I survived Charlie Brown!

This past week has been pretty great. The run of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown was a success, with only a few small theatrical catastrophes (including the light board freezing up in the middle of a song one night). I made some great new friends...one of my favorite parts about doing shows, especially as a crew member. Clearcom conversations continued to be entertaining, though not quite as much as they were during final dress rehearsal. Last night was the cast party, which was super fun. We got ice cream cakes from Baskin Robbins and there was a band and we danced and hung out and had a great time.
I also tried out a new church yesterday, the Vineyard, and I really enjoyed it. I think I may start going there regularly. Matt, who was playing Snoopy in the show, is one of the pastors, and there are a lot more young people than there are at the other church I've been going to on Sunday mornings. Also, there are opportunities for me to possibly get involved in the services with worship and things, something that wasn't really open to me at N. Arizona Church of Christ. I'm going to keep going to Catacombs on Sunday nights, but it's nice to find someplace not connected to the campus where I can fit in.
I got an email from Kierra at ELI today that I found really interesting, so I thought I'd post it here for y'all to enjoy if you have time. Here it is:

I wanted to let you know about a cool opportunity for you and your church. This Sunday the 13^th, churches from all over the nation are celebrating Jubilee Sunday in an effort to ban together to help relieve third-world debt. You can read about the opportunities for you and your church to get involved at Jubilee Sunday. For those of you who don’t know, the year of Jubilee was a year that God commanded His people to observe every seven years in the Old Testament. During this year, they were to cancel all debts and free people who had sold themselves into slavery to pay off their debts. This year helped keep equality among God’s people and prevented the endless cycle of the poor becoming poorer and the rich becoming richer with each coming year. Today, third-world countries around the globe are in desperate need of similar debt relief. While there are ways we can help the poor and oppressed on the micro level (sponsoring a child, providing a business loan for a widow, etc), they also need us to fight for them on the macro level. In many ways, this can have a much greater impact. By canceling a countries debt, that country will then be able to feed and educate their own children instead of relying on outside aid to care for their people. Let me share a few statistics that I recently learned (these and more are on the Jubilee website):

· The importance of debt cancelation: In the world's most impoverished nations, the majority of the populations do not have access to clean water, adequate housing or basic health care. These countries are paying debt service to wealthy nations and institutions at the expense of providing these basic services to their citizens. The United Nations Development Program estimated in 2003 that 30,000 children die each day due to preventable diseases. Debt service payments take resources that impoverished countries could use to cure preventable diseases. Debt cancellation frees up resources to reverse this devastating reality.

· They Are Already Paid: These nations have already paid back their debts time and again. The debt crisis set in when interest rates skyrocketed and compound interest made repayment impossible. FACT: From 1970-2002, Africa received some $540 billion in loans and paid back $550 billion in principal and interest. Yet Africa remains today with a debt stock of $295 billion.

· Debt Cancellation is Adding by Subtracting: Debt cancellation allows countries to access their own resources for poverty eradication. Savings from debt service can now be allocated for health care, education, fighting HIV/AIDS and more. FACT: Experts estimate it would take an annual commitment of $18 billion a year to reverse the AIDS crisis in Africa that claims 7,000 lives a day. Sub-Saharan Africa pays almost $13 billion in debt service to the wealthy nations and institutions every year. Just do the math.

"Debt is tearing down schools, clinics and hospitals and the effects are no less devastating than war."
Dr. Adabayo Adedeji, African Center for Development Strategy

· Debt is a New Kind of Slavery: International debt slavery means that countries are caught in a debt trap that they can't escape. The debt trap is composed of economic conditions that take away a country’s sovereignty and freedom. When countries are enslaved by debt they can't improve the lives of their citizens nor gain control over their own futures.

"Every child in Africa is born with a financial burden which a lifetime's work cannot repay. The debt is a new form of slavery as vicious as the slave trade."
All Africa Council of Churches

· Debt Relief Lessens Dependence on Foreign Aid: Currently, our foreign aid frees up money for countries to pay back their debts to other wealthy nations and international banks. Debt cancellation would help ensure that new funds can be used effectively for poverty eradication, ultimately lessening countries’ dependence on aid. FACT: Africa pays more in debt service than it receives in aid, new loans and assistance.

· Debt Cancellation Gets Results: The small amount of debt cancellation given so far has achieved startling results, including more than doubling school enrollment in Uganda , vaccinating five hundred thousand children in Mozambique and adding three more years of schooling for Honduran children. But much more must be done!

• FACT: After debt relief and the elimination of school fees, 1.5 million children returned to school in Tanzania almost overnight.

· You Have the Power: Ordinary Americans, working with partners around the world, can generate the political will needed to achieve full debt cancellation. The United States has the most influence of any nation over creditors and international banks. Our Congress could leverage full debt cancellation for impoverished countries. However, they won’t act unless they think you care. FACT: The progress Jubilee USA has made so far toward debt cancellation could never have happened without the concern and action of people like you. You have the power to make freedom from debt a reality. Join us today!

I think that's all I have to say for now. Hope God is richly blessing and challenging each of you as only He can! Love, happiness, and blessings!