Goats don't fit in paper arks

As you have probably already read, I've been trying to fill up my Noah's Ark. Last Saturday, we were asked to think about Goats. Since I was born in the year of the Goat and I'm pretty goatish in nature, I decided to add a bit extra in the ark. You can do the same! Visit here if you are interested in giving a goat (for $120), or sharing in giving a goat ($10).

Goats Are Great for Families

The gift of a dairy goat represents a lasting, meaningful way for you to help a little boy or girl on the other side of the world.

Goats can thrive in extreme climates and on poor, dry land by eating grass and leaves. The gift of a dairy goat can supply a family with up to several quarts of nutritious milk a day - a ton of milk a year. Extra milk can be sold or used to make cheese, butter or yogurt. Families learn to use goat manure to fertilize gardens.

Goats often have two or three kids a year making it easy for Heifer recipients to pass on the gift of a goat to another family in need. This great investment allows our partners to lift themselves out of poverty by starting small dairies that earn money for food, health care and education.

You can also view the Gift Catalog to find the right gift fit for your pocket. There's a wonderfully cute picture of a llama and a flock of chicks, too!

Fill up the ark: Week 2

OK, here we are with suggestions for week 2 of the Heifer International Project, An Ark for Today's World.

Week 2
"The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and all who live in it." - Psalm 24:1

Sunday: Protecting Nature
Heifer International stresses the need to protect our planet. We strongly support "buffer zones" around rain forests and other tropical areas; our programs teach farmers to raise animals and grow trees and grasses. This training helps ensure that people do not disturb the protected forests, home to precious water supplies and many endangered species. Add your own ark contribution today.

Monday: Bulls
Ecologically-sound farming practices are being taught in the U.S., where families are enjoying thenutritiona and economic benefits of heifers and bulls. Seeing eye-to-eye? Add a nickel for every argument you've had this week.

Tuesday: Rabbits
Rabbits are a good choice for families with small amounts of land. Rabbits can live in small, confined areas and eat available grass. And they can be moved in a basket if necessary. What's up doc? Give a nickel for each carrot in your refrigerator.

Wednesday: Fish
In the Phillippines, fresh fish were scarce but there was plenty of water. AFter receiving fish fingerlings supplied by Heifer, women built a pond and filled it with tilapia fish. Now everyone is eating well and all share inthe fishy harvest. Are you a swimmer? Add 20 cents if you can swim. Add 25 cents if you can't.

Thursday: Fertilizer
Purely organic, manure improves the soil and can dramatically inrease a family's garden production. Compost made from manure holds moisture and prevents erosion. Do you compost? Add 10 cents if you do; 25 cents if you don't.

Friday: Bison
Enormous herds of bison once roamed the plains of North America. Today, many farmers keep domesticated bison, alson known as buffalo, for their high-quality, tasty meat. Have you ever eaten a buffalo burger? If so, give 15 cents. If not, give 10 cents.

Saturday: Guinea Pig
In Bolivia, guinea pigs provide an easy-to-manage protein source and a source of income. This animal is enabling many families to become self-supporting in this South American nation. Animals are valued in every land. Add 25 cents for every pet you have. If you only have stuffed animals, add 10 cents for every animal.

Fill up the ark... Yay!!!

Fill Up the Ark: Week 1

Participating in the Ark project means that each day we fill the paper ark with the goal of expressing God's love and grace to others. The giving calendar that Heifer Int'l gave to us in addition to the paper ark includes daily suggestions for how to fill it up (of course, we can put in as much as we want!). The first week comes to a close soon, but just so you can see some of the hilarious ideas, here they are:

Week 1
"They, and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creep upon the earth... They went into the ark with Noah. " Genesis 7:14-15

Sunday: The Gift of Hope
The most important gift people receive from Heifer Int'l is one they can't see, feel, or smell. It's the gift of hope. Because of your donation, lies can be restored. Families can become self-supporting again. And they can share their hope with others by "passing on the gift." Hope is contagious, and it starts with your gift. Add your own ark contribution today.

Monday: Bees
Heifer gives beehives to families in Kenya. Honey and wax from the hives provide income and an be used for medicine. Where's the honey jar? Add 25 cents for every jar of honey in your kitchen. (I used to have 1 jar so I put in 25 cents, plus 50 cents for not using it all before throwing it away in the move ove the summer.)

Tuesday: Dairy Cows
To increase nutrition levels and family income through milk and butter sales, 60 Ukrainian families received 30 pregnant heifers. Got milk? Add 15 cents if you have chocolate milk in your refrigerator, 20 cents if white milk. (I have soy milk, so 30 cents!)

Wednesday: Hay
After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, even farmers living 100 miles inland suffered storm damage. High winds ripped away barn roofs, exposing the cattle fed inside to rain. Much of the feed was ruined. Heifer stepped in to help provide fed to get these farmers' animals through the winter. What do you hear? Give 10 cents for every time you yell "Hey Mom" today. Give 25 cents every time she yells back. (10 cents for every hour of tv I watch this evening!)

Thursday: Chickens
Kentucky families who make less than $6,000 a year benefit from added income from dairy and beef cattle, dairy goats and chickens for egg and food production. What's in the fridge? Add 5 cents for every egg you find in your refrigerator, or 50 cents for every dozen. (I had no eggs in our fridge, so I put in 5o cents for one jar of butter and one jar of creme fraiche.)

Friday: Vegetables
By growing vegetable gardens, youths living amid violence and poverty are being taught valuable entrepreneurial skills while contributing to household income. Does ketchup count? For every different kind of vegetable in your refrigerator, add 5 cents.

Saturday: Goat
Humans have relied on goats for their milk, meat, hair and skin for thousands of years. Because goats are friendly and affectionate, caring for them is often considered a good chore for children. Do you like cheese made from goat milk? If so, give 15 cents. If not, give 20 cents.

Fill up the ark... Yay!!!

An Ark for Today's World

Last Sunday, our pastor preached on the covenant of the rainbow based on the story of Noah and his ark (Genesis 6-9). As I sat listening to reminders of promises of God's faithfulness and grace in saving the people of the world, I thought about different kinds of floods that threaten to destroy our earth. Poverty. Hunger. HIV/AIDS. Environmental degradation. As a people of faith, we are called to live out a different kind of faithfulness, I think. It's about our call to share our resources -- bread, nets, clothing, housing, etc. -- and in embodying Christian stewardship, we are bringing the Good News of Christ to all peoples.

For the 2009 Lenten season, my church is participating in the Heifer International project for congregations: An Ark for Today's World.

People of faith can work together to provide the earth's poor and humble people who are close to God's heart with the means of a livelihood. Heifer animals -- llamas in Ecuador, pigs in Cameroon, water buffalo in Thailand, chickens in Mississippi -- offer ongoing sources of milk, meat, or eggs. They suppl fertilizer and draft power that enrich the environment, not deplete it.

In partnership with congregations, Heifer International is an art of refuge for hungry families. Heifer puts faith into action with its time-proven principle of "passing on the gift." Every family who receives livestock agrees to pass on one or more of its animal's offspring, or the equivalent, to another neighbor in need. Project partners pass on new ways of animal husbandry and land management, too -- a rainbow of hope for the whole community.

I am pleased that our very small congregation is willing to take on this project to challenge ourselves. With this project, we take concrete action to bring real solutions to the families in need. We can think about protecting the environment and also help educate as well as empower.

Each faily in the congregation is given a paper ark where we can collect money. The arks are small but the gifts they bring are too big to even estimate.

As it was with Noah, the ark is about hope, about a new beginning. For Heifer families, animals can provide:

• food for the children like milk, eggs or meat
• income for housing, health care, school fees and other needs
• motivation to plant trees and grasses and make other environmental improvements
• a catalyst for community development

In 2008, over 140,000 families were helped by Heifer International's "values-based community development model that includes gifts of animals and training and 'passing on the gift'." I hope that what we do for Lent this year will help other families in the same way.

And, look @ what we might end up giving:

• Chicks
• Cows
• Fish
• Goats
• Llamas
• Pigs
• A Trio of rabbits
• Sheep
• Water buffalo
• Package of Seedlings
• The Gift Ark: a boatload of $5000 that represents pigs, camels, water buffalo, guinea pigs, trios of ducks, flocks of chicks, oxen, cows, rabbits, donkeys, beehives, sheep, llamas, flocks of geese and goat

We began on Sunday, and will continue for four weeks. Let the fun continue... Yay!!!!

Don't divorce my friends

Too many of my friends and coworkers will be affected. It is only right that we join with over 360,000 people who want to make a statement to the CA Supreme Court to speak up against Ken Starr and Prop 8.

We, the undersigned, share President Barack Obama's view that for too long, issues of LGBT rights have been exploited by those seeking to divide us. It's time to move beyond polarization and live up to our founding promise of equality by treating all our citizens with dignity and respect.

Yet, on December 19, 2008, Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund filed legal briefs defending the constitutionality of Prop 8 and seeking to nullify the marriages of 18,000 devoted same-sex couples solemnized before Prop 8 passed.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on March 5, with a decision expected within 90 days.

We, the undersigned, ask that the Court enforce the equality promised to each of us by our constitution and invalidate Prop 8. So doing will protect all loving, committed couples in California -- including the 18,000 who said "I do" last year -- and prevent the initiative process from being a tool for stripping vulnerable minorities of precious constitutional rights.

As Americans who believe in the rule of law and fundamental civil rights, we know that Ken Starr and the Prop 8 Legal Defense Fund's shameful attempt to nullify equal protection and all these bonded unions will be condemned in the eyes of history. We know that, ultimately, love will prevail, no matter how hard they try to fight it.

Sincerely,

360,000 people & counting...

Sign the letter here.