New book

Last week Ken and I went to Ft. Wayne, IN.  to the headquarters of Project Mercy ( both of us are on the board of PM ) while there we were introduced to a new book TESTIMONY - The Terrible Beauty Of Aids, Genocide, and Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by Sean Sheridan of Colorado Springs, CO.  Published in 2010.
This book was 5 years in the making and is the work of a photographer and his team.

In the introduction Sean wrote, " For me caring about Africa and those caught up in extreme poverty is as simple as knowing that the children and families who suffer in these places could have just as easily been mine. Knowing this, I feel compelled and responsible to treat them as I would want to be treated if it were me, or my family, standing in their shoes. So, I'm working toward that.  If you're in the same boat, then you're holding the right book.

"Here are two things you might consider  First, you can safely believe that statistics about Africa.  It is and emergency.  It is as bad as 'they.' say it is and is likely to get worse in some ways before it gets better in most ways. But to complicate matters, many efforts in Africa are, for a variety of reasons, perpetuating a need for crises-driven aid and development that can create and unhealthy dependence in Africans and caregivers. Politics and power plays --- these are the development world's downside, and they are not easily undone.

"Second, don't let seemingly insurmountable problems prevent you from getting involved --- just be smart about how you do it.  Despite the fact that some people and organizations are still stumbling along Africa's rocky road of development, others are already doing many things right and are learning all the time.  That's something worth joining, however flawed it may be.

"This is the fabric that weaves itself through the stories of Roda, Bekele and Rabirye...what we discovered, on the backstroke, was not so much an important development lesson, but how, when properly encouraged and equipped, the human spirit can rise up to create something remarkable: grace in the midst of turmoil, hope in the middle of pain, and the roots of transformation growing deep into the rich soil, fabric, and lives of Africa.

"That is the terrible beauty of Africa.  This is their testimony."

Belele is a young boy who was carried, for weeks, by his sister to Project Mercy in Yetebon because it was at the school that he would get food and help. On our trip to Ethiopia we had the privilege to meet his sister, and I did not even know who she was, in order to thank her. Bekele's story is the middle part of the book TESTIMONY.

As I look back on being no the Board of PM for 25 years, I am amazed that Jesus let me be involved in the Yetebon project.  We, the Board, said yes to a request by the people of Yetebon, even though we had never done a "development project"! That yes 20 years ago has, through much effort on the part of Deme and Marta and others produced something worth replicating. But, at what price for the future generation of Ethiopians? The Bright Futures Union, started by the young people who have been educated in our school, will need a clear vision and heart to carry out a vision for their country.  This too is part of the "development project" in Yetebon.

Bill