Teddy Bear Picnic

I was able to volunteer at a Teddy Bear Picnic, which was organised by the Barnet Pre-School Learning Alliance. 

The event was to give the families a fun day together, while the staff was able to evaluate the Two Year Old Pilot programme's success with them. It took place at Mill Hill Park and there were various free activities for the children such as face painting, story time, making their own teddys to take home and several play areas. 

All the families that were invited are participating in a pilot scheme aimed at offering 165 two year olds in Barnet from financially disadvantaged backgrounds 10 hours free quality childcare per week.

The Worshipful the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Anthony Finn attended, although he declined to have his face painted when I offered it to him! 

The weather fully cooperated and it was a warm sunny day. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was happy to be able to donate my time and face painting skills in this way.



 

June 11, 2010: Kickoff of the 19th football (soccer) World Cup in South
Africa. Generally considered one of the world’s premier sporting events,
along with the
Olympics, this is the first World Cup final ever held on the African
continent. Hundreds of thousands of lucky fans will be able to watch
the games live in the stadiums that were built or revamped for the
event, and billions more around the world are expected to follow
their team’s progress through the month-long competition via
TV, radio, and the Internet. It is the global celebration of what
Brazilian three-time Cup winner Pelé called “the beautiful game.”
Many of us enjoy kicking a ball around with friends, but there’s a
world of difference between that and playing professional football.
What did it take for those men to reach the World Cup in South
Africa? Extraordinary athletic ability, certainly, but that alone
did not guarantee their spot on the roster. No player is chosen to
represent his country in the World Cup final stage without having
first put in a lot of hard work. Each player has endured years of
rigorous, seemingly endless practice, suffered injury and pain, and
had to rise above other obstacles in order to have a shot at the ultimate
prize—being on the winning team at the World Cup. Those
who make it to the final stage have risen to the top of a wildly popular
and fiercely contested sport. Win or lose, coming this far is a
tremendous achievement. Most of the rest of us aren’t
world-class athletes, but we can apply these players’ secret
to success, as many of today’s self-help gurus and guidebooks
advocate. And they aren’t the first. Even the apostle Paul referred
to it. Comparing the Christian life to athletic achievement, he
wrote, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,
but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain
it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all
things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an
imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.
Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body
and bring it into subjection.”1 Paul practiced what he preached, so as
his life drew to a close he was able to say, “I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there
is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.”2  
Perhaps no one exemplifies the blend of talent and tenacity
that mark world-class athletes better than Pelé himself. Growing
up in poverty in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil, he earned
extra money for his family by shining shoes and honed his gift
using a ball made from a sock stuffed with newspaper. Considered
the best footballer of all time, he dominated the game for two
decades and was named the top athlete of the 20th century by the
International Olympic Committee, even though he never took
part in the Olympics.
And one final thought before I go and check the latest scores:
It’s natural to support our home team, but we should recognize
the efforts of all the players, no matter where they’re from. With
this type of competition, of course there are many more losers
than winners. After the first stage of the World Cup, half of the 32
teams are sent home, as are half of the remaining teams at the end
of each subsequent round until a winner is eventually crowned.
Obviously the players who don’t make it to the end are disappointed,
but they can take pride in how far they went and what
they accomplished.
And we each have a chance to do the same in the game of life.
 Jesus doesn’t say the faithful will be rewarded in heaven with the
 words, “That’s great—you beat the competition!” but with, “Well
 done, good and faithful servant!”1
 He commends us for doing our part; for playing with character
 and commitment, for doing our best with whatever gifts and tasks
 He has given us, and for loving those who He has put in our path.
 That, I think, is the most beautiful game of all.

 Ronan Keane is a member of the Family International and
 an Activated contributing editor.


 1 Corinthians 9:24–27
 2 Timothy 4:7–8
3. Matthew 25:21

 

Malaria Project--Nigeria

I couldn't resist sharing some of the news we received not too long ago from our son Steve in Nigeria. Maybe if you are thinking about volunteering there, this is an idea of what you might be in for:

First Week Long Malaria Project--Lots of Action.... 
OK, so on Ogogoro Island. We are pasting out malaria nets  and this Chief from another tribe comes into the church where we are doing the project and starts fighting with the chief of our Island ( the one we were on).
Crowds start to grow to watch & join in the fight.  Art and I, the only two white people out of 3000 people on the Island, started making back up plans, just in case things got out of hand. However, while we were  making plans, our boat pilot decides he will join in & off he was in the crowd. So much for our fast escape plan.
So 10 minutes of fist fights & the older chief falls flat on his black...out cold, with  blood running down his face. Some members of the tribe start getting water for him from the bole-hole and cooling him off. Even though he had a bloody head & was knocked-out cold, he got up & went after the other Ogogoro chief. The Islanders put him on a fly boat & that was the end....
The Ogogoro  Chief came to us later & was all happy, telling us everything is under control & that he is a World Class Killer Boxer.  Art and I weren't sure if we should run away or stay & stand our ground & continue giving out nets. In the end we went with staying as we couldn't find the boat pilot at that point in time.
Project ended around 3 pm 24th of May 2010 & we gave out 300 nets & tested around 200 people for Malaria. I think it was 120 positive & 80 negative. Bonus for the day was 240+ Islanders gave their gave lives to Christ including the Ogogoro  Chief.
25th of May 2010   We are going next door ( next Island to Ogogoro  Island) to give out 300 more nets....I guess we will see the defeated Chief.
Updated...Went to the  next Island & didn't see the defeated  Chief. Everything went great... To end the day...got a pig as a gift to fat up & eat later....

The Unsung Heroes

Here is an article from David Siervo, a member of The Family International in Chile:

February 27, 2010. 3:37 A.M.

For two seemingly eternal minutes, Chile is rocked by a massive 8.8-degree earthquake with its epicenter just off the coast, 90 km north of the city of Concepción, affecting a huge area from Copiapó all the way down to Temuco, and is even felt as far north as the desert of Atacama and as far south as Puerto Montt, about 3,500 km away, and from the coast all the way across the Andes to Argentina in the provinces of Mendoza, Neuquén and Río Negro. The cities of Curicó and Talca, with their older constructions and many adobe-made houses, are badly hit. The ensuing tidal waves (three of them) that hit the coastline from Pichilemu to Talcahuano devastated much of what remained standing in the lower areas close to the sea. Some small fishing towns, such as Iloca, are simply wiped off the map.

The city of Constitución lies at the mouth of the Maule River, some 320 km southwest of Santiago. The town—with a permanent population of about 50,000, the main livelihood of which is employment in one of the largest paper pulp plants in Chile, the wood industry, and fishing—is also a tourist resort in the summer.

At the very mouth of the river lies the small island of Orrego, covered with forest and about 250 meters from either shore. The end-of-summer celebrations in Constitución traditionally include an event called the Venetian Night, complete with fireworks, music, and dancing, that was to take place the following night. Had the earthquake hit that night, the death toll would have been much higher, as usually from 700 to 1,000 people camp out on the island to watch the fireworks. As it was, some 150 to 200 (the exact number is still unknown, as there are many missing who haven’t been accounted for) had headed out the night before to get a good spot.

Having lived there all their lives, the townspeople knew that in the event of an earthquake, they only had a few minutes to flee to higher ground to avoid getting caught by the ensuing tidal wave, though nothing as big as what they were about to witness had ever hit Constitución. However, the people on the island had no way of getting ashore quickly. Survivors say that immediately after the quake, the sea receded with such a horrific roar that it sounded like some prehistoric monster, ready to pounce on its prey.

As the people took to the hills, two humble fishermen—one of them accompanied by his 17-year-old son—set off in their rowboats toward the island in a desperate attempt to bring the campers ashore. It would take them the better part of ten minutes to make the trip across, get about 8 to 10 people on board, and make it back.

They managed to make the first trip safely. On the second trip, when the boat was nearly full, the fisherman called to his boy to get on board.

“Father,” said the boy, “take one more person back, and I’ll come on the next trip.”

The father insisted, but the boy would not budge. He kept repeating calmly: “I’ll be fine, father. Save these people.”

The father knew there most likely wouldn’t be enough time for another trip. But seeing that his son was determined to stay, he let another person on, and with tears in his eyes, set off rowing furiously toward the shore.

The other fisherman, Juan Gomez, a gruff man, used to the rigors of the sea, had gone on before him, and having let his passengers off on the shore, defiantly headed out again to fetch another batch just as the tide steadily started to rise.

Then the second wave hit.

A massive 15-meter-high wall of water struck the coast with unimaginable force, completely covering the island and sweeping away everything on its way 10 km up the river, leaving a path of destruction behind it.
Looking at the devastation a week later, I couldn’t help but wonder how anybody could have survived, and yet … miracles still happen in the 21st century.

In a supreme act of heroism, the boy gave his life so that somebody else could live. Incredible as it seems, his father managed to make it through the ordeal, though his fellow fisherman, Juan Gomez, did not.

But there are other accounts of what happened that terrifying night that defy all belief.

Twenty-three-year-old Mariela Rojas and her three-year-old son, Tomás, had been on the island since the beginning of the summer, where Mariela and her sister tended a small food stand. After the quake, Mariela grabbed a small life jacket they kept there, put it on Tomás, and tied it firmly. They survived the initial more gradual tidal wave by holding on to a tree. When the second wave hit in full force, they were swept away. In Mariela’s own words:

“When we were hit by the second wave, I determined not to let go of my boy. I held on to him tightly as the strong current carried us along. We must’ve been in the water for about an hour, though it seemed an eternity to me [it was actually over two hours]. Though Tomás cried throughout the ordeal, that was reassuring, because as long as he was crying, I knew he hadn’t drowned.”

The sea finally tossed them up on the river bank close to the high bridge that crosses the Maule River, some 5 km upstream. There they were spotted by Justo Rebolledo, a fisherman who had fled to the hills and come down after the second wave to see about his boats, convinced that the worst had passed.

“There they were, exhausted and tangled in a pile of rubble. The girl was screaming for help and her little boy was shivering with cold. I took them by the hand and led them up the hill. Three minutes later, the third wave hit.”

Unfortunately, Mariela’s sister and brother-in-law did not survive. Neither did two friends of hers and their two young children, all of whom were on the island at the time of the disaster.

Twenty-six senior citizens lived at a small home for the elderly not far from the waterfront, which was run by two nuns. The old house was already badly damaged by the quake, but the nuns knew they would not be able to get the old folks out in time to avoid the tidal wave, as some of them could barely walk. So they instructed them to stand in a cluster and embrace each other firmly. All but two did as they were told, and although they sustained bruises and other minor injuries, they all survived. The two who went off looking for their things in another room unfortunately lost their lives.

Another elderly man was on the island with his nine-year-old grandson. They managed to climb a tree high enough to avoid the full brunt of the second tidal wave. The man kept encouraging the boy to hold on and not give up, until his own strength gave way and he was carried off by the current. For the next four hours, the boy clung to the tree, badly bruised, soaking wet, and screaming for help at the top of his lungs, until he was finally rescued by yet another fisherman in his boat, after the third wave.

What were the odds of Mariela and her son surviving such an experience? God only knows. Again, what are the odds of 24 elderly folks, some of them crippled, others senile, most of them barely able to walk, let alone run or swim, surviving an earthquake and subsequent tidal wave? Statistically impossible to calculate, but no doubt extremely low. And once again, what are the odds of a nine-year-old boy surviving three tidal waves by clinging to a treetop? Surely next to nil.
Such are the miracles that occur in the wake of major disasters. And such are the unsung heroes who help make those miracles possible. The anonymous, humble, noble-hearted, oft-forgotten fishermen who did not hesitate to lay their lives on the line to save others. The dedicated nuns who humbly serve the lonely and the destitute, day in and day out, asking nothing in return. The common folk who have lost everything, even loved ones, and yet are ready to bounce back and rebuild their lives upon the rubble of their former homes.
At Juan Gomez’s funeral, attended by hundreds who came to pay homage to this true hero, a young lady with a beautiful voice, who is a close relative of his, sang a heart-wrenching Spanish version of Amazing Grace. The entire congregation wept until they could weep no more.
And so do I, as I write these lines and ponder the courage of these noble men and women, about the true meaning of life and death, sacrifice and unselfishness, gain and loss, and such fickle things as fortune and fame, so often used as the measure of success.
I presumptuously went down to Constitución as a relief effort volunteer, thinking I was doing humanity a service. Little did I know the lessons of humility, resilience, and thankfulness God had in store for me there, and who I was to learn them from: the poorest of the poor by worldly standards, and yet the richest of the rich in God’s eyes.
May this be a humble tribute to those unsung heroes, who by their shining examples have lifted a powerful beacon to light our way. And mostly, may it be a song of praise to the Creator of all things, who laid it upon their hearts to offer their lives on the altar of sacrifice so that others could live. What a fitting reminder of our Savior’s sacrifice, Who gave His life so that we could freely have life eternal.