Yesterday I arrived from my short trip to Haiti. I traveled with a group out of North Carolina called, New Directions International. They have been in Haiti years before the earth quake working with local pastors to provide orphanages with food, resources for schools and have helped equip leaders out there with materials, education and resources. One thing that really resonated with me about New Directions (NDI) is that they exist primarily in the background. They are there to give locals the food and resources so it does not look like the “White Man” has come to save anyone. That is very important to me. I went on this trip to be a strong back who would exist in the background. I didn’t want any focus and I didn’t want to be thanked for anything. This was an eye opening trip and I feel completely strange back in the US. There is a part of me that longs to be back with real people who are just trying to get by. I was so surprised by how beautiful the Haitian people are and I was amazed at the spirit of hope that you can feel. Many have lost everything they had, many have lost their entire families yet they have the strength to go through the rubble to rebuild and to smile when strangers pass. There is a lot we can learn from our Haitian family. If you would like to know more please click the read more link below.
Here are a few pictures (there are more after the break):
I first heard about Will Allen and “Growing Power” at the CCDA conference of 2009. It would have never occurred to me that I would care about farming, but I feel very strongly about all of this. I’m really enjoying this quote at the moment:
“But if the greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production. Even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone. Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter.”
-Bill Mollison Introduction to Permaculture
That quote came from The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. You can find out more about them by clicking HERE and you can find their book on Amazon by clicking the title.
So recently I got hooked on Nerf Guns…I just added the Recon to my arsenal (look, I’m a huge fan of Metal Gear Solid and this gun looks just like Solid Snake’s SOCOM USP). So what’s a guy to do with a lot of cardboard, duct tape and free time before I start my new job? Build a holster. Also one of my favorite things to do in Call of Duty is sneak up behind people and knife them. The target $1 pirate swords look like a great opportunity to make a foam tactical knife…next…a sheath for that. Enjoy the pictures:
I have 2 new photos to update. Let’s begin by celebrating the end of a decade. 2009 has been the best year so far and I am looking forward to the rest of my life! One of my decisions was to make one silly creative photo a week using my Star Wars toys that are laying around. One person already did this for each day of the year…but I am worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. So let’s go with one a week! After all, I can always choose to shoot more then one a week. This first one comes from the first Snow storm in North Carolina of the year!
Here is a photo of yours truly so you can track the growth of my beard!
