Congo Journal 7

Details, iPhones, and Gender-Based Violence: Related?

Pre-trip planning makes me crazy. Too many details. Emails. Calls. Arrangements. Decisions. And no matter how often I travel, the question of what to pack and what to pack it in never ceases to baffle me. You’d think this would get easier—but no, not for me.

However, in preparing for this trip, the details that have most consumed me aren’t the kind I could check off my to-do list. I cited one of those details in my last blog: In contemporary wars, civilians account for the vast majority of victims, and those least empowered suffer most.

Nowhere is that more true than in Congo (DRC), where violence against women and girls is an intentional tactic of war.

“Sexual violence is the monstrosity of our century.”
— Dr. Mukwege of Panzi Hospital, DRC

By humiliating, dehumanizing, and punishing women and girls, soldiers can hold entire communities hostage. Sexual violence has a unique economic, social, cultural and inter-generational impact. For example, women cannot access water-points or markets, and children cannot get to school because of the threat of violence. War babies—children born of rape—are ostracized. Women who have been raped are often shunned and outcast, even by their husbands. As a result, many women don’t admit they’ve been raped and never get the medical care they need.

“Wartime sexual violence has been one of history’s greatest silences.”—Elizabeth and Rehn and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in Women, War, Peace (2002)

It’s hard to get an accurate statistic of the number of women and girls who have been raped in the DRC over the last ten-plus years, particularly since there is a growing belief that there is chronic under-reporting of rape. A recent study suggests 1,100 women are raped every day in the DRC, making sexual violence against women twenty-six times more common than previously thought. According to the American Journal of Public Health, more than 400,000 women and girls between the ages of fifteen to forty-nine were raped in the DRC during a twelve-month period in 2006 and 2007, which put the total at twenty-six times higher than earlier UN reports. “Even these new, much higher figures still represent a conservative estimate for the true prevalence of sexual violence,” writes Amber Peterman, a lead author of the study, “because of chronic underreporting due to stigma, shame, and perceived impunity, and exclusion of younger and older age groups as well as men.” The American Journal of Public Health, estimates that nearly two million women have been raped in the DRC, which puts incidence of rapes at nearly one per minute. Because of this sexual violence, the BBC ranks DRC as the most dangerous place in the world to be a woman.

Hang on to that little detail: nearly one rape per minute.
 
Now consider this detail: The DRC is the largest supplier in the world of minerals to the electronics industry.
 
Ever wonder if those two little details are related?

I mean, what are the chances that my iPhone is filled with the 3Ts—tin, tantalum and tungsten—mined by local Congolese men and boys who are enslaved by armed rebel militias? The same militias that rake in millions of dollars in personal profits, and then arm their mercenaries with even fiercer weapons to more effectively terrorize the civilians who have no choice but to keep working in the mines? The same rebel soldiers who then use their new weapons to take what they consider their just rewards: a young girl’s body?

It just so happens that my iPhone is filled with those minerals and the scenarios I described are exactly what happens. Meanwhile, the illegally acquired minerals are smuggled out of Congo through neighboring countries and shipped to smelters around the world for refinement. Once minerals are processed in this way, it’s difficult to trace their origins. Then these so-called conflict minerals easily make their way to the U.S. Actually, it’s pretty amazing how quickly gold and the 3Ts—tin, tantalum and tungsten—mined in eastern Congo find their way into my iPhone, iPad, and my MacBook Pro. I’m not picking on Apple, in particular; they’re just one of many companies who haven’t been too careful about finding out where their 3Ts really come from.

Sadly, those two little details—one rape per minute, and the worldwide demand for the 3Ts—are directly related.

World Relief, the organization with which our team of Ten for Congo is traveling to the DRC, is directly involved in the care and healing of exploited, wounded women. Congolese World Relief staff train local pastors and volunteers how to deal with trauma, provide healing interventions, work with local hospitals, embrace women who been ostracized with welcoming love, and challenge the attitudes that make too many husbands part of the problem rather than the solution.
On my previous trip to Congo, I talked with women who were raped so brutally that they wanted to die, but when groups of women called “compassion groups” from local churches embraced these broken women, one said to me, “They gave me my life back.” For those of us traveling to Congo, our role is to meet these women, honor their stories, and promise that we will do our best to let the world know what is happening to them.

Even if you aren’t traveling to Congo, you have an important role to play. You can be part of an advocacy movement that puts pressure on international governments and corporations to assure that Congo’s minerals are not blood minerals. The following link offers an in-depth look at the issue of conflict mining, along with important actions that advocates can take. Just this morning, I read an article about two Chinese-owned mining companies operating in eastern Congo that disregarded supply chain due diligence established by international law; thus their purchases financed armed groups and criminal networks within the Congolese national army. In response, the Congolese government suspended the activities of these companies. This is just one step out of thousands that need to be taken to assure a legal and safe mining enterprise. But it is a start; and it happened because ordinary people like you and me pressured governments and corporations. So, please read the following link to find out more!

http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/mine-mobile-phone?page=show

Then take action on Congo’s behalf!

Donate to World Relief Congo

Congo Journal 6

It is early in the morning. Memorial Day 2012.

I confess to the thoughtlessness with which I have typically celebrated this last Monday of May. On this day of remembrance, I have planned picnics and hosted parties and poured pitchers of lemonade. I have recruited helpers to grill burgers. I have made introductions, trusting that during the course of a leisurely afternoon, strangers would become friends. I have snuggled babies and chased toddlers and chatted with young moms and dads. I’ve enjoyed the extraordinary blessing of family and friends.

But rarely have I taken the time to remember.

Memorial Day—formerly known as Decoration Day—was initiated after the Civil War to honor fallen Union soldiers. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the focus of Memorial Day had expanded to honor all Americans who have died in all wars.

Each year as this day approaches, journalists write the stories of heroes who went to war and did not come back. The fallen. Men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice. This morning, up early, I read the words of one such story and think of the parents, the children, the spouses, the friends of soldiers for whom those words are not mere words, but daggers scraping the raw wounds of their grief. On their behalf, I remember those they mourn. Those who lived a reality I cannot even imagine and died so that I—and you—might never have to experience that reality. I am so very sorry for the grief many people bear because of the tragedy of so many wars.

I remember, too, on this Monday in May, what this ongoing Congo Journal won’t let me forget. That the vast majority of victims in current wars are civilians. And that those least empowered suffer most. Women. Children. The poor. It was true for the Bosnians Sherri described yesterday. It is true for the Congolese we will meet next week. It is true in Syria and in South Sudan and in countless places we seldom hear about on the nightly news.

Dear God, help us not forget those who suffer in ways most of us will never understand. Help us not neglect our calling to be peacemakers in a world that knows too little peace. Amen.

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Congo Journal 5

What? You Want Me to Go to Congo?

One of my greatest joys is to discover and encourage what I call "dangerous women"—women who know they're loved by God, embrace their God-given uniqueness, refuse to let fear stop them, and engage deeply with the needs of the world. I am convinced that women like that are the greatest untapped resource in the world. Unfortunately, most of us don't realize how dangerous we are until somebody tells us. That's why I'm so excited for you to read Sherri's story...

Guest post: Sherri Meyer

Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint your passion—it was for me. But looking back now, it all seems clear.

Since I was a little girl, the thought of war deeply disturbed me. Other than the required history class in school, I “avoided” anything to do with war. Popular war films? Never saw them. Television shows? I didn’t stay in the room. Magazine articles? I quickly turned the page. War was upsetting in a traumatizing way.

But one day I decided that if others have to experience war first-hand, then I could at least watch a movie. So I started with Black Hawk Down. If you’ve seen the movie, you know it is incredibly intense and probably not a great place to start. I watched it one evening and was so shaken I couldn’t sleep that night. But it was a start, and I was committed to learning more. Over time, it became easier to engage and I watched films based about World War II and Vietnam, and read books about child soldiers in Sierra Leone and the Lost Boys in Sudan. I read articles online and watched as many films as came across my path.

Six years ago, I had the opportunity to see the devastation of war up close when I visited Bosnia for the first time. Although the conflict had ended ten years prior, the damage to buildings and the landscape remained—homes and sidewalks lacerated with mortar damage, roped-off land waiting to be de-mined, large sections of the Olympic Village reduced to rubble.

“Danger – Mines” sign in Bosnian minefield. Ten years post-war, Bosnians were still being killed by some of the hundreds of thousands of mines throughout the country. 

The Tunnel Museum near the Sarajevo airport. The tunnel 

allowed Bosnians to escape the city by traveling under the 

runway. The tunnel ended under this woman’s home, 

which made it a target for Serb shelling.

But the thing that impacted me most was meeting the Bosnian people and hearing their stories. I saw in their eyes the pain and suffering that people in war experience. Even when U.S. soldiers are fighting overseas, Americans back home are generally isolated from the effects. These Bosnians weren’t. I went home that summer with faces of the Bosnians I had met engrained in my mind.

Those who know me well know that my heart beats strong for compassion and justice issues. Every time someone shares their cause with me, it tugs at my heart and I want to get involved. Clean water? “I’m in!” Starving children? “I’m in!” AIDS? “I’m in!” Suicide prevention? “I’m in!” Human trafficking? “I’m in!” I feel passion about everything, which initially led me to being overwhelmed and to not really getting involved with anything. I did little things here and there, but felt strongly that I needed to really dive in somewhere. I just didn’t know where.

A few months ago, I met with someone who was able to help me figure out my true passion. Given everything I’d experienced, it should have been obvious to me, but sometimes you need a wise person who has gone ahead of you to help you figure things out. This woman was Lynne Hybels, and we started by talking about the work Lynne has done in Israel/Palestine. We also talked about Bosnia (I was headed back to Bosnia the following week, and Lynne had been there during the war), Uganda and eventually Congo. After listening to me talk about my experiences, Lynne said, “Your passion is conflict regions.” It instantly resonated with me. I still don’t know specifically what this means for me, but I am committed to continuing down this path to figure it out. I’m excited about it, and I’m about to take my next step.

I knew a little about Congo because of some personal relationships with people from Congo, sponsoring a Congolese child, as well as articles I had read. And what I knew was frankly a little scary. So when Lynne told me she was becoming more involved in Congo, I said, “I have a heart for Congo, but I would be afraid to go there.” And you know where this goes next. Five minutes later Lynne said, “I’m going to Congo in June—do you want to go with me?” And without hesitation and feeling completely at peace, I said, “Yes!”

On June 4, I will be a part of a team of seven women who will get on planes in the United States and will fly to Africa on a ten-day journey to Congo (DRC). Our desire is to be advocates for the many Congolese who have suffered, and are still suffering, due to decades of bloody conflict. I desire to live out these words: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Proverbs 31:8-9). While the needs and stories of many other war-torn countries are being told, I believe that the story of Congo is not being told—and that needs to change. And that is our goal—to be advocates for the Congolese and make their story known.

Donate to World Relief Congo

Congo Journal 4

Ten Fast Facts About Congo

Note: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is not to be confused with the neighboring country called Republic of Congo. In my Congo Journals, “Congo” and “DRC” are used interchangeably, both referencing the Democratic Republic of Congo.

1. The population of the DRC is over 71 million.
2. The DRC is approximately 905,567 square miles, equal to the size of the US east of the Mississippi. It is the eleventh-largest country in the world.
3. The official language of the DRC is French, with Swahili, Kikongo, Lingala, and Tshiluba also being very prevalent.
4. In a land rich in mineral resources, 80 percent of the people nevertheless live in extreme poverty.
5. The DRC is a failed state struggling to recover from over a decade of civil war that has officially ended, but continues in ongoing violence between numerous armed rebel militias.
6. More than 5.4 million people have died as a result of this ongoing violence, making it the deadliest conflict since World War 2.
7. The DRC’s vast natural resources, which are used in western electronics, are illegally mined by rebels who earn millions of dollars to buy weapons used to terrorize and control the civilian population.
8. Nearly 2 million Congolese have become internally displaced, forced to flee from their homes to escape armed rebels.
9. More than 400,000 DRC refugees still remain in various asylum countries.
10. Sexual violence in eastern Congo is the worst in the world and considered by many to be the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time. “It is now more dangerous to be a woman than to be a soldier in modern conflict.”—Major General Patrick Cammaert, former UN Deputy Force Commander, describing the situation in eastern Congo, May 2008.

This very short video sums up the Congo that I’ve seen and will see again in little over a week. Please watch this video and share it!



Future blogs will look more closely at the issue of conflict minerals and sexual violence in war—and also at what World Relief is doing in partnership with Congolese heroes bringing healing, help and hope to their country.

If you want to understand how the DRC ended up where it is today, read Adam Hochschild’s excellent book, King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa.

Thanks for being part of this journey!

 

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Congo Journal 3

Ten Congo Memories

Yesterday Fed Ex delivered a very important package to my house.

Congo visas for Christine, Sherri, Lili and me had arrived!  Fed Ex delivered similar packages to Belinda, Marianne and Erin.  Receiving visas made our upcoming trip seem very real.  It also brought back lovely memories that Christine’s camera captured on our 2009 Congo journey.  Enjoy!

Volcano that hovers over Goma

Some school child stayed up too late the previous night

Good times with new friends

Praying

Sunday morning in church

Sleeping in church

Christine and a few friends

I am WOMAN!

Women make and sell these bags to support 
victims of sexual violence

By paying back her microloan this woman 
earns a larger one to expand her business.

When you hear statistics of death and sexual violence in the DRC, it’s easy to forget about the beauty of the culture, the resilience of the human spirit, and the joy that can permeate communities even when it’s pain or hardship that brought people together. 

Check back tomorrow to learn Ten Fast Facts About Congo and to watch a short video.   And if you’ve just joined our journal, you can get caught up by reading my last two blogs. 

Donate to World Relief Congo

 

Ten for Congo - Congo Journal 2

What an Amazing Team!

4:30 a.m.
Barrington, Illinois.
On my desk, a candle burns.
I pray.

 Years ago, I read a book by St. John of the Cross called Flame of the Spirit. Ever since, I light a candle when I need to be reminded that I am not alone, that prayer matters, that my spirit is touched by the Spirit. I bought this miniature votive years ago in a dusty little shop in Edinburgh. I touch a match to a tiny tea light most every morning, because most every morning I need to be reminded of the great spiritual truths.

This morning I lit my candle and prayed for the Ten for Congo team. Now I sit here in awe of the grace that drew this team together. Months ago, Don Golden, director of church relations for World Relief, asked me to return with him to Congo to visit the dear Congolese men and women he’d introduced me to in 2009. He wanted to take a particular young Christian leader to Congo and he was sure she would go if I agreed to join her. I agreed. She didn’t. So, there I was with dates cleared on my calendar, a dream taking shape, and no team. And frankly, there aren’t a lot of people hanging around waiting for an invitation to Congo.

But then “stuff” just started to happen. I made a new friend. Crossed paths with an old one. Received an intriguing email. Had a random conversation that started with Bosnia, meandered through the Middle East, and ended with Congo.

And voila . . . a team! Ten for Congo!

Here are four of us in my backyard at our first team meeting. You may already have met Christine Anderson (upper left) because she’s traveled extensively with me—to Congo, Egypt, Lebanon, West Bank, Israel. We met when she edited my book, Nice Girls Don’t Change the World, and became friends immediately. As a freelance editor and writer, Christine still makes everything I write better. She’s also an extraordinary photographer; many of the photos you’ll see in our Congo Journal will be Christine’s. And she’ll be posting lots of photos on Twitter http://twitter.com/IonaGirl and Instagram: i0nagirl. Christine is so excited to be going back to Congo.

Lili-Ann Eldeiry (lower right) just finished a long graduate school career, with degrees in both international development and social work. Lili’s passion is for women and children at risk—with a special concern for refugees. After years in classrooms, this trip is literally “a dream come true” for her. Lili’s husband, Fady, has volunteered his time as director of Willow Creek’s Global Leadership Summit in Cairo. I’ve travelled to the Middle East several times with Fady and the Egypt team; I’m delighted that I now get to travel with Lili. Lili will be writing about her time in the DRC on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lili_eldeiry

Sherri Meyer (lower left) is a freelance experience producer and project manager, working with clients in both for-profit and non-profit arenas, locally and globally. She just returned from her second trip to Bosnia. We met because she wanted to talk about my experiences in the Middle East. I suspect she’ll travel with me there some day, but in the meantime she got sidetracked for Congo. Sherri has discovered she has a unique passion for people living in conflict situations. Read about her experience on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/sherrimeyer or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sherrimeyer

For those of you who are new to my blog, that’s me in the turquoise scarf. And here are three other members of the Ten for Congo team who participated in our first team meeting via conference call.

Belinda Bauman is a teacher and advocate, speaker and writer, wife and mother, and a former gymnast who is currently training for a half-marathon. I met Belinda this year at The Justice Conference, where I was assigned to interview her husband, Stephan, the president and CEO of World Relief. I was extremely impressed with Stephan—but I fell in love with Belinda. Committed to bringing light to the dark corners of our world, Belinda is currently writing a series of children’s books on justice. (Tragically, Stephan’s sister died suddenly this week, leaving a husband, two young children, and a shocked and grieving extended family. Please pray for Belinda as she navigates her own grief, gives of herself to family members, and prepares for Congo.) You can follow Belinda’s journey on her blog: www.belindabauman.com, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/belindajbauman, or  Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/belindajbauman

I met Erin Lytle in February 2011 at The Justice Conference in Bend, Oregon. As the director of the conference, Erin planned an event that drew 600 people—including me—to the middle of nowhere to be challenged to fight injustice in the name of Jesus. The second annual Justice Conference moved to Portland, Oregon, and drew 4,000 people! As the only full-time staff member, Erin leads an extraordinarily committed and creative team of volunteers to produce one of the premier conferences (in my opinion!) in the world. In 2013, The Justice Conference moves to Philadelphia and you should put it on your calendar now! In her “previous life,” Erin played tour volleyball in Europe and directed events and marketing at high-end golf communities. I’m so glad a major life change brought her to The Justice Conference—and now to the Congo. Erin will be spreading news about the Congo at http://www.facebook.com/elytle3.

Marianne Clyde has been a licensed marriage and family therapist for twenty-two years, with a private practice in Warrenton, Virginia. As a mom/stepmom to eight kids and a grandma to ten, Marianne puts theory into practice on a daily basis. Her focus on trauma recovery has led her to twenty developing countries to serve traumatized populations. She’ll be returning from a trip to Honduras just in time to pack for Congo. Marianne is the only member of the team I’ve never met face-to-face; we’ll have that pleasure when our flights connect in Amsterdam! Marianne will be writing about the Congo on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marianne-Clyde-LMFT/130667580330744, Twitter https://twitter.com/marianneclyde or http://twitter.com/mommy_zen and updating her blog at www.marianneclyde.com/blog

Those are the seven Ten for Congo team members who will travel by plane to Congo. Yesterday, I mentioned that three women will travel with us in spirit, praying, reading and blogging along with us. I’m so grateful for them!

Sarah Carter is a mother, an artist who teaches creativity workshops, and an advocate for trafficked children. She and her husband, Steve, are in the slow and sometimes agonizing process of adopting a child from Ghana. I met Sarah years ago in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she was in a house church with my daughter. Now Sarah and her family live in Southern California, but our paths crossed recently when she visited Chicago. Not only did Sarah agree to join the Ten For Congo team, she also designed the Ten for Congo banner you see at the top of this post. Thank you Sarah! You can follow Sarah’s blog at www.cartersgroundswell.com.  (Also www.facebook.com/cartersgroundswell, twitter.com/heysarahcarter, and instagram: heysarahcarter)

I first met Allison Schroeder at the 2010 Justice Conference when I attended her workshop on women’s rights. During her eight years as a leader in World Relief’s church partnership program, Allison has travelled extensively, but the Congo holds a special place in her heart. She is compelled by the suffering of women and girls in the Congo, but even more so by their hope and resilience. With a Master’s degree in public policy from Johns Hopkins University, Allison is currently studying couple and family therapy and pursuing a PhD in family science. For fun, she and her husband hang out with their son, Ian, who is three. Allison will be adding her voice to the Ten for Congo team at  http://worldreliefresponds.com/http://worldreliefresponds.com/.

I’ve known Shauna Niequist since before she was born—back when I felt her heart beating inside me. Now she is a wife, the mother of my grandchildren, a gifted writer and speaker, and my favorite woman to spend an afternoon with. (We’re both looking forward to a long and leisurely visit over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.) Shauna has traveled with me in spirit wherever I’ve gone—and always will—but she’ll be doing so differently this time, lending her voice to the Congo cause in reflections along the way. Follow Shauna at www.shaunaniequist.com, http://www.twitter.com/sniequist or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shauna-Niequist/429038580446663

Do you see now why I’m in awe of this amazing team God has put together?

Dear God,
Fill our minds with wisdom and our hearts with love. May we create in our community of ten a space expansive enough to hold both the pain and the hope of Congo. Amen. 

 

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Ten for Congo - Congo Journal 1

 

10,000 Voices for Congo!

Three years ago I heard a radio report about the ongoing civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  Three facts grabbed me:

1. Over 5 million people had died, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II.
2. Millions more had to flee the violence in their villages, becoming “internally displaced people” living in temporary, squalid camps.
3. A major weapon of war in the Congo was rape. 

The radio host called the DRC the “rape capital of the world,” claiming that thousands of women and girls had already been viciously raped, and that the incidence of rape continued to escalate. 

I thought these “facts” had to be false.  If something so horrific were happening in the world, wouldn’t I know it?  Wouldn’t I hear about it every night on the news?  So I did a little research—and learned that the only thing false about the facts was that they actually underestimated the number of casualties and victims of this brutal war.

Several months after hearing that radio broadcast, my friend Christine and I traveled to the DRC.  We discovered first-hand that the situation was every bit as horrific as claimed.  We visited the eastern region of the DRC that is, arguably, the most blood-stained piece of geography on earth today.  

I met women like Charlene whose civilian husband had been killed in the crossfire of warring rebels.

Forced to flee with her children to a camp for displaced people, Charlene had been raped and impregnated by rebel soldiers who hid in the forest, waiting to attack vulnerable women.  Charlene told us that the women knew the soldiers were there, but the threat of starvation forced them to enter the woods and forage for firewood they could then trade for food to feed their children. 

Women in the villages of eastern Congo don’t talk about if they’ll be raped, but when.  And it’s not just any rape.  It’s brutal, sadistic, gang rape that leaves bodies and souls broken and bleeding.  Rebel fighters claim it’s cheaper to rape a woman than waste a bullet.  Cheaper and more effective.  If you rape enough women, you can shred the social fabric of an entire village. 

The camps in which displaced people live offer a bleak refuge.

Entire families live in makeshift shelters like these.  Eager to get back to their normal lives of subsistence farming, families return to their villages as soon as possible, only to find their homes and crops destroyed. 

They return home to discover they have nothing.

But there is hope in Congo.  Local church leaders and volunteers, trained and empowered by World Relief, are offering compassion and healing to broken women and are helping to build a grassroots foundation of peace in this war-torn land. 

In just over ten days, Christine and I will return to eastern Congo with World Relief, part of a team of ten women committed to standing in solidarity with the women of Congo. 

Our group of ten includes seven women who will travel to Congo on a plane, and three who will travel with us in spirit.  On June 4, those of us carrying passports and checking luggage will fly to Nairobi, Kenya, to attend a peace conference (more about that in a later blog) and then on to Kigali, Rwanda.  After a night of rest, we’ll be driven to the Congolese border, which we’ll cross on foot into the town of Goma.  As we are crossing continents, three other women—one from Chicago, one from Baltimore, and one from Orange County—will be praying for us, reading our blog updates, and posting their reflections on my blog and theirs. 

Together, we are calling ourselves Ten for Congo. Our goal is to raise awareness about the DRC—the gaping wound of the world.  Most Americans are like I was just a few years ago, totally clueless about what’s happening day after day after day in Congo.  We women of Ten for Congo want to change that.  We want to provide a voice for the voiceless people of the Congo.  Actually, we want to shout for Congo!  We want to be loudspeakers for Congo!  We want to bellow for Congo!

Will you join us? 

With your help, our ten voices can become 10 x 10 voices, or 10 x 10 x 10 voices, or 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 voices. 

Imagine 10,000 voices bellowing on behalf of Congo! 

Every day between now and our Congo departure, I’ll be posting more Ten for Congo facts and stories.  Tomorrow I’ll introduce the first ten voices.  You can add your voice to ours by using the buttons below to forward this blog to your friends, post it on your Facebook page, or Tweet about it.  If you haven’t already, be sure to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter for updates and alerts about new blog posts.

In the meantime, take your first action step for Congo by clicking here to read more from Charlene’s Story.

And don’t forget to check back tomorrow to meet the Ten for Congo team.  

Donate to World Relief Congo

Lord Have Mercy—My Dad and My Son-in-Law in a Makeshift Recording Studio

Yup, that’s my dad and me.  Dad bought that motorcycle a few years ago because it’s an exact replica of the one he and my mom rode on their first date in 1948.  Sixty years after that first date, my mom (age 78 at the time) said her riding days were over and she’d never get on that “new bike.”  But she did, as I knew she would.  (In her own quiet way, she’s as gutsy as he is).  Now, at 82, Dad doesn’t ride that beautiful bike much anymore, but on occasion he still takes it for a short spin.

I love that youthful spirit in my dad.  Yes, sometimes it manifests itself in overly adventurous (some would call it wild and crazy) ways, but there’s another dimension to Dad’s youthfulness that I love even more than his penchant for a young man’s toys.  At a stage in life when many people refuse to grow intellectually, emotionally and spiritually, my dad is doing all three: he’s perusing the Internet for new information, he’s becoming more self-aware emotionally, and he’s seeking out new spiritual mentors (the same way I do—through books).  While I’ve seen this willingness to grow fuel Dad’s energy for life, I’ve also seen it humble him.  He’s becoming increasingly comfortable talking about his past mistakes, his few regrets and, yes, his sins.

So when my son-in-law Aaron asked my dad to record Psalm 51 to be used in Aaron’s latest New Liturgy CD, I knew Dad would do it.  I knew he would resonate with the words of a contrite heart expressed in Psalm 51.  “Have mercy on me, O God,” writes the Psalmist, “according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.  Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” 

Lord Have Mercy is the third in Aaron Niequist’s New Liturgy series designed to help us create holy space wherever we are.  Lord Have Mercy is a 25-minute blend of music, scripture, guided prayer and space that draws the listener into a hauntingly beautiful experience of reflection, self-examination, repentance and ultimately, joy. 

As with each New Liturgy, you can download
 Lord Have Mercy at anewliturgy.com for $5.  Aaron is also offering a super special deal called a Digital Mega Bundle, whatever that is.  Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been a wholehearted fan of A New Liturgy since I listened to Aaron’s first pre-release cut.  But I think #3 might just be my favorite—and not just because my dad’s on it! 

Every Mother Matters

Last Monday night my mother and I prepared a turkey dinner to celebrate my nephew’s college graduation.  At 82, Mom didn’t feel up to fixing turkey and all the trimmings herself.  As a (mostly) vegetarian, I’ve given up preparing meat and poultry.  But together, we did pretty well.  She did the turkey and gravy and two apple pies.  I did all the easy stuff.  The next morning, we drank coffee and admired the fresh blossoms in her perennial garden.  Then at noon I began the three-hour drive from her home in Michigan to mine in Illinois.

I won’t see Mom on Mother’s Day, but we both considered preparing a meal together for loved ones and then enjoying a leisurely early morning conversation as an excellent Mother’s Day celebration.  As I drove home, I thought sadly of friends who have recently lost their mothers. I realized how fortunate I am to still have a mother with whom I can share the simple pleasures of life.

I won’t see my mom on Mother’s Day because I’ll be taking care of my grandsons while my daughter, Shauna, gives the Mother’s Day sermon at our church.  Shauna is a fabulous speaker and a fabulous mother.  Today, while Henry plays with transformers in my living room and Mac sleeps in my Pack ‘n Play upstairs, Shauna is at church working on a fabulous talk that she’ll present this weekend. 

It is a rare blessing I have: to be able to celebrate both my mother and my daughter-turned-mother.  For many people Mother’s Day is anything but a day of celebration. I think of children grieving the loss of a mother and of childless women who are not childless by choice. So I do not write of Mother’s Day lightly, and as I write, I breathe a prayer for help and comfort for these children and women. 

I also write in solidarity with women in regions of the world where motherhood too often becomes a death sentence.  Every 90 seconds a women somewhere in the world dies due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth.  For every woman who dies, 20-30 more suffer from lifelong debilitating disabilities.  In the developing world, pregnancy is the number one cause of death in women aged 15-19.  Nearly 70,000 young women die every year because their bodies are not ready for parenthood. 

This year I can’t let Mothers Day pass without reminding myself and others that every mother matters.  I already clicked the “Donate Here” button to make a gift to mothers in need through one of my favorite humanitarian organizations.  Would you consider doing the same?  A simple google search—the name of your favorite charity plus the words “Mother’s Day”—will provide plenty of options.  If you don’t know where to start, consider World Relief, World Vision or Compassion International.

And don’t forget to think closer to home.  If you have a friend or relative who lost her mother this year, or had a miscarriage, or buried a child, or found out—yet again—that’s she’s not pregnant, consider her sadness and pray for guidance about how to offer her the gifts of kindness and compassion.