No more bananas...

Birthdays are a funny thing. They seem to provide some type of reasonable opportunity to be completely selfish all day.

This past Saturday we were preparing for my birthday celebration, and I was quite looking forward to being pampered and spoiled and showered with attention all the next day, on my birthday. We were planning on having some friends over for a chocolate fondue, so we went shopping for the supplies:

Fondue pot - check. (Thanks to my sister, who gave one to us for our wedding last year!)

Chocolate - check. (Mmm...German chocolate!)

Pretzels - check. (I like the whole sweet and salty thing)

Fruit - no check? My favorite is pineapple, but none of the pineapples were ripe. Oh well, I guess we missed the season for good pineapples. No big deal. Next, we searched for bananas - the second best option. But we couldn't find any. We didn't see any left on the stand except for special mini bio bananas that were three times the normal price. We called over a sales guy...he went and checked the back room, but came back and said there were no more bananas. No more bananas?! This could ruin the whole fondue idea! But what to do? It was already late and the store was closing, and the next day was Sunday, when hardly anything in Germany is open. No bananas! Since when has a big supermarket ever run out of bananas? Trying to quickly make up our minds, we settled for 6 bags of the mini ones and some grapes. That would have to do.

Mogi and I shook our heads on the way home. What do we know about not having enough food? It wasn't even a need of ours - only a desire. We had the money to get the other kind. We could have even gone to another grocery store. We could have decided on a cake or different dessert instead. Why were we complaining about having no more bananas?

Almost exactly one year ago, Mogi and I were confronted again with the reality that the majority of the world's population have no more bananas. In fact, they don't have access to much food at all. They don't even have water to bathe in or drink from. This is their reality.

I read the other day that if you make $50,000 a year, you are in the top 2% of the world's wealthiest people. If you make $40,000 a year, it's the top 4%. $30,000 puts you in the top 7%.


Through the ministry of Compassion (click here for the link to Compassion Canada's website), just over a year ago we became the sponsor parents of a sweet little 6-year old girl named Audrey Anne, whose family lives in the Philippines. Over the last year we have written and received letters, photos, and drawings. We have been blessed to participate in giving her hope.

Sometimes the world's problems seem too big to change. I often wonder, "where do I start?" And because it takes effort to think about, it is usually easier instead to just do nothing at all. But I've found that sponsoring a child is a simple but practical way to take the first step and get involved. Maybe I can't solve all world hunger, heal all those with AIDS, rescue all the children in the sex trade, or ensure that third-world families have clean drinking water, but I can make the difference in one person's life.

And so can you.

I want to encourage you to think about sponsoring a child. Actually, don't just think about it. Do it! Check out Compassion's website to find children who need you today.

I also recently ran into this blog online and think you should check it out: http://shaungroves.com/ It is the website of Christian songwriter and speaker, Shaun Groves. God has given him a huge passion for social justice and he currently travels, speaking and leading music, on behalf on Compassion, telling the story of children who are in need. His writings are funny, inspiring, challenging, and come from the depths of his soul.

The topic of social justice is one of the main themes of the Bible. If it's not something that concerns us, we are not truly Christ's followers. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." 

I admit I have a lot more growing to do in this area. I've sung the song many times - "break my heart for what breaks yours" - but I'm still learning what that means. But I know I'm not going to learn more by sitting back and observing. Growth happens only by doing.

Please consider what you can do to help. And please feel free to add to the discussion below, and share your own thoughts or experiences about justice. If you have questions, let me know. Oh, and you're welcome to pass on this blog if there are others you think would be interested - hit one of the buttons below to share on Facebook, Twitter, or via email.