Holding Dignity in the Community of Faith

          At the end of March, I participated in the annual Henry C. Smith Oratorial Contest in which participants from the different Mennonite schools get the chance to give a speech that incorporates the Mennonite value of peacemaking and a current world issue. I gave my speech on dignity in the church and ended up getting second at EMU. Below is the printed version of my speech for any of those who might be interested on reading some of my thoughts.

          Dignity, “the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed.”[1] Most people would say they understand the word dignity, but fail to recognize dignity as more than respect, but a birthright all humans have as Donna Hicks explains in her book Dignity. The book lays out  ten essential elements of dignity:  acceptance of identity, inclusion, safety, acknowledgment, recognition, fairness, benefit of the doubt, understanding, independence, and accountability.[2] When one of these ten elements is violated, anger and withdrawal often occur. Since dignity is essential for all humans, it needs to be demonstrated within the community of faith. Today, I want to share with you two experiences of mine, which have led me to a new concept of what peace can look like within the church and how the concept of dignity can transform the way we live in relationship as a community of faith.

      My first story comes from the congregation I was a member of from middle school until high school graduation. This large congregation had a wide range of strongly differing theological beliefs and doctrine. Many people in the congregation believed that theologically there were very little gray areas and if you questioned their beliefs, you were seen as wrong for even raising questions. These differing beliefs, although they had always been present, had often been shoved under a mat and were rarely discussed. However, halfway through my junior year in high school these differences were brought to the forefront as a new pastor came into the congregation. Meetings were held about the direction that community of faith should be taking. Instead of productive conversation and deep listening to each other about the different opinions and doctrines, people literally yelled their beliefs to the whole congregation and refused to listen to those who spoke from a different point of view. People tried to get their point and agenda across without any respect to whom they were hurting in the process. I was confused and angry. I could not understand how people who were supposed to be my faith family could treat their fellow church members so badly. I was hurt and broken by the experience and for a time lost all hope in the church. 

            After high school graduation, my family moved to a different state, left that congregation, and I came to my university. Then last spring I needed a summer job and also wanted to use the summer to reconnect and find a different version of church than that which I had experienced. I decided to participate in the Ministry Inquiry Program. Through the Ministry Inquiry Program, I ended up in a large city in Texas, at a congregation of about 75 attendees. I had never been to Texas before and knew very little about the church before going. However, I talked on the phone with the pastor and learned that the congregation was not experiencing conflict and was open to different theologies; the two essential elements to my search of possible placements.

Once in Texas, the pastor explained to me how as the only Mennonite church in the area, it attracted many different people who would not normally worship together if they lived in an area such as Harrisonburg, VA, which has a large variety of Mennonite churches.  I am not going to pretend that there were no problems in at the church with regard to the differing theologies, but instead of destructive conflict like in my previous congregation, I experienced something completely different.

Near the beginning of my summer I became a part of a small group of women from the congregation who were reading The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg. For those who are not familiar with the book, Borg presents a liberal theological reading of Jesus and the Bible. Some in the book study related very closely with this theology, while others were in complete opposition to some of the ideas expressed in the book. With a wide range of opinions, I expected people to become defensive, especially those whose beliefs were being questioned by the author of the book.

However, this did not happen. Instead of becoming defensive, this group of women opened up with each other and me as they expressed their feelings and beliefs, while being open to hearing a new point of view. At the end of the book, they agreed to disagree with each other, but all felt closer to each other and had a greater understanding and respect of their differing beliefs. They demonstrated that fostering a good relationship with each other and respecting different beliefs was more important than trying to persuade and change each other’s views.

This group of women was not the exception in this Texas congregation. Throughout the entire church I found a deep respect for one another and all different types of views. For the attendees of the church, having a correct doctrine and being theologically correct was not the most important thing. Instead, for them, they believed to be Christ’s true body and live in close community with one another meant living in right relationships. I believe it was because of this attitude that there was not much conflict and instead of spending energy on fighting, people were able to get engaged in church life and the surrounding community, working to spread peace around the world.

So what was the difference between the Texas congregation and my church growing up? Why was one able to create peace, while in the other conflict just festered and grew? I believe one answer to this question comes from the intentionality that existed in Texas. The Texas church was a smaller community that spent a lot of time with each other inside of church and outside. I spent many evenings going to member’s houses for parties and informal get-togethers. In many ways they reminded me of the early church body from Acts. Acts 2: 42-47 says,

They devoted themselves to the apostles; teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. .. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.[3]

This is how the church in Texas acted. Every time I met with people, I felt their sincere hearts and truly joyful praise. Their intentionality about spending time together, praying together, often sharing meals together, serving the poor and needy together and even figuring out the finances of the church together led to a body that knew each other extremely well and was able to see each other’s humanity in able to work out differences better, leading to a more peaceful community despite the differences that existed.

In Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove’s book, New Monasticism, he describes how the early church in Acts also had divisive issues. Throughout the New Testament you see divisions such as Jew and Gentile. However, this early church was able to find unity despite these differences. Hartgrove writes, “Unity across dividing lines was what distinguished the early church—so much so that they require a new name.”[4] The name Christian was a new word that this new body of believers decided to call themselves. Being intentional about being the church despite differences is what being Christian is all about.

Looking back on my two experiences, I believe dignity is the difference. In my old church, people did not respect each other’s dignity. I know I felt my own dignity violated. I did not feel my identity being accepted, I did not feel included, safe, acknowledged or even recognized. I most definitely did not feel understood. And when one person’s dignity was violated, often in response, in their anger and frustration, people violated someone else’s dignity. The people in the church were not bad people, and I do not believe they meant to harm each other in the way they did. However, the church did not understand dignity and how dignity is essential to all humans, and especially when attempting to be a community of Christ.

Texas was different because through their intentionality they were able to hold each other’s dignity. Within their conversations and actions, the congregation was able to embrace one another and respect the essential elements of dignity. By holding each other’s dignity, I believe the church can be transformed and be the place of peace God meant for it to be. In the end, I believe that taking care of one another and loving each other to protect dignity is more important than having the correct doctrine or theology. When we hold each other’s dignity, we truly become the body of Christ.

---

[1]             “dignity.” Merriam-Webster.com, 2012, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dignity,  retrieved  12 March 2012.

[2]             Hicks, Donna, Dignity: the essential role it plays in resolving conflict, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011.

[3]              Acts 2:42-27 (Today’s New International Version).

[4]             Hartgrove, Jonathan, New monasticism: what it has to say to today's church, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Brazos Press, 2008.

Within the Prison Walls

          One of the most meaningful experiences of last semester, and probably of my entire life, was a weekend I spent at Graterford Correctional Facility in Pennsylvania. I went with my restorative justice class and while in the prison, the class was split in three groups. Each group met with a separate group of inmates participating in the Alternative to Violence Program. We would spend three mornings, two afternoons, and one evening talking to the men and learning and practicing different listening techniques to build relationships and a more peaceful society. We spent a lot of the time talking one-on-one with the men and in the short time we were there, formed deep relationships.

         Many of the men (it was an all men's prison) had committed violent crimes and several of them were serving life sentences. However, the men that I met with had changed since that time and now are some of the smartest, kindest, most sincere people that I have ever met! The weekend brought so many different emotions and taught me so many different lessons. I still have not processed the experience and think of the men often. My experience meant so much to me and I want to make sure that I remember the lessons I learned and change appropriately. So below is part of the letter I recently sent to my groups facilitator (an inmate himself) that describes part of my change.

          

          "When the time came for my class’s field trip to Graterford, I honestly did not want to go.    I was struggling with some depression and did not think that a prison would be a place to find happiness. However, I was wrong. I felt more love and acceptance during that weekend than I experienced all year. During those days at Graterford with you and the other men, I felt completely accepted in who I was. I come from a really great home life and count myself blessed with a loving family and the best of friends. But even so, I do not feel the level of acceptance in my daily life that I felt there in prison. And in those walls, I found that it was also easier to accept myself. I never expected to feel those kinds of feelings and to find deep bonds and connections with the men.

          I also learned so much about the prejudices that I still hold in my own life. I do not believe that I am a hateful person, but I realized that I judge people upon sight and look for differences at first, instead of similarities. Since my time at Graterford, I have tried to judge a person by the quality of his or her heart, instead of outside appearances or past mistakes they made. You and the other men made me realize that we all have made mistakes, but that does not make us bad people. There is always hope that a person can change. And more than that, I now believe that people are a lot more similar than we first realize. When we begin to listen to each other and truly treat one another as human beings, we will realize that we have a lot in common.

            Lastly, the experience gave me hope; hope that love and goodness lives even in the darkest places. There is hope that the world can change and by working together and listening to one another the world will become a better place. I truly believe this now and am trying my best to live it out in my own life." 

          The prison system in the United States needs major reforms. The people who go to serve time end up going back into prisons not having learned anything. We need a system where people can pay for their crimes, but then learn how to make better choices and be good citizens. Hope does exist and new approaches are beginning to take place. I just finished reading the book Dreams From the Monster Factory by Sunny Schwartz that talks about Sunny's experience working in the prison system of San Francisco and the good and evil that exists and how restorative justice practices are beginning to take place. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn more the current system and the challenges that lie ahead. 

          More than anything, I want people to know that there are some great people behind bars. Yes, there are also some true monsters. But we cannot forget all of them them and leave them to a system that degrades them as less than humans and takes away their inherent dignity. So as you say your nightly prayers, remember my friends in Graterford and always keep the hope that people can change and aren't nearly as different from you as you might think.

Finding My Faith Again

          This past weekend, I went down to Cincinnati, Ohio to St. Clare Monastery. Last semester was really stressful and hard on me and I did not feel like I have recovered. So I decided to take a couple of days to go be by myself and see if I could find God and the faith I feel like I was lacking. The experience was more than I could imagine. I realized that God had never left me and that my faith never disappeared, but had only been in a depression that faith tends to do. Because the faith journey is never a straight line but has its ups and downs, just like life. Faith does not make life easier, but actually complicates things. However, the beauty of faith and of God is that there is an ever-flowing amount of love and beauty that at times can overwhelm you.

          I think that the best description of my time at the monastery can be described as the following written by a new blogger I have been following, Glennon Melton. She writes, [A monastery is] a sacred place, apart from the world, where a seeker can figure out what matters and catch glimpses of God... [It] is an open window. It’s a place to take a deep breath. It’s a place to drop out and tune in. It’s a place to stop striving, stop competing, stop suspecting, stop hiding. It’s a place to tell and hear the truth. To grow and rest. To be big and brave or small and silent. It’s a place to learn that perfection is a mirage…it’ll always disappear just before you arrive. [It]  is a place to get lost and found. It’s a place to love and be loved. It’s a touch stone. It’s a place to listen and be listened to. [A Monastery] is a place to practice living bigger, bolder, and truer on this Earth. It’s a place to practice disagreeing with love and respect. It’s a place to remember what you already know: that Love Wins and that We Can Do Hard Things."

         And thus during my time in the monastery, I was able to be honest with myself and refocus. I have changed a lot over the years and so has my theology and how I view God and God's working in the world. However, I realize that just because my faith looks different, it is no less real and alive. So for all of you who want to know, this is what I believe. I believe that Jesus came to show us an example of how we live and the main idea that he taught is to love everyone and it is this love that will change the world. I love Melton's description of being reborn. She writes, "The first time you’re born, you identify the people in the room as your family. The second time you’re born, you identify the whole world as your family. Christianity is not about joining a particular club, it’s about waking up to the fact that we are all in the same club. Every last one of us. So avoid discussions about who’s in and who’s out at all costs. Everybody’s in. That’s what makes it beautiful. And hard. If working out your faith is not beautiful and hard, find a new one to work out. And if spiritual teachers are encouraging you to fear anyone, watch them closely. Raise your eyebrow and then your hand. Because the phrase repeated most often in that Bible they are quoting is Do Not Be Afraid."

          In regard to the Bible, I believe it is inspired by God, but written by people living in a different time and different culture. We need to read it as a great work of literature that can help us live our lives to the fullest and a way to hear God's voice. However, it is also full of what seems to be contradictions. When looking at what seems to be contradictions I like to keep the following in mind (also from Melton's blog) "Each Christian uses different criteria to decide what parts of the Bible to prioritize and demonstrate in their lives. Our criteria is that if it doesn’t bring us closer to seeing humanity as one, as connected, if it turns our judgment outward instead of inward, if it doesn’t help us become better lovers of God and others, if it distracts us from remembering what we are really supposed to be doing down here, which is finding God in every human being, serving each other before ourselves, feeding hungry people, comforting the sick and sad, giving up everything we have for others, laying down our lives for our friends . . . then we just assume we don’t understand it yet, we put it on a shelf, and we move on. Because all I need to know is that I am reborn."

          I know that not all people agree with me, but that is ok, because I am learning that God can work through all of us and even when times are hard and we do not understand, God is still there. Hope still exists in the world, and it is this hope that I hang on to. And when the time comes when I fall down, I plan to go back to monastery to once again refocus and catch a glimpse of God. 

For those who want to read more, here is the link to the blog I am quoting http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/22/a-mountain-im-willing-to-die-on-2/

Summer Update

          I am sorry to those who like to read my blog on a regular basis that I have not kept up lately. My life has just seemed kind of normal lately, which I guess is actually kind of nice. However, I do have some thoughts and reflections that I hope to post later today or sometime this week. But first an update since the last time I wrote. I had an amazing time with Erica in St. Louis. We went to the City Museum, which is not a museum, but really the biggest, coolest jungle gym I have ever seen! If anyone ever goes to St. Louis, this is a must!!! http://www.citymuseum.org/site/ I got home safely the next day, but was surprised to see home look as if a tornado hit. The storm hit Friday, June 29 and had destroyed trees everywhere and also took away the power for miles around. We did not get our power back until Wednesday night.
          Living the three days without power really was not fun. The temperatures outside were over 100 degrees that week making the time almost unbearable without air conditioning. My mom and I ended up sleeping in the basement, although very dark (we got to use our flashlights everywhere we went), was a little cooler. We complained a lot, which got me to think about the refugees in Congo that I have been reading about. They don't even have homes... they live their entire lives in a tiny tent with little access to food and medical supplies. Like us during the storm, they did not chose this life but had it forced onto them. And here we are complaining about 5 days without electricity! It really makes you stop and think.
          I also have been working a lot. This time I am just working in the stands selling sweet corn. I really like my job. I love my bosses and really like interacting with customers who come. Sometimes the days can get long (I usually put in 10.5 hours per day), but I am so thankful for a job that is close to home and that I enjoy. I have also gotten used to driving box trucks (small semi-trucks for those who don't know what that is), which I had never imagined before. I actually find it fun and very satisfying.
          This last weekend I had a fun mini adventure with my parents, brother Ryan, and friend Jana. Jana drove down Friday morning from Camp Friedenswald where she is working this summer to get in a car to drive to Orrville, Oh where we picked up Ryan, then drove up to Cleveland. We saw the Indians play the Baltimore Orioles in baseball there at Progressive Field. The Orioles won 10-2, which was actually good since I was cheering for them in the place of my friend Stephanie, who is a huge Orioles fan and was watching on tv. We stayed for the fireworks show, which was absolutely AMAZING! Probably the best I have ever seen! It was all timed to Beatles songs and also included lasers and fire! We spent the night at a hotel in Orrville, then went to Akron the next day to Stan Hywet Hall and gardens. This mansion was built in 1913 for the founder of Goodyear tires. The entire place is spectacular with huge grounds to explore. We hung out with Ryan for a bit before driving back to Pandora.
          Sunday night I presented about Congo at my church. We had a really great turn out of people that were truly interested in the subject. People seem very willing to support the cause and I really believe that a resolution will be passed soon declaring Grace Mennonite Church conflict-free! We will be the first Mennonite church to sign such a resolution and thus will declare that we want electronics companies to know that they need to clean up their supply chain so that the electronics we buy will not contribute to the ongoing conflict in the Congo.
         I cannot believe that summer is almost over! There are only four weeks left and I feel like I have so much more to do! I have read barely any books, and studying for my GRE has not happened! So on my days off and evenings, I really hope I can be motivated to study so I can ace the GRE, read some really great books, be able to make some collages and paintings, watch a lot of Olympic coverage from London, see and hang out with some friends, and spend some quality self time before I have to pack and head back to Virginia. A lot to do, and I better get to it!
        

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Exploring Colorado!

          Time has really been flying by these last few days. My time spent in Kansas flew by. I had such a great time seeing more relatives and having time to just read and relax. I also got to help celebrate Beth and Nadia’s birthdays that are this week. Nadia was so cute as she grabbed at her cake and got all messy as she enjoyed eating it. My grandma and I drove out to Colorado on Wednesday. My grandparents built a cabin in the early eighties on Mt. Princeton near Buena Vista. I have been coming out here since I was a baby and the place really is a second home to me. Actually, in many ways, it is the only place where I feel I truly belong.

            Home has been an interesting concept that I have spent a lot of time thinking about in the last few years. I was born in Kansas, but moved away when I was six, so Kansas really is not home. But I never felt like I truly belonged in Indiana and could never see a future there. I am settled in Pandora, but I don’t know many people in the town and even though I have a job and a great bedroom, the place will never truly be home for me. I have spent more time at college than in Pandora. I love Harrisonburg and Virginia, but I do not see myself living there after college. So this only leaves Colorado.

            Here, up high over 9,000 feet I feel a sense of security and comfort. No matter how much time I spend away, being back in the mountains feels so natural and truly at home. It is here that I spent so many summer weeks and loved being as a child. As an adult I still feel that same sort of magic about the place. The cabin is isolated so that life just seems to slow down and I am filled with peace that I have found no other place. It is here that I know and feel the presence of God. I hear the wind blow through the Aspen trees with hummingbirds buzzing around and all my walls and insecurities I built up over the years I was away seem to just fall down. Here, I have time to truly reflect on my life because everything seems just so far away and am able to be the person that I want.

            And in this place, I do not only have time to be myself, I have adventure knocking at my door. Beyond reading, scrapbooking, and spending time with my family, there is so much to do! We always visit at least once the nearby ghost town of St. Elmo. This old mining village still has some of its original buildings and is alive with history. But my favorite part of the town is where some logs and boards have been placed on the ground to provide a place to feed chipmunks. The chipmunks here are so tame and come out everyday to eat sunflower seeds out of the hands of tourists. As an animal love, this never gets old! Friday morning my grandma and I drove out and I enjoyed having the chipmunks crawl all over me as I held out my hand to feed them.

            This weekend my grandma and I had a great adventure as we went on a road trip to Denver. This was my first experience in Denver other than dropping people off at the airport. We met up with my friend Lauren in Littleton at a really great café. Now Lauren, who is from the Denver area, had been in my art history class in Belgium, and we had become good friends as we traveled on the different field trips together. I had not seen her since I left Europe, so I was so excited to catch up with her! We had a delightful lunch (fish tacos) and explored a little of Littleton before heading downtown Denver to the new History Colorado Museum. This museum opened a little over a month ago and has a lot of interactive displays to teach people about this great state. Not only did we learn a lot of history, Lauren and I also got to go ski jumping (virtually) and milk a face cow! I loved the visit so much and am looking forward to the time when I can go out and spend a longer amount of time with the beautiful Lauren!

            After dropping Lauren back off at her apartment, Grandma and I drove to Arvada to visit her niece Jeannette. We had a lovely dinner then headed out to the suburb of Golden where we had a lovely walk by the river and ate some frozen yogurt. Jeannette then drove us up to the top of the mountain where you can see Denver in the far distance. Buffalo Bill is supposedly buried at the top of the mountain. Once again, the beauty of the mountains took my breath away. No matter how many times I come here, I am still blown away by the beauty. As amazing as some of the places I visited in Europe were, nothing compares to the Rocky Mountains!

            After spending the night at Jeannette’s house, Grandma and I drove to Vail, Colorado. We bought our tickets and headed to the top of the mountain on a gondola ride. I had been up here with my dad a year and a half ago, but that time the mountain was full of snow and skiers. This time, the mountains were green (well as green as it gets during the heat and dry weather Colorado is getting) and full of hikers and bikers. The views from the top are outstanding and it was so fun to be able to see mountains in every direction you look! We ate lunch at the top before heading back down into town. Once back in town, we looked around at the farmer’s market and a couple of store before driving back down to Buena Vista to get some ice cream.

            On our way back, about ten miles north of Leadville, we went past a forest fire! We could only see smoke and it was still a ways away from the road and any houses. That fire (the New Treasure fire) is one of twelve fires currently burning in the state! It is really scary watching the nightly news to hear of the different fires spreading across the state. The fire we saw has only burned 300 acres so far, but is only 5% contained. This is tiny compared to the High Park fire, which has spread across 82,000 acres! There is a fire ban in place in most areas around the state and even the village of Alpine, where my cabin is located, is taking every precaution against this very present danger! We really need to keep these fires and men and women fighting them in our thoughts and prayers. 11,000 have been evacuated throughout the state and if rain does not come soon, the situation will only get worse!

            Grandma and I plan on driving back to Kansas tomorrow, then I will leave Friday to spend the weekend in St. Louis with my other Belgium roommate, Erica before going home on Sunday. I have loved this time with my grandma and honestly, I am not looking forward to heading home. 

Researching Eastern Congo

          In November 2010, I traveled with four other EMU students to New York City to attend MCC's UN Liaison's annual student conference. That year the topic was conflict minerals. We learned all about the four minerals (Tin, Tungsten, Tantalum, and Gold) that are being mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be used in our cell phones, computers, and other electronics. The mining of these minerals is causing much violence, however, because different rebel groups fight to control the mines. We heard many different speakers who spoke on the work the United Nations is doing to pass international legislation that will make electronic companies have better control of the resources and do due diligence to know exactly where their minerals are coming from, as to not add to the violence in the country. The conference was very informative, but we left feeling kind of helpless, not knowing what we could personally do to help make things better.
          Then this past semester, EMU's International Student Organization hosted a speaker from the Enough Project for International Women's Day, who spoke on conflict minerals and the violence it has caused to women in the country. My friend Josh Kanagy, who had been in New York with me, and I attended the coffeehouse and talked to the speaker afterward. We learned of the Enough Project's campaign titled the "Conflict-Free Campus Initiative." Two weeks later, Josh and I traveled to Washington D.C. to attend a weekend conference with students across the United States who were interested in working to stop the human rights abuses in the DRC. The Conflict-Free Campus Initiative is taking place on over a hundred college campuses across the country. As a huge consumer of electronics, colleges can make an impact on electronic companies policy. The campaign works to have universities pass resolutions saying that they only want to buy electronics that come "conflict-free," or in other words, do not contribute to the violence in the DRC. Josh and I learned a lot and decided that we want to start the campaign at EMU. We believe that this is a tangible way that we can help to try to make change.
          So this summer I decided to make it my goal to learn everything I could about the situation in Eastern Congo and the best ways to get involved. The first part of my plan was to get informed. To do this, I have been reading informational websites, blogs, and books. My first book was Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond by Don Cheadle (the actor from Hotel Rwanda) and John Prendergast (the founder of the Enough Project). Although this book did not directly address Congo, it did give some ways on how everyday people can work to make a difference. They explained in detail how people need to raise awareness, raise funds, write letter, call for divestment, join an organization, and lobby the government.Many celebrities, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and others, have joined in this cause to try to make a difference when it comes to genocide.
          The next book that I just finished is called Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa by Jason K. Stearns. The book gives the political history of the conflict in Congo since 1992. I was very impressed with the book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand the conflict. I leaned so much about how the government in the DRC functions and how the conflict in the country cannot be reduced to just one cause. The conflict minerals play a role, but are only one of many strands of an intricate conflict that has been going on for years. However, we as Americans have a role to play to make it end. Stearns writes in his conclusion,
            "But why should we help at all? First, because it is not just an act of joint humanity. We owe it to the Congolese. Most obviously because of the centuries of slavery, colonialism, and exploitation of rubber, copper, and diamonds, which benefited western companies and helped build Belgian cities.Those past injustices should be reason enough for feeling a moral debt toward the country, but we don't need to go so far. Most of the foreign companies operating in the Congo today are listed on stock exchanges, are incorporated in Europe or North America, or obtain their financing from banks based in those countries. Many of these companies are engaging in questionable behavior that would be proscribed in their home countries. Big mining companies have signed contracts that provide little revenue to the state and have allegedly provided large kickbacks to government officials. Smaller trading companies buy minerals from the eastern Congo without scrutinizing the origins of their shipments to make sure they are not funding armed groups. Se we should do what we can to allow the Congolese to benefit from their riches, not be held back by them."
          I am very convicted that this is an issue all of us need to be concerned with. We all have cell phones and computers and so in a way, we are all partly responsible for some of the violence. So it is our responsibility to stand up to electronic companies and demand conflict-free products! We need to tell our Congressmen that we want legislation passed that will benefit those in Congo. I hope to post more throughout the summer of ways in which I am becoming involved and how we can make a difference from the United States. Good resources I have found are the Enough project's website, http://www.enoughproject.org/conflict_areas/eastern_congo along with their sister organization Raise Hope for Congo http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/. To keep up with current developments in the country I would suggest reading Jason Stearn's blog at http://congosiasa.blogspot.com/.