which makes you dumber and then kills you. The scientific term is "sugar".

This morning, I watched my children eat a breakfast of cheerios, apples, and toast with strawberry jam, as they engaged in their early morning routines of being silly at the table.  A leftover cup of rice and beans from the night before awaited me in the fridge, and it and I embarked on our twelve day routine: Into the microwave for 1 minute, let cool for another minute, add spoon, begin culinary boredom. At breakfast this morning, the taste of the last 33 meals I’ve consumed sat in my mind like the lumps of cold leftovers I put in the microwave every day.  I turned to my five year old son, engaged him in the serious look only a Father and son can share, and spoke the words which will forever be etched on his soul: The thrill is gone The thrill is gone away The thrill is gone baby The thrill is gone away   It’s now a few hours later, and because of ADD, he’s probably already forgotten the immortal words of B.B. King spoken to him by me, but one thing is for sure: I’m singing the blues today because I am bored by rice and beans. Just as nature abhors a vacuum, the 21st century mind hates monotony.  But why?  What programs me to not be grateful for warm, nutritious, fat free, high protein, and rich in fiber food?  Am I such an addict to the entertainment of food that I can’t even focus on eating a simple meal on a regular basis? Is this a new form of ADD? Attention-Deficit Food Disorder? What is...
Jenny Usaj: She’s so money, that when she goes on missions trips, foreign nations experience inflation.

Jenny Usaj: She’s so money, that when she goes on missions trips, foreign nations experience inflation.

The education system has played a significant role in my life.  My passion for 25inchange started when I was a freshman in high school.  I took an opportunity to travel to Honduras.  This trip was life changing for me.   From my experiences on the trip, I found my inner passion to create community and to help provide shelter, water, food, and health care.   Upon returning to my “normal” life in public high school, it was hard for me to readjust and justify why I was born to a “rich” family in the US and not in the slums of a 3rd world country.  My strong pull for justice changed the next 10 years of my life. After high school, I felt that maybe a higher education would help me understand and resolve the inequality I had witnessed.  I attended college at DU to study International Politics, studied abroad and focused on the economic policies of the EU and then topped it off with a MA in Global Finance, Trade, and Economic Integration.   My point in mentioning all this is that within all the classrooms and lectures; I found no answers.   Education, while essential to learning the facts, did not provide me with an answer to the problems. While some theories, politicians, and policies worked better than others – there were no tangible solutions in the works I read.   The truth of the matter was that no one person, country or politician knows how to even start to address chronic hunger, obesity, and shelter.  It sounds cheesy, but I honestly believe that the answer is the community.  God’s commandment to...
Day 8 and 9: The days are blending into one another

Day 8 and 9: The days are blending into one another

My mind did the most unfortunate thing today: it made a connection.   I’m officially sick of black beans and rice. So much so, that my brain has now connected the smell of black beans and rice to the smell of my daughter’s urine soaked diaper. With a blind fold on, and through smell alone, I think I would fail to identify which is which if they were laying before me.  Appetizing, right?  The fact that I lost my appetite over this idea, led to an even more profound connection for me: I’m a spoiled brat, and I don’t know squat about what it means to be hungry. Chronic hunger and obesity are forms of malnourishment a person can never just pick up and understand. They are the long term effects of the inability to eat, think, and live in the presence of healthy food.  People who suffer from chronic hunger do not have access to a healthy lifestyle, while those who are overweight and obese have been forced to devalue it. 1 billion people on the planet are chronically hungry right now. Another 1 billion are not hungry or even overweight, but are malnourished from eating nutrient deficient foods like chips, candy, soda, poor carbohydrates, and food lacking vitamins and protein.  And then we have another 1 billion who are overweight or obese because of the systemic lack of food value in their lives. Like the majority of Americans, I’ve got about 10 pounds I can lose to get to a healthier weight for my body type. In fact, 3 billion people would have been significantly healthier today had...
Day 7 thoughts.

Day 7 thoughts.

I love seeing people come together and sacrifice some of their greatest pleasures for a great cause. You all are amazing people in my eyes. I know some of the advocates have gone through some really tough challenges with their mind, body, and soul and I just want to say, stay strong! You and your sponsors are the voices for the 14,000 kids that pass away everyday due to starvation. This is a blip on the screen of life for most of us; but, could be a child’s entire screen if you save their life by providing a meal. I have been very blessed to only have had to deal with a couple issues back on day 3 when I believe my body was detoxing itself. I enjoy torturing myself though, so, when my college buddies were visiting this weekend, I took them to every food establishment I love. Wooo!! I know why dogs drool when you place food at within their reach but won’t let them have it. It blows my mind that I have never had to experience this before. I spent time in Haiti and Zimbabwe and although I was very limited in food, I didn’t have delicious meals in front of me to have to deal with. What do we want in this world?? To be happy… not worry… those are just a few. Let’s see, money is not evil at all, it is amoral. Money is feeding these kids but money doesn’t buy happiness. It can buy fun, that is for sure; but, fun ends and then what? As a nation we spend billions...
Is Showing Weakness Strength or Weakness Itself?

Is Showing Weakness Strength or Weakness Itself?

It’s a question I’ve wrestled with my entire life. After spending 13 years in the military I was always led to believe that projecting strength is always the answer. Come to think of it I can’t recall one time in my military career where I was ever encouraged to show weakness as a sign of strength. This question has surfaced from time-to-time in my life, but never more real than it has over the course of the last 7 days. Only being able to eat a meal of rice and beans when someone else contributes $25 that provides 100 school meals to children through the World Food Programme is a humbling experience. Having to ask for a $25 contribution and then count on a yes answer in order to eat can be unnerving. In fact it has been. What if I’m told no? What if my request is ignored? What if I’m faced with the rejection of silence? What then? I am only beginning to imagine what the 300 million chronically hungry children of the world are living through day-in-and-day-out. I mean, I’m only living this reality for 25 days. After that I have the option of going back to choosing all the comforts I had access to before these 25 days started. But the children… … they don’t have that option. It’s not part of their reality like it is mine. It’s not something they hope for like I do because for them it’s not real. As I was reading through a passage in Compassion by Nouwen, McNeill, and Morrison I was struck by this thought about the...