Happy Birthday Kiva

Happy Birthday Kiva from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.

later man, jan

Saying Goodbye...

Janet, my friend... I can't believe you have gone on ahead of me.



You were such a big part of my life. I know the last few months were a dreadful struggle. You held your head high and dealt with each blow as it came. Strong and courageous and determined to do things your way.

I will never, ever get my hair cut without thinking of you. Every senior moment joke that arrives in the email will remind me to send it to you. I'm sorry we couldn't take that last walk together.

Goodbye my friend.

How Was Your Summer ?

Was your summer full of busyness... or a refuge from our normal crazy lifestyle?

I spent some of my summer wondering why I was unsettled. I looked many places. Conversations with John and other friends. I read some books that had been patiently waiting their turn and I listened to radio or my music. I blamed my Dad for leaving me, and then realized how silly but also how sad that made me. I worried about my (grown-up) kids and wished I was where I could be of help in some way. I spent time in silence. I found as the days moved on that the best times followed the silence. After the silence, the friends and the books and the radio meant so much more. My kids are fine. And I'm not mad at Dad any more.

“When we enter into solitude to be with God alone, we quickly discover how dependent we are. Without the many distractions of our daily lives, we feel anxious and tense. When nobody speaks to us, calls on us, or needs our help, we start feeling like nobodies. Then we begin wondering whether we are useful, valuable, and significant. Our tendency is to leave this fearful solitude quickly and get busy again to reassure ourselves that we are ’somebodies.’ But that is a temptation, because what makes us somebodies is not other people’s responses to us but God’s eternal love for us.” - Henri Nouwen

later man, jan

My Dad... My Church...

I'm sure I have mentioned our church here - Living Spirit United Church...

Well perhaps not.. it's such an integral part of who I am that I don't really talk about it... unless we know people are looking for a church home, we don't really go out and advertise much. My, our family, since I was 12 years old.

We hired 2 new ministers - both 'girls' from my advanced view point - a year ago...

Life is exciting - fresh - something new everyday in our church family.

Today Traci spoke about living in the NOW. She and Jenn acted out the Mary/Martha story. Showed me in action how to look at my priorities. About setting aside the cares of the past, the worries about tomorrow. Being present in the now, looking for strength from the source that is deep within my soul but usually ignored in my day to day living...

In Dad's life story (which I seem to have been typing for years) he speaks at one point about that four letter word - LIFE - getting in the way of what is most important. He was making reference to relationships. Family and friends and places on his 'to-do' list that he regrets he missed.

I think we all have regrets. I hope we all have time in our life to act on those regrets before time runs out. I've bought the paper, it's time now to print Dad's story, there is no more to add.

Time ran out on Dad, but I truly think he was done with it before it was done with him. He gave what he had to whoever crossed his path, as long as he was still able to say "Hello my love, you're looking good today". I like to think that Mum is putting the sugar in his tea once again and for all eternity. That's what eternal Love is. Being together in some way that is still the deepest mystery to those of us still searching.

I give thanks for my church family. For all those who will be joining to celebrate his life this coming Wednesday. For all those who have had to send regrets. He left his influence behind... his example of how it truly is possible to love every person by finding that spark of the Divine in each one.

Bye my daddy,
Good Night, God Bless

Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job

I just cranked it up and listened to the whole 48 minutes while shuffling papers here...

... much better than listening to the radio spewing noise...

It was worth every minute and makes me stand taller and just get on with it !!!

later man, jan

Mully Children's Family...

I can't tell this any better than Evelyn... this is what she announced at church on Sunday...



For the last couple of years, we at Living Spirit United Church have been so busy getting the right ministers in place and getting ourselves on our feet and organized, that we have not had an out-of-the-country Compassionate Ministry fund raiser. I believe we’re on the right path now, ready to move forward, and I think that it’s time to begin making a difference outside our church walls again – this time, by contributing to a children’s charity that is saving literally thousands of children’s lives in Kenya.

This morning, I have 5 minutes to introduce you to the Mully Children’s Family (or MCF), a non-profit Christian organization that rescues children who are orphaned, abandoned, and living on the streets in Kenya. It was founded just over 20 years ago by one man, Charles Mulli and his wife Esther.

Charles Mulli himself woke up one morning at age 6 to discover that he was completely alone – during the night, his family had abandoned him. He survived for the next 6 years by begging. At the age of 12, he found a job that provided what to him was a miracle: food to eat every day, and shelter – but there was no hope for an improved life in the future. After several years, an acquaintance introduced him to a Christian group, and he found such hope for the future from the experience that he too became a Christian, and began what can only be described as a very personal relationship with God. He did well at his job, and was noticed by his employer, who recommended him for another job with more responsibilities. There he met his wife, and again he did well at his job. He decided to start his own business, bought an old Ford Cortina and started a taxi service between two cities in Kenya. His taxi service was reliable, he played inspiring Christian music on the trips, and soon EVERYONE wanted to use his taxi – and his business flourished. After a number of years, he made a fortune, and was living very comfortably with his wife and 6 children.

However, Charles never forgot just how it felt to be an abandoned child, and he was haunted by the knowledge that there were so many thousands of street children surviving in the same terrible circumstances. He felt called – no, that’s too weak a word – he felt COMPELLED by God to do something about it, and was so convinced that it was his mission in life to help these children that he sold EVERYTHING he and his family owned. He went personally out into the streets of the cities, seeking out children, feeding them, inviting them to be adopted, and taking them into his own home when they agreed. You can imagine what chaos it created in the lives of his wife and family when they had children living in their home who had been until that time surviving by any means they could: prostitution, drugs, alcohol abuse, you name it. They somehow survived it all, and the family grew larger and larger.

Charles and Esther Mulli adopted children into their family, fed them, clothed them, housed them, schooled them, gave them spiritual guidance, and trained them for jobs. They built dormitories and schools and hired teachers. They started a farm, irrigated crops with river water and built greenhouses to help supply food for the growing family.

They have had amazing success with their mission.

In the 20 years since the Mully Children’s Family was founded, over 7,000 former street children, drug addicts, and the abandoned have been rehabilitated and have graduated from MCF with high quality skills and education and are well integrated in society.

At the moment, the Mully Children’s Family is caring for 2,013 boys and girls between the ages of 1 week and 24 years.

I am hoping that you can find it in your hearts to support this life-saving organization. I am.

One month from now, in a bicycle relay race, my three team mates and I will be cycling 1,332 kilometres from Calgary to Winnipeg in 4 days to raise funds to cover the costs of food that cannot be grown on the MCF farm. Canadian dollars go a long way in Kenya - $100 will provide all non-farm food needed for one child for a year.

I don’t have time to tell you more right now, so I’m inviting anyone who wants to hear more about the race, my goals for this fundraiser, or the Mully Children’s Family, to please come talk to me at coffee time. Thank you!

-Evelyn Ko


1) Mully Children's Family
The Achievements page and News page (click on buttons at top) are particularly interesting, and there are lots of photos if you click on the "Flickr" button on the bottom right of the page.

2) there's a promotional video of the team Evelyn is riding with posted here ("Gogos" (the team name) is African for "Grandmothers")

3) During the race (July 17-22), you'll be able to track the location of Arvid, the ultra marathon cyclist (and, I think, the location of all the other teams, too) as they are going to track us by GPS, on the HotPursuit2010 website



for more info on how to donate, just contact me...
later man, jan

A Walk To Beautiful

this video is 52:38 long...
watching it has changed how I feel about my lot in my life...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w-fOmovijc&feature=player_embedded



later man, jan

looking for 100 clicks per day...

Can you please help us?

1 click per person and day (or IP to be more precise) on the link http://tinyurl.com/fight-fistula means 1 additional cent for the Fistula Foundation. The money is donated by companies who have put advertisement banners on the page.

The page is in German. You will know that you have been successful with your click when you read "Super, Du hast etwas Gutes getan!" - "Great, you have done something good!" :)

So far the site gets about 30 clicks per day on average. This is already a very good number and we are really grateful for everyone who clicks. On the other hand this means unfortunately that still 70 cents per day go unused and so I would love if we could enhance this number a bit!

The goal is to raise 400 € during the next 3 months. This is the equivalent in Euros for one complete operation including a dress for the woman and a bus ticket to go home.

My friends Ramona and Charmaine are travelling to Ethiopia in September to be there for the opening of the new hospital.

The Fistula Foundation
What is a fistula?
A fistula is a hole. An obstetric fistula of the kind that occurs in many developing countries is a hole between a woman's birth passage and one or more of her internal organs. This hole develops over many days of obstructed labor, when the pressure of the baby's head against the mother's pelvis cuts off blood supply to delicate tissues in the region. The dead tissue falls away and the woman is left with a hole between her vagina and her bladder (called a vesicovaginal fistula or VVF) and sometimes between her vagina and rectum (rectovaginal fistula, RVF). This hole results in permanent incontinence of urine and/or feces. A majority of women who develop fistulas are abandoned by their husbands and ostracized by their communities because of their inability to have children and their foul smell. Traumatic fistula is the result of sexual violence. The injury can occur through rape or women being butchered from the inside with bayonets, wood or even rifles. The aim is to destroy the women and the community within which the sufferer lives. Once committed the survivor, her husband, children and extended family become traumatized and humiliated.

How many women does this problem affect?
Because fistula affects women in the most remote regions of the world, an accurate count is very hard to achieve. The most common estimate is that 100,000 women worldwide develop fistulas every year, though some estimates put the number closer to 500,000. Because most fistula sufferers are young women—many still in their teens—they are likely to live with their condition for upwards of 25 years. By any estimate, there are at least two million women currently living with fistula throughout the developing world. The world capacity to treat fistula is estimated at 6,500 fistula repair surgeries per year.

Can fistula be "cured"?
Yes. An obstetric fistula can be closed with intravaginal surgery. If her surgery is performed by a skilled surgeon, a fistula patient has a good chance of returning to a normal life with full control of her bodily functions.

Here is a short audio slide show ( 5 min ) that I can't find out how to make active here but it's well worth your time if you have read this far.
http://www.yaninamanolova.com/fistula/index.html

thanks everyone
later man, jan

One person can make a difference...

Two-thirds of India’s population of a billion people live in the nation’s 600,000 villages. Despite India’s economic growth, the disparities between wealth and poverty are enormous. Many villagers migrate to the cities in search of work and end up begging on the streets. South Indian bank manager J S Parthiban set out to do something to help their economic circumstances. He encouraged beggars to open bank accounts in New Delhi, and pioneered micro-loans to villagers in his home state of Tamil Nadu. This is his story—and theirs.

(tissue box warning around 7 minutes - jan)

Banking On Change (12 min version) from Pilgrim Films on Vimeo.

My Kiva Friend Ramona says "I really wish Kiva would also be able to expand one day into India."

later man, jan

Google bomb request...

I'm posting this for a friend I follow who calls himself Real Live Preacher.

He has this friend Mike who sold his gas station in 2008 and it appears the whole neighbourhood mourned the loss of such a great mechanic.

He says...

"They say the two things you have to find when you move to a new city are a good doctor and a good mechanic. I’ve had several physicians in the twenty years that I have lived in San Antonio but only one mechanic. His name is Mike."

Well Mike the Mechanic now has his own Kastis Automotive Repair in San Antonio and I understand that if his website is linked to in enough other websites and blogs, then Google will pull him up easier when people search. And if you pop over to his page... check out Mike’s tips for making your car last.

So here's my plug for Mike - who sounds like a great guy - and it's probably a shame he didn't move and open up here in Calgary, where we never seem to know where to turn to for help with our cars.

Best of luck, you go get 'em, Mike :)

later man, jan