One Drop

the return to Kathmandu (and the blog)

2011-04-18T20:40:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here in a cafe at the Bangkok airport, hyped up on VERY strong coffee, waiting to board my flight for Kathmandu and all of a sudden I get the urge to blog. Don't really know why. It wasn't intentional decision to abandon this blog. I think part of it was that with Facebook and Twitter, blogging seemed kind of pointless. Maybe it was the frustration I felt as I just tried to capture all my feelings of excitement and gratitude into a 140 character tweet.
So, here I am writing on the old blog - almost one year from my last trip to Nepal and my last entry.
While its never easy to leave Debora behind, I am SUPER excited about this trip. So many amazing things going on this week. First of all, and most importantly, we will finalize the 20 school water system projects that were funded by charity: water and over 18,000 children will have safe drinking water. This is really fun for me because I was here a year ago on my first trip with a child's right and visited all of these schools to approve them for funding. It will be amazing to go back and see the clean water flowing. There is one school in particular (pics below) that I can't wait to see. It is so picturesque and beautiful, yet in such desperate need of clean water.
Secondly, all of our field staff will be in Nepal - all three of us from the US (plus Eric, the founder/director) and our country managers from China and Cambodia. We will all receive training from a local Nepali NGO on hygiene training that we will then implement in the other countries. We will also be working on standardizing our procedures and programs across all three countries. May sound boring to you, but an amazing opportunity to get everyone together, brainstorm ideas, improve our work and also do a bunch of fun team-building stuff. Ok, flight to KTM is boarding so gotta run.

the strike's last stand

2010-05-08T01:37:00.001-06:00

the strike is over!!! if you don't know what i mean by that you've gotta read my last post. what a huge relief! I can't say i was exactly suffering, but i was SO ready to get out on the streets and start working. i guess i'm not such a good tourist. as i write this i'm waiting for our local staff to pick me up so we can visit a few schools that are being considered for a water project. i'm really excited to see more of this city than just the tourist area of Thamel (a few blocks radius around my hotel). i did get out for a while yesterday and snapped some photos of the some of the last moments of the strike so i share them here...

shops have been closed all day as part of the strike. Last night they opened at 6pm and were supposed to close again at 10pm, but the end of the strike was announced during that time and many stayed open.

Seeing these guys made me happy. Reminded me why I'm here - getting water into kids' hands.

Smiles on the street as post-strike normalcy returns

I wish you could have seen this precious couple walk down the street together (and i wish i would have snapped a photo earlier)

I love this time of day.

So these are the guys who shut the city down for a week? these punks? They didn't seem very threatening to me, I almost sent them on their way myself, (except there were several thousand more of them)

such a happy commie!

and happy cops too, it seems

Time to head on home, son. And time for me to hit the streets now.

Banda - day 3

2010-05-06T00:12:00.001-06:00

when the Maoists shut a city down, they don't mess around. Kathmandu has been on lock-down for 5 days now. I've just experienced the last three days of it, and it's no joke. No cars or motorbikes on the streets (except for ambulances, police cars and water trucks) and no shops open. "Banda" is the Nepali word for this kind of general strike that shuts everything down. a hotel staff that serves my breakfast doesn't speak much english, but all he had to say was - "good morning" and then "banda" and shrugged his shoulders and we both understood each other very well.
Yesterday for lunch i thought i might venture out and try some food other than what i've been served at my hotel for the past two days, but everything was closed. even other hotels that have restaurants require you to be a guest to enter in. Shops open from 6-8pm every night, but slam their doors shut at 8 on-the-dot for fear of the maoists coming by and vandalizing the place for staying open too late. Prakash, our local ACR country manager, is trying to hitch a ride on a water truck today to get to my hotel. Once he gets here we might try and borrow some bicycles or head out on foot to visit a few projects. but there's also word that some groups might start protesting the maoists and that things might get ugly on the streets. so far things have been relatively calm, except for a few shops that tried to defy the strike.
while its definitely frustrating to be here and not be able to work, i'm trying to make the best of the situation. its been a good time to rest and reflect, especially after all of the craziness of the past few weeks of leaving Healing Waters and joining A Child's Right. so nice of ACR to send me on this "spiritual retreat" to start out my tenure with them! but i'm hoping that we can get a little work done today and then by tomorrow things will return to normal. But i think the safe bet would be that things won't return to normal until Saturday, and then i am scheduled to leave on Tuesday afternoon. so we'll just continue to take it day by day - knowing that the banda will do what the banda wants to do and there isn't much we can do about it.

Nepal

2010-05-04T01:07:00.000-06:00

well, 36 hours after leaving home i'm now sitting in a hotel room in kathmandu. things i learned along the way... i'm not ammune to ambien yet, as much as i tried to like the Delhi airport - i'm just not a fan, and the Maoists really know how to shut a city down. flying over, driving and walking through Kathmandu is very eerie, as the Maoist strike has nearly all businesses shut down and no cars on the road. I really hope this doesn't go on long, because we have SO MUCH work to do over the next few days and can't really do any while the strike is still on. You can read about the strike here.

The scary part is that word in the BBC article - "indefinite". There is a chance this could go on all week. Some are saying that it will be done tomorrow or the next day, so we'll just have to wait and see. But the bad thing is, i dont think there's much work we can do while the strike is on. The schools are closed and no cars are allowed on the roads.

I should probably pause here to explain what I'm doing in Nepal in the first place. From my last post, you can see that i have transitioned out of Healing Waters last Friday. My friends and co-workers at HWI were so amazingly good to me during this transition and especially in the going away party they had for me on Friday. I felt very blessed and honored by them.

But then two days later I'm on a plane to Nepal for my first trip with the new job - working with A Child's Right. You've probably seen me talk about A Child's Right before and can find more on their website. I feel so grateful to be given the opportunity to join the work that Eric Stowe (founder) started just three years ago. It is a very exciting time to join the ACR team, and I'm humbled to be a part of it. I'm in Nepal this week trying to help finalize a plan to install water projects in 30 poor schools in Katmandu during the remainder of 2010. I'll be working with the local ACR staff member, Prakash, on qualifying potential sites and also installing a few projects. That is, if this strike ever lets up. Here's a beautiful look at what A Child's Right does here in Nepal, and what I hope to help bring more of over the next few days and months.

a child's right and the Gonodaya school from a child's right on Vimeo.

I'll try and keep the blog updated on the status of the strike and the progress with the water projects here.

one journey ends, another begins

2010-04-13T16:50:00.001-06:00

The most significant journey I've been on in my life is soon coming to an end. That may sound a bit overly dramatic, but it is true. The time has come for me to leave Healing Waters and pursue another path. This has been a very difficult decision to make, but as tough as it it has been, it feels right. This decision has nothing to do with any particular situation at Healing Waters or the people I work with, rather it has become clear that a door is opening and that this is the right time to walk through it.

It has been an amazing journey. I truly lack the words to adequately express what these past 7 years and 7 months have meant to me. I feel so deeply grateful to God for allowing me the opportunity to participate in such transformational work with such inspiring people. I shared some photos and stories in this blog at my 7 year anniversary that you should see if you missed it. I came across this photo the other day, and it reminded me how much I've changed, learned and experienced during my time with Healing Waters (and how much hair I've lost along the way!)...

This photo was taken in October of 2002, in my second month after moving to the Dominican Republic to work with Healing Waters. The guy in the foreground is Cristian Batista, one of the unsung heroes of Healing Waters and he taught me so much about life, culture, water systems and the Spanish language.
This next photo was taken this past Wednesday on a trip to launch our most recent water project in Arriaga, Mexico. I had the honor of being with a group of wonderful people from Bidwell Presbyterian Church in Chico, CA.

This past week in Mexico was my last trip with Healing Waters, and it was definitely emotional to think I won't be involved in this work anymore. I believe in this organization and the amazing impact it is making even more now than when I first joined. I will deeply miss my all my co-workers, our church partners in the field, our donor community, and so many other aspects of working at Healing Waters. I have so many people to thank, I can't even begin to start a list of names. But I have to mention three people in particular (in many ways, the book-ends to my time at HWI) - Tom and Dana Larson for starting this work, for taking a chance on me, and for your love and friendship - and Ed Anderson for your leadership in challenging times and your mentoring and patience with me over the past several years.

As for the new journey, I will be joining the organization A Child's Right starting on May 1st. I won't say anymore about it now, as I'd rather keep this post focused on Healing Waters, but it is an amazing opportunity that I will share more about soon.

If anybody has any good (or funny) stories to share about your experience with me and Healing Waters, I'd love to have you comment about it below.

Here's to celebrating one amazing journey, and to the beginning of another!!

on gratitude

2010-02-22T17:48:00.001-07:00

Gracias - yes that is the word of the day. i feel very grateful today. it might have something to do with the 46 thank you notes that i wrote today to the amazing donors of healing waters int'l. don't worry, i only hand wrote two of them (thank God for email)! i think gratitude is one of the things i most want to reflect in my life. i love being around people that are really positive and people that dont take things for granted and are very grateful for even the smallest things in life. i cant say that i'm that person, but i strive to be. so today i'm grateful for the community of people that surround and support the work of healing waters int'l. their generosity is truly inspiring. i'm grateful for the snow that covers the trees outside my office and that its still light enough outside at 5:40pm that i can still see them. im grateful for the jack johnson channel on pandora that accompanied me through all those thank you notes. im grateful for all the people that read the previous post on this blog - i think it was an all time high in page views. ok, thats enough for today, just a few quick random thoughts.

btw - the photo above was taken in comalapa, guatemala at the opening of a new water project there in november 2009. correct me if i'm wrong ms. damarogo, and thanks for taking such a killer picture, i use it all the time to thank our donors. as always you can click on the photo to see it zoomed in (and definitely worth it with those precious faces).

overwhelmed by restoration and beauty

2010-02-10T05:38:00.011-07:00

despite taking two ambien sleeping pills, i'm wide awake at 4:30am. jetlag is probably to blame. although there are plenty of other things on my mind that may be the real reason my mind and body wont rest.

i'm home from cambodia now, but the last day there was an absolutely unforgettable experience. i mentioned in previous posts about the girls in the recovery homes run by the Somaly Mam foundation. Eric was able to arrange 4 vans and 1 truck to pick us all up at 4:30 in the morning to take us to the Angkor Wat temple ruins. to be able to go on a little trip like this was a HUGE treat for these girls, and they were definitely excited. but what sent them over the top was that Scott Harrison (founder of Charity: water) offered to take all their photos - professional style, with the temple in the background. so the girls got dressed up in their best clothes for the occasion. we arrived while it was still totally dark outside. there were about 60 girls, plus a couple of leaders and our group of 5. we had one headlamp between us all, so we tried using lights off our cell phones and cameras. as a group we stumbled in the dark, helping each other out. there was a really fun energy, an excitement to be going on an adventure like this. you could already hear the giggles, laughter and joking coming from the girls.

we made our way into an interior section of the temple grounds and waited for the sun to rise. everyone was still having fun, but it also seemed like the beauty and significance of the moment started to settle in as the skies grew lighter and we began to see each other and the stone structures around us.

as soon as the light was good enough, we lined up the girls to get their photos taken. Scott did a great job as the photographer. what an amazing gift for these women. they are so precious, brave, beautiful and resilient - yet, too often they feel the exact opposite. it seems it would be easy to think the worst of yourself after being brutalized they way they have. all of the pictures will be returned to them, and only them. it will be such a prized possession for them, a snapshot of a happy moment, a moment when they felt like a beautiful child again.

there was so much joy in the air that morning. it was a joy and a freedom and happiness that i can't really describe. i can only say that is was one of the most stunningly beautiful things i have ever felt or witnessed. is there anything more beautiful in this world than to see a brilliant light come out of darkness? to see something as gorgeous as a lotus flower grow out of an ugly swamp. to see that which was broken and deeply damaged become whole again. i know of no greater beauty in this life. i am overwhelmed by gratitude to have witnessed just a minuscule part of this healing process over the past week. i am deeply changed because of it. my mind is filled to to point that it doesn't rest, thinking of ways i can continue to be a part of such beautiful transformation. because clearer than anything else in life - it reminds me of the work Jesus has been doing in my heart. taking the broken and the dark and making it whole and light. wherever that work is going on, especially in its most intense form, i want to be there - as a witness and as a participator.

I am including some photos here, mostly because i want to try and convey to you how precious these girls are, and show what darkness and evil could ever treat them so horribly. but mostly, i hope that through these images you too will also be filled with the same joy, courage, resilience and love that these girls showed to me. please be respectful and wise in sharing any of these photos, as these girls are still in a intense recovery process, and in some cases still in hiding.

This video is of the line-up waiting to get their picture taken by Scott...

please consider giving a donation to the Somaly Mam Foundation so that they can continue this beautiful work: https://www.somaly.org/

Cambodia trip part 2

2010-02-06T09:29:00.008-07:00

the days have been so incredibly full, its impossible to try and capture all that has gone on. i'm learning a lot of great stuff that i think will really help healing waters int'l serve even more people with safe water. in the process, we have spent a ton of time with some of the most precious and friendly children you could ever meet. here are a few photos from the past few days...

kids at a public school in Phnom Penh. we played tag and goofed around with hundreds of students here for at least an hour.

a precious and fearless little girl who hugged me as soon as i stepped out of the van at the community center site near the city dump in Phnom Penh, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country. the amazing organization that works there is called Cambodian Children's Fund

These monks were living on the grounds of a pagoda next to a school we were assessing for a future project install. throw an orange robe on me and i could almost fit in!

there is something very healthy and healing about being around children

these are the water projects that ACR installs and we think have great potential within the work HWI does.

but over the past 3 days there has been something that has, on a personal level, overshadowed everything else. after water project site visits all day, we have spent a couple hours in the early evenings visiting with the girls in the Somaly Mam foundation's rescue homes. these girls have been sold into sex slavery, brutalized and been forced to endure things beyond my capacity to even comprehend or imagine. i read somaly's book before coming here, and it absolute wrecked me. at one point i was so overwhelmed by it all that i couldn't stop crying.

but being able to spend time with these girls here in cambodia has truly been one of the most significant experiences of my life. the fact that they openly accept me, that they laugh and express joy - it has filled me with so much hope. i am inspired beyond words at the capacity of the spirit our Creator gave us to survive and heal, of the power of love and redemption. we spent two afternoons at the same center and at the end of our time there the girls were calling me their brother and expressing such a genuine love and gratitude - that it truly has deeply and profoundly affected and changed me. i still don't understand all that is going on in my heart and mind after this experience, nor do i have the right words to express it. today we were at a different center and will be with the girls for two more days and i just cant stop thinking what an absolute pure gift it is to spend even just a few short hours with them and be considered their brother.

cambodia trip day 1&2

2010-02-03T04:44:00.006-07:00

greetings from phnom penh, cambodia. its been a wild ride so far, and i'm sure there's plenty more adventures to come over the next several days. i'm here representing healing waters int'l and the main purpose is to learn more about the water purification system and operational model that A Child's Right uses. we believe what they do has great potential in helping us serve more people with safe water. and an added bonus to this trip is that Scott and Viktoria Harrison of Charity: water are here too. A Child's Right (ACR) installs water purification systems in orphanages, children's rescue homes and other institutions that care for children. what ACR has accomplished over the past 3 years is truly impressive (especially considering their founder, Eric, has done most of it alone). they currently provide safe drinking water to over 250,000 children. Over the past few years Charity: water has done amazing things to raise awareness and money for water projects around the world. also on this trip is Stephen Jones (who up until last week work for Living Water Int'l) who is quickly becoming a great friend. i truly feel honored to be around such good people doing great work. i'll share some stories of the first few days through the following photos...

this pic was taken as we were crossing the mekong river (for the 3rd time that day). upon arriving in cambodia after 24 hours of air travel, we immediately jumped in a van and drove 3 hours out to the east. we got to the river and had to board a ferry across to get to the school and orphanage that ACR is evaluating for a future water project.

Eric Stowe, director and founder of ACR, taking a photo of me on the back of a motorbike as we speed down a little highway. so at this point, we've traveled on planes, vans, ferries and now motorbikes, what's next?!?!

at dinner that night, eric talked stephen and i into eating some of the local cuisine. yes, it is a tarantula. video coming soon, but here are a few snapshots.

how was it? well, it actually wasn't that bad. it was fried so it was very crunchy kindof with a smoky flavor, almost with a beef jerky feel to it. not sure i would do it again, but quite an experience!!

eric standing by a swamp that is the water source for a school for deaf and blind children. you can see the beautiful pink lotus flowers growing in that muck. eric told me that in Buddhism the symbolism of the lotus flower is a reminder that something so beautiful can grow out of something dirty, murky, contaminated. i can only hope the same is true for the beautiful children i see here in orphanages and on the streets. especially the ones we will visit tomorrow that have been rescued out of sex slavery. i truly believe that something beautiful can grow out of all of that filth.

stephen hangin' with some kids at a school with over 2,000 children that will soon be getting safe drinking water through an ACR project.

just two of the hundreds of lotus flowers that i saw today.

and now to end on a lighter note - another cambodian cuisine experience. i was told that this chili pineapple margarita was a must-have. who am i to turn it down?

hopefully i'll have time to continue sharing photos and stories, so check back in soon.

haiti relief work

2010-01-25T09:36:00.004-07:00

i've been slow to blog about the crisis in Haiti. maybe because it has felt so overwhelming. and also because we've been so busy around the office working on our response. you can read what healing waters is doing here. basically its a two phase approach - 1) providing bottled water from our network of water projects in the dominican republic and 2) installing water systems at Compassion International sites in Haiti. the first phase is already slowing down due to the increased availability of bottled water in Haiti. but we have plenty to do on the second stage still. i met with some brilliant engineers from Colorado School of Mines yesterday to get their input on the design of the water project. the meeting looked something like this...

actually, nothing like that. we met at starbucks over a few pieces of paper and chicken scratching notes. but i did leave the meeting feeling very grateful to have such smart friends who care about helping in this way. it's still a bit too early to share what our design looks like, but i think it will be very effective at providing safe water both for the immediate and long term need. i feel honored to be a part in a small way. i'll try and send updates as we move along in the process.

ending modern slavery

2010-01-11T12:58:00.012-07:00

today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. that may not mean a lot to you, but it does for me. there are two main reasons - its a hugely important issue that i'm very passionate about, and it also relates to an amazing opportunity i get to experience next month.

there are an estimated 27 million people who are slaves today and need our help to get free. 27 million! -that is more than double the amount of slaves taken from Africa during the entire trans-atlantic slave trade era. 20 million of these are considered bonded laborers, which are basically slaves that work nearly their entire lives to pay off small debts. but the slavery that really rips my heart out is child sex slavery. its something that's always tugged on my heart (how could it not!) but that was rekindled last year when i saw the documentary call and response (trailer below). it may not be the most comprehensive documentary on the issue, but its very compelling and definitely worth watching (and the improv performance of "redemption song" by Matisyahu at the end of the film is unforgettable)

there are 2.2 million children that are sold into sex slavery every year. i believe this is the darkest and most evil thing going on in our world today. but it is also something that is within our power to stop. there are many great organizations working to end modern day slavery. in february i am incredibly fortunate to have a rare opportunity to meet one of the heroes of this movement and see the work first hand.

i was invited by Eric Stowe, the founder/director of A Child's Right to go on a trip with him to Cambodia. Eric has been a huge help to HWI, especially in showing us a new filtration technology that they use. This is not only a great opportunity to learn from ACR and how they launch water projects, but also Scott Harrison of charity: water is going on the trip and it will be great to get to know him and learn more on the excellent work CW is funding around the world. so, there is a ton of value here for HWI, but on top of all that, on a personal level, i'm out-of-my-mind excited to meet Somaly Mam and visit one of the rescue homes that her foundation operates. check out a sneak peek of what that will look like in the video below.

i dont think any more words are necessary here. obviously modern day slavery (and especially child sex slavery) is a hugely important issue and deserves all the attention it gets today (and every day). i am overwhelmed by gratitude for the work of people like Somaly Mam and the thousands of others who have joined this 21st century abolitionist movement. if you are passionate about this too and want to do something about it, here are some ideas to get you started. so like i said, no more words, but i leave you with these videos...

a child's right with Somaly Mam from a child's right on Vimeo.

if you have a human trafficking cause that you support or another inspiring story you'd like to share - please post it in the comments here.

tocayo

2009-12-03T22:18:00.008-07:00

its late. its been a long couple of days. but i can't go to bed tonight without sharing some words and images of the past couple days on this mexico trip. it started like this...

then we had a little excursion into mexico city on our layover. no photo evidence to share here except for this feeble attempt to try and capture the incredible sight of flying over "el D.F." at night...

so we landed in tuxtla and unfortunately i'm the only one who got a good night's sleep (thanks tylenol pm!). next morning we visited our local office and staff and a water project...

(I love how this project is located right next to the tortilla shop.)

and then off to Acala, the little town where we are inaugurating a new project on friday. that's when i met him - mi tocayo. in spanish you call somebody tocayo when they have the same name as you. The priest of the catholic church in Acala is named Aaron and he called me tocayo all day. i really can't describe how special this town of Acala is. this little mexican village that seemed trapped in time was something out of a storybook. the catholic church where we installed the water project (in the center of town, of course) was built in the year 1610. the streets are narrow and the houses are simple and colorful. the poverty is disturbing and the river that flows through town peaceful.

and at lunch we had shots of tequila with Father Aaron. no joke.

mi tocayo is a passionate, full of life, lover of the people of Acala and the God he shows them through word and deed. i can only hope to share more than just his name.

Padre Aaron

Don't quite know what to say about this one. Can anyone come up with a creative caption for this photo?

walking down to "el pozito" - the water supply for Acala

Boy watching men load up water to sell in town

Acala's current source of drinking water. it pretty much goes without saying, but in case you're wondering - no, its not safe to drink.

HWI water project in Acala

The ruins of the old Acala church

new project, old town

2009-11-23T15:54:00.004-07:00

here are some photos from our most recent project launch in the dominican republic last weekend. the town's name is "pueblo viejo" and for those of you who don't remember anything from high school spanish - that means "old town". dont have much time to write about this project, but i also dont think its necessary, the pictures tell the story. enjoy!

snapshot of dominican life

2009-11-10T16:08:00.008-07:00

i have a new favorite photo. it just came in last week from the latest water project launch our dominican staff carried out. i love how this photo captures so many things - from funny to dominican-isms to a great visual of what we do at hwi.

so here's what you should do to see the photo larger, open up a new window and paste this in it: http://tr.im/EHZr (its a wide photo so you might need to scroll around a bit)

then you can click back and forth between the enlarged photo and the observations.

lets start with the comical and classic dominican:

1. Far right - guy leaning against the telephone pole. did this guy think he was about to get discovered and strike his best pose? or did we happen to stumble upon a photo shoot going on at the same time? whatever it is, its hilarious - especially the way he's holding his hand to his face.

2. "Carniceria Yennifer" - the pink building on right. i love the colors Yennifer chose - can't go wrong with pink and red for a butcher shop.

3. On the left side of Yennifer's shop near the bottom of the stairs you'll see a guy with a red shirt and a baseball cap (almost covered by the guy in white shirt). that's what you call a "tiguere" in the DR - a guy who's a little too street smart. trouble. Its used as both derogatory and complimentary.

4. All the women gathered in front of Yennifer's shop - they're evangelical christians. how do i know? the skirt. most evangelical churches are conservative on dress and typically frown upon women wearing pants. kindof funny that conservatism doesn't really apply to other tight fitting clothes though.

5. Middle of photo, in front of the church - i love this old man and his hanky. when did we stop carrying around handkerchiefs? they are so handy. i should try and bring this back.

6. Middle-Left side of photo, motorcyclist strategically positioned. not just for a view of the ladies - but trying to pick up some business of transporting people and water back home. motorbike taxi is a very common mode of transport in these communities.

7. Left side, building with blue and yellow doors - "el colmado". the infamous colmado in dominican culture - there really is nothing like it. a colmado is a little corner store that sells just about everying (in small quantities) and is on almost every corner in the DR. i love how this one is next to the church. the colmado and the church are truly in fierce competition as to who will be the center of the community. you can see people hanging out in red chairs outside the colmado. day and night you can find people there - it truly is the gathering place.

8. Left side - the cars. if i'm not mistaken all three are toyotas. it makes sense - dominicans are crazy about toyotas. and the blue one in the front looks to me like a corolla, maybe early 90's (at best). it reminds me a lot of the first car we had for hwi in the DR back in 2002. we eventually ran that thing into the ground, but it definitely helped me understand why dominicans love toyotas.

9. Far right - i believe this boy is wearing crocs. proof that the fashion police are sleeping on the job in the DR too. (ok, i confess i have a pair too)

and the hwi stuff:

i love that that the church is a nazarene church. i grew up in that church and still feel a strong connection with it. i love to see them serving in this way. i love how this church is right in the heart of what's going on in the community - the butcher shop, the colmado, and now they are the source for clean drinking water. watch out colmado - you're about to get replaced as the hang out spot. i also love how it gives a clear image of our local church partners - how they are clearly the best ones to serve these communities. they live there, they walk these dusty streets, and they know how to best love their neighbors. im so thankful we get to partner with them to help them love their neighbors even more.

snow day

2009-10-28T12:14:00.005-06:00

its a winter wonderland out side, with heavy snow falling most of the morning. in my opinion its a bit too early in the year for such a heavy snowstorm, but i guess the weather systems don't really care about my opinions.

so its a work from home day. one of those days that make you thankful for skype. i was able to carry out a meeting with our mexico and DR staff while sitting on my couch. and then another meeting with some guys in boulder and colorado springs. gotta love the technology that makes all that so easy.

so now i'm cranking away on other work while listening to bright eyes.

here's a few photos to share on this snow day...

Sad pumpkin. Not only did it get munched on by a squirrel, it got a snow cap even before halloween.

My cozy workspace. and a little sneak peek of our new apartment. our kitchen bar/counter in foreground and back patio windows in background. and of course, one of debora's beautiful artwork pieces on the wall.

The view from our front door step, yes we enter into our place through an alley.

Our little back patio. i'd only show it to you covered in snow because its currently under construction and not all that much to look at.

Home of Mercy

2009-10-21T10:58:00.007-06:00

following up on yesterday's post on immigration through mexico (actually the post was on the beautiful act of foot washing as a picture of jesus but the macro story was immigration), i want to share about a community in Mexico that is facing some of the same issues as that other community highlighted by the LA Times article.

the community is named Arriaga and it is in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. Healing Waters International has approved a church partner in Arriaga to host a water project. We are waiting on sponsorship of that project. But that church partner - the Sacred Heart Parish - is doing amazing work in caring for the migrants that pass through their town. They have set up a place called "House of the Migrant - Home of Mercy" I'll copy the story and photos that our Mexico staff wrote below. And if you know anybody interested in sponsoring this project, please contact me.

Community Profile

Arriaga serves as a crossroads for Central American immigrants trying to make it through Mexico to the United States or to some of the larger “more prosperous” cities of Mexico. Imagine a world where an urban slum in Mexico City offers more hope and chance for economic opportunity than your home in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras or Nicaragua. A very high number of the 250,000 Central American immigrants in Mexico pass through Arriaga where they can board a boxcar on a freight train to move to points further north. On their trek from the border with Guatemala to Arriaga, many die… no one knows how many. Chiapas is “a cemetery without crosses.” When they arrive in Arriaga, a town that is already impoverished, they are hungry and thirsty.

This is the undercurrent of Arriaga. The inhabitants generally both fear and pity the migrants. The economy is not good: opportunities for employment are at a standstill. Changes to the highway in recent years have meant that traffic is shunted around the city and now, practically no more tourists pass through. The hotel and restaurant industry is squelched. Young people who have studied a profession either leave town to seek employment in Tuxtla or in other bigger cities of Mexico, or settle for work as a taxi driver or open up a “cyber café” or a little store selling plastic kitchen utensils, flip flops, or cheap clothing.

A typical street in Arriaga

The train tracks that cross through town where the immigrants wait to board the train to take them further north.

Guatemalans, Salvadoreños, Hondurans and Nicaraguans waiting to catch the train and hoping for economic opportunities.

Cement basins in Arriaga that are filled with untreated well water. The water is used for washing clothes, bathing and drinking.

Church Profile

Father Heyman Vázquez Medina has been Arriaga’s Sacred Heart Parish priest since 2003. True to the name of his parish, his heart bleeds when he sees the abuse of migrants and the inhumane treatment they receive from people who try to take advantage of them – hiring them for odd jobs, then not paying them and threatening to denounce them at immigration if they complain. Single-handedly, he set up a shelter called the “Casa del Migrante Hogar de la Misericordia” (Home of Mercy Migrant House) open to the hundreds of migrants who pass through Arriaga every day. On average, the shelter houses 30 men and women per day.

Father Heyman is a man dedicated to comforting others, be they Catholic, Protestant or atheist, from Arriaga or from Honduras. He doesn’t ask questions. He sees the need and lends a hand…or a glass of water. A social justice visionary with a knack for administration, Father Heyman’s goal is to have a Healing Waters purification system in his parish for the greater Arriaga community. His own shelter needs 8 jugs of water a day, and every home in Arriaga needs clean, quality-controlled, low-cost water too. But more than that, Arriaga is thankful that someone is tending to the grave social problem which homeless and hungry migrants present. The townspeople themselves direct the immigrants to his shelter. Father Heyman hopes to generate sufficient water sales to help support the ever-increasing costs of running the successful shelter. Instead of having to ask for donations, he would have a solid source of income to maintain operations in the shelter because of the micro-business model that Healing Waters International uses for its systems.

Father Heyman Vázquez Medina

A view from the outside of the shelter

The church committee is excited at the prospect of a Healing Waters plant in their parish. They have plans for distributing the water throughout the city and even outside the town through a system of deposits.

A view of the bunkrooms that house up to 30 immigrants each night.

picture of Jesus

2009-10-20T12:42:00.003-06:00

ben harper sings a song i like called "picture of Jesus". and when i saw this video recently and watched this woman wash these immigrant's feet, that's what came into my head - "this is a picture of Jesus". and what a beautiful picture it is. i was nearly moved to tears watching her take those dirty and damaged feet and wash them. what an amazing example of selfless love and service. no more words are necessary, just watch the video, and it if doesn't load below you can watch it here .

one drop... can cause a ripple effect

2009-10-02T10:24:00.004-06:00

Just stumbled upon this video by onedrop.org, whose founder is Guy Laliberté (also the founder of Cirque du Soleil). I'm gonna go ahead and believe that he stole the name for his organization from this blog ;)

anyways, i love the video its short and really well done and made me think about my water use and reminded me that even just one drop can make a difference.
Unfortunately i'm not able to embed the video here, so go to this link to watch it. its worth your 70 seconds.

three feet

2009-09-29T09:09:00.003-06:00

i came, i saw... and i backed away. so after making bold claims on my birthday last week that i would finally drop into the deep end of the pool at the denver skatepark (see post below) i got rained out and then finally got back to the skatepark last night.

i stepped to the edge of the ramp, and just couldn't do it. i couldn't bring myself to drop in.
i don't really know why i couldn't do it. the worst that could happen would be a nasty fall - but i'm padded from head-to-toe and probably wouldn't get hurt. i've dropped into ramps just about 3 feet smaller and have done fine. so what is it about the three extra feet that make a difference?

in many ways, skateboarding is silly and insignificant. but in this case it has made me think about some of the other things in life that i should be doing but i don't because they are just beyond what i'm comfortable with. the consequences for failure really wouldn't be that bad, so why do i hold back? why not take that risk - push myself, stretch myself - and end up being a better person or experiencing more of the fullness that life has to offer?
what are your 3 feet? what are the things that seem just beyond what you think would be possible, but if you could do them it would bring greater joy, fulfillment and excitement to your life?

33 tomorrow

2009-09-22T17:21:00.007-06:00

so, its my birthday tomorrow and for some reason i haven't been all that into celebrating this year. i'm not down or anything, i just feel like its not such a big deal. some years i definitely feel like having a party, but not this one. but i'll enjoy the day - no doubt. i'm taking a vacation day and my wife has offered to make some dominican food for me (fried plantain!). other than that my goal is to spend some time in reflection, especially about Jesus. some say he died around the age of 33 - which is amazing to think about the wisdom gathered, the influence and impact he had in such a short amount of time. and if weather permits, i'm gonna try and defeat one of my giants. about this time last year i started skateboarding (never to old - right?) and i've been able to drop into every ramp at the denver skatepark except for the deep end of this one bowl. so tomorrow is the day i drop in to the deep end. i'll try and get some video. it could get ugly.

and one more thing. i'm trying to raise money to give safe water to 33 people. check out this cause page to find out more and if you would be so kind - even donate to the cause. or you can make a donation directly on HWI's secure etapastry site: https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/HealingWatersInternational/OnlineGiving.html

giving safe water for life to somebody in need so much better than a cheesy birthday gift or card anyways.

cheers!

celebrating 7 amazing years

2009-09-18T11:38:00.009-06:00

seven years ago today i walked off a plane in santo domingo and into an adventure with God and healing waters international that has been more fulfilling and wonderful than i could have ever hoped for or imagined. i truly lack the words to express what these past seven years mean to me. they have been more formative than i probably even comprehend at this moment. i find myself being very nostalgic today (well, i guess i'm nostalgic all the time) and overwhelmingly grateful first to God and to all the people i've journeyed with over the past seven years. there are too many people to thank (am i making this sound like i just won an oscar?) and too many stories to tell. it is fun to look back at the old pictures though, so thats how i'll share some of the journey with you today. unfortunately, i can't find a lot of the good old photos, but i'll try and find them and load them next week.

late 2002 - two wanna-be tough guys trying to skate the only smooth pavement in la victoria - the 40ft by 10ft concrete porch of our house. henry hendrickson was my roomate the first year we lived in the DR. we live near each other now in Denver and are still good buddies. Why HWI ever hired me I'll never know - i was just a punk kid from san diego. well, it probably helped that my friends and family donated to cover my salary!

The original crew! (minus Dana) Tom Larson (founder of HWI) Cristian Batista (first DR director) and me (with ALOT more hair) taking a little break during the install of a water project. i moved to the DR in sept 2002, one month after the first HWI water project was built and 16 months later we had 13 water projects built. i still dont know we did it - but God was with us for sure.

The first vehicle/ field office for HWI - Cristian's 1987 toyota tercel. this was all we had for the first year.

Starting to get a bit more sophisticated now in the DR - with Dana teaching us accounting and Herb (not pictured) and Beth Allison and Jared Ortiz coming on board. Everbody in this picture has moved on to other things now, but we all share some very close ties and memories together.

in february of 2004 mi cuñado (horacio morales) and i moved to mexico to launch operations there. this was our first vehicle - la querida lupita. she was later stolen, but she never left our hearts.

cliff jumping in chiapas (im that little blur at the top right of the falls)

next major adventure was in kenya (2005) launching a water project with my friend joel who continues to run the water project today

after about a year overseeing operations from the hq office in denver i moved back to the DR and loved hangin' out with some of my little buddies again (see if you can recognize these guys from yesterday's blog post)

after returning to denver mid 2006, the next most important thing to happen was that i married my gorgeous wife, and for HWI took over the work of helping the organization research and identify new technologies and areas of the world to expand into - like this picture taken while researching uganda.

march 2009 - here with ing. gabriel from our mexico office while we were visiting projects in guatemala. i'm seeing a pattern here - i get whiter, fatter and balder as the years go on. but at least the projects look better!

so whether God allows me 7 more days or 7 more years to serve him through HWI - i will be deeply grateful and continue to live it with all i've got!

2nd happiest country on earth?

2009-09-17T10:27:00.010-06:00

According to the New Economics Foundation, the dominican republic is the second happiest country on earth.

(Thanks for the email JJ Gomez - national director for Healing Waters Int'l in the DR.)

I haven't studied all of the criteria they used to arrive at that conclusion - but i would say that the 26 months that i lived there count among the happiest days of my life so far.

The aim of the New Economics Foundation is to "create a new economy that serves people and the planet. We want to begin to redefine "wealth" and "progress"; to judge our systems and economies on how much they create the world we actually want, rather than how much money they generate."

I like where the focus is being placed here - not just on financial indicators but on how people feel about their life and a sense of contentment. also interesting to me that 9 of the top 10 countries are in latin america (costa rica being number one). The US doesn't fare so well - 114th - ouch!

while measuring happiness seems to be a ridiculoulsly subjective excercise it seems there are some important concepts pointed out here. living in the US (for many but not all) has some wonderful comforts, freedoms and advantages. many aspire for these things - especially comfort and security. i was in the DR two weeks ago and i was reminded how often it is not comfortable nor do the people there have much security. often its hot and humid, you might get 12 hours of electricity a day, a few hours of running water in the tap and the average income is around $200 per month. I dont want to glorify poverty or oversimply the issue - but there is something to say about being content in all circumstances. It seems that's primarily what we lack here in the US. In general it seems we are anxious and stressed in our constant pursuit of MORE rather than seeking contentment in times of plenty or in want, in suffering or in joy.

so to hopefully spread some of that dominican happiness i share a camera-phone pic i took a couple weeks ago of some of my little dominican buddies and an upbeat song from (imho) the dominican's best musician Juan Luis Guerra - kinda interesting that he can sing such an upbeat song about the high cost of living. i guess that proves the point once again - watch the video below and you'll see what i mean.

hunger

2009-09-16T15:09:00.005-06:00

i woke up this morning SO hungry that i felt sick. have you ever felt that way? fortunately, i just had to walk about 20 feet to my kitchen to find some food. but it made me think about all the people in the world who wake up that hungry (or even more) but dont have any food in their house nor do they know how or when they will get their next meal.

its estimated that about 854 million people in the world - about 13 percent of the world population - is undernourished. you can read the definition of undernourished here, but i think that the number of people who wake up in the morning hungry without anything to eat is probably a lot higher.

so in my own little and insignificant way it made me think about all these people that are suffering. but i guess just thinking about it doesn't help much. it also made me think of when Jesus said "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." or in another translation - "You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat."

Again, i ask you (and myself) - have you ever felt that way?

i was so hungry this morning, i would have pushed these little ones out of the way to get my cereal bowl filled first!

seeds of hate sown through radiowaves

2009-07-26T22:36:00.011-06:00

i'll admit, i've listened to michael savage a few times and found it entertaining. more than anything, i think i was just fascinated and curious - waiting to hear the next outrageous thing he would say. if you dont know, michael savage is probably the most extreme example of a group of politically right-wing radio personalities - such as Rush Limbaugh (of course), Michael Reagan and Sean Hannity among others. i just watched a very interesting show on PBS called "Rage on the Airwaves" which has caused me to write a few thoughts on the subject. the show is only 24 minutes long and i highly reccomend that you watch it. the issue is not whether or not you agree with the political positions. i think we should all be concerned about the seeds of hate that are being sown through their words. a few examples:

Savage: calls liberals "the enemy within our country;" "an enemy more dangerous than Hitler"; "traitors" who are "dangerous to your survival" and who "should be placed in a straightjacket."
Reagan: suggested that people who claim that "9/11 was an inside job," a U.S. government conspiracy, deserve to die. "Take them out and shoot them. They are traitors to this country, and shoot them. But anybody who would do that doesn't deserve to live. You shoot them. You call them traitors, that's what they are, and you shoot them dead. I'll pay for the bullet."
NEAL BOORTZ: "It's Ramadan and Muslims in your workplace might be offended if they see you eating at your desk. Why? I guess it's because Muslims don't eat during the day during Ramadan. They fast during the day and eat at night. Sort of like cockroaches."

we have seen this type of language spread over the radio a few times in recent history, with horrible outcomes - most notably in Nazi Germany and Rwanda. Rev. Buice says:

If you look at the history of like-- situations like in Rwanda in 1994, the talk radio was a big part of leading to the conditions that created a genocide. The Hutu radio disc jockeys would call the Tutsi cockroaches. There's the sense that these aren't human beings. You know, they're not human beings with children or grandchildren. These are cockroaches. And when you hear in talk radio that liberals are evil, that they are traitors, that they are godless, that they are on the side of the terrorist-- that's hate language. You don't negotiate with evil people. You don't live in community with people you consider to be traitors.

Rev. Buice knows of what he speaks. He is the pastor of the unversalist church in tennessee where one year ago a gunman who professed to be out "to kill liberals" killed two people and wounded 6 others during a sunday morning service. three books of note found in the killer's house: Savage, O'Reilly, Hannity

it's hard to imagine this hate speech spread over the radio getting to the point of a rwanda-like level of violence in this country. but it is already causing violence. the political left is definitely not innocent of this type of hate speech either. i agree with moyers - i dont think regulation is the answer. i think the answer lies in our ability to identify these seeds of hate, to not allow them to be spread further and not allow them to take root and grow.

poop in space (and on earth)

2009-07-20T14:33:00.009-06:00

i've been thinking alot about toilets lately, and i dont quite know why. so this article on the breakdown of the $19 million dollar space station toilet caught my eye.

no doubt, it must be extremely challenging to manage waste up in space, but it also made me sad to think of all the money invested in a single toilet when nearly half of the world's population lacks access to basic sanitation.

most of us at some point in our lives have used an outhouse, latrine or some other form of non-flushing-indoor-plumbing type of toilet. try and picture the dirtiest stinkiest outhouse you've ever used, and then imagine if that was your only toilet option - every day. and that's not even the worst - millions dont even have that, they just use buckets, plastic bags or go out in the open.

water is sexy. poop is not.

the result is not alot of attention or funding goes to help with sanitation issues. i work at an organization that (so far) focues exclusively on clean drinking water, but we recognize that safe water is inextricably liked with proper sanitation. it doesn't take a NASA scientist to figure out why. this "f-diagram" makes it pretty clear:

so you can see - disease prevention requires a holistic approach, but the main thing is properly disposing of poop.

everyone poops (even if we dont like to talk about it!). but not everyone has a place to do it with dignity, safety, and where it doesn't contaminate their living environment.

here are a few organizations i know that are doing some great work to address the issue:

Lifewater International

Umande Trust

Maji Na Ufanisi

Ecotact

Gratitude and Sacrifice

2009-07-02T09:49:00.008-06:00

these are two words that come to mind when i think about the community of people who passionately share the mission and vision of healing waters int'l. about two weeks ago i had the opportunity to visit some of the core people in this community who live in southern california. while spending time with them, being invited into their homes, sharing a meal together and talking- the overwhelming emotion that i felt was - gratitude. its amazing to think about all that can be accomplished through the generosity of a group of comitted and passionate people. i met with some people who have been giving on a monthly basis for almost 7 years now. while the ammount of the monthly gift may not be something that gets their name on a plaque on a wall - when you multiply that impact over so many years they end up being among the top donors that have contributed significantly to the impact we see today. i'm so grateful for their ongoing comittment to helping provide clean water to people in need. and my gratitude is at least matched, if not surpassed, by the gratitude of the people who depend on this safe drinking water in their daily lives.

on these recent visits to our donors, i was also reminded of the great sacrifice people have made and continue to make in order to donate money to HWI and provide safe water. i'm inspired by the choices people make to live simply, to give up on things they would like to have in order to give sacrificially. i pray their reward is great not only in heaven but during their lifetime as well. makes me think of this passage from the bible in 1 Corinthians 9:11(the message translation):

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you're ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done. As one psalmist puts it,

He throws caution to the winds,
giving to the needy in reckless abandon.
His right-living, right-giving ways
never run out, never wear out.

This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you. He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way, so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise to God.

i do believe that what we are doing at HWI is helping to "grow into full-formed lives" both for those who give and those who are on the receiving end. i also recently ran across this quote from JFK:

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

so as we say thank you to the HWI donor community, we do it with a commitment to truly serve people in the same spirit that the donations were made.

btw - the above photo is from Guatemala. and if you want to join this movement or give to the cause click here.

on being sick

2009-06-29T09:46:00.005-06:00

Previous attempts to market a treatment for the common cold did not fare too well commercially...

i spent a couple days last week sick with some sort of head cold. nothing too serious and it has mostly passed me now. definitely not blog-worthy, but i noticed something about myself when i'm sick and also had some thoughts that i wanted to share.

i dont know about you, but when i'm sick i end up going into a very different place mentally. its like all of a sudden i'm plunged into a different reality. i think alot of it has to do with being submitted to something that is out of my control, and also being limited in what i can do. while ridiculously trivial, for about two days this little cold had my head in a fog and zapped my body of energy. there was nothing i could do but wait for my body to fight it off. i usually get kindof down and end up being somewhat zombie-like watching tv, movies and sleeping alot. I did the same thing this time, but for a few minutes cracked open the bible as well. this verse really jumped off the page at me:

"Since Jesus went through everything you're going through and more, learn to think like him. Think of your sufferings as a weaning from that old sinful habit of always expecting to get your own way. Then you'll be able to live out your days free to pursue what God wants instead of being tyrannized by what you want."

1 Peter 4:1-2 (the message)

it has been circling around in my head for the past few days, and has helped me at times to take a different perspective on being sick. again, this might sound ridiculously trivial. in some ways it is, especially when i think about people suffering from long-term illnesses and life threatening diseases. or when i think about my friend abraham.

(i've wanted to write something about abraham for a while now, but nows not the time. in short though- he's been battling cancer for the past 20 years and has the most amazing and inspiring attitude about it. but more on him later.)

but while my little cold last week may be trivial, i think the truth presented in the 1 Peter verse is profound. so anyways, next time i'm sick hopefully i'll look at it as some sort of training opportunity - a little reminder of the emptiness of the "tyranny of what i want" and of the often difficult but only-true-path dependence on God.

blue is the new green

2009-06-23T14:25:00.009-06:00

i can't claim that phrase as my own - blue is the new green - but its something we've said around our office quite a bit lately. with all the attention given to the environmental or "green" movement over the past several years, it will probably be dwarfed by the attention that water will get over the next 10 years or so. This article seems to confirm that - A wake-up call on water use | csmonitor.com

in that article there is a link to a website that helps calculate your water footprint. i went through the extended calculator and was a bit shocked at how much water i use every year - about a half a million gallons. so in the course of two years i would go through this whole water tower:

what about you? what's your footprint? Do you think it matters?

its interesting to me that the meat products i eat account for almost more than my actual water consumption at my apartment. its crazy to think how its all connected - the energy and water to make the grain to feed the cows to run the slaughterhouse to transport it to the store to keep it in my freezer. its a kindof hard for me to think about how my consumption here affects people in developing countries, but when you start connecting all the dots it really does make sense. and talking about water being put to good use - Healing Waters International just crossed a significant milestone- 75 million gallons of safe drinking water distributed to the poor! so to put that in perspective - it would almost fill the rose bowl (which holds 84 million gallons).

i know that interesting fact thanks to the LA county wastewater website (which also informed me that if all LA's wastewater was diverted there it would fill in 3.8 hours. now that would be a disgusting sight!)

i'll finish with a bit more of a pleasant thought -this all reminds me of a bumper sticker i used to have on my VW bus - "Live simply so that others may simply live"

what number are you?

2009-06-12T10:01:00.005-06:00

thanks to seth godin for pointing out this video and giving some great insight into it. it has really made me think over the past couple of days. i'm definitely not the first guy to start dancing, and very rarely am i even the second or the third. most of the time i'm probably number 17 or so. and maybe that's not so bad. but i think there are definitely times when we should be guy number 1, 2 or 3.

its also a fascinating microcosym of the way alot of things in this world work. makes me think of the term "tipping point", but its been too long since my last sociology class to tell you if that term has anything to do with what's going on in this video. so, what number are you?

blog is dead

2009-06-05T14:01:00.003-06:00

no i'm not shutting down the blog, but it probably seemed like it to anybody who stopped by over the past few weeks. it's been pretty dead at "one drop" lately. i dont really know why, maybe i just got into a bloggers block kinda thing. anyways, in honor of the near-death experience of the past few weeks, here's a great song by one of my favorite bands...

hopefully the next few weeks will be better!

one drop

2009-05-06T11:02:00.004-06:00

i listened to this song on my way to work this morning, and it reminded me why i used the same phrase for my blog. first of all, i absolutely LOVE reggae music. is there any other music that can make you feel so happy and positive? can anyone feel sad and depressed while listening to a good reggae song? i dont think so.

anyways, so going with the theme - "one drop", my intentions for this blog were to drop some random thoughts in here from time to time and that hopefully people would drop by to read, listen, watch or just enjoy. if you read the blog every once in a while, i'd love it if you'd leave a comment. its always fun for me to know people are checking it out.

also - check out Compassion International's blog post on HWI today. its cool to get someone elses perspective on the water projects we do with Healing Waters Int'l and the impact they have. i've spent quite a bit of time at this church and know the pastor very well. i was living in the DR when we installed this project and inagurated it. they are a truly impressive group of people and we are fortunate to partner with them. so check it out, and enjoy some good music while you're at it...
"...i know Jah never let us down..."

foto share - antigua, guatemala

2009-05-04T14:40:00.002-06:00

Here's another photo that came out of my recent trip to Guatemala. I have to give credit to my friend Chuck for taking this pic. this woman and her son are on their way to one of those communal laundry stations that consists of a large pool of water with smaller cement basins around it. you can see one of the volcanos that surround antigua in the background. seeing this reminds me not to complain so much everytime i take a trip to my local laundrymat.

fotos y sazon dominicano

2009-04-27T10:07:00.010-06:00

j.j. gomez, the director of healing waters (aguas de unidad) in the dominican republic, emailed me these photos of the promotion day of our newest system installation and i thought it would be fun to share with you. on this day, we usually fill up small water bottles as samples of the water that's available at the church with a label on it explaining the new project. there are also flyers that are distributed too. either on that day or the next we will hold a health and hygiene seminar to educate the community about the importance of safe water and how to properly handle and store clean water in their home. the following day is usually the actual inauguration event. i just have photos here of the promotion day. its always fun to participate in these events, and this time some of our headquarters staff and donors were able to participate. also, enjoy the song below - a VERY dominican sound and message from the most popular musician to come out of the DR - juan luis guerra. (even better if you play it while looking at the photos!) for those who don't speak spanish - here are the translation of the lyrics (scroll about halfway down the page when it opens).

The new project at the church

Our team of volunteers from the local church getting trained before going out to promote the project in their community

Hittin' the streets, with a truckbed full of water bottles to hand out

anyone home?

An easy way to make your neighbors happy - give them free water!

an example of the unhygenic conditions in the community. you can see on the top right along the wall a water pipe that is going into somebody's home, easily contaminated and clearly not safe to drink.

Giving away a free water jug to a family in need.

hanging out with the neighbors

HWI's CEO - Ed Anderson, stealing some food from a poor family - typical behavior from him!

who told you you could take a break to eat - get back to work Americanos!!

looks like its mango season in the DR

enjoy the music...

i will be light

2009-04-23T17:14:00.005-06:00

not to be too somber, but it really can be a dark world that we live in sometimes. especially when i think of the suffering that goes on in so many places around the globe. even in the depths of our own life, emotions and struggles and also those of our closest friends. what are we doing to bring even just a little light to this darkness? there's a big part of me that wants to sing along with matisyahu's declaration of "i will be light" but another big part of me that questions how bright my light really is.

my new favorite reggae song

2009-04-21T08:47:00.003-06:00

thanks to my buddy justin for giving me a copy of this song. sister nancy put out this album in '82. don't you love the old skool sound and her flower print dress/suit on the album cover?! classic.

thinking about columbine and "the boy in the window"

2009-04-20T13:36:00.007-06:00

today marks 10 years since the Columbine school shooting. there's been a bunch of news about it recently here in the denver area. i saw an interview on tv recently of the kid in this photo:

and one of the things that really struck me was that this kid looked pretty old. well, not old but like my age. it seems like that shooting wasn't too long ago, but here this kid now looking much more like an adult. i guess that makes sense, he's 28 now but its one of the things that put it into perspective for me. anyways, it peaked my interest in all that happened on that day. wikipedia has a very interesting re-cap of the events with alot of detail that really helps understand what it must have been like to be in that school that day. it really is shocking to think about those teens walking around killing like they did. its hard for me not to judge them right away as sick and deranged teenagers. what they did is hard to understand. what's equally difficult to understand is what type of environment or influences lead to this type of behavior. it seems like alot of the media attention was focused on this after the killings. alot of people trying to psycoanalyze them and blame certain influences. another thing that struck me as i read the wikipedia article was the response by marilyn manson (who still scares the hell out of me). when asked what he would have said to the killers his reply was:

"Nothing. I would have listened, because no one else did"

Sometimes wisdom comes from unlikely places. i think there is alot of truth in what manson said. now i'm not naive enough to think that just listening to these kids would have prevented this, but its definitely a better start than labeling, ridiculing, psycoanalyzing or judging them. and its a much better "action item" for people who are moved to a response because of this tragedy. if in response we started trying to listen, understand and connect with our young people it would be a much better use of our time rather than ranting and raving on how horrible and evil this is. anyways, just my two cents on this tragedy that we somberly remember 10 years ago today.

here's a video that shows some of the footage taken that day. its definitely difficult to watch. after the video is over theres an option to click on another video of "10 years later". its kindof long and the anchor man really bugs me in the way he seems to be smiling at times, but the first few mintues are very interesting. i didn't watch the whole thing, especialy when it talks about all sports stuff, so forgive me if theres some lame or inappropriate stuff in there.

2 years

2009-04-14T13:33:00.003-06:00

this photo was taken two years ago today and i've been given the indescribable gift of being able to walk through life with this amazing woman ever since.

Hope in Rwanda

2009-04-09T14:08:00.003-06:00

I saw this story on Compasssion International's blog today that i thought was worth sharing. I'll just put a teaser here, but you have to go to the link to read the full story.

“I know there is a God because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil.”
– Major General Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander, United Nations Mission Assistance in Rwanda.

But where evil is strong, hope is stronger.

I’m an employee at Compassion. I work as an assistant for our International Program Communications Director. I love my job and I love working for Compassion.

However, for years my heart has ached to travel to East Africa. I wanted to see firsthand the children that haunted my dreams and now consume my days as I work to help release children from poverty.

Last year, my boss agreed to let me take a two-month leave of absence to work at a Rwandan orphanage. I just got back a couple weeks ago.

While in Kigali, I experienced more hope and more devastation than I thought possible. But it’s because of Compassion that I am able to bring you this story about love, hope and sorrow in Rwanda. About some orphans, some widows and some abandoned children who when they have nothing left, cling to Jesus. In the midst of extreme poverty, they choose hope...

again, the rest of the story is at the compassion blog (linked three times above in case you missed it) where you can see alot more too, like these photos...

video share

2009-04-02T11:00:00.005-06:00

a couple interesting videos about the world water crisis...

the first one is kindof funny - i loved the slip-n-slide when i was a kid and i think one of my buddies even had the "crocodile mile". definitely reminds me that the way i grew up as a kid is far from the reality for the majority of children around the world.

the second video is still fun, but also more educational. i think it does a great job of summarizing the world water crisis. it's definitely focused on point-of-use (POU) solutions at the end of the film- which makes sense because of who sponsored it - the people who make chlorine tablets and other POU solutions. There are obviously alot of other ways to deliver clean water, like what we do in urban communities at Healing Waters International.

booooring...

2009-03-24T15:23:00.003-06:00

so, i admit that my blog has been VERY boring this week. i'm in baltimore on vacation visiting my brother and sister in law and their 2 month old baby vincent gabriel. so i took a bit of a vacation from blogging too. but a good blog to follow in the meantime is my co-worker greg's - http://blogadegregorio.blogspot.com/
he's in guatemala right now and has done a good job of keeping his blog updated.
hasta pronto!

video share

2009-03-20T07:52:00.003-06:00

I just got home from being interviewed on the morning show of Denver's channel 9 News. We were very grateful for the opportunity to share our story. Unfortunately, the realities of the news world are that we only got about 2 minutes. It was a really interesting experience. All we can hope is that it gets people interested in what Healing Waters is doing and then they decide to help. There's another interview today around 11:30am at channel 7 news too, so hopefully that goes well. hopefully there will be video loaded on the channels websites later in the day.

This video is a bit dated now, but its still one of my favorites to quickly tell the story of what we do at Healing Waters International, especially in a nice and short format.

This is our latest video, a bit longer but tells more of the story.

the people behind the numbers

2009-03-19T00:10:00.007-06:00

some numbers...

1.5 million children under the age of 5 die every year due to water related diseases.

5 times more children die due to diarrheal diseases than HIV/AIDS.

443 million school days are lost each year due to water borne illnesses, trapping children in multi-generational poverty due to missed education.

a story...

about a year ago, Healing Waters Int'l founder Tom Larson was visting the Dominican Republic with a group of donors. Near the end of a long day visiting several water projects he got a call from Pastora Fiordaliza Abreu asking that he stop by the water project at her church. He was a bit reluctant at first, mostly out of concern for the donors who he'd been dragging around the city all day. But Pastora Fior is a very convincing lady. Through all her own initiative she had decided to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Healing Waters Int'l water project at her church by throwing a little party. But this party was special - it was a birthday party for all of the children in the neighborhood 5 years or younger. It was a celebration that they had been able to grow up with the benefit of having safe drinking water. It was a celebration of the life and health that comes through safe drinking water. And it was a moment that reminded all of us the core reason why we continue to work tirelessly and give sacrificially.

There were many times, especially when i lived in the dominican republic, that we would be at a water project that had been temporarily shut down for routine maintenance and a young mother with a baby in her arms would show up with an empty water jug begging us to try and get whatever water we could out of the system. These mothers would all say the same thing - that this was the only water that they trusted and they wouldn't give their children any other water. it was always a sobering reminder of the importance of the work we were doing. these are the people i think about when i see numbers on the global water crisis. these are the people that i hope our generous donors get to meet someday, so that they can hear first-hand that genuine "thank you" come from the mouth of those we serve.

In celebration of World Water Day on Sunday March 22, please consider making a donation to Healing Waters International. Every $50 donated enables us to serve one more person with safe water. Every thing helps, from $5 to $500. Its easy - just visit our website and click on the "donate now" button.

perfect paint speckled shoes

2009-03-17T15:04:00.003-06:00

i just got this email from Susan, one of our team members on the recent Guatemala trip for Healing Waters International. I thought it was a great little story of the way our perspective on life gets changed for the positive when we "walk a mile in someone elses shoes" (excuse the lame pun). so without her permission, i share it here (also cuz it has some cool photos). btw- you can always click on the pictures int his blog to view them larger, which you may have to do with this one to read it.

free woven bracelet?

2009-03-16T15:47:00.009-06:00

its not really my thing, but these bracelets are pretty nice. they were handmade by women from some of the indiginous villages around our water projects in Chiapas Mexico. Read the info below to support HWI, spread the word and get a free bracelet.

HEALING WATERS INTERNATIONAL

COMMEMORATES WORLD WATER DAY

World Water Day, March 22, was initiated by the United Nations in 2005 to draw focus to the global crisis for 1.1 billion people that lack safe drinking water. This year, Healing Waters International is celebrating our role in helping to resolve this crisis by giving free water at each of the nearly 70 water purification systems we have built in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Guatemala.

The worldwide day of awareness coincides with our approaching milestone of distributing 75 million gallons of safe drinking water to poor communities in developing countries since 2002. Traditionally, the purified water is sold at a highly affordable price, less than 1/3rd of retail, in order to provide sustainability to the water systems run by local partners while still making it accessible to the poorest in the communities.

Sustainability along with personal and community transformation are key components of the Healing Waters operational model. Over 110,000 people in poor, urban communities receive their daily drinking water from Healing Waters sites. Additionally, the projects have put nearly $500,000 back into their neighborhoods with community service funds and donated more than 3 million gallons to local schools. Every $50 donated to Healing Waters International since we began has provided safe drinking water for life to another person.

While it took 18 months to distribute the first million gallons of water and three years to deliver 10 million, HWI is now distributing water at a rate of more than 1.6 million gallons a month. With the addition of new systems in 2009, we are targeting to deliver more than 2 million gallons per month by year end. That will include new technologies such as Point-of-Use technologies like LifeStraw® and small, ultra-filtration/membrane systems to supplement the existing traditional water purification model Healing Waters has used since our inception.

“We are humbled to play a role in closing the gap on the world water crisis,” said Ed Anderson, CEO of Healing Waters International. “We have become experts in our area of providing for the poor, urban communities of the developing world; but there is still so many more in need.”

Healing Waters International is a non-profit organization that empowers local ministry partners to bring physical, social and spiritual transformation to poor communities by providing sustainable, safe water solutions. To learn more about Healing Waters International visit us at www.healingwatersintl.org or to donate and bring water for life to the poor click here. If you choose to sign up to be on our mailing list, you'll receive a free hand-woven Mayan Bracelet as a token of our appreciation.

World Water week kicks off!

2009-03-16T11:48:00.003-06:00

This week marks the build up to World Water Day on March 22. In working for a non-profit like Healing Waters Int'l - this is a BIG deal for us. And we hope its a great opportunity for water issues to become a big deal to others as well. We have a bunch of activities planned for this week, and among them, Compassion International has agreed to focus on water with their blog this week. You can see the first entry by clicking on the hyperlink in the previous sentence or here - http://blog.compassion.com/healing-waters-international/

I'm copying Compassions blog entry for today below. I'll also try and do a new posting here every day - mostly about my time in Guatemala a couple of weeks ago (long overdue!), so check out this blog, compasion's blog and please spread the word!

What is Healing Waters International?

Written by: Web Team

The problem of contaminated drinking water is a serious one. 3.4 million people, mostly children, die from water-related diseases each year — that’s the equivalent of thirty-eight 777s crashing every day and killing everyone on board. — UNICEF/WHO, Global Water Supply and Sanitation Assessment 2000

There are many organizations in this world building clean water delivery systems in rural areas of the developing world, but the need for safe drinking water in more developed communities gets overlooked.

Communities may have water infrastructures in place, but the water that is distributed is contaminated. Purified bottle water is available in local stores, but not everyone can afford the “luxury” of clean water. Healing Waters International, one of our business partners, is changing that.

Healing Waters International builds water purification systems at local churches in the developing world, and trains the church staff to operate the systems and manage the accounting. The churches then sell the water in their communities, typically for less than a quarter of the cost of store-bought water, and then sponsor community service projects with the revenue that remains.

Healings Waters International Mission Statement

To see safe water provided in the name of Jesus in every poor community of the world, Healing Waters International empowers local ministry partners to bring physical, social and spiritual transformation to poor communities by providing sustainable, safe water solutions.

What a remarkable mission!

Kind of sounds like ours, doesn’t it?

Join the Healing Waters International cause on Facebook.

Guatemala trip postings coming

2009-03-09T23:27:00.003-06:00

i just got back from guatemala on sunday afternoon, and it was truly an amazing trip. this is just a quick teaser to say that hopefully i'll find some time to share some of the stories and photos about it this week, so check back in during the week.

for love of God and beer

2009-02-23T22:59:00.002-07:00

i have a friend who is writing a book called "For Love of God and Beer: Adventures of a Schizophrenic Evangelical". only the prologue has been written so far (or at least released). i just read it and loved it. but don't let my opinion sway you - you really need to read it yourself. heres a little teaser...

Christians make me nervous. Especially the evangelical ones.
There, I’ve said it. I just needed to get that out in the open, right off the bat. As I’ve been preparing to tell the story of the journey of faith I’ve been on for the last 30 years or so, I’ve been struggling with what I originally thought was just a really, really bad case of writer’s block. But last night I finally realized what was behind the writer’s block. I’ve been afraid to start writing, afraid to put my life on paper, because I’ve been worried about what people will think of me. Not just people, mind you.
Other evangelicals.
That’s right, other evangelicals. I’m one of them.

So - heres what you've gotta do. go to www.godandbeer.com and read the rest of the prologue and then take the survey. i bet we can be part of the groundswell of support and interest that gets this book published.

these are a few of my favorite things...

2009-02-18T09:02:00.007-07:00

i was so stoked so see this video yesterday. its got some of my favorite things in it - the dominican republic, skateboarding, and music from manu chao and M.I.A. thanks to my friend Jared, i was able to embed the videos below. you can also see them at: http://www.planbskateboards.com/ then click on "plan b tv" at upper right and then scroll down about 60% of the videos to find dominican trip part 1 and 2.

what kills me is that i think i was in the country the same time they were last year. it would have been so fun to run into them. although i hadn't really started skateboarding at that point yet, so i would have just stood around.
here's a pic of one of the guys skateboarding through El Parque de Colon. for those of you who've been there, this is the square with the statue of Columbus and the oldest cathedral in the Americas.

new project in the DR

2009-02-17T09:29:00.003-07:00

Here's a few photos to share the news of our latest project install in the DR. It was inaugurated on friday. it always makes me happy to see people getting water from our projects. it helps me remember why i do what i do, and hopefully helps our donors remember the importance of their gift.

anybody wanna go to Guate?

2009-02-12T12:27:00.003-07:00

hey there blog readin' friends - I thought i'd send this out to all of you just in case anybody wanted to make a crazy last minute decision to go on a trip to Guatemala with me. I've been asked to lead this trip, and it would be fun if some of my friends wanted to come along. Here's the info from Healing Waters....

You’re invited to join Healing Waters International on a Transformation Trip to Guatemala from March 4-8, 2009. In addition to visiting HWI water projects, you will volunteer in the community of Petapa, Guatemala where we have had a water system for 2 years. We will participate in several volunteer activities including teaching oral hygiene education at a local public elementary school, participating in a community clean-up day and putting on a children’s festival for local kids. Everyone is welcome to participate - no special skills or experience are required for the volunteer work.

This trip is a great opportunity to see the work of Healing Waters. Seeing the needs, connecting with the community and taking a hands-on approach to serving and experiencing the transformation that Healing Waters can bring is a life-changing opportunity. In addition to the volunteer work, here are some of the things you can expect to experience:
Visit Healing Waters projects and learn how the water gets purified and how the projects are managed
Talk with pastors about the impact of their water projects in the local community
Enjoy a meal in the home of a family who gets water from one of our projects and learn about the challenges in their lives and the conditions in which they live
Meet our local staff and get to know them (they're wonderful!)
See some interesting cultural and historical stuff
We know many of you are very busy and can't afford much time away from home and work, so trips are designed to see a lot in a short amount of time. If you'd like to extend your trip to do more local sightseeing (e.g. Mayan ruins), we can help you with planning and arranging for transportation, activities and accommodations.

Cost for the trip will be $550 per person which will cover meals, ground transportation, lodging and a donation to help purchase supplies for our volunteer work. Airfare (typically $500-700 from Denver) is not included in the trip price. We'll stay in comfortable, safe and clean accommodations, travel with caution and eat food that is safe. We'll also provide you with all the clean water you can drink - no charge!
Wednesday, 3/4 - Travel to Guatemala
Thursday, 3/5 – Volunteer work in Petapa and visit a water project
Friday, 3/6 – Continue volunteer work
Saturday, 3/7 – Trip debriefing and free time in Antigua to sightsee and shop
Sunday, 3/8 - Travel Home
If you would like to join us on the trip or want more information, please contact Liz Reberry at lreberry@healingwatersintl.org or 303.526.7278.

It is sure to be one of the most memorable trips you've taken – we hope you can join us!

Healing Waters International
534 Commons Drive
Golden, CO 80401
303.526.7278
www.healingwatersintl.org

K'Naan

2009-02-06T11:06:00.012-07:00

i have to thank my friend kevin for telling me about K'Naan a couple of years ago. i just ran across a cool new song by him that i'm attaching below. what i love about K'Naan is that he's a rapper that doesn't glorify the violence you often hear in other rap music. he's experienced REAL and intense violence in his native country of somalia that makes what some american rappers talk about sound just silly.

Check out these lyrics from one of his songs "what's hardcore"...

So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore? Hmm.
So what's hardcore? Really, are you hardcore? Hmm.

I'm a spit these verses cause I feel annoyed,
and I'm not gonna quit till I fill the void,
if I rhyme about home and got descriptive,
I'd make Fifty Cent look like Limp Biskit,
it's true, and don't make me rhyme about you,
I'm from where the kids is addicted to glue,
get ready, he got a good grip on the machete,
make rappers say they do it for love like R-Kelly,

it's HARD, harder than Harlem and Compton intertwined

If you dont know much about the history of somalia, check it out. the country has been a total mess fora long, long time. its heartbreaking to see, and the answers certainly dont come easy. so when you grow up on streets like this, its hard to imagine alot of positivity coming out of that.

and thats what makes me appreciate this song/video so much more...

photo share 3

2009-02-04T09:28:00.003-07:00

this photo was taken in the little community of Maria Auxiliadora in the city of La Vega, Dominican Republic. Healing Waters Int'l has a water project in this neighborhood at an inspiring little church led by young people who are doing amazing things in their community. i wonder if these neighbors got together and planned their colors, or if it just happened randomly.

how to write about africa

2009-02-02T23:17:00.004-07:00

this post actually comes from an article my wife had to read for one of her classes. i thought it was a strange combination of funny, sad, true and silly. at first i wanted to think - "Ha - i know people who talk about africa this way, how lame are they!". but then i realized that i've probably said alot of these things. i've only been to six countries on the continent of africa, on about 9 different trips and never for more than 3 months at a time. that might be a bit more exposure than some, but i find that i can still fall into some of these stereotypical traps. so whether you feel guilty, judgmental, or indifferent - enjoy the sarcasm. btw - i'm drastically shortening a two page document, so if you want me to email you the full version let me know.

How to Write About Africa | Granta 92: The View from

Africa | Magazine | Granta

Binyavanga Wainaina

Always use the word ‘Africa or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title. Subtitles may include the words ‘Zanzibar’, ‘Masai’,‘Zulu’, ‘Zambezi’, ‘Congo’, or ‘Nile’.

Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your book, or in it, unless that African has won the Nobel Prize. An AK-47, prominent ribs, naked breasts: use these. In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don’t get bogged down with precise descriptions. Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and emigrating to read your book.

Make sure you show how Africans have music and rhythm deep in their souls, and eat things no other humans eat. Mention near the beginning how much you love Africa, how you fell in love with the place and can’t live without her. Africa is the only continent you can love — take advantage of this. Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed.

Blame the West for Africa’s situation. But do not be too specific. Broad brushstrokes throughout are good. Avoid having the African characters laugh, or struggle to educate their kids, or just make do in mundane circumstances. Have them illuminate something about Europe or America in Africa. African characters should be colourful, exotic, larger than life — but empty inside, with no dialogue, no conflicts or resolutions in their stories, no depth or quirks to confuse the cause. Remember, any work you submit in which people look filthy and miserable will be referred to as the ‘real Africa’, and you want that on your dust jacket. Do not feel queasy about this: you are trying to help them to get aid from the West.

Animals, on the other hand, must be treated as well rounded, complex characters. Never, ever say anything negative about an elephant or a gorilla. After celebrity activists and aid workers, conservationists are Africa’s most important people. Do not offend them.

Readers will be put off if you don’t mention the light in Africa. And sunsets, the African sunset is a must. It is always big and red. There is always a big sky. Wide empty spaces and game are critical — Africa is the Land of Wide Empty Spaces. Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care.

photo share 2

2009-01-29T09:00:00.004-07:00

boys in the dominican republic carrying water from one of our projects back to their families.

photo share 1

2009-01-27T13:04:00.007-07:00

every once in a while i'd like to post on here a photo from my work with Healing Waters. feel free to use the photos as you wish, i just ask that if you publish it anywhere or share it with anyone that you give credit to Healing Waters International and help us share our story. i remember when we took this picture of this boy. its in a community called "El Refugio" and is a very poor community on the hilsides outside of Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico. The community got its name because the people were refugees and settled here after being displaced by voilence in other parts of the state. Alot of the houses are still made up of cardboard, wood poles and metal sheeting. There are a few families that have started to build up a more formal concrete house. We launched a water project there in 2004 in partnership with a local Church of the Nazarene. Little guys like this one have been able to live a much healthier life for the past 4 years because of the safe drinking water made available at the church.

fyi- you can always click on the photo to see it as a bigger size and then right click to save it on your computer.

used car salesman

2009-01-25T22:39:00.005-07:00

so, i'm in the process of selling my car. not too exciting, i know. if anyone is interested you can see my craigslist posting here. But that's not why i'm writing. i had to share this craigslist posting that a friend sent me this week. i really wish i was this talented at writing. i think my montero would sell REALLY fast if i was. enjoy...

NINJA HAULER: 2005 Nissan Xterra - $12900 (Ronan / Lake County )

Reply to:
Date: 2008-12-04, 5:15PM MST
OK, let me start off by saying this Xterra is only available for purchase by the manliest of men (or women). My friend, if it was possible for a vehicle to sprout chest hair and a five o'clock shadow, this Nissan would look like Tom Selleck. It is just that manly.

It was never intended to drive to the mall so you can pick up that adorable shirt at Abercrombie & Fitch that you had your eye on. It wasn't meant to transport you to yoga class or Linens & Things. No, that's what your Prius is for. If that's the kind of car you're looking for, then just do us all a favor and stop reading right now. I mean it. Just stop.

This car was engineered by 3rd degree ninja super-warriors in the highest mountains of Japan to serve the needs of the man that cheats death on a daily basis. They didn't even consider superfluous nancy boy amenities like navigation systems (real men don't get lost), heated leather seats (a real man doesn't let anything warm his butt), or On Star (real men don't even know what the hell On Star is).

No, this brute comes with the things us testosterone-fueled super action junkies need. It has a 265 HP engine to outrun the cops. It's got special blood/gore resistant upholstery. It even has a first-aid kit in the back. You know what the first aid kit has in it? A pint of whiskey, a stitch-your-own-wound kit and a hunk of leather to bite down on when you're operating on yourself. The Xterra also has an automatic transmission so if you're being chased by Libyan terrorists, you'll still be able to shoot your machine gun out the window and drive at the same time. It's saved my bacon more than once.

It has room for you and the four hotties you picked up on the way to the gym to blast your pecs and hammer your glutes. There's a tow hitch to pull your 50 caliber anti-Taliban, self cooling machine gun. I also just put in a new windshield to replace the one that got shot out by The Man.
My price on this bad boy is an incredibly low $12,900, but I'll entertain reasonable offers. And by reasonable, I mean don't walk up and tell me you'll give me $5,000 for it. That's liable to earn you a Burmese-roundhouse-sphincter-kick with a follow up three fingered eye-jab. Would it hurt? Hell yeah. Let's just say you won't be the prettiest guy at the Coldplay concert anymore.

There's only 69,000 miles on this four-wheeled hellcat from Planet Kickass. Trust me, it will outlive you and the offspring that will carry your name. It will live on as a monument to your machismo.

Now, go look in the mirror and tell me what you see. If it's a rugged, no holds barred, super brute he-man macho Chuck Norris stunt double, then contact me. I might be out hang-gliding or BASE jumping or just chilling with my ladies, but I'll get back to you. And when I do, we'll talk about a price over a nice glass of Schmidt while we listen to Johnny Cash.

To sweeten the deal a little, I'm throwing in this pair of MC Hammer pants for the man with rippling quads that can't fit into regular pants. Yeah, you heard me. FREE MC Hammer pants.

Rock on.

No-Plumbing Disease

2009-01-22T10:27:00.003-07:00

Great article John. (Read the Article at HuffingtonPost) "No-plumbing disease" - I love it! The phrase definitely paints a clear picture of the need for increased focus on the basics - safe water and sanitation infrastructure. In my experience, I would have to add a related phrase - "bad-plumbing disease". I work for a non-profit called Healing Waters International (www.healingwatersintl.org) and we focus on areas that have a water infrastructure, but still have unsafe drinking water. This is primarily due to either a lack of proper treatment at the central plant, or most commonly a broken down infrastructure of pipes that lets groundwater contamination and sewage mix into the drinking water. While not as large of a population as those who lack any sort of infrastructure, there are still hundreds of millions of people around the world who get sick from drinking water from their city's "plumbing". So, needles to say, we have a lot of work to do - both in communities with and without a water infrastructure.

let clean waters flow

2009-01-21T22:36:00.007-07:00

There were so many things to be proud of with the inauguration of our new president yesterday. There was so much in Obama's speech to applaud, but i have to admit that this was the line that made me happiest to hear...

"To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds."

a day at a monastery

2009-01-18T22:35:00.005-07:00

recently debora and i decided we wanted to take some sort of spiritual retreat, so on the second to last day of 2008 we spent the day at St Benedicts Monastery in Snowmass, CO.

the monks were very gracious in their hospitality and there were several places around the monastery that were ideal for prayer, reading and reflection. the time spent there was all we hoped for and more.
i'll share some words here that i read that day in a book called "the way of the heart" by henri nouwen:

"Solitude is the place of great struggle and the great encounter - the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self. In solitude I get rid of my scaffolding: no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me - naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken - nothing. It is this nothingness that I have to face in my solitude, a nothingness so dreadful that everything in me wants to run to my friends, my work, and my distractions so that I can forget my nothingness and make myself believe that I am worth something. Thus I try again to run from the dark abyss of my nothingness and restore my false self in all its vainglory. The struggle is real because the danger is real. It is the danger of living the whole of our life as one long defense against the reality of our condition, one restless effort to convince ourselves of our virtuousness. Yet Jesus "did not come to call the virtuous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:13). That is the struggle. It is the struggle to die to the false self."

Nouwen wrote that in 1981. how much more true and urgent is this word now in our age of cell phones, text messages, facebook, blogs, twitter and the 24 hour news cycle.

even if just for a day, i felt the false self that i had built up, the distractions i fill my day with begin to be stripped away and was able to encounter the loving God.

diving in

2008-12-26T00:29:00.004-07:00

so i finally gave in... i joined facebook tonight. i dont think i was intentionally avoiding it, but for some reason hadn't jumped in yet. i recently decided that i'm gonna go ahead and dive into the deep end of all this social networking stuff. it definitely has its faults, but overall i think its really cool they way people are trying to create connections and communities through these online social networking tools. especially in the US, we live so disconnected from one another and i think this is one way we've learned to try and break out of that.
so if anyone is in facebook - help me figure all this out. i dont even know how to tell you to find my profile, but i guess you just search for my name. see ya there!

sharing some bloggin' love...

2008-12-24T15:57:00.004-07:00

my friends ben and krista just got back from 3 months in guate and kept a killer blog while they were there (and while they've been back) there are some awesome photos and adventures on there, but i want to also share their experience with Healing Waters here.
check out their blog here: http://fromcolfaxtoxela.blogspot.com/
I'll try and copy their post on HWI here, but it woudl be better if you went to their site:
FROM TRASH TO TREASURES
The day before we departed Guatemala we spent some time in the capital, Guatemala City. With the help of our friends Horacio & Nicole (who lived and worked in there a few years back) we were able to hook up with their good friend Juan & the rest of the folks who work for Aguas de Unidad (the Latin branch of Healing Waters International), a group that Ben volunteers for here in Denver. HWI or ADU (whichever you prefer) is a state side NGO that teams up with churches to help provide affordable, safe drinking water to local communities. Since Ben is a environmental engineer who specializes in water treatment and has always had a desire to help people in need, he was really anxious to learn more about the projects. After all, that is a major reason we went to Guatemala! Not to mention, we've heard tons of great stories from Horacio & Nicole about ADU and their great staff. In 2006 we also visited our friend Aaron (who also works for HWI) in the Dominican Republic, where he showed us some of the sites there. It was actually pretty neat to be able to learn about the differences in the systems and communities they serve.

Locals can purchase a garrafon of water for under $1.

Serving up some delicious water!

After our tour, we headed back to the ADU offices to meet the rest of the friendly astaff. Later that afternoon Juan and his wife Ninette invited us to a delicious lunch at their home. We spent a few hours chatting with them and their kids, Alejandro & Daniela, and sharing stories from our Guatemalan adventures. After lunch they wanted to take us to meet a family that is special to them (and to Horacio & Nicole) that live right by the city basudera (garbage dump). This family of 7 (mom, dad & 5 daughters, ages 1-15) live in a small (almost) 2 room shanty made of wood & tin in a community that surrounds the dump. It could quite have been one of the poorest situations we have ever seen. The 7 of them sleep in 3 single beds that are in the same room as their "kitchen" (a small gas stove, small table top and no refrigerator), 1 arm chair and a television. The parents support their family by working in the dump, scavenging for scraps that can be sold for money. While the parents weren't home when we stopped by to visit, all of the daughters were along with their 2 cats, 2 dogs, and 3 brand new puppies (who all still had their eyes closed)!! The girls were thrilled to have us visit and loved hauling out the puppies and taking photos with my camera. They even recorded a few special messages for Horacio & Nicole.

Baby Nicole (named after our Nicole)

Following our visit, Juan & Ninette took us to view the basudera in it's entirety. At one point in time the garbage dump was on the outskirts of the city, but as the city grew, neighborhoods were build around it, so now the dump is in the center of the capital. Rumor has it that the government would like to move the dump, but how? To get a full view of the dump we had to enter the public cemetary and drive to the back. While it certainly isn't the prettiest part of Guatemala City, it really is something that everyone should see. For a few minutes we watched the trucks dump trash and people sort through it. Aside of the enormity of it, the most astounding part was the amount of vulchers flying overhead.

mountains and mountains of trash

Garbage Dump Guatemala City from Krista Lengacher on Vimeo.

We ended our night with a much more beautiful view of the city. Juan drove us (through rush hour traffic) to a mirador (lookout) where we watched the sunset and the glow of the city lights at night while sipping hot chocolate.

Thank you Gomez Family for a great day!

not so silent night

2008-12-24T15:41:00.003-07:00

i feel like partying today. i dont really understand why Christmas sometimes can be so somber. songs like silent night, candlelight services, it all makes me wonder if we're remembering Jesus' death instead of celebrating his birth. when its my birthday, i want to party! and now even more for Jesus' birthday - the most important person in the history of the world (and definitely in my life). he's the one that came to set us free from the miserable condition that this broken world is in. he has transformed our world and transformed our lives. there is no way for me to come close to being a good person or even thinking of trying to communicate with a Holy Creator if not for Jesus. he is the "image of the invisible God", the one we can now look to in order to learn about our Creator.
I'm so glad that i married into a family that places a huge importance on Christmas eve. So my plans for tonight... have an amazing dinner together with my new family, CELEBRATE, open presents and be overwhelmed by gratitude at all that God has given us, and especially Jesus. i hope some of the same things, and even more, for you!

holding on to youth

2008-12-15T19:38:00.016-07:00

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"
~Satchel Paige

at my brother-in-law's 30th birthday party about a week ago, a bunch of us forgot how old we were.
and it was SO MUCH FUN!
first of all, cheers to Horacio for celebrating 30 in style. the party was epic, to be talked about for years to come for sure.
so here was the set up... lately Horacio and i have gotten into skateboarding. yeah, i know, we hear it all the time - you're too old for that. don't get me started.
tony hawk (widely considered one of the best skateboarders ever) did this when he was 32...

of course he'd been skateboarding since he was in still in diapers and i just started now, but the point remains the same. you're never too old. (well, maybe for some things, but not for skateboarding at 30 or 32)
so back to the party... about a month ago Horacio and I got a free halfpipe skate ramp off craigslist and put it in his back yard. so with our new love of skateboarding, and possibly motivated by missing the southern california lifestyle, we threw a classic summertime backyard house party (except it was denver in the winter and even with some snow on the ground). so we invited about 20 of our closest friends over, lit up the halfpipe, set up a fire pit, got the music flowin' and acted like we were 20 again. i'll post a few pics here, but i'm sorry to say "you had to be there".

dropping in... early in the night

then Horacio broke out the cans of spray paint

jordy took home the prize for best tagger and best skater

even andy got in on the action - never skated before, but charged it anyways

partying like its 1999, and as if it wasn't 29 degrees outside

the man, the myth, the legend... of justin

at some point later in the night jordy and i thought it would be a good idea to try and drop in switchfoot, that is - with the reverse foot forward. have you ever tried throwing a ball with your opposite hand, well then you know how well that goes. this video is a little dark but i think you can still figure out how that brilliant idea of ours turned out...

so to the crew who was there on this epic night - cheers for not remembering how old we were. and to those who weren't, don't let anyone tell you that you're too old for "that". and to Horacio, we may not be skating when we celebrate 60, but hopefully its just as fun.

diarrhea with your martini?

2008-12-03T16:04:00.007-07:00

"Diarrhea kills five times as many kids as AIDS," said John Oldfield, executive vice president of Water Advocates, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that promotes clean water and sanitation. "Everybody talks about AIDS at cocktail parties," Oldfield said. "But nobody wants to hear about diarrhea," he said.

so, monday was world AIDS day, and although delayed, its definitely worth a few thoughts...

the scale of this global crisis cannot be denied. it is estimated that 2 million people died from AIDS in 2007, and 270,000 were children. The UN estimates that 33 million people around the world are infected with HIV. i've seen firsthand how it is wrecking families and whole societies, especially in Africa. a haunting image is forever etched in my head of a young woman i met briefly in a Nairobi slum last year. unfortunately, i don't remember her name, but i will never forget her and her story. she was sitting in front of her mud walled home looking absolutely skeletal. i was surprised she had the strength even to reach out and shake my hand. i have no idea how much she weighed, but it couldnt be over 90 pounds. i was shocked at how weak and thin her body had become. the only thing i could compare it to were images i've seen of people in nazi concentration camps. we were in her neighborhood with staff from Compassion International, visiting a water and sanitation project. as desperate as her situation seemed, she is one of the fortunate ones. her children are sponsored through a local church's Compassion International project, and she is being taken care of by her mother. There is even a decent public toilet and water supply in her neighborhood. This is a photo of her mother, in their two room home...

and a pic of the sanitation block (pay-per-use public toilet) and water point near their house...
but although there is a nearby water supply, its not safe to drink, so they have to go to the added expense of boiling their water so that it doesn't make them sick. sometimes this expense is just too much so they just take their chances by drinking it as is. photo of water being boiled over a small coal stove (and a little house cat trying to stay warm i guess)...
so, fortunately or unfortunately, when i think of AIDS i think of this mother fighting for her survival. i have a rather morbid widget/gadget on my igoogle home page that i got from Compassion that is called the AIDS timer that says every 14 seconds a child is orphaned by AIDS. that is a difficult statistic to try and comprehend, and i desperately hope that the young mother that i met isn't included in that number.

this article in the AP on the global AIDS crisis brings up some interesting points. its basically arguing that AIDS gets alot of attention and money compared to other diseases (like pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria) that kill so many more people. though, it seems hard to argue to disperse funds elsewhere when there is still so much more to be done on HIV/AIDS. in my limited experience with these kinds of issues, it sometimes makes me think of an analogy of a sponge. when it comes to all the global needs for any one issue (like AIDS) or other things like poverty in developing countries, i dont think we realize how big and how dry that sponge really is. we pour billions of dollars, work and effort in and we still dont see much difference. with some of these things its going to take so long before we see that sponge start to take on the change and eventually start spilling over. without a doubt, much can be improved in terms of international aid, but just because the process is imperfect or the sponge is so big and so dry doesn't mean we should stop pouring out and trying to help. i'll stop there and save the rest of that argument for another day.
so, i'm probably biased because i work at a organization focused on water, but its hard to deny the connection between safe water and AIDS.

“We shall not finally defeat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or any of the other infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking water, sanitation and basic health care.” Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General

the connection between safe water and prolonging the life of someone suffering from AIDS is clear. quite often its the rather simple to treat, opportunistic diseases (like diarrhea from drinking contaminated water) that end up taking an AIDS paitient's life rather than the disease itself. that's one of the things that inspires me to keep working hard at Healing Waters International to try and get safe water to people who desperately need it. and of course, we're always looking for people to join us in this battle.

thank you Mr. Chandler

2008-11-30T20:50:00.006-07:00

you know those times when you read something or hear something that is so much the TRUTH that there's actually some kind of physical reaction inside your body. maybe that sounds kind of weird, or you have no idea what i'm talking about, but for me its like my chest contracts a bit and a tiny lighting bolt goes off in my head. this happened to me a few days ago when i read this blog entry by Matt Chandler called "Inspirations". i went to a conference recently and heard Matt speak for the first time and have been trying to listen/read as much as i can from him ever since. he's a pastor of a church called the village in dallas. anyways, this really resonated with me and so even though its kinda long, i'll copy it here:

It has been my experience that inspirations are brief, sporadic and rare. By inspiration I mean those moments where our souls are stimulated to a high level of feeling, thinking and doing. I love those brief, sporadic and rare moments. I am addicted to the vitality I have, the love I feel, and the clarity of thought that occurs when I am inspired. I have tried for years to pay attention to these moments, to dig into them, excavate them, and figure them out. What is it that inspires me? Who is it? What stirs my affection…for my wife? For my children? For life in general? This to me is one of the major ideas that demand an answer. To solve this arduous riddle means more energy, richer life, deeper relationships and greater self-awareness.

Several years ago I started applying this line of thought to my relationship with Christ. Instead of asking myself what inspired me to be a good man (what’s that anyway?) I started asking what stirs my affections for Christ. What, when I’m doing it, when I’m around it or dwelling on it creates in me a greater hunger for, passion for and worship of Christ and His mission? The first list was a strange one. It looked something like this:

Early mornings and hot coffee
The writings of John Owen (at the time it was The Mortification of Sin)
Listening to Lauren sing
Walks through graveyards (I know this is weird but it reminded me of mortality)
The book of Hebrews
Robust dialogue on ecclesiology or missiology
Sermons by John Piper
Angst-filled music

I also wrestled with and paid attention to what robbed me of affection for Christ. What, when I was doing it or spending time around it created in me an unhealthy love for this world? The first list was a strange one because the majority of things that robbed me of zeal for Christ and His mission were morally neutral things. It looked something like this:

Watching too much TV and spending too much time online
Staying up late for no reason
Following sports too closely
Being physically lazy
Empty conversations (talking for hours about nothing)
Idleness

For the last few years I have updated this list often. In fact it has changed quite a bit. I want to pay attention to life. I want to be keyed in to what feeds my zeal for our great God and King and what kills that zeal. My hope is that I could flood my life with Christ-exalting, worship-creating things and avoid anything that would rob me of that.

What inspires you? Better yet, what stirs your affections for Christ, truth and holiness? If we can fill our lives with the things that stir our affections and avoid and flee those things that rob us of inspiration, we have a better shot at dwelling deeply. What and who inspires you? Stirs you? What presses you into holy places? What robs you of joy and vitality? What robs you of your affection for Christ and holiness?

what really resonated with me was his list of 6 things that rob affection for Jesus. i'll probably end up writing my own list of inspirations, but the second list is exactly what i would write.

matisyahu

2008-11-29T02:04:00.004-07:00

a quick video that i filmed from my cell phone (thus the horrible quality) of Matisyahu performing a short set before an autograph session today at the Colfax Event Center here in Denver. my wife and i are going to the concert on saturday. i'll write more on matisyahu later i'm sure.

about the blog title...

2008-11-29T01:39:00.007-07:00

yes, it comes from the song "one drop" by Bob Marley and also describes a style of rhythm within reggae music. No, i'm not a rastafarian. i'm a follower of Jesus (which will be a frequent subject of this blog).
i don't really have a good reason for the title, its just what got stuck in my head when thinking of naming this blog. i guess it makes me think of the way i see this blog working - that from time to time i would drop in some random thoughts and that my friends (and maybe even complete strangers) would drop by to read them.
the title could also be taken as a link to my work at Healing Waters International, which will probably also be the subject of quite a few postings.
so here i go, dropping into (thinly veiled skateboarding reference, another favorite subject) the blogging world!

One Drop

the return to Kathmandu (and the blog)

the strike's last stand

Banda - day 3

Nepal

a child's right and the Gonodaya school from a child's right on Vimeo.

I'll try and keep the blog updated on the status of the strike and the progress with the water projects here.

one journey ends, another begins

on gratitude

overwhelmed by restoration and beauty

Cambodia trip part 2

cambodia trip day 1&2

haiti relief work

ending modern slavery

tocayo

new project, old town

snapshot of dominican life

snow day

Home of Mercy

picture of Jesus

one drop... can cause a ripple effect

three feet

33 tomorrow

celebrating 7 amazing years

2nd happiest country on earth?

hunger

seeds of hate sown through radiowaves

poop in space (and on earth)

Gratitude and Sacrifice

on being sick

blue is the new green

what number are you?

blog is dead

one drop

foto share - antigua, guatemala

more DR musica y video

fotos y sazon dominicano

i will be light

my new favorite reggae song

thinking about columbine and "the boy in the window"

2 years

Hope in Rwanda

video share

booooring...

video share

the people behind the numbers

perfect paint speckled shoes

free woven bracelet?

World Water week kicks off!

I'm copying Compassions blog entry for today below. I'll also try and do a new posting here every day - mostly about my time in Guatemala a couple of weeks ago (long overdue!), so check out this blog, compasion's blog and please spread the word!

What is Healing Waters International?

Guatemala trip postings coming

for love of God and beer

these are a few of my favorite things...

new project in the DR

anybody wanna go to Guate?

K'Naan

photo share 3

how to write about africa

photo share 2

photo share 1

used car salesman

No-Plumbing Disease

let clean waters flow

a day at a monastery

diving in

sharing some bloggin' love...

not so silent night

holding on to youth

diarrhea with your martini?

thank you Mr. Chandler

matisyahu

about the blog title...