Zamblocks

While in Zambia a few things stuck out to me…

1) These people need jobs.. they have an unemployment rate somewhere around 70% (during the "Great Depression" US unemployment was around 25%.. and don’t even get me started about the "Great Recession").

2) When they do have jobs.. they aren’t the best. It’s not uncommon to see kids on the side of the road smashing rocks all day.. for maybe.. maybe.. $3.. assuming someone buys the smashed rocks. That’s right.. about 12-16hrs of backbreaking labor for about $3. Most of country lives on less then that. You get the idea.

3) There is trash EVERYWHERE.. and they just burn it on the side of the street. The whole of Lusaka reeked of burning plastic. Delightful. We watched as kids bathed in a creek that had been freshly filtered through burning plastic. Refreshing.

4) They make just about every building out of concrete blocks.. and where do they get the material? From the people smashing the rocks.

So, my plan is to figure out how they can recycle all that plastic into the concrete blocks. It turns out this idea is starting to catch on in the US already. If I could create an economic value for waste plastic… I am guessing that slums of Zambia.. and possibly the rest of Africa.. could be cleaned up in no time. Better air quality, better water quality.. create jobs.. it’s a win win win. And thus the idea for "Zamblocks" was born. (Adding "Zam" to something makes it Zambian.. surprisingly, I didn’t come up with that.. they did that without my help.)

Alright.. so what’s next? How do I make this happen? Who wants to help?

Zambikes

It’s easy to write about the putrid squalor of Zambia.. the horrid AIDS infested slums.. kids swimming through burning trash filled streams.. the tenuousness of life. See.. so easy. However, I am going to do my best to light a candle versus cursing the darkness. There is a surprising amount of hope and joy there.. that in a lot of ways it puts us to shame. Coming back through London it was pretty shocking to see the dour faces… I just wanted to start hugging people. Come on people! You have no idea how good you have it! It does just go to show you that people need more then just "bread".

So, I present to you Zambikes.. the model for the future of Zambia and possibly all of Africa. They are company that exists to not only sell great bikes.. but to help the Zambians. I think above all else.. Zambians need jobs. With jobs comes money for education.. with education comes more and better jobs… I certainly don’t want to inflict our materialistic society upon them.. but our problems pale in comparison to what they deal with. Using logic like that you could avoid giving a starving person bread because vegetables are better for them. Let’s start with some bread.

www.zambikes.org

Mzungu

All the kids point and say "Mzungu!".. which I like to translate as "weird looking white guy". It seems pointless trying to describe what it is like here. I had been surrounded by people who tried to explain what it was like here in Zambia.. but it never clicked.. it never really hit home. Now, not only has it hit home.. it hits constantly.. every time we leave the comfort of the walled house we are staying at it’s like someone is grabbing my soul and punching it repeatedly. It’s almost more than I can bare.. I spent most of yesterday fighting back tears.. it takes constant joking to keep it at bay. The kids faces will.. with their huge white smiles and massive brown eyes will haunt me the rest of my life.. I was immediately contemplating just how many of them I could fit in my luggage… depending on where we were… I could fit far too many of them in my bags.

I wish everyone I know could come over here.. the price is small when compared to what it will do to your soul.

Unfortunately, there won’t be many pictures and video from me until I get back.. Internet is limited and expensive.

Dinosaurs with Wings

I have always been disturbed by dinosaurs.. big crazy lizards that lived before man.. that were brutally wiped out by asteroids, fire, starvation.. whatever. Why God why?

But wait.. now we are learning that they evolved into chickens.. and eagles and.. chickens.. sweet delicious chickens that give us tasty eggs. Now that is something actually quite beautiful. Taking something huge, lizardy, and scary.. and turning it into something as harmless as a parakeet. Okay, I am okay with that. I look forward to having long long talks with God about things like this.

Mmm.. chicken. Must be lunch time.

Joy in Suffering

The Refiner’s fire… fire is hot, fire burns, fire hurts… what is the point of the Refiner’s fire? Pure gold. When nothing of this fallen world remains in us but pure gold. What a horrible thing.

I read this morning about Jesus telling Peter that Satan asked to “winnow” him.. to test him.. try him.. see just how much he could take… what a horrible thing.

Missionaries that lose children.. wives… husbands. Beaten, battered, shipwrecked.. destroyed.. nothing is left in them.. and yet they still manage praise God. How is this possible?

I have had zero suffering in my life.. none. Nothing at all. The thought of losing a child sends my soul into the abyss and I can’t even imagine it ever coming out again if it truly went there. The closest I have come to suffering of any kind that I can remember is being emotionally crushed when cooking in New Zealand.. it’s silly to even compare this to any real suffering.. but it’s all I have as an example (yet). I had asked God to make it clear to me when it was time for me to leave NZ.. and he did. I had an absolute dismal failure with a very important meal… and it greatly upset a few staff members who “let me have it”. I felt like a complete failure at everything.. it brought upon me every single failure in my life all at once. It was at the moment that God quietly said, “This is what you asked for, It’s time to go.” I was immediately filled with joy. It was time.. he answered my prayer.. God had something else for me.. somewhere else. It was clear. God needed to break me.. to take me somewhere else. It’s easy to brush this aside and say I was running away. But I wasn’t. Within a week of being back in the US I had a job that was made for me.. and he has used it to grow me in so many ways.

I realize this is a weak story.. and doesn’t touch true suffering. But.. it did give me a little understanding of what it is like to deal with a God who is perfectly willing to strip what little I have from me if he has something better in mind.. and the incredible joy he replaces it with. To actually come to the realization that God truly has some sort of purpose for me.. that he answers prayers.. that if you cry out to him.. he hears.. that he is willing to “tear my arms off and beat me with the soggy ends” if necessary..

There is nothing like the true realization of being in God’s hands. It’s a terrible thing being in the hands of a living God.. especially when you look through the examples he has given us.. it seems the closer you get to him.. the more horrible your life can get.. but there is no greater joy. It’s not something you can file away logically.. it doesn’t fit anywhere. It is something that must be experienced.

To believe you can escape this life without suffering is a lie. To believe God’s priority for you is comfort is a lie.

Jesus used the expression, “Take up your cross and follow me.” .. how did we manage to turn that into “Take up your flat screen and follow me.”? We believe lies.

Here are 70 references just in case I am off base here: http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/index.php?search=suffering&version1=31&searchtype=all&limit=none&wholewordsonly=no&startnumber=51

Economics of Grace

I just realized something about how grace works the other day.. something that seems pretty obvious now. We are expected to forgive others.. as God has forgiven us. To put it another way.. I would like to receive X amount of grace from God.. therefore I need to give X amount of grace to others. So.. how much grace do I want from God? A lot.. A WHOLE LOT. So, how much grace should I give to others? A LOT!

There are several parables that illustrate this. How about the servant who was forgiven a massive debt (millions).. and then goes and doesn’t forgive someone who owes him a few cents. It’s so painfully clear. Yeah.. it didn’t end well for the unforgiving servant.. he was tortured.

When you look at it from that somewhat selfish perspective.. it actually helps (since we are all very selfish). I want LOTS of grace.. so I will give LOTS of grace.

The death of the greatest human being who ever lived

I am not sure I fully agree with the title.. but still something everyone should read: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/andrew-steele/the-greatest-human-is-dead/article1293395/

Norman Borlaug created genetically modified crops that were disease resistant.. yes, he made GM food.. and saved millions of people by doing so.

Send Geoff to Zambia

I am going to Zambia from October 4th to the 16th. Here is my attempt at an FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).

Q: Why Zambia?

A: I don’t know exactly.. that is part of the reason why I am going. It seems to me.. and others.. that God is very interested in Zambia right now. Last year I didn’t know anyone in or going to Zambia.. now I know of many people who are either there or are planning on going there.. including the people who live in our basement.. the Huckabys.. and friends from New Zealand. Why Zambia? Is it the extreme poverty? The fact that it’s officially a Christian nation? The relatively stable government? What is God’s plan here.. I don’t know. I want to find out though… and apparently God wants me to be a small part of the plan. It’s exciting.

Q: Why are you going?

A: I have been recently appointed to lead/direct “Missions” at my church (Oikos Fellowship).. and part of that role will be leading mission teams. We are planning to bring a group over in April to do outreach to prisons/hospitals/orphanages as well as build some sort of house thingy for the Huckabys.. who will hopefully already be living in Zambia by then. This first trip is going to be primarily fact finding, planning, getting to know the area.. meeting with the local pastors and missionaries.. I am also planning on creating a mini-documentary to help answer everyone’s questions and to help connect our church and others to what God is doing over there. It’s one thing to hear stories from visiting missionaries.. but I think people really want to hear it from those who are over there. What is your life like? Why should we support you? If anyone has specific questions they would like me to ask.. please let me know.

There is a lot more to it then that.. but that’s it for now.

Q: Okay.. how much money do you need?

A: The flight is about $1600 and there will be about $700 in additional expenses. All I will say about this is.. if you can’t support me in this work without a smile on your face.. please don’t. God isn’t interested in your money… he wants your heart. I feel the same way. Please spend some time talking to God about this. I have always really struggled with “missions” .. but, God is working on me in this area.. a lot obviously. I look forward to sharing a lot more about my experience with you.

Q: Aren’t there enough “missions” around here for you to work on?

A: Yes there are.. but needs in Zambia are nothing like they are here.. both spiritually and physically. A homeless person in Bellingham has a vast array of resources at their finger tips. They can get free food from any number of programs.. they have access to countless books/Bibles. Zambia just doesn’t compare. I don’t want to diminish the needs we have locally.. and as the missions director at Oikos I plan focusing a lot on local missions… however.. the needs of the Zambians is very very great. There is plenty of work for everyone, both here and there.

Anyway.. if you feel compelled to support me please pray that this trip will be an effective part of God’s plan for me and Zambia. And feel free to send a check to:

Geoff Baron
3140 Donovan Ave.
Bellingham WA, 98225

Or.. you can pay by credit card using my PayPal account.

1st grade for me

Here is the 1st grade version of me.

Best bumpersticker evar

Sent from my phone.