A Wild Ride

First, I apologize for my absence.

Honestly, I needed a break. What a wimp. This project was emotionally much harder on me than I realized. And physically the recovery has been more complicated than I expected.

I was still anemic when I went to give blood prior to Christmas. However, last week my iron levels were finally high enough that I could give away a few cups. Yay!

However, over the last 4-6 weeks I have had dramatic hair loss. It's not falling out...it's breaking off. With my protein levels so low, my hair just didn't grow as strong as usual during the months of the daily serving. This took me completely by surprise when I started pulling out handfuls while washing and then blow-drying my hair. I guess it shouldn't have, after all many suffering from malnutrition are completely bald.

I'm not complaining. It's just hair. Mine will grow back. The experience was worth it. I have never doubted that. But I know I made the right decision in stopping after 3 months.

Although I haven't been blogging, I have not been able to withdrawal myself from the project. The wheels have continued to turn and it is obvious that God will use the project for His glory.

Over the past couple of months a team in Salina has come together to begin to plan this event. And it will be much bigger than I had imagined. In fact, the goal is to fill a whole shipping container...261,360 meals.  At $.25 per meal this means that we are in the process of raising $65,340 plus money for T-shirts for our volunteers.  Oh yeah...we need about 1,000 volunteers!  It will take place on Tuesday, April 9 from 12:00 to 8:00 at Kansas Wesleyan University.

People are excited. Families will participate together...at all ages. Church families are embracing the needs of those on the other side of the world and coming together to make a difference.

Although we realize that this is a “stop gap” measure while other global organizations work to solve the issues that lead to poverty,hunger, and starvation, it is critical that we continue to provide food in the meantime. Lives depend on it.

I can't express how excited I am about this event. Nor can I express how thankful I am to those of you who have followed this project and sent money to support it.

Although I will continue to update you through the One Daily Serving project, you can also follow this event on facebook at www.facebook.com/SalinaSavesTheStarving. If you would like to volunteer to help with the project or make a donation, visit the event site.  (Remember, it's tax deductible!)

What a ride! Thanks for coming along with me.

A Night to Remember

I've finally got the concert sorted out in my mind enough to post a blog about it. I posted it in my family blog rather than this one. You can see it here.

What a perfect night it was.

Who goes to see their favorite artist after waiting 28 years for the opportunity and ends up on the front row?

But there are negatives to being so close...I was able to see the good, the bad, and the ugly. Nothing is hidden from view when you are that close.  I could see Bruce telling the band which song would be next, the wrinkles, the snot...but I could also see the sweet smiles at the disabled girl beside me and every single pluck of the guitar strings.

Yep, Bruce is most definitely human. Full of flaws and fighting internal and external battles just like the rest of us.

But he is also sharing his gifts with the world--gifts given to him by our Creator. And you may not realize just how many of them acknowledge God and that grace offered through our Savior.

Take a listen...

A Bunch of Ding Dongs

Well, my weight has remained stable and I feel good.  This week I've had several 45-60 minute workouts.  On top of the physical improvements, I've also noticed mental improvements.  My concentration and memory are noticeably better with an appropriate amount of calories and multiple food choices.

This week I've been reminded again of the greed that is rampant in America--a land of plenty.

We are in a dilemma here.  Our workers don't trust our owners/corporations because they often see the rich get richer at their expense.  But our business owners and corporations are constantly being nagged for more by the sense of entitlement that is perpetuated by the unions.

This week we watched an American icon, Hostess, succumb to the demands of those who felt entitled--even though the company was obviously already in financial trouble.  No, they didn't give the striking workers what they wanted.  They couldn't!  You can't pay workers with money that you are not making.  Instead, they had to close down.

Now we will have 18,500 more workers standing in line for unemployment. Apparently, handouts are more attractive than trying to earn a living. (And those handouts won't compare with the salaries that these employees were making.)

A better alternative? Maybe it would've been to suck it up and work hard to try to pull the company through the process of rebuilding. Maybe it would've been to seek another job where the worker felt more appreciated.

But here we are. Everybody loses...the company, the union, the workers, the taxpayers. All of us.

Why? Greed. Plain and simple.

I've heard union strikers say in interviews that they hoped to force the company into bankruptcy so that the business would be forced to liquidate. Their logic is that someone else will come in and buy it, hire all of the workers that forced Hostess to close, and be successful.

Really? I wouldn't hire any one of the people who helped caused the demise of a business that I seek to emulate.

Am I over-simplifying the matter. Why yes. I'm sure I am.

But the fact of the matter is, we no longer trust one another. We are all out for ourselves.

More money! More benefits! More vacations! In this case, the workers were demanding no cuts even knowing that company would be liquidated without them. We, a land of people who are wealthier than 98% of the world's population, feel entitled to more. And we better get it or we're bringing down everyone else with us.

Are unemployment benefits available to workers who refused to work for less and so destroyed the company for which they worked??

Why yes, yes they are. Come and get it.

What's wrong with this picture?

There are millions of people in this world who would gladly work for a small portion of what these workers were making. And they would been grateful.

Don't believe me? Ask my friend at Hawker Beechcraft who lost his job when the company sent it to Mexico. He actually had to go down and train the workers who were replacing him. Your Nike shoes weren't made here. Want a list of more? Well, here are a couple of others for you.

Our greed is going to kill us if we can't get it under control. I'm talking about corporate greed as well as union greed as well as individual greed.

God help us.

Hunger and Anger

The stats are updated.

Although I gained 11 pounds in the first few days, 3 1/2 of those came back off as my metabolism has improved and my energy has soared.  I feel good!

Numana has continued to be part of my daily diet as I substitute it for one meal per day. I didn't expect this to be such a sacrifice. But it is. Especially on days like yesterday when I ended up eating a ham sandwich out of town for lunch so I did not get to enjoy the pot roast that cooked slowly in the crock pot all day with potatoes and carrots for dinner last night.

Earlier this week I was talking to a group of college students about the project and told them that I was surprised by how angry I was, especially that last several weeks.  One of them told me that he had read a study reporting that the leading cause of teenage rebellion is hunger.

Hmmm...maybe we need to rethink this whole "Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act" that provides only about 2 oz. of meat (or other protein) per meal (maximum of 12 oz. per week).

In talking to an adult group, one man brought up the Muslim practice of Ramadan. It requires fasting "from dawn to dusk" for a month (the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar).  This fast requires that they eat and drink nothing throughout the day.

The man told a story of a friend of his that lived in an Islamic community.  Although he said that the Muslim people were generally warm, loving, and accepting (not like the Muslim extremists that we too often see in our own media), during this month everyone is walking on eggshells.  It is just very easy to set someone off when they are already on edge from the hunger.

Understand that I am NOT criticizing Muslims or this practice. After all, Christians also participate in fasting. I'm simply pointing out the physical and emotional effects of hunger--certainly not the spiritual.

So imagine living in a community of hungry people. Not people who are hungry by choice, but people who are trapped in hunger.  Hungry adults, hungry children, hungry teenagers...and lots of anger.  But children cannot take their anger out on others. Instead they are simply victims.

"How Hunger Kills" is an article that was printed back in 1974 in Time Magazine about the ravages of hunger. It states:

The victim of starvation burns up his own body fats, muscles and tissues for fuel. His body quite literally consumes itself and deteriorates rapidly. The kidneys, liver, and endocrine system often cease to function properly. A shortage of carbohydrates, which play a vital role in brain chemistry, affects the mind. Lassitude and confusion set in, so that starvation victims often seem unaware of their plight. The body's defenses drop; disease kills most famine victims before they have time to starve to death, An individual begins to starve when he has lost about a third of his normal body weight. Once this loss exceeds 40 percent, death is almost inevitable.

1974. This article was printed 38 years ago and yet we've continued to allow hunger to kill over six million children every year. More than 11 children each minute of each day...

...while we just get fatter and fatter.

A Musical Journey

Within the first four days of eating a normal amount of calories I gained 10 pounds! However, I'm glad to say that my body has now adjusted.

And on each of last two mornings I have been able to work out for a full 60 minutes. I'm definitely getting stronger and healthier. This only makes me hurt even more for those who will never experience the health and strength that we so take for granted.

This morning, the morning after a very divisive election, I went on a bit of musical and spiritual journey for the last 20 minutes of that workout. As I chose songs from my playlist, I found that each one gave me insights to God's truth.

Come along with me. Experience the journey for yourself.

The first song I listened to was "Trendy". This song always makes me think of my son because he introduced it to me many years ago.  It's all about our need to fit in.  

Be different!  Political parties have taken advantage of our desires to "belong".

Song number two original came from the move "Footloose" but the version I listened to this morning came from the movie "Shrek 2".

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above,
Out where the lightning splits the sea,
I could swear that there's someone somewhere watching me.

Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood,
I can feel his approach like the fire in my blood.

We certainly do need a hero...but we aren't going to find him in any presidential election. Take heart. He is approaching.

The third song really got my attention. Although I've known this song for decades and even sing along with it, I had never thought much about the words.

Crazy, but that's how it goes--
millions of people living as foes.
Maybe it's not too late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.

I've listened to preachers,
I've listened to fools,
I've watched all the dropouts who make their own rules.
One person conditioned to rule and control...
the media sells it and you live the role.

Next time you hear that song before a sporting event, remember the message behind it: Man-made leaders will let us down. You cannot put your faith in any man/woman. But...maybe it's not to late to learn how to love and forget how to hate.

(By the way, I'm a firm believer that you need to listen to preachers, fools, dropouts, experts, failures, scientific geniuses, atheists, etc. That doesn't mean that you believe them all. But it certainly exercises your ability to discern the truth.)

Finally, an Aerosmith tune. Alright, alright...it was first recorded by a few British guys, but they are not included on MY iPod. :)

The lyrics of this song are about the members of that famous British band...and are extremely bizarre. The line that everyone remembers and can sing along is:

Come together right now over me.

But I can pull out some other lines from the song that also make me think of Jesus Christ:

He says, "I know you, you know me. 
One thing I can tell you is you got to be free."

Jesus Christ bought our freedom. All you have to do is know him...he already knows you.

He says, "One and one and one is three."

He only spoke the truth...the absolute truth that so many still today refuse to see.  And there IS absolute truth.

The only way we will ever come together is over God...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

First Donation!

Well, I obviously have a gut of steel.  Leftover frozen pizza, corn, and apple wedges for breakfast and...Long John Silver's for supper!  No problem.  Wow.

Okay, now I've got that craving out of the way.

The great news is that I received the first donation for the food packaging event in the mail today!  I couldn't have asked for a better way to start the second phase of this project.

Tonight my husband and oldest daughter went with me to workout. I'm determined that I will get my body back to a healthy state and maintain it.  (Yes, I know that deep-fried, battered chicken and onion rings are not part of the program.  Give me some grace here.)

I'm looking at April for the food packaging event.  Please keep praying for this project and specifically be praying for the people that will one day soon be receiving the food that is packaged through it.


Keep in mind that this is not just a "cause."  There are real people out there who need this food, who are PRAYING for this food.

Isn't it kind of cool that we can be praying for people who we don't even know and who don't even realize that this food will be coming...but who will soon be filling their bellies due to our combined efforts?

What a blessing it is to serve others!

Life in our Cocoons

The highlight of my day? Grocery shopping!

Has anyone every told you that you should never go shopping when you're hungry? Ha! If it was on sale and I've ever been hungry for it in the last three months, it went in my cart. I think we're stocked up for a while.

I usually weigh only on Mondays but I weighed today just out of curiosity. My body has shed exactly 60 pounds in 3 months. I also got back the lab from my last blood draw and posted them.

I will keep weighing in...now on Fridays. (I'll give myself a good week of eating normal, but healthy, food and substituting one daily serving of Numana for one meal each day.) At the end of November, I will also get my blood drawn again to make sure that the anemia is steadily improving.

What an experience.

You know, last night's post was one of my most read ever. Interestingly, only one person commented on it. One. Some of the messages of the Bible are not so fun to hear.

As a child, I remember the commercials that were on TV hosted by Sally Struthers. I know I didn't think much about it then. However, I don't think my children will be so blind or nonchalant about this issue throughout their lives.

It is so much easier to live life in our own little cocoons. But as Christians, we can't do that.

A heard a woman at the church the other day say, "Well, as long as you're happy.  God wants you to be happy."

Really? Jesus doesn't say a darn thing about the importance of your happiness in any of the Gospel accounts. Quite the opposite.

Do you know what?  It's not about you at all.

And the sooner we get that...the better.