Living Easter

The ethereal Sarah McLachlan took the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi and turned it into an amazing song of reflection and hope. This is the prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love
where there is injury, pardon
where there is doubt, faith
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy

O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console
to be understood, as to understand
to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen

It is a prayer that I think is a fitting meditation for the time of Easter. The death, burial and ressurection of Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith and its reality in our lives has enormous repercussions. St Francis describes a life that reflects the image of Jesus we find in the Scriptures and is an encouragement to continue to follow Him as He asked us to do.

One practical thing you can do at Easter time to be an instrument of peace is to think about the chocolate you are buying for your friends and family. This may seem a little left of centre as Easter is often portrayed for Christians as a time to think of Jesus' sacrifice and it's importance in our lives. This is true but these reflections are almost useless if they aren't transformed into the outpouring of love and hope that Jesus showed in His resurrection.

A simple choice regarding what chocolate you buy really does have a massive impact. Watch the video below to hear about the benefits of fair trading in Ghana.



You can buy Fair Trade Certified Chocolate in most supermarkets now and Oxfam have a great selection of festive chocolate delights. Your decision has a person at the end of it, so it's kind of a big deal. Plus, fair trade chocolate tastes way better, with none of that nasty guilt!



ALSO!
A cool art video:

Indo trip with Adam, Sean & Jeff

Indonesian Adventures!
By Adam Martin

On January 8th 2010 Jeff, Sean and I left Perth to a school in East Java for a strange experience. When we arrived in Indonesia we were welcomed by the thick warm air, congested traffic, and people selling whatever they could. I thought that often Westerners are frustrated by how aggressively those from Bali sell, but if I was faced with poverty how aggressively would I sell?

After flying into Subaraya we were welcomed by true Indonesian hospitality by the Richardson's and Charis National Academy; its amazing how community and belonging feels the same where ever you are in the world. The following days included teaching students and simply learning about the culture and the area. The poverty in Indonesia was not as visible as we anticipated, but the teachers were only on $150 a month, which is what a WA teacher earns in half a day.



Charis National Academy provided a school for students in the area, but was also involved in training and equipping teachers across Indonesia. I think overall the most challenging part of the the trip for me was the way the people I met lived their lives. I will introduce of few of these heroes:

Paul and Faith After retiring in the US both Paul and Faith had this feeling that they could do more than sip tea in a condo all day. At 70 both of the took a risk and went to Indonesia to serve, and have been known to hoon around on motorbikes from time to time.

Samuel Is training to go and help start schools in the jungle; this is a very difficult and lonely task... I admire his courage in going.
Wenny. Even after discovering that she is dying Wenny continues to provide after-school care for at-risk kids.

I hope this blog gives you an overview of our experience; we look forward to going back and serving in the future.

Much love

Adam

Let's get together...

and feel alright.



Here's some words that pop up in this how-to guide on being a human:

PEACE. LOVE. DEVOTED. SAME MIND. ACCEPT. ADMONISH. WAIT. CARE. BEAR. FORBEAR. TRUTH. TENDER. FORGIVE. COMFORT. ENCOURAGE. SEEK. PRAY. CONFESS. HOSPITABLE. HUMBLE. FELLOWSHIP.

We share this planet with other humans. The only way to make it work is to be like Jesus, lay it all down.