The Front Porch Swing

[Loc20chick]

Very interesting. You know, I never thought about how big Africa is. In all honesty, I don't think much about Africa at all. It seems such a lost cause I fear I stick my head in the sand about it.

Of all continents, Africa is the one I know the least about.

I stopped watching most news. I read headlines and that's it. Too much insanity going on around the world.. I try and better my own backyard and not add to the problem.

Don't believe all the headlines/news you read, most of it is distorted or exaggerated.

That version of the map always floors me.The hubs is there now working. The very first thing he said to me when he had been there a couple of days was "every american should have to come to a third world country, it truly puts things in perspective." We no longer take our communications for granted.

I also no longer watch the news as they do not give accurate reports. I speak to people who actually live there and compare versions. Main stream media almost always gets it wrong.

X2.
I have friends and relatives there who live better than here. It not all areas are unsafe or everyone barely surviving. I always tell people who ask me how do you like life here compared to Africa that like here, there are good and bad in every country there are areas I wouldn't feel safe going at certain times of day or night here in America and same thing in Africa. Just like America is over glorified in the media over there, same way only the worst news of Africa are shown here.

We do take so many things for granted here. Communications, roads, food. The 'news' frustrates my by its lack of real information.

true

 

[perchie.girl]

Topdycke
Where do I go in Magnolia, TX to get my first chickens?
Thanks

Hi Topdycke are you new here did I miss your intro.... OMG... Welcome to the Front Porch.... And Welcome to BYC

I am not from Texas but are you looking for Chicks or Hens... If you know where the local feed store is they will most likely have chicks. You can locate grown birds on Craigslist.

deb

 

[Triple Willow]

Yeah....  I know....   across the Mediterranean and you have Malta, Italy, Greece.... ...   I feel so Stoopid. 

deb

Check out what's going on just off the coast of Florida in Haiti. It looks just like the pitiful conditions in some places in Africa. Check out Love A Child ministry.

 

[rrrmamma]

I finally have time to post. My daughter left today taking a ton of chaos and confusion with her. She came last Thursday with my younger granddaughter, Jayla and two of Madi's friends from MO to celebrate Jayla's birthday. She was also accompanied by 3 Chihuahuas. I spent 4 days in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up. The kicker is Jayla is scheduled to fly back here on Friday for a two week stay. She wanted to spend her birthday on Friday with her sister and since my daughter has no backbone and cannot say no, the drove 12 hours to bring them here for 3 days. Jayla wanted to be home to go to summer school for 4 days before she comes for her visit; I did not raise my daughter. She was raised by adoptive parents. We have only recently been reunited. Honestly, I would have been embarrassed if I was the one to raise her. She says her girls and dogs are all she has but she does them no favors by constantly spoiling them and waiting on them. At 16 and 18 they have never had a job and any responsibility . I think she feels that if they learn how to survive without her or she says no to anything she will lose them. Madi says her Mom is crazy and that she hates her. We have a lot of work to do with this young woman . I love Madi and think we can bring some peace and love into her life. At home she had no structure. Now I really understand where a lot of her problems stem from.
The dogs spent their time chasing my cats, trying to get into the room with mamma cat and her litter and peeing everywhere, Tomorrow, Madi says she will scrub the carpets and her mom was "stupid" to bring them here. She is a different girl when it is just us. Sweet, cooperative and willing to help. At home she did nothing but fight with her parents and get in trouble. She will have a hard time getting in trouble "down on the farm"
Sorry for my rant. I just needed to release some steam.
On a happier note we are going to pick wild grape leaves to can to make dolmades with. Both girls like the way I make them and I think it will be fun to do some canning with them. Don't think they know I stuff them with ground lamb! We went through about 30 of them in 2 days. My eyes are getting droopy so it is off to bed tonight.

 

[Loc20chick]

I've been thinking about these things myself. Every time you talk to someone about giving money to those ministering to the poor of these countries, they always come back with the same thing..."I can't afford to give money away, as me and my family are just struggling to get by"~I hear it from my own family. Those kind of comments make me give a loud~but internal~snort! Really? Do they really "struggle" like those people struggle? Do they even know what that word means?

No one in America is poor compared to the poor of those countries. Even our homeless have better garbage to glean out of the dumpsters, they have soup kitchens, they have homeless shelters, etc. Over there? Nuttin'.

I too used to think I couldn't afford to help others but God opened my eyes to my own excess and that's when I really started increasing the efforts towards frugal living. I was already pretty frugal, but He showed me more ways in which I could cut expenditures and even ways to not spend at all. Then it became a way to honor God, as we are to do all things as if we are doing them for Him.

Here awhile back a BYC member was very insulting towards me and accused me of always thinking about money, money, money when I was stressing trying to save money on chicken feed.....well, I do. I do think about it every time I dish out feed to my chickens... that a family could live on for about 3 days...or more.

If we don't think about these things, if we turn a blind eye to these people, what does that say about us and our ability to love our neighbor? How can we continue to consume without a thought of those who have nothing to consume? Do we really need that pair of shoes? Can we get the same thing at Good Will for $3.99 instead of buying it for $35? Can that extra money be funneled towards people who are spreading the gospel and ministering to these countries and people who have never heard it before? I bet it can.

TW is right....our chickens eat better than millions of people out there and should that make us feel guilty and driven to make a change? You bet it should.

This reminds me of a verse and a very specific set of criteria~a set of questions that Christ will ask at the Judgement Seat~ that can indicate where our heart lies....

Matthew 25:35-40
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

I asked my kids this when we were on vacation: When is the last time we ever truly gave someone food, water or clothing? Was it once or have we formed a habit of it? When did we take anyone in and give them shelter? When did we visit the sick or imprisoned (for Christ's sake)? I think there is an opportunity to do all these things by supporting an honorable mission group who ministers to the poor in these 2/3 world countries, if we cannot go there ourselves.

It doesn't have to be much, just what we have extra. If we never stop spending on ourselves, our kids, our pets and our hobbies, how will we ever have any extra? Chicken math? Really? It's not a joke, it's never been a joke to me and I've never found it to be funny. That's why I subtract before I add, that's why I eat them instead of rehome, that's why I am constantly trying to cut feed costs....because there are better places to spend the money God has given me in this life.

I've been thinking about this a lot and I can do better. I WILL do better. And I will get back to living my life in light of eternity, with the thought of laying up treasures there instead of here. The devil is very good at distracting me from that purpose and he dangles the things I want in front of me...even chickens. More chickens, better chickens, etc. At the end I just want to be told "well done, thou good and faithful servant" and I'm just not sure self-indulgence is the way to hear those words from my Father.

Just ponderings.....sorry...didn't mean to rattle on and do my soul searching out loud but just felt led to do so.

Very true Bee, I thank God that I was born and raised with just the bare minimum, no TV, Electricity or tap water and never thought that we were poor. We had all we needed and extra to help our neighbors. Instead of complaining of what we don't have we should learn to share what we actually have and thank God for it for there is always someone who is less fortunate than me. I try and support missions that dig wells or start programs that benefit the poor communities in addition to doing my own things when I travel there like buying bibles in the native languages.

You make me smile when you ask do some people even know the meaning of struggle because, what I hear people saying they are struggling with is laughable.

By the way your statement ("I can't afford to give money away, as me and my family are just struggling to get by"~I hear it from my own family) there are same kind of people there. I have some relatives living very well in Africa while their own brother/sister nieces and nephews are struggling day by day to survive and are not willing to help them, I just fail to understand how I could eat and sleep well when I know my sister and her kids are sleeping hungry or barely eating enough. (this is in reference to my cousins who are doing well not helping their brother who is barely making it)

A word of caution though when supporting some of the very advertised ministries claiming to help, make sure that your donations are actually going to help and not where 80% of the donation goes toward administrative cost...

You didn't rattle you made valid points.

 

[Loc20chick]

Of course there are people that need food, clothes, etc. But when I give money I want it to go first and foremost towards saving souls. You can feed everybody in the world but if they don't meet the Savior they are d*mn*d in the end anyway.

you could give bibles

 

[Loc20chick]

I finally have time to post. My daughter left today taking a ton of chaos and confusion with her. She came last Thursday with my younger granddaughter, Jayla and two of Madi's friends from MO to celebrate Jayla's birthday. She was also accompanied by 3 Chihuahuas. I spent 4 days in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up. The kicker is Jayla is scheduled to fly back here on Friday for a two week stay. She wanted to spend her birthday on Friday with her sister and since my daughter has no backbone and cannot say no, the drove 12 hours to bring them here for 3 days. Jayla wanted to be home to go to summer school for 4 days before she comes for her visit; I did not raise my daughter. She was raised by adoptive parents. We have only recently been reunited. Honestly, I would have been embarrassed if I was the one to raise her. She says her girls and dogs are all she has but she does them no favors by constantly spoiling them and waiting on them. At 16 and 18 they have never had a job and any responsibility . I think she feels that if they learn how to survive without her or she says no to anything she will lose them. Madi says her Mom is crazy and that she hates her. We have a lot of work to do with this young woman . I love Madi and think we can bring some peace and love into her life. At home she had no structure. Now I really understand where a lot of her problems stem from.
The dogs spent their time chasing my cats, trying to get into the room with mamma cat and her litter and peeing everywhere, Tomorrow, Madi says she will scrub the carpets and her mom was "stupid" to bring them here. She is a different girl when it is just us. Sweet, cooperative and willing to help. At home she did nothing but fight with her parents and get in trouble. She will have a hard time getting in trouble "down on the farm"
Sorry for my rant. I just needed to release some steam.
On a happier note we are going to pick wild grape leaves to can to make dolmades with. Both girls like the way I make them and I think it will be fun to do some canning with them. Don't think they know I stuff them with ground lamb! We went through about 30 of them in 2 days. My eyes are getting droopy so it is off to bed tonight.

Glad you got time to release..

The dolmades you mentioned (first time hearing about them) do they have to be particular leaves, I have some wild grape vines growing out of the bush behind our property I could try making them. Do you use any of the leaves?

 

[Triple Willow]

you could give bibles

Yes I have done that before. Thank you for bringing that up though. I need to talk to my ministry partners about that. They have started a new church with several new members that I am sure most don't have a bible. But another problem is who can read. I wish I had a bunch of solar powered bibles on mp3 players.

 

[sarahsunshine]

I finally have time to post. My daughter left today taking a ton of chaos and confusion with her. She came last Thursday with my younger granddaughter, Jayla and two of Madi's friends from MO to celebrate Jayla's birthday. She was also accompanied by 3 Chihuahuas. I spent 4 days in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up. The kicker is Jayla is scheduled to fly back here on Friday for a two week stay. She wanted to spend her birthday on Friday with her sister and since my daughter has no backbone and cannot say no, the drove 12 hours to bring them here for 3 days. Jayla wanted to be home to go to summer school for 4 days before she comes for her visit; I did not raise my daughter. She was raised by adoptive parents. We have only recently been reunited. Honestly, I would have been embarrassed if I was the one to raise her. She says her girls and dogs are all she has but she does them no favors by constantly spoiling them and waiting on them. At 16 and 18 they have never had a job and any responsibility . I think she feels that if they learn how to survive without her or she says no to anything she will lose them. Madi says her Mom is crazy and that she hates her. We have a lot of work to do with this young woman . I love Madi and think we can bring some peace and love into her life. At home she had no structure. Now I really understand where a lot of her problems stem from.
The dogs spent their time chasing my cats, trying to get into the room with mamma cat and her litter and peeing everywhere, Tomorrow, Madi says she will scrub the carpets and her mom was "stupid" to bring them here. She is a different girl when it is just us. Sweet, cooperative and willing to help. At home she did nothing but fight with her parents and get in trouble. She will have a hard time getting in trouble "down on the farm"
Sorry for my rant. I just needed to release some steam.
On a happier note we are going to pick wild grape leaves to can to make dolmades with. Both girls like the way I make them and I think it will be fun to do some canning with them. Don't think they know I stuff them with ground lamb! We went through about 30 of them in 2 days. My eyes are getting droopy so it is off to bed tonight.

Rant away! Obviously well needed! Can I get your dolmades recipe please? I LOVE those and could go through 30 in an hour, let alone 2 days!

And boy will these girls thank you for your down to earth perspective and attitude!

 

[zinia8]

Mamma hen and her new brood