The Village of Hope

Well, within the span of three or four days it has somehow worked out that I (Rusty) will be going to The Village of Hope in Ghana, West Africa. This trip is not about liesure travel and seeing sights. This is about humanity. It is about co-suffering to the extent possible with people who suffer. I'm a little overwhelmed about the trip, I know it will be demanding and hard. However, this trip puts many things in perspective. I haven't even gone yet and I'm already deeply touched by the web site: http://www.thevillageofhope.com/. It is a place where great light pierces intense darkness; where charity meets poverty; where compassion meets suffering. We need more places like this and through Rachel's interviewing process I'm learning Memphis has some visionary leaders making similar endeavors in our communities. There really are some remarkable people using there resources to do some great good in the world (I somehow missed that fact in my more angstful youth).

I still don't know the history of Village of Hope very well. However, I feel like the women and men who created the place should get a special jewel in their crown. The travel group leaves out on July 6th and returns July 24th. So, Rachel can finally have a vacation from me :)

Well, hope all of you are well. I'll try to keep you updated on the trip.

Quick Update

Hello readership...we apologize for the sparse blog production as of late. Coming back from Japan in no way diminished the business of life for us. However, pictures from our trip to the Holy Lands will be coming soon. Until then, I'll just leave you with some things of note that I've (Rusty) come across as of late as food for thought:

• Met an interesting guy at my friend Greg's wedding named Bret Raymond who is doing community development in Tibet working with wool, sheep farmers and Tibetan rugs. You should check out the business site: http://www.admgllc.com/.


• Being in Jerusalem really opened our eyes to some sketchy stuff (which I admittedly don't have my mind fully around yet) regarding the Jews and Palestinians. Whose Land? Whose Promise?: What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians is a book a professor of mine recommended. It wrestles with the issue in a way most aren't touching these days: http://www.amazon.com/Whose-Land-Promise-Christians-Palestinians/dp/0829816607/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2891125-7364842?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181160725&sr=1-1 (disclaimer: I'm no expert here, just trying to process what I saw with my own eyes that our government allows there with further material. I'd be glad to read other things you would recommend on the topic....after grad school, that is.)


• Sir Garfield Todd: just an interesting little known discovery. Michael W. Casey just recently published a book regarding Todd called The Rhetoric of Sir Garfield Todd: Christian: Imagination and the Dream of An African Democracy. While I haven't had a chance to paruse the book myself, I recently did research on Todd's life for Dr. Huffard. He is a great discovery for myself and anyone interested in Restoration History or Zimbabwe's history as well as social justice issues regarding the two previous topics. You can find the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Rhetoric-Sir-Garfield-Todd-Imagination/dp/1932792864/ref=sr_1_1/002-2891125-7364842?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181160951&sr=1-1.