As the dog days of summer wind down (it’s the end of August already–yikes!), I bring you the final installment of the Movie Mondays series.  I hope you had the chance to check out one (or more!) of the titles.  You can find a list of all the films for which we have prepared discussion questions on the hunger education website.  Grab some ‘corn and host some friends, let’s think about how to make the world a better place!  On to our final episode:

Flow: How Did a Handful of Corporations Steal Our Water? 2008 (84 minutes)

This provocative film discusses the “blue gold” known as water—a precious necessity of life that most people in the United States take for granted.  The film investigates the water quality of both tap and bottled water, the accessibility/affordability of clean water in developing countries like Bolivia, and local resistance to water privatization efforts.

For a companion discussion guide, click here.

David Creech

“How was your year?” people at Holden Village ask.

They ask because they know that a year ago this month, I left my job, sold my house, saw my son off to grad school in a new city, and, after a few weeks at Holden, moved what was left of my stuff to a shed on a farm in Washington State.

While my stuff has stayed put, I’ve visited 13 states and 5 countries and stayed in 60 different places (many of them more than once), sometimes for one night, sometimes for a month. I’ve done all of this travel without owning a car and nearly all of it without borrowing one.

Few possessions and no rent or mortgage have made this peripatetic year possible. I’ve traveled unencumbered, and I haven’t missed my stuff. After decades of offering hospitality to others, I’ve enjoyed accepting it from others.

Eventually I will unpack, start a new garden, get a new dog, and be the hostess instead of the wanderer. But first, a few more adventures! And then, where I unpack will look a lot different than the home I packed up. It may be a very tiny home, or a mobile home, or a room in someone else’s place.

A year ago these options were hidden to middle-aged me. Young adults have permission to explore living in groups, teepees, or dorms. The very old are expected to shrink their lives down to a modest apartment or a single room. But the rest of us (in the American middle class, anyway) are stuck. Judged on the size of our house, the exclusivity of our address, our brand of car, we only try to own less or consume less when we “have to”—because the economy has gone south, or our job is toast.

Out here on the house-less, stuff-less fringes, I’m feeling free and having a great time.  Now that the eight place settings of sterling silver that used to whisper “you’re a grownup” are on the farm singing to the alfalfa, I can see lots of perfectly pleasant and responsible ways to be a grownup who owns very little.

How those options are described are critical. If I said, “Come with me to a tiny town in the remote wilderness where you can’t get a cell phone signal, you can’t drive your car, you won’t eat much meat, and you’ll have to share a bathroom,” you might politely refuse. But most people who come to Holden Village are too busy enjoying life in community to miss their car or cell phone.

Likewise, an invitation to downsize dressed up in “have to” language may not be appealing. How I wish we overfed, overweight, overscheduled, overconsuming Americans saw living with less not as deprivation but as freedom. Freedom to consider the question, how else might we live? What might we be able to feel, imagine, or experience if we were not so weighed down by our domiciles and possessions? How might we better love and serve one another?

If there’s a little voice in side you saying “this is too much,” pay attention. Nurture it. Consider it an invitation, and see where it takes you. And send me a postcard when you get there!

Anne Basye, Sustaining Simplicity: A Journal

Blueberries ripening in my front yard.

A few days ago I was standing in my kitchen looking for a snack. Having just gotten back from vacation, there were no fruits or vegetables to be found and I was craving their nutrition. My first reaction was disappointment and my second was the need to add my favorite fruits to the grocery list. Bummed, I found another snack and moved on.

About a half hour later I was reminded to check on the blueberry bushes outside to see whether or not the birds had gotten underneath the netting. Blueberry bushes!!! Just 20 feet from where I stood, craving fresh fruits, are two blueberry bushes full of wonderful, colorful, scrumptious fresh fruit. The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. It gets better…

While I was outside checking on the blueberries I noticed that an apple had fallen from one of our apple trees. Although it is a bit early in their season I picked another low slung, reddening apple to check its tartness and enjoy a burst of homegrown fruit. As I picked the apple I realized that it had been awhile since I had pulled nutrition from the earth myself, and realized just how far I had gotten from my food. I had one of those “aha!” moments that happen from time to time as I ate the juicy apple and contemplated not having to go to the grocery store to buy fruit, but instead eating from the earth in my own front yard. Apple trees take time to prune, initial purchase money to buy, other necessary care depending on the year and often much of the low fruit is lost to the neighborhood deer, but I also had a sense of God providing as I picked that apple.

Never have I felt further away from my food than in that moment. The act of picking fruit, however, reminded me of how Creation works to nourish us if we respect and care for its processes.

~Lana Lile

Well readers, it took ten weeks, but on Monday of this week I had the overwhelming feeling that I’d reached the point of saturation – that state when no more can be absorbed, when one is full to the maximum possible extent and an increase will produce no further results.

A couple of images came to mind as I thought about how I was feeling: a sopping wet sponge sitting in a puddle of excess water, and a curious chemistry student standing over a glass of water, constantly stirring as she adds more sugar, only to watch it pile at the bottom of the glass because no more could be dissolved into the liquid.

I was full. Full of information, stories, statistics, thoughts, images, connections and questions. Ten and a half weeks ago I started interning at ELCA World Hunger and entered a time of intentionally and fervently raising my awareness of hunger and poverty by seeking out that information, those stories, statistics, thoughts, images, connections and questions. Then, on Monday afternoon as I sat looking at headlines and browsing blog posts, that feeling of saturation took over.

Nothing affected me. I could not process any new information. I longed to be in a large, empty white room or an open field, to listen to loud, numbing music, to run, or to dance. I needed a good wringing out.

I thought about my blog post for this week and my role in of adding to the noise, the chatter, and the endless sources of information. (I played with the idea of making this a very concise and simple post, but I will leave that for another time. Somehow I am loving the irony of working out my over-saturation through more and more words. Stick with me.)

Ultimately my saturation-induced paralysis and impassivity passed. A different image that came to my mind: the simple figure 1.02 billion. I focused on the single fact that 1.02 billion people are undernourished, and again felt like doing everything possible to learn more and to act against the overwhelming problem of hunger and poverty.

Again with the irony, somehow reading more also helped me wring myself out. I love what Allie said about hope in her blog yesterday. She writes, “I have gained knowledge of the realities of our world. Most importantly, as cheesy as it may sound, I have gained hope. I look back to the first week of the summer when I felt overwhelmed by the reality of hunger in the world and by the work done at ELCA World Hunger. Eleven weeks later, I am still amazed by the work that is being done and by the positive impact it is having, but I also have hope.”

So that’s what I leave you with today. In our often over-saturated lives, remember that 1.02 billion people are hungry, and that we have hope.

Julie

This Friday will mark my last day interning at ELCA World Hunger, which has led me to reflect on these past eleven weeks. My first week of interning at ELCA World Hunger was overwhelming to say the least. I was inundated with the realities of hunger around the world and the wonderful ways in which this organization is going about alleviating those realities. Every night of that first week I came home exhausted from all the new information and from my own excitement for the way in which ELCA World Hunger approaches its work. This first week gave me great enthusiasm for the projects I would be working on this summer.

While I worked on a variety of projects that dealt with many different root causes and outcomes of hunger, my main projects dealt with the intersection between women and hunger, which is a subject I have become incredibly passionate about. Out of the 1.02 billion people on this planet who are hungry, women are a sub-group that often suffers disproportionately from hunger and poverty. 6 out of 10 of the world’s poorest people are women. Many women are not given a chance to go to school, own land or their own business, are forced to work in unpaid or informal jobs, experience violence and are not treated as equals.

The other part of my work focusing on women dealt with the fact that women can be the answer to alleviating hunger and poverty. When women have the opportunity to earn income, they reinvest 90% in their families, while men invest 30-40%. If women can be treated as equals and given the same opportunities, not only will they benefit, but their families and communities will as well.

While this is only a taste of the work I was involved in this summer, it serves an example of what I have gained from this experience. I have gained passion for anti-hunger and anti-poverty work. I have gained knowledge of the realities of our world. I have gained important skills that will help me in my future social justice work. Most importantly, as cheesy as it may sound, I have gained hope. I look back to the first week of the summer when I felt overwhelmed by the reality of hunger in the world and by the work done at ELCA World Hunger. Eleven weeks later, I am still amazed by the work that is being done and by the positive impact it is having, but I also have hope. I have hope that this organization is providing people with opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty, and that this will have a multiplying effect on their communities. I have hope that this is being done in a manner that upholds human dignity and that sees each and every person on this planet as capable and valuable.

I am very thankful for the experiences I have had this summer. I have whetted my appetite for social justice work, and am excited to see how this experience will contribute to future experiences. I am hopeful that I (and that all of you out there) can play an important role in alleviating hunger and poverty in our world.

Love,
Allie Stehlin

Each year ELCA World Hunger provides funding through our Education/Advocacy grants to organizations working to educate Lutherans and others on the root causes of and solutions for world hunger, or organizations advocating on behalf of those who live in hunger and poverty. In 2010, ELCA World Hunger worked with ELCA Outdoor Ministries to provide Education/Advocacy grants to eleven Outdoor Ministry locations. The money is being used to help campers learn about world hunger, its causes, and solutions. Beginning with this post, on second and fourth Fridays we will highlight a few of the projects being conducted with these funds. Today’s post comes from Lutherhill Ministries in La Grange, Texas.

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Spiritually Fed

Greetings from Lutherhill Ministries in La Grange, Texas!    The weather is hot and humid here in our neck of the woods, and storm clouds seem to linger overhead daily.  While others grumble as they are called out of the pool – we are quietly elated as the fresh rain soaks our new garden!

As a grateful recipient of an ELCA World Hunger Education/Advocacy grant, we are excited to share our happenings with you! This summer, every Lutherhill camper participates in the Daily Bread Project. The Daily Bread Project includes a garden, compost pile, recycling program, hunger meal, Daily Bread worship and more.  We experience as a community the emptiness that comes with hunger and poverty. And as a community we experience the fullness that comes when we fulfill God’s call to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God. Here’s a taste…

Hunger Meal

As campers, staff and sponsors enter the dining hall for Wednesday lunch, each draw a colored marble. These marbles represent their lunch destiny, but more importantly they represent the distribution of food resources across the world.

The lunch-time experience helps youth explore hunger first hand – 65% eat rice on the floor, 20% eat rice and chicken on the floor, 10% eat pasta in chairs and 5% eat a three course meal at a table setting. As campers seated on the floor wait, kitchen staff graciously serve those at the head table. After this upper class is served, the others are haphazardly served their meager meals.

Reactions are intriguing. Some weeks campers are eager to share their food; other weeks campers turn inward, more concerned about eating their own lunch; other times campers linger on the verge of getting it, of pushing themselves beyond their comfort zone.

Food for Thought

The hunger meal becomes a topic for discussion throughout the day.  We walk together in frustration and disappointment and come out on the other side equipped and empowered. Simple lessons from the garden, compost, worship and more give us the tools to abate hunger locally and globally.  To date we’ve collected $560.92 in offerings for ELCA World Hunger and gathered 675 canned goods for local food banks in 9 communities.

Surrounded by abundance, love takes on a different shape than it does in the midst of poverty and hunger. The Daily Bread Project gives us the chance to explore Christ’s love in the middle of both!

For more information on The Daily Bread Project contact Geoff Roach, Daily Bread Coordinator at geoff@lutherhill.org.

I am in a place that the Lord has made. Sitting in a chair on my balcony, waiting patiently for a meteorite shower to commence, I spy the single light on top of the mountain in front of me. I am in Whistler, Canada, known in the summertime for its world class mountain biking and in the winter for its sought-after ski slopes. Having visited over 10 countries, this mountain town less than a day’s drive from home remains one of my very favorite places in the world. Life here seems idyllic, especially for the many mountain sport enthusiasts who inhabit this place. For me, Whistler is also special as I come here to enjoy nature, relax and recharge. The vibe in town is friendly, adventurous and open, plus God’s creation is always in full song. Just being here puts me at ease.

Over the years I have paddled the rivers, walked amongst the tree tops and dangled in the gondolas, but this is the first year that as I have walked out of the grocery store I have noticed collection bins for the local food bank (which is not to say they were not there before.) Earlier in the week my mom told me about a sign she saw at the library, so, my ELCA World Hunger brain intrigued, I Googled the local food bank as well as the local library to learn about the community’s social service programs. A local non-profit society provides over 20 programs from the food bank to a thrift center…pretty cool! As far as the collection bins I saw, while the local groceries are collecting donations, the library is also creatively involved. A periodic program called Food for Fines allows library fines to be paid in non-perishable food donations which go to the local food bank. (One food item equals up to $2.00 in fine repayment.) In a town masked by adventure, fun and extraordinary mountain homes, hunger still exists. For me, it makes this place that much more real, and serves as a reminder that hunger and poverty are all around.

~Lana Lile

About three months ago, as I finished up my senior year of college and neared graduation, I was feeling the crazy stress, excitement, uncertainty, and busyness that accompany the end of the school year. I was also feeling them to a higher degree, I think, because it would be my final end-of-the-school-year experience (as far as I knew…but that’s another story!)

Anyway, in part because of the stress and busyness that accompanied that time, but also for many other reasons, I decided that I wanted to cultivate the habit of Sabbath rest. Beginning with the first week of the summer, I committed to taking one day a week as a true Sabbath. For me that meant taking a break from chores, shopping, exercising and anything else that I considered work, and most importantly, taking a complete Sabbath from technology for the day.

I shared my intentions with my family and close friends, which led to some great discussions about what it means to observe the Sabbath, what spending time with God looks like for us, and what things in our lives we felt were life-taking versus life-giving. I took up the practice with wonderful support from them, and great excitement on my part.

It went really well! For a while. I truly thought that I was beginning a no-turning-back lifestyle change. I figured once I starting working Sabbath rest into the rhythm of my life, and experiencing the wonderful benefits of rest, reordering my priorities, and letting my life be shaped by intentional time with God, I wouldn’t be able to give it up. But the summer has a busyness all its own. It’s one of a different character than the school year, but a busyness all the same. It became easier and easier for me to water down my Sabbath commitment (oh, I’ll only check my email once, or, I’ll just have to skip Sabbath this Sunday) as the summer progressed.

One of the things that excites and inspires me about being here at ELCA World Hunger is that there is so much good work going on, and so much good work to do. It’s energizing and fills me with hope. Learning more about  the root causes of hunger and poverty and starting to engage in work to fight hunger and poverty makes me want to learn more, do more, and work harder. It’s awesome.

Naturally my full-time internship has contributed to the busyness of my summer. But I’m not placing blame or pointing to one source for the watering down of my Sabbath commitment, or saying that my goal of observing the Sabbath this summer has been a complete failure — I have absolutely felt sustained and nourished and see small, cool shifts in my thinking and my habits. The point of this blog is to create some public accountability as I reaffirm my commitment and begin again to intentionally and truly cultivate that restful rhythm one day of every week.

It’s also to explore the idea of resting in God, trusting and placing faith in God’s action, and surrendering fear, anxiety and control in the midst of our work against hunger and poverty. So I see this as a jumping off point. I’m going to keep thinking about this, and welcome your thoughts and experiences, too! I’ll check in with you all about how my Sabbath-keeping is going in a few weeks, and how it’s affecting my continued commitment to fight hunger and poverty.

Julie

        One exciting and educational part of my internship at ELCA World Hunger involves reading other blogs and seeing what is going on in the world. One blog I have been reading is GiveWell, a nonprofit organization that evaluates charities and their effectiveness. They evaluate not only financial aspects of charities, but also the effect these charities have on the people they are serving. This blog, along with others, has made me think about good intentions when it comes to giving, and whether or not having good intentions is all it takes to alleviate hunger and poverty.

            You may have heard of 1 Million Shirts, an organization that has received a lot of attention lately in the aid-blogosphere lately. This organization aimed to send a million t-shirts to people in Africa who live in poverty. This seems like a project that is loaded with good intentions, as donating clothing to someone can provide someone with a basic need. However, the aid community responded adamantly that this was not an effective way to give. One point brought up by many was that most people in Africa do indeed have access to shirts. Another point was that by providing shirts, we hurt the textile industries in Africa, which in turn hurts people’s livelihoods. This is an example of how good intentions do not always lead to a good outcome.

            When I studied abroad in India last fall, we talked a lot about aid and development and got to see it in action. Sometimes we saw great successes. Other times, we saw good intentions gone awry. We saw projects imposed on the impoverished that although they seemed like a good idea, either did not benefit the people or actually harmed them. Because I have seen development projects’ good intentions not leaving a positive impact, one of my favorite aspects of ELCA World Hunger is its model of accompaniment. ELCA World Hunger’s development work is done through existing relationships with people across the globe, and thus, World Hunger dollars go toward what the people want and need instead of being decided for them from thousands of miles away. The good intentions of ELCA World Hunger’s supporters do not go to waste; they go to good.

            Good intentions are important. Without them, so many projects that do good in the world would cease to exist. However, simply having good intentions is not enough to ameliorate hunger and poverty. Good intentions must be coupled with an understanding of the issues, along with relationships with the people that good intentions are aimed for.

Allie Stehlin