Day 31: A Call to Join Us

Please join us in the last two weeks of our journey.

You don't have to eat on a dollar a day. Your part is much easier than you might think. All we ask are two small things:

1. Make water your only beverage.
2. Go without Easter candy this year.

Take the money you would normally spend on these things (coffee, soda, tea, juice, chocolate, candy bars, etc) and collect it in a small jar or mug throughout the two weeks.



This is a part of an organization called Blood:Water Mission, founded by the Jars of Clay band. The money you save will help build wells for clean water in Africa. Laura has personally seen many people in Africa who need this sort of help.

On Easter Day, the final day of our project, you can send your savings to the Blood:Water address listed on their website here.

It's only two weeks of sacrifice. But it will make a world of difference. You can even ask the people you know to join you! This is just one way for us to share the blessings God has give us with people less fortunate.

Please start now. Today.

And thank you so much for your help.

Day 30: Can't Afford to Eat Healthy

Processed or imitation.

I haven't had real meat or cheese for the past month. I can't afford it. The cheaper foods are often artificial, and consequently, pretty unhealthy.




Laura and I talked about how difficult it is for poor people to eat healthy.

They don't have much money... so they can't eat right... which leads to health problems... and continued loss of money... so they still can't afford to eat healthy.

It's an out-of-control downward spiral. It's been a struggle for Laura and I during this time, looking for affordable healthy options. I can only imagine what it must be like for entire families who live this way--especially ones with growing children.

"Sometimes it's the only decision they can make when the rent is due," says one researcher.

[See a full article on the subject, "Who Can Afford to Eat Right?" from ABC news.]


On a lighter note, I was able to find a few healthy foods marked down for various reasons. Here are my groceries for this week:

Day 29: Secret Selfishness

I just heard Frank Warren speak at KU. He is the renowned originator of PostSecret, a worldworld phenomenon where people anonymously submit their artistically portrayed secrets via postcard.

So I was inspired to share a secret of my own:

Sometimes I don't want to care about anyone but me.

During this time of focus on the poor and needy, I see more and more clearly just how selfish I really am. And I am ashamed.

...

...

...


I have nothing else to say except that I am thankful for a God who is as self-sacrificing as I am self-serving. I trust in His promise: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Frank was right. That is freeing.




Here's one montage video on the subject.
[Be warned: Some PostSecret images may be considered offensive to some. I consider this particular collection PG.]

Day 28: Hungry Planet

I ran across a fascinating (and sobering) book the other day. It's called Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel, and it visually follows the weekly eating of families across the world.

For instance, here is a comparison of two of the families:

One family from Chad

One family from the United States

Time Magazine online reported on the book. Click here to see many of the other families and their food.

It is well worth seeing.

Day 27: Shaking Pyramids

I bought new shampoo and antiperspirant today. But my pyramid didn't fall.

I love it when I run out of bathroom products and get to buy new ones. I usually buy something I've never tried. It's almost exciting to break my daily routine with a fresh scent or feel.

[To clarify, Laura and I have decided to live on a dollar-a-day in food. But all else stays as before--shampoo, lightbulbs, gasoline, etc.]

As I stood at the register with my purchases, I looked at the total (about $6.00) and realized this was almost as much as I pay for a week of food!

I realized then that my pyramid wasn't right.

In psychology classes, we see Maslow's hierarchy of needs often. The pyramid Maslow developed shows that people prioritize to satisfy our most base needs before continuing on to satisfy needs higher on the pyramid.


A Dollar a Day concerns a most base physiological need: food. According to the pyramid, this should profoundly shake the rest of of the levels. Yet in the rest of my life, I still continue my college education, read newspapers, foster friendships... and buy shampoo.

The rest of my pyramid is still intact in spite of my food needs. While this is true for me, it is not necessarily true for people who normally live on a just dollar. Why worry about developing creativity when they need to focus on where their next meal will come from?

As hard as this process has been for me, I see that it could be so much more difficult.

I am thankful for all the levels of my own pyramid. Still, I can't help but think about those whose pyramids are shaking.

Day 26: Wind Appreciation

Today was Wind Appreciation Day.

Once a month, Laura and I take a day to appreciate something specific about life and spend some intentional time with each other. We alternate months, each of us taking a turn to choose something to appreciate.

This month was Laura's. She chose wind.

It was the perfect day for it. High temperatures in the 60s and a strong south wind. So we flew kites, made pinwheels and took photos from the top of a campus building.



From the top of Bailey Hall, the wind was incredibly powerful. I almost fell over once.

Feeling the wind strength, it reminded me of the section in Luke 8 when the disciples look at Jesus after he calms a storm. In awe, they say to each other, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

That was good for me to remember. Sometimes this dollar-a-day thing gets discouraging, but this very same Jesus says a little later in Luke 8, "Do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.... Your Father knows that you need them."

If my God rules the wind and waves, I know He can surely provide for my true needs.

I am appreciative.

Day 25: Refugees in their Own Country

"What are you going to do with the money you save on food?"

I've been hearing this question a lot lately. When I only spend a dollar a day, it's a legitimate question.

When Laura and I have finished, a good part of the savings will go to the Kenya Relief Project through the UWEZA Care Foundation (visit their website for a passionate video and an explanation of the country situation).

Laura actually knows some of the people supported by this fund from her summer in Kenya. The following video is of Teacher Grace, a widowed mother of four, who taught classes at the school where Laura worked. Teacher Grace has since fled her home because of uproar in Kenya over the recent elections in the country.




I have been following the U.S. political coverage the past couple months. We have a monumental election coming, so it makes sense to have so much news coverage on it. Our government system is fascinating and wonderful to me.

Still, I am saddened by the fact that the Kenya election, which resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands fleeing their homes, gets so little attention in comparison. These are people.

I love our country. But I see how selfish I have become sometimes.



Laura and Anne in Nairobi