Mercy Ships: 2011 Field Service Announced in Sierra Leone

Testimony of a Former Sponsored Child

Hello! Happy 2010!

Having doubts of the impact of child sponsorhip? Take a few minutes and check this video out. It is a former sponsored child through Compassion International giving her testimony. Wow!

To see the video, click the title of this post or click here: Video

UN Cyber School Bus

This page has information that is especially suitable for kids to understand. Of course, it is not only for kids.  Here are some of the features available.

1. Against All Odds: "This interactive online game was created by UNHCR to increase students' awareness and knowledge about refugee situations by putting players in the position of a refugee."
2. Stop Disasters: "Learn how to respond to different disasters in this new simulation video game from UN/ISDR."
3. Food Force: "Play this popular video game on world hunger. Six different missions. For 8-13 year olds."
4. Flag Tag: Do you know the flags of the countries of the world?
5. PANWAPA: "...a new online world designed by Sesame Workshop to help young children develop skills needed to become global citizens."
6. Country-at-a-Glance

Poverty Small Group Curriculum

What Is Poverty?

Can you explain what poverty is? You have heard the word hundreds of times, no doubt. But do you know what it is? Take the time to read through this study, whether with a group or on your own. I will venture to say that you will most definitely learn something.

To give you a "sneak peak" of the sneak peak, I've included a quote from the first lesson:

Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett, staff members at the Chalmers Center for Economic Development, have conducted an informal exercise in dozens of North American, middle-to-upper-class churches. “What is poverty?” they ask the church members. Fikkert and Corbett report that, without fail, congregants begin to list a lack of material goods like food, money, clean water, housing, and medicine as the symptoms of poverty. On the other hand, when over 60,000 people living in material poverty were asked how they would define poverty, the results were surprising: “While poor people mention having a
lack of material things, they tend to describe their condition in far more psychological and social terms. Poor people typically talk in terms of shame, inferiority, powerlessness,
humiliation, fear, hopelessness, depression, social isolation, and voicelessness,” say Fikkert and Corbett.

Video: Lost Freetown

This is an interesting video I found on YouTube recently. It focuses on just some of the environmental problems in Freetown (capital of Sierra Leone) and how they affect the people living in Freetown right now and how they will continue to affect the lives of millions even more in future years. Forestry, climate change, water quality, health, sanitation, poverty....all related. I really appreciate that they interview Sierra Leoneans versus ONLY westerners.

I highly recommend watching it--it is about half hour long. Video: Lost Freetown

The tagline from the JourneyMan Youtube site for the video includes: "Sierra Leone is booming. In capital Freetown the population is rising and new homes spring up daily. But, like the 1950s sewage pipes, the city is creaking under the weight. How long before Freetown cracks?"

Joe singing at Liberty Baptist Church

Joe singing with Ruth & Naomi at one of the churches in Marshalltown, IA.

(Sorry for the shaky camera work and so many heads in the way!)

Goodsearch for Jonathan House!

First of all, sorry to anyone who received an update from the blog. There was code error (apparently?). Oooops.

Anyways...Goodsearch has been introduced before, but we can all use reminders, can't we?

For every (valid) search someone makes on behalf of a charity registered on Goodsearch, that search will earn about $0.01. According to the website, through the fiscal years of 2006, 2007 and 2008, each search actually earned 1.3 cents. But...1 cent still adds up! For instance, if 100 people each searched on Goodsearch twice a day, the estimated revenue would total about $730! If shopping online is something you're interested in, you can also "Goodshop" for Jonathan House with many different stores offering a portion of the sale to Jonathan House!

To date, since registration, Jonathan House supporters have earned $160.88 (JH started on Goodsearch in January 2007)! That's $160.88 that our kids and friends in Sierra Leone didn't have before.

In 2007, JH earned $77.39 with 5817 searches. The biggest month was the first--January--with 705 searches earning $9.45. Impressive!

Last year, in 2008, JH earned only $28.68 with 2336 searches. Our best month was February with 306 searches earning $3.93. Our weakest month was December with 95 searches earning $.95!

So far in 2009, JH has earned $8.61 with 861 searches and $4.00 through Shopping. Our best month so far this year was March with 225 searches earning $2.25. Our weakest month so far was June with only 43 searches! In July we've only searched 20 times, earning an entire 20 cents!

So here's your challenge....search! Of course, make it valid. Wondering about something? Search for it. Here's a link on Goodsearch with badges, banners, logos and a few other ways to communicate to others and spread the word. Do you have a blog? Facebook? Myspace? A website? Just some ideas....

Can we finish off 2009 strong? 5.5 months left!

Search search search away! :-)