"You're going to be a bouncer, aren't you?"

For some reason, listening to Sufjan Stevens's The BQE inspired me to blog. This cinematic/orchestral suite provides a sort of otherworldly soundtrack for the "pockmarked, serpentine, congested [Brooklyn-Queens Expressway]...one of Brooklyn's most notable icons of urban blight" [watch & listen to some of it here]. ANYWAY, that's not what I'm blogging about. There's just something about great music that inspires one's creativity.

While mindlessly surfing the web, I came across an ad for Bar Hunger, a campaign in which Snickers (Mars, Inc.) has partnered with the hunger relief organization, Feeding America. Here's how it works: when you buy a Snickers bar, the wrapper contains a code. You then enter the code at Snickers.com (or text it), and Mars will donate a meal through Feeding America.

Although I have yet to form any coherent opinions about this ad, I find it interesting for several reasons. The first is that rather than having customers enter codes for a (very small) chance to win prizes, the candy manufacturer has given chocolate lovers an opportunity to help someone in need with their purchase. I know that most people throw away wrappers that offer a chance of winning, so I wonder if more people will feel compelled to use that code to help somone. (And does it make you a bad person if you don't?)

I am also intrigued by idea of corporate social responsibility in this campaign. Is Mars a "good company" for making this switch? Or are they actually irresponsible for placing the impetus on the customer? Would it be better if they just donated a meal for every purchase (similar to the TOMS Shoes model)? Or are they actually to be praised for involving customers in the process by providing people with the opportunity to turn their candy purchase into charity?

And then there's the irony behind it: buy a chocolate bar in order to keep someone from starving.

Any thoughts?

"Our systems are good. Period."

Since I returned from Africa nine months ago (hard to believe it's been that long), hardly a day passes that I don't think about the beautiful country and people of Swaziland.  It is still difficult to believe that I had the amazing opportunity to live there for 2 1/2 months.

My good friends Brent and Michaele LaVigne recently returned to the USA from Swaziland, after spending over a year volunteering there as part of the Swaziland Partnership.  In a recent blog post, they reflect on their experience:

Since being back in the US just over a month, we’ve been asked a lot of questions about Swaziland. Among the top 5 is – What’s the biggest thing you learned? Superlative questions are always the hardest, but this has been especially difficult to answer. I think we will continue to reap lessons from our time in Swaziland for years to come, but in this last month a few things have crystallized in our minds.

Read the rest of their blog entry here.

"The cup doesn't actually have a hole in the bottom that requires you to drink the coffee really fast before it falls out."

If you are someone who at one point in time read this blog regularly, I apologize.  After the return from Swaziland, my life became somewhat less eventful, at least in comparison.  But you know what?  I live far away from many of my friends, and a regularly updated blog has the potential to be much more informative than Facebook status updates.

Since the Reeds have been out of town on vacation, I will be filling in to teach the high school class tomorrow morning at church.  I enjoy doing this, but considering that I only teach them once every few months, it is something of a challenge to come up with a single lesson that is both meaningful and appropriate.  Although it would be a lot of work to come up with lessons for every week, I feel that it would be easier in many ways to have an ongoing theme, especially since teaching every Sunday would mean that I would get to know the group and its dynamics much better than I currently do.

I had worked out most of my original plan for Sunday school, when I felt that God wanted me to talk instead about Christians living out the faith that we claim.  So I changed my plans, to something that was neither that nor my original idea.  Yesterday I realized that I really do need to talk about living our faith, so I have spent the past couple of hours at Little City, researching and planning.  I now have lots of ideas, but still no structured plan for tomorrow, so if you happen to read this before 9 am, say a little prayer that I will be coherent in delivering this message.  I have the tendency to ramble through all of my ideas very quickly, so I will be trying hard not to do that tomorrow.

Next weekend I will be going to OKC for Man Night 5: M for Mandetta (which is the follow-up to Man Night 4: Live Free or Man Hard).  Basically, it's an excuse for former Imelites and whoever else to hang out at Josh's place eating man food and watching manly movies.  I feel like I should invest in an axe and grow a gnarly beard.  Or at least write off a couple of business expenses.

"I turned into a pigeon, flew back there, and left you a present."

So...

I'm back in the U.S.

Quite a lot has happened since I returned from Africa at the end of October. Here are the highlights: I spent a weekend in Oklahoma, presenting my findings to SNU leaders of international study programs, along with leaders from BFC. I began working as a full-time financial analyst at the MAC. And I'm getting an apartment here in Austin (move in next weekend).

And suddenly, Christmas time is upon is. It's always been my favorite time of year, but I feel like I'm not "there" yet. Something about spending 2 1/2 months on the other side of the world in a transition from winter to spring creates sort of a time lapse back here.

And it truly seems that life never stops in the U.S. When we are not working or running errands, we are watching TV or surfing the web. In Swaziland, I didn't have TV or Internet at home. Very few people do. So all those hours of "free time" were spent building relationships or quietly reflecting. I got to know my neighbors. I read a ton of books. I became a better cook. I made new friends. I found that this "simpler" life is also richer, and so I am trying to incorporate some of its elements into the completely incongruous, non-stop American lifestyle.

Care to join me?

"Open up a fresh box of Salticrax to get your mind off things."

"Have no fear of robbers or murderers. Such dangers are without, and are but petty. We should fear ourselves. Prejudices are the real robbers; vices the real murderers. The great dangers are within us. What matters it what threatens our heads or our purses? Let us think only of what threatens our souls."

Spoken by M. Myriel in Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo

"Roode-bhuti-poort!"

Once upon a time, nestled in the mountains of southern Africa was a small kingdom known as Swaziland.  In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Nine, a young lad named Shane went on a journey to visit this faraway land.  Upon arriving in Swaziland, he saw many unusual sights: beautiful mountains, women carrying giant parcels on their heads, strange animals, and even cars driving on the left side of the road!  

Shane also learned of a dark shadow that was creeping into the kingdom--a deadly virus known as HIV.  This virus, and the associated disease known as AIDS, had attacked a few small groups of people in Shane's homeland of America.  However, in Swaziland, HIV had infected a larger percentage of the population than in any other country of the world--it seemed that nearly everybody knew somebody who had been affected by the disease.

The people of Swaziland could not agree on how to purge their land of the virus.  The “traditional healers” made expensive medicines out of plants and prayed for instantaneous healing, but this did not work.  The king told all of the young girls to wear a tassel, showing that they are pure, but that only led to ire and confusion.  Rich people from foreign countries provided large amounts of money and condoms, but to no avail.  Things became so bad that many people just decided to pretend that the disease did not exist, hoping that ignoring it would make it go away.  Unfortunately, that made it exponentially worse.

While in Swaziland, Shane met some people who called themselves the HIV/AIDS Task Force.  These people chose not to ignore the virus, but to face it head-on.  The heroes of the Task Force, who called themselves care supporters, volunteered their own time to visit patients suffering from AIDS and other serious illnesses.  They helped provide these clients with medicine and food, as well as with emotional and spiritual support.  The care supporters also helped the patients and their families in learning to talk about the disease, in order to dispel the stigma surrounding it--a stigma that prevented people from protecting themselves against the virus, and even prevented those infected from seeking testing and treatment.

This process was very slow at times, requiring loads of diligence and patience.  However, the Task Force knew that their labor was not in vain.  They had heard the words of Jesus Christ: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  They followed his command to care for the “widows and orphans,” and emulated his example of serving the very lowest people in his society.

Shane formed strong friendships with the 2 ladies who directed the Task Force, working for several weeks in their office.  He experienced firsthand their selfless ministry to the poor and downtrodden, learning what it truly means to serve God.  He even met support groups of Task Force patients who had learned to “live positively” with the virus.  Some of these groups had grown from a 10-15 people to over 40.  By faithfully taking their medications, the group members had grown strong enough to work, and started large gardens in their communities--gardens where they could grow food to feed their families, then sell the surplus for profit.

After many difficult goodbyes, Shane departed Swaziland, returning to his homeland of America.  Happy to see his friends and family once again (and to drive on the right side of the road), Shane was also eager to tell his fellow Americans about the Kingdom of Swaziland.  He told them about its struggle with the deadly virus.  He also told them about the noble work of the Task Force, and the ways in which their labor is bringing about positive change in individual lives and entire communities.  He expressed his sincere gratitude to those who made it possible for him to travel to Swaziland, and pleaded with them to continue in prayer for the ministry that they had supported.  Swaziland’s fight with HIV and AIDS is far from over, and it is therefore necessary that we continue to support those who are working to take back this beautiful country from the deadly virus.

"They probably stopped to have a tea."

Confession: The reason that I have not blogged recently is not that I have done nothing interesting.  Rather, it is because I have not taken any good pictures to prove it.

Yeah, lame excuse.  Especially coming from someone who rarely carries a camera at the right times, anyway.

On Saturday, I attended the first graduation of the Nazarene Higher Education Consortium (NAHEC).  This consortium is formed by the combination of the Nazarene Nursing College, the Nazarene College of Education, and the Nazarene College of Theology.  These 3 schools in Swaziland are combining in order to form a Southern Africa Nazarene University.  I was fortunate enough to have a friend at the Nazarene Nursing College who gave me an invitation to this invitation-only event, and even had the pleasure of meeting the guest speaker, Dr. Lebron Fairbanks.  Dr. Fairbanks is the commissioner for the Church of the Nazarene's International Board of Education, which means that he oversees all Nazarene colleges and universities in the world.  He has worked at European Nazarene University, Korea Nazarene University, and even Southern Nazarene University.  Dr. Fairbanks also served as president at Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

On Sunday morning I attended Sharpe Memorial Church of the Nazarene.  This was an interesting experience because the services there are almost entirely in siSwati.  Fortunately, Rev. Themba sprinkled his sermon with just enough English phrases in order for me to understand the gist of the message.  His energetic style of preaching (which included walking around the sanctuary and jumping up and down) made it a very interesting sermon, even though I couldn't understand.  Since the historical building naturally amplifies sound, the music was also very enjoyable.  I tried singing in siSwati, which was much easier when I already knew the English translations of some songs.

It is hard to believe that I will be back in the USA in just 2 weeks.  These last couple months have changed my life, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.  However, I am already having fun making plans with friends and family when I come home.  Next Thursday I will say goodbye to Swaziland for a vacation weekend in South Africa, and the following Monday it's adiós Africa. (Or should I say, "sala kahle.")