Just a short post to let you know that I'm still out here and trying to get back on track with things for GCP. School has been hectic and I'm positive I'd lose my head if it weren't attached to my shoulders by way of my neck. Yup, my extended way of saying I feel like a chicken with its head cut off.
We have had some changes with our webhosting and so things should be better now; it was down for a little while. We also have a webmaster, Bashir Gemayel, who has so graciously volunteered his time and efforts to the design and maintenance of our website. So we welcome him to our team.
We had our regular Board Meeting in August to discuss some steps going forward. I am heading back to SoCal on Christmas Day for the winter holidays. I'm looking forward to that.
For those of you who participated in the Providing Change campaign for the soccer field at Kings Victory Academy, I have some good news! They have finally been able to get the land bulldozed in prep for a soccer field!! And of course, the $500 we raised contributed to that soccer field! So thank you very very much!! (Thanks Megan!)
I personally have started work on my dissertation proposal which is occupying a lot of my time. So much reading to do! For the moment it feels like GCP is a bit stalled but we'll have to just maintain status quo until we figure out what the next steps would be to move forward. God-willing I will be heading to Malawi next September to start my dissertation research and perhaps also begin the first stages of our next project.
In the meantime, I still would appreciate your prayers for doors to open for our next projects. And please continue to collect any loose change; all proceeds will continue to go to a specific need in a community in Malawi.
Thanks for all your support and prayers!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
GCP Update: Global farms are fascinating!
Happy July! Hope you are enjoying your summers (or winters, for those of you who live in the southern hemisphere)!
Summer is here and I have taken some time off to do virtually nothing related to work or school, which was really nice but now, it's back to work. I did do something that has really gotten me excited about what lies ahead for GCP though: I visited a farm. It wasn't just any farm, but rather a global farm -- located in Fort Myers, Florida. The farm is a sort of "clearinghouse" for agricultural techniques as well as plants. It is a "global" farm because it gathers information for most tropical areas all over the world. Their focus is to assist poor communities around the world in finding affordable ways of growing their own food. Why is this so exciting for GCP? I think that it can contribute to what we want to do in Malawi because it addresses not only the primary mode of sustenance but also the poverty aspect. The farm is called ECHO and they also conduct workshops to learn more about specific crops and techniques addressing, for example, those communities impacted largely by HIV/AIDS. They are also able to provide assistance with seeds and various soil and farming issues. So it is definitely something we are going to incorporate into our work in Malawi. If you click on the title of this blog entry, it should lead you to some pictures we took while touring the farm.
If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about the ECHO Global Farms, let me know.
Other than that, I'm attempting to study for part 2 of my qualifying exams that take place at the end of this summer, and the rest of our staff members are having some adventures of their own.
Please pray for Sylvia who is actually in Africa (Guinea to be exact) on a mission trip with her church. Please pray for safety, health, and a time of learning for her.
Please pray for Jack who is in a time of transition. Please pray for guidance and for doors to open.
Please also pray for GCP and our "brewing" stage - although things are a bit quiet, we are working on some pieces that we hope will come together in the near future, so please pray for wisdom on our parts.
I apologize if this all sounds a bit disjointed. My brain must still be recovering from the spring semester and part 1 of my qualifying exams. :)
Have a great rest of the month!! And thanks for your continued interest and support.
Summer is here and I have taken some time off to do virtually nothing related to work or school, which was really nice but now, it's back to work. I did do something that has really gotten me excited about what lies ahead for GCP though: I visited a farm. It wasn't just any farm, but rather a global farm -- located in Fort Myers, Florida. The farm is a sort of "clearinghouse" for agricultural techniques as well as plants. It is a "global" farm because it gathers information for most tropical areas all over the world. Their focus is to assist poor communities around the world in finding affordable ways of growing their own food. Why is this so exciting for GCP? I think that it can contribute to what we want to do in Malawi because it addresses not only the primary mode of sustenance but also the poverty aspect. The farm is called ECHO and they also conduct workshops to learn more about specific crops and techniques addressing, for example, those communities impacted largely by HIV/AIDS. They are also able to provide assistance with seeds and various soil and farming issues. So it is definitely something we are going to incorporate into our work in Malawi. If you click on the title of this blog entry, it should lead you to some pictures we took while touring the farm.
If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about the ECHO Global Farms, let me know.
Other than that, I'm attempting to study for part 2 of my qualifying exams that take place at the end of this summer, and the rest of our staff members are having some adventures of their own.
Please pray for Sylvia who is actually in Africa (Guinea to be exact) on a mission trip with her church. Please pray for safety, health, and a time of learning for her.
Please pray for Jack who is in a time of transition. Please pray for guidance and for doors to open.
Please also pray for GCP and our "brewing" stage - although things are a bit quiet, we are working on some pieces that we hope will come together in the near future, so please pray for wisdom on our parts.
I apologize if this all sounds a bit disjointed. My brain must still be recovering from the spring semester and part 1 of my qualifying exams. :)
Have a great rest of the month!! And thanks for your continued interest and support.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
GCP Update: Alive and Kicking
Sorry about the lack of an update since April. I really have been around, just absent from updating you on GCP. Since April my school life has practically taken over my life, and I am barely beginning to breathe again. I'm looking forward to a bit of time off in June to do absolutely nothing school-related before I hit the books again for my comprehensive (qualifying) exams that await me in late August. For those of you who are wondering what that is, we in the doctoral programs have to take qualifying exams in order to advance in our program; thus, if we fail them, we do not continue with our Ph.D. The exams in our department consist of oral and written exams. I just did the oral a couple of weeks ago and passed, praise God, and will be taking my written one about the 3rd week of August.
A lot of things have been simmering and brewing as far as GCP goes. This month I am planning to visit a farm - a global farm actually - called ECHO, located in southwest Florida. I am interested in seeing what they are all about. I have visited their website and it looks very interesting and presents some possibilities for our work in Malawi. In a nutshell, they specialize in agriculture tailored to the climate/soil of the place you're interested in. Agricultural techniques, seeds, and such are geared towards poorer countries and finding sustainable ways to cultivate produce as well as addressing some of the nutritional needs of the population such as those communities affected by HIV/AIDS.
Aside from that, and studying, I am exploring a couple of things which I will share with you as time progresses. I'm also beginning to mull over dissertation topics. So please pray for a successful and fruitful summer for me as well as of course that I pass my exams in August!
I hope to be able to share more exciting things as the year progresses. I've spent a bit of time talking with different people and am looking at a few avenues for GCP.
Thanks, as always, for your continued support and prayers! I hope that you are continuing to collect your spare change too!
Happy June!
A lot of things have been simmering and brewing as far as GCP goes. This month I am planning to visit a farm - a global farm actually - called ECHO, located in southwest Florida. I am interested in seeing what they are all about. I have visited their website and it looks very interesting and presents some possibilities for our work in Malawi. In a nutshell, they specialize in agriculture tailored to the climate/soil of the place you're interested in. Agricultural techniques, seeds, and such are geared towards poorer countries and finding sustainable ways to cultivate produce as well as addressing some of the nutritional needs of the population such as those communities affected by HIV/AIDS.
Aside from that, and studying, I am exploring a couple of things which I will share with you as time progresses. I'm also beginning to mull over dissertation topics. So please pray for a successful and fruitful summer for me as well as of course that I pass my exams in August!
I hope to be able to share more exciting things as the year progresses. I've spent a bit of time talking with different people and am looking at a few avenues for GCP.
Thanks, as always, for your continued support and prayers! I hope that you are continuing to collect your spare change too!
Happy June!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
"I Am Because We Are"
I just thought I'd alert you to this documentary (you can click on the title to go to the YouTube video). It is called "I Am Because We Are", written and narrated by Madonna. For some reason it passed me by last year when it came out, but it has now been released on YouTube so that people can watch it for free. I watched it and I think it is a great documentary. It is about Malawi and the HIV/AIDS issue that the country faces.
Please watch it when you have an hour and a half to spare (the running time is about 1 hour 26 mins). It's a lot less than what you would spend at the movies - including saving you some $ in your pocketbook; and you won't even have to leave the comfort of your own home if you're watching it on your computer at home! And to top it off, you will come away with some more understanding about Malawi. You will understand a bit more about the country we at GCP have chosen to work in. It certainly serves as a reminder for me as to why I am back in school and what I am working towards.
And by the way, Malawi is not the only country in Africa that faces the devastation of HIV/AIDS....
I'd be interested in what your thoughts are after watching this, if you'd like to share them with me.
Please watch it when you have an hour and a half to spare (the running time is about 1 hour 26 mins). It's a lot less than what you would spend at the movies - including saving you some $ in your pocketbook; and you won't even have to leave the comfort of your own home if you're watching it on your computer at home! And to top it off, you will come away with some more understanding about Malawi. You will understand a bit more about the country we at GCP have chosen to work in. It certainly serves as a reminder for me as to why I am back in school and what I am working towards.
And by the way, Malawi is not the only country in Africa that faces the devastation of HIV/AIDS....
I'd be interested in what your thoughts are after watching this, if you'd like to share them with me.
Friday, February 13, 2009
GCP Monthly Update: Not much actually
I hope this update finds you well. It seems that the first of the month comes around too quickly for my head to perceive so I've resigned to just getting an update out within the first half of the month. Am I the only who feels like there's a zillion things going on and my organizer isn't keeping me organized? Probably not. Such is life, eh?
I had been thinking about this month's update and to be quite honest, nothing came to mind that seemed to be "update" worthy. With three major research papers due at the end of the semester and lots of reading to do in between, my "writing" mind has more or less been preoccupied with school and the things we are studying.
One of my classes this semester happens to be Organizational Theory. It's very interesting because I can apply the readings to GCP, and discussions in class bring up some examples of GCP; I am finding that it is good not simply for enhancing my studies but also because it will help build a better foundation for GCP. A foundation still needs to be set for GCP, despite our being incorporated for 2 years now, and I believe this class will help a lot as I share some of the readings and ideas with the Board and other staff.
So this update contains nothing real new other than a few reminders. I just want to remind you to keep collecting your change for our Providing Change campaign. Next month I will let you know if we have set a concrete date for collection. The other thing that is on-going is our GiveMeaning Project; please take a look and see what you feel led to do, even if it's simply to spread the word to other friends of yours who might be interested in contributing. The link is:
http://www.givemeaning.com/project/communitymalawi
Finally, we always welcome donations which are tax-deductible. For those of you who donated and did not receive a statement from us, please email me and let me know. I know it's tax time; forgive me for not being on top of all of that.
And as always, keep us in your prayers.
Oh, and happy Valentine's Day. May the evidence of a greater love than what little we possess move us to do greater things for the love of man, and utmostly for the love of God.
I had been thinking about this month's update and to be quite honest, nothing came to mind that seemed to be "update" worthy. With three major research papers due at the end of the semester and lots of reading to do in between, my "writing" mind has more or less been preoccupied with school and the things we are studying.
One of my classes this semester happens to be Organizational Theory. It's very interesting because I can apply the readings to GCP, and discussions in class bring up some examples of GCP; I am finding that it is good not simply for enhancing my studies but also because it will help build a better foundation for GCP. A foundation still needs to be set for GCP, despite our being incorporated for 2 years now, and I believe this class will help a lot as I share some of the readings and ideas with the Board and other staff.
So this update contains nothing real new other than a few reminders. I just want to remind you to keep collecting your change for our Providing Change campaign. Next month I will let you know if we have set a concrete date for collection. The other thing that is on-going is our GiveMeaning Project; please take a look and see what you feel led to do, even if it's simply to spread the word to other friends of yours who might be interested in contributing. The link is:
http://www.givemeaning.com/project/communitymalawi
Finally, we always welcome donations which are tax-deductible. For those of you who donated and did not receive a statement from us, please email me and let me know. I know it's tax time; forgive me for not being on top of all of that.
And as always, keep us in your prayers.
Oh, and happy Valentine's Day. May the evidence of a greater love than what little we possess move us to do greater things for the love of man, and utmostly for the love of God.
Monday, February 2, 2009
GCP Update: Look forward and look around!
This is from our January email update. Sorry for the tardiness!
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Happy New Year everyone!
I can't believe it's already the middle of January of another year! I just realized that I should be sending out another update in keeping with my one update a month. :) I just returned to New York after a truly restful vacation in Southern California. I slept - for the most part - and didn't do a whole lot, seemingly wanting to catch up on all the sleep I've missed over the past semester. And now I'm back in New York, back to work, and back to what winter really is out here. As I write, today's forecast is 19F for the high, and 6F for the low. It snowed about 4 inches I must say, between last night and this afternoon. This is all a drastic change for me considering my last full day in Southern California was spent being really hot (high 70s) and me wearing no socks while lamenting the lack of summer clothes in my stash at home. Yup; I'm definitely back in cold weather.
Well, it's hard to believe that Christmas was less than a month ago. And Christmas time was filled with joy and reflection as well as giving and receiving. But now it's 2009, and what does this new year bring? The last sermon of 2008 that I heard was called "Don't Stop", and the mention of letting go of past failures and successes really struck me. We've all been there - looking back at the year and what we had done; some things we might not want to recall while other things we want to re-live over and over again, cherishing each moment. And in cherishing all the successes and happy moments, I forget to live in the present or find myself setting up a standard for this year by what occurred last year. Not good, I think, because it can limit the attitude in which I experience things in the coming year. So I want to let it all go. I am thankful for what God has brought me through in the past year; but I know so much more awaits me this year. I look forward to more adventures, more closeness with Him, more closeness with the people I love, and just more experiences that make me cherish what life I've been given. I don't want to stop - stop growing, stop experiencing, stop learning, stop seeing, stop talking, stop praying, stop reading, and stop living. I also don't want to stop looking around me. Life is not lived in isolation, and it is not really every man for himself, or every woman for herself. And I hope GCP is one of those methods of "looking around", not just for me but for all of you as well.
As I look forward to this year and what work GCP is looking to do, the first thing admittedly I think about is "IFs": IF I am able to, I would like to go back to Malawi this summer; IF there is something we can do in a couple of weeks, we should look into it; IF the funds are available, I can figure something out for this summer. And in these IFs, I forget that I am not doing this by my strength alone. At our last Board meeting in December, Pastor Newman said we should plan on God providing; and how quickly I have forgotten who really does provide ALL the time, in HIS good time.
So in this update I simply want to ask for your prayers as we look forward to another year of GCP. And I hope that this year brings much excitement and many many blessings for all of you and your families. I look forward to being able to share more things with you and partnering in more projects. I am truly thankful for all of you!
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Happy New Year everyone!
I can't believe it's already the middle of January of another year! I just realized that I should be sending out another update in keeping with my one update a month. :) I just returned to New York after a truly restful vacation in Southern California. I slept - for the most part - and didn't do a whole lot, seemingly wanting to catch up on all the sleep I've missed over the past semester. And now I'm back in New York, back to work, and back to what winter really is out here. As I write, today's forecast is 19F for the high, and 6F for the low. It snowed about 4 inches I must say, between last night and this afternoon. This is all a drastic change for me considering my last full day in Southern California was spent being really hot (high 70s) and me wearing no socks while lamenting the lack of summer clothes in my stash at home. Yup; I'm definitely back in cold weather.
Well, it's hard to believe that Christmas was less than a month ago. And Christmas time was filled with joy and reflection as well as giving and receiving. But now it's 2009, and what does this new year bring? The last sermon of 2008 that I heard was called "Don't Stop", and the mention of letting go of past failures and successes really struck me. We've all been there - looking back at the year and what we had done; some things we might not want to recall while other things we want to re-live over and over again, cherishing each moment. And in cherishing all the successes and happy moments, I forget to live in the present or find myself setting up a standard for this year by what occurred last year. Not good, I think, because it can limit the attitude in which I experience things in the coming year. So I want to let it all go. I am thankful for what God has brought me through in the past year; but I know so much more awaits me this year. I look forward to more adventures, more closeness with Him, more closeness with the people I love, and just more experiences that make me cherish what life I've been given. I don't want to stop - stop growing, stop experiencing, stop learning, stop seeing, stop talking, stop praying, stop reading, and stop living. I also don't want to stop looking around me. Life is not lived in isolation, and it is not really every man for himself, or every woman for herself. And I hope GCP is one of those methods of "looking around", not just for me but for all of you as well.
As I look forward to this year and what work GCP is looking to do, the first thing admittedly I think about is "IFs": IF I am able to, I would like to go back to Malawi this summer; IF there is something we can do in a couple of weeks, we should look into it; IF the funds are available, I can figure something out for this summer. And in these IFs, I forget that I am not doing this by my strength alone. At our last Board meeting in December, Pastor Newman said we should plan on God providing; and how quickly I have forgotten who really does provide ALL the time, in HIS good time.
So in this update I simply want to ask for your prayers as we look forward to another year of GCP. And I hope that this year brings much excitement and many many blessings for all of you and your families. I look forward to being able to share more things with you and partnering in more projects. I am truly thankful for all of you!
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