Welcome to Paradise, Uganda

Me. Africa. Not two words you’d expect to hear in the same sentence, right? But it is with lots of excitement (and a few tingles) that I’m happy to share with you that I’ve signed on to help my old friend, the very creative and talented Jesse Sprinkle, and his music partner, the also very creative and talented Kurt Johnson, with an amazing new project: Paradise, Uganda.

For the last few years, Jesse has been traveling to Kampala, Uganda with the Ugandan Water Project. While there, he’s been working with street kids living in Kivulu, a slum hidden in the shadows of the city. Not just working with, not just befriending, but falling in love with these kids and their country.

And if a musician is looking for a way to help his fellow man, it only makes sense that there’s some sort of music involved. Right? Enter, Paradise, Uganda. 

In 2013, Jesse and Kurt will be traveling to Uganda to record music with the street kids for the project, “Paradise, Uganda”. It’s a “musical collaboration of love and hope.” Proceeds from the project will directly benefit the street kids.

My job is to run the blog for www.ParadiseUganda.com. I’ll be blogging about the project, Africa, how you can help, and probably lots of personal reflections as I step back into the world of music and faith. (Let’s face it; the last few years of my life have pretty much been spent trying to find meaning in my life and avoiding anything music related. It’s no accident that my search and this project collided head on from out of the blue. God spoke. I’m going to listen this time.)

We’ll also be sharing amazing photographs from Africa on “Wordless Wednesdays”, and Jesse and Kurt will be blogging about the project, their creative process, their thoughts as they work with the kids, and anything else they want to share.

It’s going to be exciting, I promise. Because there’s more …

I’ll also be talking to some of the artists who’ve already signed on to support the project so they can share their thoughts about Africa, serving and our place in this big, wide world - artists like The Almost, Anberlin, Demon Hunter, Dead Poetic, Bill Malonee/Viglantes of Love, Brendan Benson, Poor Old Lu, Kutless, Tooth and Nail Records, Terry Taylor (DA), Eisley, The Choir, Lovedrug, The Waiting, One Republic, and Denison Witmer.

Did you just get tingles, too? Oh, good.

I know your next question: am I going to Africa? Of course I’ve invited myself along on a trip; that’s no surprise. It was mostly in jest, at least at this point. A trip like that costs money (so you know if I do go I’ll be hitting you all up for support). But I also have learned that I don’t need to be involved in everything to be of service. Yes, it would be easier to write about something I’ve experienced first hand. But one of my strengths as a writer (if I have one) is that I can extract great information from people to tell their story. So I don’t necessarily need to go to Africa to tell the story of people who’ve  been to Africa.

But if God sends me to Africa … well, you better start praying now for Jesse and Kurt. Because you know I can be a giant pain in the ass to be around for extended periods of time. Imagine being trapped with me on another continent.

But that’s down the road. For now, you can follow along on the Paradise, Uganda FB page and website. Stay tuned, folks, the ride has just begun.

(NOTE: if you’re not logged into WordPress, you’re going to see some stupid video ads at the end of this post. Please ignore them. I don’t know how to make them go away.)

Why it’s important say “Good job!”

Last year, as part of my “year of adventure,” I started going out of my way to say thank you to someone who waits on me in a retail setting. At least once a week , I try to find an employee at some store I’m at who is doing a good job or goes out of their way to help me or make my shopping experience better.

I literally make it a point to look for someone doing a good job.

I’ve learned that when you do that, you’re likely to find someone who is doing a good job, which generally makes the shopping experience more pleasant than looking for something to bitch about. Which I think is how most of us shop. We expect to long lines, untrained cashiers, mispriced items, the wrong amount of cream in our coffee.

In fact, customers are far more likely  to complain to a store manager than to compliment. But a compliment can go a long way towards boosting someone’s day, and hopefully count when it comes time for a review.

I visit Tim Hortons fairly regularly, and not long ago I wrote a little note to Tim Horton’s corporate and let them know that one of their employees, Chris, does a fantastic job. He knows my voice when I go through the drive thru, knows the dogs, is friendly, gets my coffee right every time, and overall makes the trip through the drive thru a very pleasant experience.

I mentioned it to him a few weeks ago, because I wanted to make sure the note got to his store manager and that Chris got something for it – something in his file, you know, something from his boss that recognized that a customer singled him out for a job well done. Chris hadn’t heard anything.

TripBase “My 7 Links” Blog Project – My favorite posts and 5 blogs for you to check out

I was “tagged” this week by Carol Bryant at Fido Friendly’s blog to take part in the TripBase “My 7 Links” blog projects, designed “To unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavor to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again.” Thanks, Carol!

My task: to share with you 7 links from my blog and then 5 blogs you ought to check out. So here goes!

My most popular post – Strictly in terms of page views, this is the post that has gotten the most views all time on the Notes From The Funny Farm blog:

Day 8 of 31 Days of Thank You

I confess: I haven’t necessarily done a thank you ever day. I have sent a few notes; I’m only one or two  behind. Today, though, I did something different. I gave a personal “thank you.”

I spent about an hour wandering around Walmart today. I went in for a new dog bowl, and came out with … well, stuff I wanted but didn’t really need. But it was a nice hour with no dogs and racks of clearance clothing.

My cashier was named Sheree, and she was very sweet, chatty and efficient. She didn’t do anything unusual, she was just very pleasant, paid attention to me rather than chatting with other cashiers, and just made checking out nice. So when I was finished, I went right over to the Customer Service counter to let the manager know that Sheree had done a great job.

The manager was helping someone, so the Customer Service rep said either she could pass on my comment or I could tell him myself – but that she knew the compliment always meant more when the customer said it. No problem, I would wait.

The manager was waiting on a couple who clearly had had problems with their cashier. In fact, when the woman overheard what I was waiting for, she said, “We definitely did not have a good experience with our cashier. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever had a good experience with a cashier in this store.”

My reply? “That’s why it’s so important that when you do have a good experience, you let them know.”

She nodded and said that she’d never thought about that, but I was right. The other Customer Service rep nodded, too. They get complaints all day, so when I did have my turn with the manager, and I said, “I just want you to know that Sheree on line 8 did a great job today, and whatever you need to do to give her a gold star to two thumbs up, please do”, the manager thanked me repeatedly for taking time to compliment his cashier.

I could have just left the store and sent an email to the manager, and when I saw how long I was going to have to wait I contemplated doing just that. But the truth is that my taking time to wait in line to talk to the manager had a positive effect on the other people in line, the other employees, and even me. It was worth it to give a little  ”positive energy” to everyone.

So how about you? In this 31 Days of Thank You, consider taking a moment to tell a manager what a great job one of his/her employees did. They probably don’t hear that often enough, and you’ll all feel better for it!

31 Days of Thank You – Day 2

Yesterday was the start of my project for the month of May, 31 Days of Thank You. The idea is to send a note of thanks for encouragement every day for the entire month.

Today is day 2, and let’s be honest: I’m already behind. I have plans yesterday to write a note, and in my head, I wrote it.  But when I got in bed I realized that 1) I still hadn’t pulled out my notecards (although I did look at some to purchase yesterday at Wegmans, although I didn’t); and 2) I was too lazy to get up. I did, however, have David get me a book of stamps yesterday.

I used to be very cranky and bitchy when I was younger. And then I really softened up and as an adult have felt a lot more loving and caring. I take no credit for the change; it comes from knowing Jesus. Over the last few years, though, I’ve become quite isolated from people (that’s a whole story in itself). I interact so infrequently that there’s not much to be grateful or ungrateful for. Things just … are. Not good, not bad, just there.

So today, I double my efforts to be thankful, and understand that there’s a lesson to be learned. Gratitude takes a effort.

A challenge for my readers: 31 days of Thank You

Let's spend the month of May saying "thank you"!

In his book, “365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life“, author John Kralik chronicles his attempt to write one thank you note a day for a year. Ironically, when he started the project, his world was falling apart. Financial ruin was on the horizon; his personal relationships were unraveling just as fast.

But he started writing a thank you note a day, and in doing so realized that not only did he have a lot to be grateful for, the simple act of reaching out to someone else with a positive thought gave them a boost, too.

In my May column for the Christian Voice Magazine, I issued a little challenge to readers to write one thank you note or note of encouragement a day for the entire month of May. And I’m inviting you to join in!

Ideally, you’d actually write a note on paper and put a stamp on an envelope. While it’s more time consuming, it actually shows a much greater degree of care and commitment than just shooting off an email. It helps you connect more with the person to whom you’re writing and gets you more invested in the project.

We’re not talking lengthy missives. We’re talking postcards, short notes, even positive feedback on comment cards. Give your favorite cashier or waitress a pat on the back, for example, by writing a little note to their manager. Send a note of thanks to a neighbor or write a little “pick me up” to someone you know who’s down in the dumps.

And then tell me about it! How did you feel being grateful or encouraging every day? Did you get feedback from people who got your note? What was the most rewarding part of the adventure?

You’ve got a few days to prepare. Dig out some paper and pens and buy a book of stamps. Find your address book and get ready to be grateful!

The benefits of volunteering – but you need to define volunteering

As you know, I’m working on my book idea about loving your  neighbor. Currently, I’m researching about the benefits of volunteering.

Ironically, I was also asked this week to take part in a university survey about volunteering. The questions asked me about how I’ve felt in the last week (emotions, stress, etc) and how often I volunteer.

I hate surveys like that. First of all, they didn’t define “volunteer”. I marked that I volunteer once a week, because I actually go to the animal shelter once a week. After I was done, though, I realized that I didn’t include that I’m fostering a puppy for a local rescue group. That’s a 24/7 kind of volunteering. I also am doing a little bit of networking and promoting for an abolitionist group for Freedom Sunday. That’s an hour a week.

So I suppose I volunteer more than once a week.

As for my emotions and stress level the last week, the survey didn’t ask why I checked that I might be feeling sad, blue, tired, and even aimless in my life goals.

The weather this week was wonkier than it has been all winter. Freezing cold one day, then in the 50s the next, then a foot of snow a few days later. I don’t function well in winter, but especially when we have winter, spring and fall all in the same week.

Plus, we’re trying to get Bailey into her big girl crate. Talk about stress. No amount of volunteering is going to make me feel better. Wait, caring for Bailey is technically volunteering.

The 2010 United Healthcare/Volunteer Match Do Good, Live Well study found that volunteers have less stress, feel better about themselves, and generally get a lot of positive benefits from doing good for others. And I would totally agree with that.

But a survey like the one I took this week doesn’t capture the reality of my volunteering. Saturday at the shelter, for example, was nightmarishly stressful – but I love it. I wouldn’t want to do it every day, but that one day of the week I’m there, I know that not only am I helping people adopt animals, I’m also helping the staff. It’s both draining and fulfilling.

The daily stress of caring for a foster puppy is a whole other matter. LOVE this puppy. Love, love, love her. But I also have two grown Border Collies; three dogs is just too much for me and our small house. And a puppy requires constant supervision. That kind of volunteering is actually wearing me out right now – not because I regret fostering the puppy. Quite the opposite. It’s just that a puppy is a lot of work.

Interestingly, the United Healthcare study found that giving more and doing more doesn’t necessarily mean feeling better or happier. In fact, there’s a plateau at about 100 hours a year.  It’s called “compassion fatigue” – and the effects can be severe fatigue, distancing from close relationships, and even depression.

Been there, done that. For several years, I wore myself completely down “doing for others” – because “volunteering” can also be driving people around, and listening to people unload their problems, and other non-typical volunteer activities. I ended up physically and spiritually drained. Then I learned the most wonderful word in the English language: “boundaries.” Although I don’t know that I’m actually recovered completely.

But that’s a story for another day.

Illegal immigration, children focus of moving documentary “Which Way Home”

I just finished watching the Academy Award nominated documentary called “Which Way Home”, which profiles children migrating from Central America and Mexico to the United States with dreams of a better life.

For some, it means finding a parent who left to find work in the States and never came home. For others it means escaping an impoverished or neglectful homelife.

While the film doesn’t focus on child trafficking, you don’t have to look too deeply to understand how children can essentially disappear off the face of the earth at the hands of smugglers and traffickers. Promised entry into the States, some are handed from smuggler to smuggler, and if they’re lucky taken into custody by immigration before something horrible happens to them. A few make it to their destination, alive but scarred physically and emotionally.

Others simply fend for themselves, hopping trains that take them further and further north towards to America, where cities gleam and jobs await, and the prospect of crossing the desert while avoiding immigration – and death - is just a fairy tale.

 But it’s estimated that the Border Patrol apprehends 100,000 children trying to enter the U.S. Children, not adults. No one really knows how many children make it to the U.S., give up and go home, or die in the desert.

Watching the documentary, I was left unsettled. I’m all for enforcing immigration laws, but there’s a human side to every political issue that needs to be handled with compassion. Sending a child home to parents who abuse him isn’t necessarily the answer. But what can person could do? Sponsor a child looking for a better life? I don’t know. I don’t have the answer.

If you get time, check out “Which Way Home.” I watched it on Netflix via my Roku. You can see the trailer and learn more on the film’s website. I’d love to know what you think.

When is help not help?

I’m taking a survey as I do some research for a possible book idea. The topic: when is help not help.

Part 1: In general, if someone offers to help you, but the help they give isn’t something you need, is it still help? For example, if you need A, B and C done, but they insist on doing X, Y and Z, even though you may not need them done, have they helped you? Or satisified themself?

Part 2: In Christian ministry, if someone has a physical need (ie: hunger) and we respond with a spiritual answer (ie: a Bible, a church service), have we helped?  Is there a point at which we need to first satisfy physical needs before presenting spiritual answers? And. from a Christian perspective, can you satisfy a physical need without at some point offering spiritual assistance? For example, if you’ve fed a starving person without at some point introducing them to Jesus, have you helped them?

No right answers, just curious for some feedback!

Make a nice day

I was reading Brad Stine’s latest post on the “God’s Comic” blog at Beliefnet, and had to share it.

In it Brad muses about one of those American traditions – the saying “Have a  nice day!” He rants better than I can so read his post.

But he makes this comment at the end of the post: “On the other hand, if we encouraged each other to make a nice day, we just might be onto something.”

That got me thinking. As we go around telling everyone to “Have a nice day!” what are we doing to help make that happen? Did you hold open a door for someone? Return a shopping cart so it won’t ram into a car and leave a dent? Smile? Leave a penny? Let someone cut in traffic, or at least not use your horn when they do? Go out of your way for a stranger?

I like what Brad wrote. Don’t have a nice day – MAKE a nice day!