The Question

By Ben
We moved to Capitol Hill when we got married. It was then that poverty and human need ceased to be a story or grim stastic for us, and became a reality. We saw people in need, in need of physical assistance- not just spiritual and emotional help. As we let James 2:15-17 sink into our hearts, we began to feel compelled to love the suffering in our world in tangible and eternal ways.

"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

The we watched Hotel Rwanda, a film about the genocide in Rwanda in the mid 1990's. In one scene, a soldier from the UN describes the West's indifference to the suffering in Rwanda. "People in America will see this story on the evening news. They'll put down their forks long enough to say, 'That's terrible.' Then they'll pick up their forks again, keep eating, and forget about it." That quote brought me to tears, and it still haunts me today. I do not want to be ignorant, indifferent or passive about the suffering of my brothers and sisters across the world. I want to join Jesus in being moved with compassion toward a bleeding and broken world.

Suffering still abounds in the world right now, and Capitol Hill is only the slightest of glimpses of that is happening to those whom God loves. About a week after watching Hotel Rwanda, I came across a quote at the very end of Tony Campolo's book Speaking My Mind. It read simply, "There is a plague of biblical proportions taking place in Africa right now." The plague it refered to was AIDS. The time for indifference had passed.

That quote led us to ask the question, "What can we do?" We are normal, average people. We don't have the wealth of Bill Gates, nor do we posess the celebrity or cool sunglasses of Bono. What can we do?

This question is why we are going. We have been called to experience the answer. Please pray for us - experience can be a cruel teacher.

Pregnant with Possibility

By Alicia

When Ben and I began this journey, I'm not sure that I ever thought the day would really come that we would truly be going to Africa. Passports, travel shots, plane tickets- it's all taken care of. We're going.

If you had asked me six months ago I would have been confident and excited- the usual Alicia- totally capable and ready to conquer the world. But now as I sit here, two days away from departure, I am still full of excited anticipation, but there is a uneasy feeling rising in the back of my throat and my stomach hasn't felt calm for the past several days.

I was talking to my friend Carla the other day and she asked me how I was feeling about the trip. The best way I could describe it to her was to liken it to being pregnant (not that I would know. Maybe Michelle and Leanna could let me know if this is how it feels?): I'm incredibly excited about what this trip holds for me emotionally, spiritually, physically...but I'm scared out of my mind for the hardships, trying situations and refining fire that will come.

I know that we will encounter situations that will break our hearts. I know that it will force me to pray and seek wisdom from God in ways my comfortable life in America doesn't force.

There are alot more things that I don't know, however.

Welcome to the journey. I'm glad you are here with me. I think my water just broke.