It’s hard to believe that two and a half months have already passed since I was driving into Portland via 84 West. It was raining as I drove through the Gorge and into my new home. The rain seemed beautiful and appropriate for the conclusion of a four day road trip across America. Little did I know that March would be the wettest month in the recorded history of Portland.

Today the sun is peeking through the clouds, a strong wind blows, and I find myself editing grant proposals and reflecting on my time here at These Numbers Have Faces and in Portland.

It was a big decision to travel 2,400 miles and leave my life in Jackson, Mississippi behind, but I was burned out from my previous corporate job, and was extremely idealistic about working for a non-profit organization. I was excited by the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, and to live a more modest lifestyle in Portland on an extremely fixed budget.

It seemed kind of sexy.

As it turns out, NGOs aren’t glamorous. You show up to work everyday, just like any other job; you sit at a desk crunching numbers, editing copy, answering e-mails. There are no needy children hanging around your neck, no hungry widows to share your lunch with, no sick patients waiting for a medical delivery.

It’s just work.

That’s what defines us though, not what we do in a moment of excitement or in-your-face-tragic-need, but in the everydayness of life.

We all have the capacity to do good everyday, but oftentimes we ignore those opportunities because it doesn’t feel “big” enough. The truth is, it’s never big enough. Even when you’re working full-time for change in Africa, it isn’t big enough. Because the need for justice is bigger than your or my own feelings.

So, start small.

Justice is rescuing children from the sex-trade, but it’s also visiting your shut-in neighbor. It’s incredibly easy to visit your neighbor, and yet most of us will find 101 excuses that we can’t do it today.

If you want your life to be characterized by justice, consider this quote by author Annie Dillard, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

If you have the opportunity to work with a non-profit, that’s great, and I recommend you take it, but if you don’t have that opportunity, that’s okay too. You can work for justice in your office just as easily as you can in any other office-- and that’s pretty cool.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to hear F.W. de Klerk speak in Portland. In 1993 De Klerk was awarded a joint Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela. In 1989 the de Klerk newly elected as president of South Africa, played a key role in the release of Mandela from prison. He also went lengths to help create an equal opportunity voting system in South Africa in the wake of the oppression and inequality introduced by the apartheid era.

I was eager to hear what de Klerk would have to say. The forum was supposed to be a reflection on the past and a time to discuss efforts for peaceful crisis resolution in the current climate internationally.

As I listened to de Klerk speak I found myself disappointed. For the better part of a hour, he rehashed the circumstances surrounding 1989, and then continued on to create a list of doom for all the current issues we face today. I was patient. I kept waiting, waiting for him to turn his speech to discuss peace efforts. But instead he rounded off his talk with a brief venture into the impending threats of global warming and, “Thank You. Good Night.”

Everyone around me was standing and clapping, but I found it difficult to join them. I had just been served a re-heated dish of yesterday’s news. What had he told me that I hadn’t already heard? Thank you for the hell-in-a-handbasket dissertation, but I had come for a talk on peace.

Just as I was ready to gather my things, the host of the evening stepped forward and announced a brief Q & A session with de Klerk. This was the turning point of the evening. De Klerk stepped forward and began to candidly address questions submitted by audience members. After an evening that had up to that point quite honestly depressed me, I found the hope I was looking for. Political backgrounds aside, de Klerk spoke as a man who loves his home. His face softened, he laughed heartedly with fellow South Africans from the audience, and earnestly addressed the tough questions that were dealt out to him. He spoke of the beauty of South Africa, the kindness of the people, but didn’t shy away from the reality of the struggles the country faces.

I found hope in the love I saw from him and the other South Africans for their home.

And here I found motivation to continue the work I do at These Numbers Have Faces. This juxtaposition of love for a country and the praise for its beauty and people next to the reality of the employment situation, continued inequality, and need for education among township youth: this is what compels me forward. The work we do at These Numbers Have Faces is not only helping, it is greatly needed. I was reminded that night, that our work is not about big results, it is a dedication to daily show up and one step at a time continue working for the sake of students like Shakeelah, Akhona, Xolani, and Charlize.

Last month our South African students spent a day building community by boating and exploring Seal Island as part of their quarterly student retreat. The students and staff had a great time; be sure to check out the great photos!

March 21st marks a national holiday for South Africans; Human Rights Day commemorates the formation of the South African Human Rights Commission.

The commission was launched on March 21, 1996, on the 35th anniversary of the "Sharpeville Massacre", a tragic day for South Africa when police gunned down anti-apartheid demonstrators in the township of Sharpeville.

The commission aims to promote respect, protection, development, and attainment of human rights, and to monitor and assess the observance of human rights in South Africa.

"We have done well indeed in a short space of time. However, we are aware that as more people gain access to these socio-economic rights, many more still live in hardship," South Africa President, Jacob Zuma, said in a commemoration speech today.

An excellent reminder that while great strides have been made in South Africa, and in America for that matter, inequalities are still prevalent in both of our cultures, and we must continue working for change.

A recent report from Yahoo Finance tracked charitable donation from the largest corporations in the United States, and reveals the top 10 corporate givers.

Top 5 Givers by Percentage of Profits

#5. Morgan Stanley – 5.7% or $55,641,610

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#4. Dow Chemical – 7.3% or $34,237,817

#3. Safeway – 7.5% or $76,500,000

# 2. Macy's – 8.1% or $41,226,887

#1. Kroger– 10.9% or $64,000,000

Top 5 Givers by Total Amount

#5. Exxon Mobil – $198,692,197

#4. Bank of America – 207,939,857

#3. Wells Fargo – $219,132,065

#2. Goldman Sachs – $319,454,996

#1. Wal-Mart – $315,383,413

Last Monday I couldn't find my way to the These Numbers Have Faces office without a GPS much less explain to anyone the inner workings of the organization, but by Friday that's exactly what I was doing.

4,000 people attended The Justice Conference this year, and as a representative of These Numbers Have Faces, I was given the incredible opportunity to speak with hundreds of justice minded individuals interested in finding ways to change the world around them. It was an encouraging and thought provoking time as people from diverse backgrounds shared their thoughts and experiences with everything from sex slavery to impure drinking water in developing nations.

As one person I spoke with put it,

"It's so great just to be here and see everyone. Sometimes it feels like nothing is going on, like no progress is being made, but now that I'm here, I see how many people are working to do positive things. I feel like I'm part of something bigger."

I had the opportunity to attend the last session which was led by author and former pastor Francis Chan. Chan challenged his audience by pointing out that if their sons or daughters didn't have clean drinking water, or had been sold into child prostitution, or didn't have access to basic life saving medicine it would constitute an emergency-- yet this is the case for millions of people around the world, and we do nothing.

"We scrimp, and we save, and we hold onto it all until the very end as if we're just going to have a blast in those last couples of years-- does that make sense?"

Chan closed the two-day conference with an earnest plea for the audience to hold on to their passion for justice. "I said a lot of stuff (about poverty and the Christian response), and people challenged me on it; so I was quiet for a while. I'm done being quiet now."

I left the conference exhausted but encouraged. There is so much great work taking place in the world, and there is so much more that needs to be accomplished. My biggest takeaway from the weekend is that we should be angered by injustice, we should be passionate about reconciliation, and we shouldn't allow ourselves to be calmed down by anyone-- and that includes ourselves.

These Numbers Have Faces founder, Justin Zoradi, shares some of his thoughts from his recent trip to Rwanda.

Electricity:

I’ve never truly valued the brilliance of Thomas Edison until my trip to Rwanda. In a country of 7 million, only 10% of Rwandans currently have electricity, but Edison’s genius is changing lives every day.

As I walked through the rural village of Bugesera, government subsidized electricity companies were connecting power lines to makeshift bars and corner markets. While such a simple luxury in the West, electricity will revolutionize this community.

Rather than life shutting down at sunset, now there is light to study later, work harder, charge a mobile phone, or watch a newscast.

With a simple flick of a light switch, electricity fights poverty.

 

Economic Growth:

The Rwandan leap into electricity is a microcosm of a country that has the potential to be a model for Africa. Eighteen years after the genocide that killed one million people in 90 days, Rwanda is on the path of economic growth, security, and prosperity.

In the capital city of Kigali, I’m struck most by how clean the streets are alongside the shocking number of heavily armed policemen. On paper, Rwanda meets the criteria for a police state with its intolerance to free speech and extensive military presence. But in response to its tragic history, the benevolent dictatorship of President Paul Kagame seems to be working.

Rwanda has created a culture so committed to fighting corruption they swiftly throw high ranking officials in jail for petty bribes. New roads and buildings are planned, approved, and built in a matter of weeks. The last Saturday of every month is a local service day, where all Rwandans commit to sweeping and cleaning their community.

Education:

As modern amenities take hold and the economy booms, education leads the charge.

At the end of the 1994 genocide, there was one university in Rwanda. Now there are fourteen.

English has become the symbol for higher education and more students than ever are enrolled and graduating from university.

The highlight of my trip was meeting and connecting with university students through our friends at Africa New Life. I spent substantial time with eleven amazing young women who were motivated, thoughtful, and committed to each other and to their country. Yet their ambition doesn’t come without heartache.

Nearly all of the girls are orphans affected by the genocide, poverty, and their refugee status.

One of my last nights was spent over an amazing dinner with the young women at their home. We ate traditional Rwandan food, and I shared about my life in Portland, my wife, my pets, and my obsession with soccer. We watched videos of our TNHF students in South Africa. We laughed, prayed, and dreamed together of the amazing leaders these young women will become for Rwanda.

It was a short but magical trip, and while the jet lag still lingering, it was a week full of hope and opportunity for the possibility of These Numbers Have Faces in Rwanda.

Meet Stanton, a native Mississipian who's a long way from home, and excited to work for an awesome organization. 

Hometown:

Jackson, Mississippi

Education:

Belhaven University

Degree:

Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing

What got you interested in These Numbers Have Faces and social justice?

I spent the summer of 2010 working in Bangkok, Thailand where I witnessed the tragedy of human trafficking and abject poverty for the first time in my life. It was my first encounter with genuine human suffering, and it forever changed the way I look at the world.

These Numbers Have Faces is one of the many organizations working to provide hope for those who are disadvantaged in the developing world. When I first read about the work that TNHF is doing in South Africa, I knew it was an organization with which I wanted to be involved.

Future Focus:

After completing my internship with These Numbers Have Faces I plan to return to Bangkok and continue working with the Thai people. One day I hope to work full-time for a non-profit and to continue telling the stories of those that I meet around the world.

Favorite Food:

I'm a firm believer that if you don't like a certain food, it's probably because you haven't had it prepared well. I really enjoy going out and trying new dishes; especially ethnic food. I love gyros, pad Thai, pasta alla carbonara, salmon, sweet potato fries, lamb, I really love lamb, fish and chips, hamburgers, shrimp stuffed with basil and wrapped in bacon and barbecue sauce- because, well, bacon. I could go on, but let's just go out to eat, and I'll fill you in on the rest. 

Dream Job:

Something where I could make my own hours, but still feel intellectually fulfilled, and get outside sometimes, and not dress up. What would that be? Golf course design maybe?

Favorite Place You've Traveled To:

Costa Rica - I never even considered travelling to Central or South America, but in the spring of 2010 one of my roommates was studying abroad there, and so I flew down for a week. It was such an incredible trip. I loved the food, beaches, and culture. I definitely want to explore South America now.

Yes. It is Valentines Day. And yes, this is a blog about love. In my defense, I’ve been thinking about love for a few weeks and today just gave me a reason to pull my thoughts together.

A moment of honesty: when I look at the way I’m living I find that it is missing the driving force for everything I do. And that is love. I do the job I do, because I love people. It drives me to work for the improvement of other people’s lives. I have felt this and I know this. But lately, I feel like I’m losing my love. And it’s not because I have turned into a mean or hateful person.

No, it’s simply this. I have been caught up in work and in the forward motion of life.

And as the days go by and my weeks get increasingly busy and mind increasingly full of everything I can do and should do to be better at my job, I lose the original essence that drove me there in the first place.

How can I tell? I know because I haven’t been loving the people who are present in my life as well as I should be. I find less time to spend with people, to help a friend, or to reach out to a family member and my excuse: I’m busy. And because the work I do is for the benefit of others, it makes it forgivable.

But today, I am reminded to go back to the basics.

Thomas Merton commends that people learn, “A simple respect for the concrete realities of every day life, for nature, for the body, for one’s work, one’s friends, and one’s surroundings.” When I read these words I can’t help but think that I need to regain not only respect, but love for these basic elements of life.

For me, today is not about grandiose gestures, or sweeping statements of love. Because as big and powerful as love is, it is also quiet and peaceful. Today I return to a quiet love. One that is attainable and one that I am capable of living out. I may not have it in me to do “Great” things, but with a quiet love I can impact the people around me.

It this still and quiet love that compels me to treat everything around me with respect and to serve those around me with love.

Today I am convicted. I am convicted by the joy and love I feel from the friends, family and even strangers around me. How can I continue working out of love for people across the world, when I don’t actively show love to the people around me. It should not be one or the other. It should not be, ‘Because I love my family so well, I don’t have energy to act on behalf of others.’ It should not be, ‘Because I love others so much, I have nothing to give to those close to me.’ No, it should be, “Because I love the people nearest me, I am capable of extending that love to people around the world.”

So back to the basics. However you may feel about Valentines Day, at least take this: the way we spend our days quickly becomes our life.

If we cannot learn to love within the simplicity of daily life, we will never be capable of great acts of love. But learn the first and we open the door to a world of possibilities.