Do we really SEE people?
I’ve seen him multiple times over the past 9 years—a man whose station in life could lend itself to invisibility quite easily but whose invisibility is a product of those around him, not his own misfortune. This man is blind....
1-2-3 Contact!
1-2-3 Contact! Three ways to receive ELCA World Hunger Resources You are welcome to receive personal copies of the semi-annual ELCA World Hunger Resource Packets and/or the quarterly issues of LifeLines, the ELCA World Hunger newsletter. FYI, in mid-October a...
Disaster in Haiti, Both Natural and Man-made
A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about how natural disasters contribute to hunger, and how those living at or near poverty are disproportionately vulnerable. Following that line of thought, it’s hard to imagine how things could get...
A vocational poster assignment
Tonight I came across this picture of my daughter, Annie, eleven years old at the time, with a poster project for a class. It seems to be a “What do I want to do when I grow up” assignment. Some...
Congregational event stirs the waters
Here is part of a cheerful e-mail from Kris L., mission director at Atonement Lutheran Church in St. Cloud, Minn., reporting on the congregation’s recent “Stirring the Waters” event. Sue-s Hi! Just wanted to let you know that our church...
An “A” for the day
Nancy M. came in to work with a page of Valentine stickers. Nancy explained that her four-year-old daughter, Anika, gave her the stickers this morning “to give to anyone who is feeling sad or bad or has done really good...
Back to School
In my neighborhood, the school buses are back on the roads in full force during my morning commute. School has begun again, and while the girl in the house next to me says she would prefer a bit more summer...
Selecting the Perfect Produce
When you go to the grocery store to buy produce, how do you select precisely which, say, apples or green peppers you’re going to buy? I, for one, go for those that I deem have the best appearance. I reject...
Final Reflections
As I rode the “El” train into work this morning, it finally hit me- today is your last day at the ELCA. All I could then think was- where did the time go? Although I knew from the beginning this...
Olympic-size disaster response needed in China
Here is a second post by the Rev. Franklin Ishida updating us on ELCA’s International Disaster Response efforts in China. S. It has been exactly three months since the massive earthquake rocked parts of Sichuan Province in China.Despite the fact...