Calling on the internet???

Unbelievable! You can actually call me from this website! So, here is the link! try it out!

concern at the gas station

I get frustrated every time I pull up to a gas station to fill up my vehicle.

But the source of this frustration is not because of the price of the petroleum. Don't get me wrong, I'm not excited about paying more for gasoline. But the reality of the situation is that the prices aren't high enough to change the behavior of most Americans. As I fuel up my tank, I scan the other cars at the station. Huge lifted trucks, full size SUVs and luxury sports sit alongside my honda civic at this suburban station in Peoria, AZ. A cherry red hummer sits next to me. At a fuel efficiency of 13 miles per gallon, this person is clearly not too concerned about the price of petroleum.

The frustration arises when I begin to think about where this money is going. Of the $3.20 USD, perhaps a penny or two is going to pay for the man/woman behind the counter and the over achieving assistant manager that bosses around his under-trained staff. Depending on the state you live in, 30 to 60 cents of the price is going to state and federal taxes for roads and environmental projects. I'm okay with this, although it would be great to see more resources being invested in mass transit projects in the cities.

And then the oil companies make their money, and wow, they make a lot of it. Don't let Shell, Exxon, Mobil, BP and others fool you . . . . they are making serious dough. However, at least a lot of this dough is staying in countries that don't support terrorism and are fighting for freedom worldwide (US, Europe, etc).

However, the bulk of the oil revenue goes into the pockets of governments which whom I have serious grievances with. The crew of beneficiaries includes Sudan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Nigeria. Between gross waste of funds, human rights violations, harboring and supporting terrorism, genocide and who knows what else, most of the countries that receive petrol dollars are working hard to make the world a worse place, not investing in meaningful goals.

So, I am frustrated as I pull up to the pump, not really knowing where my money is going.

Josh
Peoria, AZ

Feye's family

I first started working at Food for the Hungry in September of 2004. After only being on staff for a month, I had the privilege of hosting one of our international staff members in my small one bedroom apartment in East Phoenix. Feye Tola, of FH/Ethiopia, was in town for a child development conference and was in need of housing (as we were trying to save costs for the event).

And wow, what a blessing. It was a joy to introduce Feye to some unique elements of American culture. Our adventures included a Arizona Diamondbacks baseball game, a swimming pool adventure, a trip to Wal-Mart and food excursions at Pizza Hut, Starbucks In-and-Out. He loved some of it and was confused by most of it. It was great to hear stories about his family and friends in Ethiopia. I enjoyed sharing about my friends and family . . . . although none of my family lives in Phoenix. Feye found this to be strange as people in Ethiopia don't generally live apart

We had a great time together.

So, in March . . . . I finally had the chance to return the favor and visit Feye and his family in Ethiopia. It was a great time! He and his wife have three wonderful children and are pursuing the Lord in all they do!

Enjoy the pictures!

Josh
Peoria, AZ

days and nights in Ethiopia

Last Thursday I returned from an interesting journey to Ethiopia. I'm quite sure that if I had eight years to describe the unique attributes of this country, I would still fall short.

Ethiopia is truly one of a kind.

I spent my 8 days in Addis Ababa, Zeway, Ambo and Belo. If you have heard of more than one of those cities, you get a prize.

Never colonized, Ethiopia has a distinct flare. It is not African, yet very African. It is not an Arab state, but the close proximity to the Middle East has made it's mark on the East African country.
Home of the African Union, Addis Ababa has more foreign embassies than any other capital in the world, except Washington DC. The Chinese, Korean and Japanese are all building roads with hopes to extract natural resources from the unexplored country.

My favorite aspect of being in Ethiopia was getting to know the people and spending time with my distant co-workers. Going into the homes were the most priceless moments of my trip. The people of Ethiopia are so hospitable.

It was also so interesting to see wild animals everywhere. On our drive to Belo we saw monkeys and baboons everywhere. The variety of birds living in Ethiopia is amazing. Each bird and their unique color and shape reminded me of the creative of our God.

Please enjoy the pictures above.

More on my trip to Ethiopia soon!

Josh
Peoria, AZ

my amazing fiance

for no other reason than because I love her . . . . . . some pictures of my amazing fiance :)

Josh

insight from international visitors

Being an American for the last 26 years, actually, since birth, one would assume that I would be an expert on American culture. I have lived in five different states (Montana, Nebraska, California, Oregon and Arizona) and visited 43 of the fifty US states. I have friendships that span the country from coast to coast in a variety of socio-economic backgrounds.

However, despite all this knowledge and experience, it is truly amazing what we can learn about our culture by spending some time with someone from another country and culture.

Enter David Makan. David is a staff member of Food for the Hungry in Uganda, working as a development facilitator in the area of child development. I first met David in August of 2006. He is an incredible guy, so passionate about life and his work. He lives and works in the community of Piswa, a beautiful area in Eastern Uganda. It is truly a slice out of paradise.

I really enjoyed my time with David. He really inspired me with his heart for ministry and verve for life. After leaving, I thought to myself that perhaps our paths would cross again someday. They did, and this time they crossed on the other side of the Atlantic.

David arrived in Phoenix on February 5^th and wow, it has been a joyous experience to host David during a portion of his stay. His fresh perspective on my culture has been eye-opening to say the least. Throughout our time together he has made blunt observations about our culture, though not in a harsh and judgmental way.

Upon looking out of the car window, David pointed out that there are so many sidewalks in the United States. Even on the most remote and untraveled street in Phoenix or North Carolina, a sidewalk traveled alongside the road. He pointed out that he hadn’t really seen any Americans walking on these nicely paved sidewalks. However, in Uganda, everyone walks everywhere . . . . but there are very few sidewalks. Such an interesting scenario: those that walk a lot and could probably benefit from a smooth walking surface don’t have access to them, but those that walk very little have access to an extensive network of sidewalks. So, why do non-walking Americans continue to build sidewalks? This was a tough question to answer.

One evening David and I were watching TV together. He was enjoying listening to the news reports regarding the presidential race. However, in the middle of the telecast, they cut in with a story about Roger Clemens and his testimony on Capital Hill. David wanted to know who this man was and why was he important enough to be on the news. It was tough to explain to David that Roger was an athlete who “allegedly” used enhancement drugs to make himself bigger. David responded with a question, “why do all Americans want to be big? What is the excitement with being big?”

David was also curious about the abundance of credit cards, violence on TV and having ice with every drink. He was impressed by the fire department, social security and chicken strips.

All of this created some great conversation in which I was challenged. Why do we as Americans do certain things? Why does our culture permit such excess? Does it all make sense?

So, I implore you to think about the parts of your culture. If you know some international visitors, spend some time with them and ask them what they think about American culture? You’ll be amazed by their observations!

Josh

Exhausted in Phoenix, AZ

my sponsor child in Bangladesh

Recently a co-worker of mine, Melissa B, had a chance to spend some time in Bangladesh. This is the country where my sponsor child, Mousumi B lives . . . . and Melissa got a chance to visit with her, via local staff. This was so exciting for me!

I've been sponsoring Mousumi for about three years. Since I started with Food for the Hungry, I've traveled 15+ countries, but none of my visits were to Bangladesh. I have visited a lot of sponsored children in my time at FH, but none of them mine.

It was so wonderful to hear about the visit, my eyes welled up with tears. Mousumi has been going through a really difficult season lately. Her father passed away about 5 months ago and in a country like Bangladesh, this is a huge lost.

During the visit, Mousumi brought out all the letters and pictures that I had spent her during the years. She told Melissa all that she knew about me . . . . about my family and that I'm getting married soon. She even gave Melissa some gifts to take back to give me.

I'm honored to be involved in the transformative work that God is doing in her life.

Above are some pictures of the visit, and Mousumi's family.

Overjoyed and sad at the same time,
Josh

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

good times in the Dominican Republic

Hey folks . . . . . . how are you doing? Good I hope!

I just had a great week in the Dominican Republic. It was my fourth visit to the DR and honestly, it was one of my favorite visits. I was in the country for a work conference and things went really well. The pictures above are reflect the conversation, fun and excitement of the week!

Josh
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport

icy riding

hey folks,

I know, it's been a while since I've done any blogging. But wow, there has been a lot going on lately and it's kept me out of the computer.

With some funds I got for Christmas (thanks Granny and Dad), I got a red Mongoose bike. Oh, it's a pretty sweet ride.

Due to my work schedule, most of my riding time happens in the morning . . . . . and although it is not actually icy in Peoria, AZ . . . . . it certainly feels icy in the morning. It is always a rush to get on my bike at 6:30AM or 6:45AM. The first blast of chilled air immediately invigorates my senses. If I wasn't awake yet, oh, you better believe that I am awake now! Of course, I bundle up, but the desert wind still gets inside my skin.

I love to ride the trails through the desert with my ipod in hand. The music motivates me to push harder. Whether it'd be hillsongs, nicole nordeman, regina spektor or mariah carey . . . I love jamming out while I ride . . . . and sometimes I actually sing out loud and bless some passer-byers.

It's a joy to ride fast, getting a good pace going. I love cruising down hills and enduring the challenge of pedaling up steep climbs. The burn of my legs is such a good feeling.

If you don't own a bike, you should look into it.

But, if you do have a bike and are in the northwest valley, we should hit the trails.

josh
sitting next to my fiance, Carrisa Madson