Dear friends,
I leave in 11 days! Thanks to all of you who have donated, and who are still planning on donating;) I have been in contact with some friends in western Uganda who work in DRC, and it looks like I'll have an opportunity to meet a Batwa (pygmie) tribe in Congo. They live outside the Ituri forest, which has been a major site of conflict, as well as a region rich in culture and natural resources. Please help make this trip effective by clicking the button to the right and donating what you can.
Thank you all for supporting me, with your money, friendship and prayers. Any form of support is welcome. It's coming down to the wire, and I could still really use about a thousand more dollars if I am to make it to Bukavu. As of now, Bukavu may be out of reach. But there are many stories to tell in Uganda and Bunia (eastern DRC), and I will do what I can.
If you can donate anything, please click on the link to the right. If you don't feel you have the resources, or you're already committed elsewhere, please think of me, email me, pray for me, or support me in whatever way you can. Money is only one way to do it. Finally, there are many many great causes in this world, just as there is much brokenness. Please, if you don't feel like supporting me financially is a good match for you, donate elsewhere. We are so favored and privileged here in the West, and with great privilege comes great opportunity to live truly rich lives. A truly rich and fully lived life involves sharing what we have with others and allowing our talents and resources to be used to bless the world. Learning this simple truth changed my life forever.
One might ask, "why should I support your project when I could give my money elsewhere to greater effect?" I must confess that this is true. Your money would have a more widespread and immediate impact if given elsewhere. But consider this: I am in training. To donate here is an investment in the future. In Africa, I will be learning from doctors who provide health care in unimaginably resource poor settings, and from people who survive and maintain hope even in the face of death and poverty. The more money I raise, the more I will be able to see and learn (travel, room and board costs money), and the more stories I will be able to tell to the world. By donating to this trip, you expand my horizons and experiences by making me more mobile and increasing the number of places I can visit. Most importantly, this will expand the variety and number of people I can meet and introduce to all of you through film. This will give me a more complete understanding of what causes oppression and poverty, and thus enable me to address these causes more effectively in my career.
Your support will also enable all of us to undertand humanity better through film. I want to come back with a rich trove of stories to share with you. I have so many questions... What do we have in common with victims of rape in Bukavu? What dreams do we share with pygmie tribes in the Ituri forest? What do kids in Gulu fear when they wake up in the morning, and hope for as they lie down to sleep at night? What goes through a doctor's head when he knows he is the only provider for 25,000 refugees? And why have 6 million people died in eastern DR Congo in a decade without the world so much as flinching? How can northern Uganda rebuild after twenty years of devestation? What does development and aid really do? What works? What doesn't? Who IS my neighbor in this new global village, and what does it mean to love her? These questions and a thousand more I long to ask, and to share what I find with all of you through the film we create.
I believe that in supporting this work, you empower me to move forward in my career with purpose and understanding that will make me a more effective agent of justice and peace. This will multiply the impact we can have on the world together. This is very likely my last chance to travel to Africa before I complete my medical and pastoral training. If you feel so moved, please click on the link to the right to donate whatever you can through paypal. It's very fast.
But the most imporant thing is simply that we do share our resources. Please support one of these other incredible projects if you don't support mine:

KIVA: http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=home
Africa Faith and Justice Network: http://afjn.org/
Invisible Children: invisiblechildren.com
Resolve Uganda: http://www.resolveuganda.org/
Friends of the Congo: http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/action/index.php

3 weeks and counting

Dear friends,
I'm keeping this blog as a way to keep everyone informed about my whereabouts, plans, experiences, etc while traveling through northern Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this summer. I hope I can give you all a small picture of what life is like for the people who live in the places I travel.
Now, I need your help. I need to raise a couple thousand dollars in the next three weeks. This money will help me to travel to Gulu and Pajule,and Fort Portal, Uganda, where I'll be working with the Dwan Madiki Partnership, CAOVCEI, and Dr. Ashis Brahma to empower local people to take the health of their communities into their own hands. Our goal is to educate community health workers, who will be able to care for many of the health needs of their people without the help of a doctor.
Another primary goal is to create a documentary film (or 2 or 3) that tells the stories of people living under poverty and violence, and to examine the root causes of these oppressive forces.
I will be shooting as much footage as possible wherever I go, thanks to a generous donation from Kevin Sites of professional cameras. I still need money to get me to eastern DR Congo however, where I will document the stories of the people there who struggle under the smog of constant killing, rape, slavery, and plunder of their natural resources.
Please use the button here to donate. Anything you can give will be greatly appreciated and put to good use for equipment, travel, food, and a rabies shot, which I've been told I should not go without after all. And then I'll be able to play with small furry creatures to my heart's content (thanks Dr. Southern). Thank you, and please stay in touch!
Do not hesitate to email me with any questions, comments, ideas, criticisms or encouragements you might have!
Peace, Nathan