I have recently taken up barefoot running. I realize that this may sound silly, but I actually do run on the road in my bare feet…and it is amazing! Throughout my youth and into college I played multiple sports, the majority of which required lots of running. The truth is, however, I do not really like to run. I like to dribble, attack, shoot, fake out, ace, volley and get dizzy from cartwheels, running is simply a by-product. There is just one problem with that, now that I am out of school sports running is the simplest and cheapest way to get my cardio exercise while also enjoying the outdoors. So between pilates classes I have done my best to gut out a few miles. Recently, I began to hear more and more about the barefoot running movement, and after an informative YouTube video and an encouraging brother prodding me on, I gave it a shot. Glorious! While I am only about a month in and I do not go every day, I have easily worked myself up to over 2 miles. When I am done my knees do not hurt, my breath is not heavy and I often barely break a sweat. In fact, I want to go again. So I ask myself, “Why? What’s different?” Here’s my personal opinion for my personal situation: it feels natural. Essentially, that is the simplest answer ever, and it makes me feel somewhat silly to think I would be doing something that did not feel natural in the first place. When I think more about natural things, I skip easily to food.

I was watching a TED talk a couple of days ago about the relationship that cities and their citizens have to the food that they consume. Also to how suburban living impacts food and where it comes from. The woman giving the talk mentioned how people rarely smell their fruit at the market anymore to see if it would be good to eat. I know that I certainly do not, but I think I should start. Why? Well, because it feels natural. Much like running barefoot changes my posture and foot strike in such a way that my body reacts to running as a more natural movement, smelling my fruit and being aware of its origins feels more natural as well. I know that I need to improve my relationship to my food. I want to be sure that what I put into my body feels like it belongs there, just like my feet belong on the ground.

~ Lana Lile

This week I have the awesome privilege of hanging out with about 80 kids at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Bethlehem Lutheran is using the ELCA World Hunger curriculum Taking Root: Hunger Causes, Hunger Hopes for its Vacation Bible School this summer.

I have lots of great memories from attending and helping out with VBS at the church I grew up in. The days were fun and full of energy, songs, Bible stories, crafts, games, and above all learning about God. This week has been no different. What’s even more exciting to me about VBS this week, however, is that while we’re learning about God we’re also learning about hunger and poverty, and how God calls us to envision and work for a world without hunger.

Anyone who’s ever been to a Vacation Bible School knows it gets pretty loud. We shout “Praise God!” and “Amen!” all throughout the day. Another of our cheers goes like this: “God is TAKING ROOT in our lives! We’re GIVING ROOT in the world!”

Every morning during our large group opening I get to talk about our Giving Root stewardship response. Each day we learn about a different development project around the world supported by ELCA World Hunger. Giving Root introduces the kids at VBS to different activities that help combat hunger and poverty, shows how these things happen because people in the Lutheran Church care and help, and invites them to give an offering to ELCA World Hunger.

Here are a few of my favorite moments from the week so far:

• Helping the kids to step in paint and make “Hunger Footprints” on the sidewalk, illustrating how many people in the world are hungry.

• Listening to a first grader’s definition of being humble: “Not always thinking about yourself, but thinking about other people and what they need.”

• Passing around the fun new God’s Global Barnyard coin boxes to collect our offering for ELCA World Hunger.

• Watching skits put on by the fun characters “Mr. and Mrs. Seed.” The kids love their creative costumes that look a little bit different every day, showing how they sprout and grow as they learn more about hunger this week!

• Picking vegetables in the church’s community garden to give to a food pantry.

I’m excited for the last two days of VBS here in St. Cloud, and for all the other churches that will have the chance to use Taking Root for VBS!

Julie

With the XVIII International AIDS Conference coming to a close last month in Vienna, I decided to do a little research about why it is important for ELCA World Hunger to address diseases such as HIV/AIDS in its anti-hunger work. One study released during this conference led me to a lot of answers.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the findings of a study that explores the link between HIV and poverty in the United States. Researchers chose to focus on 23 major cities in the U.S., and left out people already at a high risk of HIV infection in order to get a better picture of how poverty and HIV are linked. What did they find? Those living in poverty have a higher risk of having HIV. The findings from this CDC study, according to a Wall Street Journal article, is “the strongest evidence yet of a link between poverty and HIV infection.”

The findings showed that for high-poverty urban areas in the United States, 2.1% of the population is infected with HIV. This may seem like a relatively small number, but this figure is 20 times as high as the rate of infection among low-risk populations in the overall population of the U.S. The reason for the increased rate of infection in highly impoverished areas is that those with low socio-economic statuses have less access to medical care. Without medical care, many people are unaware that they themselves are infected and are more likely to pass on the infection to others (Winslow, Ron, and Betsy McKay. “Study Looks at HIV and Poverty.” Wall Street Journal. 19 July 2010).

This study highlights why adressing diseases such as HIV/AIDS are important to the work of ELCA World Hunger. Hunger and disease have a cyclical relationship with each other. Hunger and poverty can lead to disease. Without adequate food and nutrition, our bodies are more vulnerable to disease and even when medicines are available, they become less effective. Without a living wage, resources to prevent and fight diseases are out of reach. Disease can also lead to hunger and poverty. If you are sick, you may be unable to work and take in an income. You may not be able to grow and provide food for yourself and your family. The cycle continues. By addressing hunger and poverty the root causes of disease can be addressed, and by addressing disease the root causes of hunger and poverty can be addressed.

ELCA World Hunger is doing important work around the issues of disease and poverty. For more information on the work of ELCA World Hunger with HIV and AIDS and Malaria, check out this website.  Also, if you wish to educate your congregation, campus or community about the connections between hunger and disease, check out this Hunger Education Toolkit .

-Allie Stehlin

Since we humans are so fond of expressing our goals and measuring our progress with numbers, today I offer a handful of measuring sticks for sustainability.

How are you doing on the 100-thing challenge—the quest to pare down your worldly goods to 100 items?

How’s your 100-mile diet going? If you have a big backyard and live in a warm climate, you might be able to enjoy a 100-foot diet.

Does your McMansion gobble up time, energy, and natural resources? How about living in 100 square feet? For a perspective on tiny living spaces OUTSIDE the United States, check out this slide show of residents living in 100-square foot rooms in Hong Kong’s oldest public housing estate. [This blog on small living spaces is interesting, too.]

Your 100 things, 100-foot garden, and 100-foot house can find a happy home in a 20-minute neighborhood, a concept that is big in Portland, Oregon. (Though I must point out that in Chicago, I lived in a 5-minute neighborhood!) Kurt Hoelting on Whidbey Island determined that 62 miles was his circumference of home, and then spent a year exploring his home by foot, bike, canoe, bus  – staying out of cars for a year in a mostly rural area that is NOT well-served by public transportation. Trying to make our lives more local is important because our current rate of air travel is not sustainable. Watch this video to learn about love miles–a concept that can’t be quantified!

Now, how about getting your energy use down to 1000 watts per year? Begin by signing up for Wattzon and measuring exactly how many watts you use a year. Most of us use way, way, way more, and that’s a problem. For example, says Wattzon, a 12,000-watt lifestyle is 120 x 120 light bulbs burning permanently, around the clock. Alternative, clean energy sources cannot be ramped up in time to continue this kind of energy use. We have to pare down. Wattzon can help you do that. See a slide show on energy reduction here.

Add up all these numbers, and you get a sustainable, enjoyable, not-so-big life. Are you ready?

Anne Basye, Sustaining Simplicity

Today my friends are coming to visit. They’re from Europe and I’m excited to show them where I’m from. So this afternoon we’re headed out to the beach where we can buy fresh salmon dockside. This is one of my favorite things. In my opinion, it doesn’t get much more organic than wild ocean salmon bought off the boat! I love the ocean and whether at home, school, or studying abroad I have always lived about a half hour drive from its waves. (Okay, except when I was in Chicago.)  But then I started thinking about how easy this all seems to me, and I realized how much I take the ocean for granted.

When I think about water biblically I go straight to Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” Water also has a cleansing nature, shown to us in baptism, and for me, water is the ultimate source of calm and contentment. The ocean is additionally where much of our oxygen comes from, an essential part of our ecosystem and one of our most crucial economic mediums for transportation and tourism.

So here I sit, thinking about the beauty of the ocean, the calm of the water and the fresh food which it yields. Are you waiting for the big “but!” yet? Well here it is – yesterday I read yet another story about oil spills. In the last few months there have been leaks or spills in the Gulf of Mexico, China, Michigan and a small spill from a boat in Alaska. Our water is in need of cleansing and my outlook is in need of thankfulness as I try not to take my Pacific Coast for granted. You see I can get fresh fish from rivers, lakes and the ocean with little worry or trouble, but many people right now are struggling to provide food for themselves, their families and society in general. In the wake of oil spills God’s creation is in hardship – not just the ocean, but also God’s people. So as I go to buy a fish tonight I think of the fishermen, the seafood restaurants and the sportsmen and women who all count on the water as a life-giving resource. Not to mention the whole of creation who count on its oxygen and ecosystem.

So as I go in search of fresh fish, I’ll say a prayer at the water’s edge.

~ Lana Lile

Last week I blogged about veganism, and at the end of my post introduced the idea that a challenge I face as a vegan is losing out on many experiences of social and communal eating. Right now I’m reading L. Shannon Jung’s book Sharing Food: Christian Practices for Enjoyment, and I’m enjoying thinking through the many compelling things he has to say about hospitality and sharing food, and how these are essential aspects of the Christian faith.

Jung writes, “Sharing food is perhaps the primary socializing and civilizing activity of human beings,” and “food becomes the carriage that conveys feelings back and forth” (40). This is a pretty evident idea that we’re well aware of. Just about every experience I have of sharing food with family, friends, and strangers confirms the inherently relational nature of sharing food to me. But it takes on additional meaning when I think about sharing food as a distinctly Christian practice, and consider the ways in which I currently do or do not share food with others. Jung goes on to say that genuine wholeness, and salvation, requires sharing.

There is definitely something sacred in breaking bread together. We need to share, and it is our joy to share. I love making vegan food with and for my family and friends, and then enjoying it with them! Eating alone, on the other hand, is not much fun. Even eating with people, but eating my own meal while they share of the same spread, is not much fun either.

Jung also focuses on hospitality, writing, “Hospitality is a way of being in the world, an orientation to others and to life itself. It is a means of grace, a way of both receiving God’s grace and being in tune with the gracious life of the world” (51). As someone who never goes hungry, I primarily think about hospitality from the giving end. Christians adopt a posture of hospitality to make room for and recognize the dignity and value of others, and minister to those in need. Practicing hospitality is a matter of justice, of ensuring that all people are adequately fed, clothed and sheltered. Rarely do I think of hospitality from the receiving end. As a vegan, sometimes I feel like I have lost the ability to trust in others’ hospitality. I almost always bring my own food to eat or supplement what I eat at a picnic or potluck, and I constantly do all sorts of creative planning ahead to personally take care of my food needs and not put a burden on others.

For me, these are some of the social and relational consequences of diverting from the mainstream in eating. Standing up to the general culture for justice issues and things you believe in is important. I think fighting hunger and poverty requires it. I’m curious to know things that you do or are committed to that are potentially socially alienating, and how that affects you and others around you!

Julie Reishus

This past week the Lutheran World Federation met for their assembly in Stuttgart, Germany. The theme of this year’s assembly is “Give Us Today Our Daily Bread.” At a news conference on July 19^th, presiding bishop of the ELCA Rev. Mark Hanson stated, “hunger is not God’s fault, it’s our fault.” In response to lack of food and the global struggle in the face of war, disease and discrimination, Bishop Hanson exclaimed, “If people lack what they need for daily life, it is because we have failed to ensure that the good things of God’s creation are justly and equitably distributed to all.” At assemblies, the LWF representatives make major decisions about the direction of the LWF and share issues that Lutheran churches worldwide are facing. The fact that this year’s assembly is focused on the issue of hunger worldwide shows that this is an issue of utmost importance.

As I read the words that Bishop Hanson spoke during the news conference, I reflected on the words I had repeated countless times in church: “Give us today our daily bread.” Though this is a phrase I am not a stranger to, when put in the context of global hunger, poverty, discrimination and disease, it sounded different to my ears than it had before. In particular I was fixated on the word “us”. We ask God to provide for “us” but who is “us”? Is it ourselves? Our family? Our neighbors? Our country? Or all of creation? I believe that when we speak the world “us” we should be thinking not just about ourselves or those close to us, but about everyone on this planet. Everyone should be provided for.

Next, I thought about the word “give”. We ask God to “give” us what we need, but what does that look like? Does it mean God should provide for us specifically or do we need to take some responsibility to ensure that God’s gifts to the earth reach each and every living thing on the planet? I am no expert on how much of each resource it takes to support each person’s life on this planet, but I do believe that the resources could be shared more equally, relating to Bishop Hanson’s proclamation that people lack basic needs because of unequal distribution worldwide. We should not simply rely on God to solve issues of hunger and poverty, but we should be taking an active role in ensuring that God’s gifts reach all people.

Well, enough of my reflections. I invite you all to reflect for a minute on the common phrase, “Give us today our daily bread.” Repeat it a few times. What sticks out to you? What issues or questions come to mind? For deeper reflection, check out the LWF assembly website and the video on this page from Bishop Hanson titled, “What is ‘Daily Bread’?” I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

-Allie Stehlin

I have had writer’s block for the past two Thursdays. Really, really bad writer’s block.  Tonight, I finally figured out why. I’ve been taking in a lot of articles, blogs, videos, etc. for the past couple of weeks that have all slightly informed me while mostly resulting in my asking more questions. So at the moment, I feel about the furthest thing from an expert on just about any of the subjects that I have been pondering. None the less, I think they are fascinating. So, should you be interested, I am inviting you to join in my pondering. Below, I have provided passages from some of the most interesting pieces I have run across in the past few weeks. They are part of a larger story, so please feel free to click through in order to read or watch them in their full context. From portraits of US hunger to water conservation and African entrepreneurship, here they are:

(1)  A two part series from NPR highlighting a family in Pennsylvania’s struggle to make ends meet on the table. http://n.pr/dailyfighttofindfood

“For example, the Williamsons have a garden behind their apartment in downtown Carlisle. They grow lots of healthy food — zucchini, peppers and Brussels sprouts. But when Alex was thirsty after a walk, his mother gave him a plastic water bottle filled with orange soda.

Elaine Livas, who runs Project SHARE, the local food pantry, says she sees it all time.

‘A gallon of milk is $3-something. A bottle of orange soda is 89 cents,’ she says. ‘Do the math.’

Livas says low-income families might know milk is better for their kids, but when it comes to filling a hungry stomach, a cheaper high-calorie option can look pretty good.”

(2)  New York City gets smart with their water. http://bit.ly/smartwatertracking

“The smart water industry isn’t nearly as developed as the smart energy sector, where a slew of companies are scrambling to grab a piece of the market. Still, as anyone who has been stuck in an area without fresh water can tell you, water use is just as important as energy consumption. And eventually, startups and established companies alike will start paying attention.”

(3)  From a blog I stumbled across thanks to a colleague – thoughts on Africa, entrepreneurship and questions of how to better help our brothers and sisters abroad. http://bit.ly/entrepreneurshipinethiopia

“Outside of direct relief aid and some of the amazing health and education research and development, much (perhaps most) of what is done in the developing world through non-profits and NGO’s, could actually be accomplished through a business model, even if it would be harder to raise investment funding. Instead, someone begins selling tax subsidized and donor subsidized water pumps in Africa, because it is easier to raise the funding through tax deductible donations rather than through the rigors of proving out the business model for investment dollars, with the great result of increased deployment of inexpensive water moving technology in the developing world to aid rural farmers, but the negative results of (1) killing the market for future indigenous entrepreneurs attempting to sell water pumps at a profit and (2) locking a potentially valuable distribution channel in a non-profit, making it difficult for other for-profits to use.”

(4)  One billion people are obese or overweight and one billion people are hungry – so let’s look into the global food system. http://bit.ly/globalfoodsystem

I am a firm believer in ELCA World Hunger’s work both in the US and abroad. I also am a firm believer in learning from people in all sorts of organizations so that I can bring back a well-rounded understanding of hunger and poverty. I found this TED talk from Ellen Gustafson, co-creater of the “FEED bag” to be both informative and inspiring.

I hope you’ve found at least one of these stories interesting enough to keep reading beyond this post. Please feel free to comment below and share your opinions on the articles. Again, they are just for provoking your thoughts and interests (and are not meant to convey ELCA World Hunger policy on particular issues.) Thanks for reading, and for caring about issues of hunger and poverty.

Lana Lile

In February of 2008, I decided to stop eating animal products. In the two and half years since then, I have embraced a whole foods, plant-based diet. I have also answered some form of the question “What are your reasons for being vegan?” more times than I can possibly count. To be honest, I think that many times I have done a poor job presenting my reasons, which I believe can be attributed to a combination of my changing and growing convictions about veganism and a hesitancy to speak out in fear of being thought of as crazy, judgmental, or pushy in regard to my vegan habits.

In light of this, I want to use this platform to speak to why I am vegan without being condemning or abrasive. I am certainly not articulating a position on behalf of the ELCA. It is not my aim to offend, convert, or say that what I believe is the one right way. (My parents operate a hamburger restaurant and I still get along with them!) In my experience many people are very interested in my lifestyle, and I’m simply hoping to express my reasons for it while being informative and respectfully challenging.

The very first reason I started experimenting with a vegan diet was for my personal health. I firmly believe that eating a whole foods, plant-based diet is the healthiest way to live, and that I am avoiding cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and other health problems that have been associated with the overconsumption of animal products – all animal products, not just meat. Eating vegan makes me feel energized and healthy. I learned to eat new fruits and vegetables, a greater variety of whole grains, and enjoy food more. I care for myself through the choices I make about what to eat, and honoring my body is a central aspect of my faith.

As I experienced the health benefits of a vegan diet, I began to learn a lot more about a vegan lifestyle’s impact – an impact that goes way beyond myself. I’ve committed to veganism as a way of life for the long term because I believe it promotes justice for all of creation: other people, the environment, and animals. I cannot personally reconcile eating meat knowing that 1.02 billion people in the world are undernourished, and, while I realize this is not a direct equation, much of the water and grain used to raise animals for food could be used to nourish humans instead. I learned that eating is an environmental act, and came to understand some of the harmful environmental effects of farming and producing animal-based food, including more pollution and land and water use. Now that I have been vegan for two plus years, I am simply not comfortable with the idea of eating animals, or anything that comes from an animal. It doesn’t feel right. This stemmed from a general uneasiness about the impact of factory farming and slaughterhouse policies on the quality of animal life. Also, I’ve learned startling things about food production and distribution, science, industry, medicine, and the government that raise numerous justice issues and further convince me of my commitment to veganism. I’ve “become aware,” as L. Shannon Jung writes in Sharing Food: Christian Practices for Enjoyment, “of the chain of human labor that leads to our tables – from those who cultivate good seed (or not), practice ecologically responsible agriculture (or not), harvest, sell, and package food equitably (or not), and distribute its costs in a sustainable way (or not)” (114).

Before I became vegan I was able to largely ignore food – its quality and how it got to my table. Becoming vegan helped me to remember and be conscious of the fact that food is a gift from God. I realized that my nourishment depends on a widespread community beyond myself.

This summer I’ve had the opportunity to look at a lot of different hunger resources to inform my work at ELCA World Hunger. A few quotes in a publication called Just Eating: Practicing Our Faith at the Table, by Advocate Heath Care, Church World Service, and the Presbyterian Hunger Program, speak to my reasons for being vegan:

“Setting limits that fit our values is a part of eating well.”

“To eat well is to consider not only your own body’s needs but also the needs and weaknesses of others.”

In summary, I am vegan out of care for myself, other people, other creatures, and creation. I love being vegan. I don’t see it as an ascetic lifestyle; I believe it is a lifestyle of abundance and I love food more than ever. I have found that eating vegan is not as hard as many people think it would be, but diverting from the mainstream in eating does not come without challenges. One of the biggest challenges for me has been the impact on my experiences of social and communal eating. But maybe that will be material for a later post. I will wrap up now though this topic as a whole is far from exhausted. I am more than willing to expand on my thoughts, provide more information about my sources, and take others’ ideas into consideration. Thanks for reading!

Julie Reishus