"He Left Here A Long Time Ago"

Er and I went to see a movie by ourselves (no friends, no Eli) for the first time since, well we became mommy and daddy.

We went and saw "Blood Diamond." It was outstanding. It was well written, the cinematography is stunning, and well cast (believe it or not, Leonrdo DiCaprio is the lead. "Jack" grew up to be not "king of the world" but rather a talented actor.)

It's another film about Africa made about 6 years after the chaos is starting to settle. That seems to be the trend these days. Yet, what is staggering to me is that still it continues on, in a new way and in a new place... but the blood that gives Africa it's red soil continues to spill. I wonder what kind of film they'll make about Darfur in 10 years. I love that Hollywood is bring awareness about... I hate that our response tends to be checkbooks or shed tears. But then I come back to, what is there to be done. Er and I talked about this a bit. I kind of decided that the problem is solved one person at a time. But the more I think, the more I realize that in fact the problem can't be solved one person at a time. Rather, it's all in the hands of an all-merciful, all-sovereign God who seeks to restore the world to the utopia it was. A place of peace... a place entirely about Him. In the film, the main character says "I used to wonder if God can forgive us for what we've done to each other, to ourselves... but then I realized we're past that. He left here a long time ago." This place in which we live is just a shell of what it was created to be; but fortunately God has not forsaken us. It's especially good to remember that in this time of Advent. Certainly, there is pain. It's not going anywhere anytime soon. But there is also joy and hope in knowing that there is a God of Peace. of Justice. A God worthy to be worshiped. A God who can forgive us for what we've done to each other, to ourselves, to the paradise that He gave us, and to even His very self. And He hasn't abandoned us - that's evident.

So while I can't fix it - even one person at a time. God controls it. He uses it for Himself - in way that go so far beyond me deepest uderstanding. And I'm okay with that. I'll just let Him do what He wants to do and play my part. Because that's where the our hope lies. Not in trying to fix things, but letting them be restored. Made new. And I can't do that no matter how hard I try - so I'll let Him do it and I'll help as much as He wants me to.

Anyways, I didn't quite mean to write all of that... but there it is. Take it for what it is. But do go see the movie. People need to be aware of what goes on outside our little suburbia. Or at least, I sure as heck do. It's the best film I've seen in a very very long time. Just don't' go into it with the the same superhero complex I walked out of it with.

KP

PS - It shows the trajedy of what goes on with the capturaing/training of children to fight in the rebel armies. It will break your heart. It's probably the worst thing I've ever watched on a movie. I can't begin to imagine the horror of having Eli ripped from my arms to be broken down so he can be trained to kill me later. Praise God that He did bless me with a safe little suburbia to raise my son in. It says that there are some 200,000 children currently being used in rebel armies. Certianly that and the Darfur are things to be praying for.

PPS - If you read all of this you deserve a gold star. I like to ramble on about nothing sometimes and if got through it all you either need more to do or are extremely patient. Either way, thanks for reading. This was probably more for me than you though. Blessings.

Botswana Team Update - 12/11/06

I just mass mailed this out... if by some small chance someone who isn't in my e-mail address book reads this, here's where we're at. We sure do appreciate people's prayers.

Also, cute pictures of my kid as a sheep in the Harvest Fellowship Christmas Program are coming soon. He's a cuttie.

Welp, time to make my wife wake up at least long enough to go from the couch to the bed. She's a sweetie. She stayed up past her bedtime to proofread all the letter's I've been working on tonight.

Anyways, I hope that all who read this are wellish. Here's that e-mail.

Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 23:17:30 -0600
Subject: Africa Team Update - 12/11/06 - Second Try


Hey everyone!

First off, sorry if you got this twice. I'm just now builing the e-mail list and messed it up the first try. You won't get it twice every time - I promise.

You're getting this e-mail because you either signed up at Harvest of the "Botswana Bash" to get updates from the Hartnett/Porter team or because you're my friend and I thought you'd like to hear what's going on as we go through this adventure of preparing to move to Africa. Either way, if you dont' want to get any more updates from us e-mail me back and I'll cross you off the list.

Now that that's said and done - I hope you all are well. Sorry that we haven't sent out an update since the Botswana Bash. Life has been pretty hectic for all of us - we've been remodeling the store/installing a new system at the Bluestem and it's consumed almost all of my time. And I may be speaking out of turn, but Becky is pretty busy with school and being a dorm resident assistant and being active on campus. It think we're all ready for the rest that we hope the holidays will bring. That is certinaly one way that you could be praying for us. Just that God would give us times of rest. I am feeling really overwhelmed with work (both at the Bluestem and as a Jr. High Basketball Coach), trying to figure out how to move to Africa (which is amazingly exciting and a LOT of work) and the pressures of everyday life. I'm pretty worn out. But, hopefully things will be slowing down here shortly.

In other news, we are in the process of trying to start a partnership with an organzation called the Flying Mission. They are an organization that works extesnively with HIV/AIDS communities by providing humanitarian aid in the name of Christ. They do a lot of work in Botswana and the capitol city where we will be and we hope that we can mutually help/work along side one another to glorify God. They asked us to write them a letter explaining what we will be doing in Old Naledi, how they can help, and what we would like to do for them. They also asked us to send them some resumes. I just finished the letter tonight. We just need to polish up our resumes and we'll fax it to them. They could really provide a lot of help finding us housing (maybe even provide it for free), with visas, with language/culture training... things like that. You could really be praying that God would cause that to come about. It would make the logistical things SO much easier. Also, it would be good for us to have fellowship outside of Old Naledi as well.

I am also currently working on drafting up a support letter. We finally have a better idea of how much the Porters need to put this whole thing into action. Pray for God's wisdom as we finalize the budget stuff and write this letter. Also, praise Him for the blessings of a great church home. Harvest has really been a great support to us in SO many ways - through prayer, support, accountability, and friendship. They also have gotten behind us and agreed to be our sending church. They also made us an official part of the budget and provided our first real financial support. It's exciting to see our dreams of working with this church in Old Naledi turn into tangible realities. Prasie God for that.

We're also excited that around New Year's our team will be going to St. Louis for a conference called Urbana. It's a missions conference that helps people prepare to go into the field. We're especially excited because this year they have an option to focus specifically on going to parts of the world where AIDs is a major issue. It should be a great time to build some team unity as well as a great time of learning/eqiuiping as well as worshiping. If anybody knows anyone in St. Louis that might have a place where we can stay, Kevin, Erine, and Elijah's place to stay didn't pan out. We have a hotel option, but it's pretty expensive and it would be a blessing to have place to stay for cheap/free. Anyways, keep the confernece in your prayers. It's the 27th of Dec through the 1st of January. It should be a really good learning time.

This letter is getting kinda long and that wraps up the big things going on with the Botswana Team (or at least the the big things on the Porter side of things). We are so greatful for the prayers and support that all of you provide in so many ways. I promise that we won't be so long in giving you an update next time. I'm going to shoot for at least every two weeks. Feel free to e-mail me any questions/comments/suggestions/a quick hello or ways that we can be praying for you all. Thanks so much. We are so greatful for you all.

Blessings,
Kevin for the Botwana Team

Who says there's nothing good in the news....

Take that Starbucks!

But if you look at their website they talk about how socially equitable they are....

Left Behind... the video game.

Go here for a laugh... or better yet, don't.

Left Behind: The Video Game

Halloween Pics

As promised...



Vader and 80's chick...

My son is really cute...

Can't figure out how to turn this one around...

Arch enemies...

Halloween Rocks.

I love Halloween. We dressed up Eli as Yoda, Erine was an 80's chick, and I was Darth Vader. It was crazy fun. We went to the mall then went over to see Barb, then to Mike C's birthday party. It was great fun. Pictures forthcomming.

KP

"Botswana Bash"

You're Invited
To The First Ever “Botswana Bash”

Come Join Us For A Desert Party
Sunday, November the 12th
at 7:00 pm
in the Faith Evangelical Free Church Youth Wing

It will be an informal time to just hang out and also to hear Kevin, Erine, and Elijah Porter and Becky Hartnett talk about what God is doing in Old Naledi, Botswana. Then specifically, we plan to share the vision He has given to our team for the year or so we're planning to live there.
So please come and bring any questions or ideas you might have with you!

Questions?
Call Kevin at 341-4288

"Revisiting AIDS" - by Nathan Penner

I found a link to this left over in my e-mail box. I really liked it. He used work with the church we're trying to go and work with. Enjoy.

KP

LINK TO ARTICLE

Revisiting Aids




Last weekend, I struggled to reach my house because of a funeral two doors down for a young woman about my age (24). She died of AIDS.

I think I have forgotten what I used to know about the AIDS crisis before I came to live in Botswana. I was vaguely aware of statistics like 14 million orphans and 8,000 AIDS-related deaths each day. Living in central California, however, I understood very little of what was happening with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa, and I am sad to say that I did not really care.

The people I have now learned to love were faceless individuals in a country that wasn’t on my radar screen. Their problems were not my problems. It was easy for me to think that the situation was being dealt with because the government was spending lots of money on the epidemic. Other similarly misguided thoughts occasionally crossed my mind.

Like most American Christians, I mainly just blew it off and assumed others would deal with the problem and eventually it would go away. But I doubt I even thought about it that much. AIDS in Africa was just an occasional article in the local paper, or a five-minute blurb on the six o’clock news. Maybe it was quickly mentioned in passing at church – something that caused a brief feeling of pity, but was soon forgotten and dismissed. In any case, it was a distant problem that didn’t affect me at all.

Having lived in Botswana for over a year, it is clear that this problem affects everyone.

In this past year, I have become more familiar with the AIDS scene in Botswana than I would like to be. I now know a little bit about the organizations in Africa that receive some of their money from the Bill Gates Foundation and the Bush administration. I have met some of the people working in those organizations.



To be honest, knowing these things makes the problem much more depressing.

It is depressing because the money being spent on the pandemic will not stop the encroaching tidal wave. The counselors employed by the government and non-governmental organizations to help promote "positive living" are under the same pressures as those they are trying to help. These people who are working hard to stop this wave cannot be left to stand alone, or they too will become a victim.

It is depressing because some of those working in the AIDS prevention field do so for financial gain, not out of personal conviction.

It is depressing because the average person does not view abstinence as a possibility. Condoms are widely advertised, but abstinence is left to churches and faith-based organizations to offer as an option. And it is only the church that can connect people with power and support to help them live an abstinent lifestyle until marriage and be faithful in marriage.

It is depressing because funerals are a way of life in Botswana. On Friday and Saturday nights funeral hymns echo through the streets as grieving family members hold vigils the night before the deceased is laid to rest. Moruti James, the pastor with whom I work, is often exhausted on Sunday mornings because he was officiating a funeral just hours before. I’ve lost count of how many funerals he officiated during the two months I lived with his family.

To add to the overwhelming feeling this problem presents is that it is often talked of generally, but rarely talked about personally. Although it is estimated that over a third of the population is living with the virus, few people admit to having the virus. Relatively few people go to get tested for the virus and even fewer people change their lifestyle in order to avoid getting the virus. It is good that the government, with the help of money from Bill Gates and other sources, provides drugs to help people stay healthy and lead productive lives. But this is only one part of the fight.

I am not writing this to give the established organizations a bad name, or to say that money should not be spent on the problem. Indeed, many of these organizations are doing valuable work. I am writing this because it is my belief that the church has ignored the problem for too long. It has been easy for the church, both here and in North America, to treat the problem with a very judgmental attitude. The easy way for the church to avoid the challenge, which the problem presents, is to blame the victim. "They are reaping the punishment for the lifestyle they chose to live." This viewpoint is flawed from the beginning for several reasons.

First, Christine is an orphan after both of her parents, who were faithful to each other, died of AIDS. Her father was in a car accident and received infected blood. He then infected his wife with the virus. What was wrong with their lifestyle? Was this punishment?

Secondly, I work with many youth and children in Old Naledi. Most of these children do not have parents. If they do have a parent, he or she is most likely sick and/or caring for a brother/sister/mother/father/niece/nephew with AIDS. A girl in our youth group is a good example. She is unique because both of her parents are still alive. She has already lost at least one sister to the virus and now her father is extremely sick with tuberculosis (TB). TB is one of the biggest killers in Botswana because it takes advantage of the AIDS-weakened immune system. In the end, everyone in his family will suffer. Are they being punished? For what?

The third and largest flaw in this attitude is that a judgmental response to pain and suffering completely misses the heart of Jesus and His good news. At the center of Christianity is humility, forgiveness and love for the suffering. Jesus continually demonstrated His love for the outcast of the world. Tony Campolo has compared current attitudes toward AIDS with the attitudes towards leprosy in Jesus’ time. Jesus’ response and initiative toward those with leprosy should teach us in our attitudes and relationships with those infected with the HIV virus.

Even if the ones suffering from HIV/AIDS contracted it through immoral lifestyles, does that diminish the Christian churches’ responsibility to extend Christ’s love? If we cannot extend Christ’s grace and mercy and love and forgiveness, do we really understand who Christ was and is?

If the AIDS wave is going to be diverted, a change of heart needs to occur. The church has the power to make this happen. Jesus repeatedly changed the hearts and lives of people, and He still does. The church must be the conduit for His transforming power.

It is in the local church here in Botswana that I have found hope in the midst of this crisis. I work with youth who are on fire for Christ. They lead godly lives as best they can and work hard to keep each other accountable. The church has given them something to hold on to that is stable and supportive. The church has this power. The church shows its community that God and His people care about the real issues in people’s lives. He is not shut up behind the walls of the building, but is involved in the real world through His followers.

But the local church in Botswana and in Africa needs support from the global church – not just organizations and denominations but local church bodies. The problem needs the attention of Christians who have never been to Africa. It needs the attention from Christians who mistakenly think the problem has nothing to do with them. It needs the attention from Christians who are willing to get involved at the personal and corporate and systemic levels to address an issue that is killing millions of people who are made in the image of a God who loves them. This type of active attention from a unified global church would make a meaningful difference to those who suffer, and would speak powerfully to a world who believes God and his people don’t care about this problem.

[Nathan Penner is an MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) worker in Gaborone, Botswana, the country that has the highest percentage of people living with HIV or AIDS in the world. MCC has launched a 10-year, multi-million dollar initiative called Generations at Risk to respond to HIV/AIDS. To learn more, visit www.mcc.org/aids/index.html or phone (559) 638-6911.]