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Tuesday, September 20, 2011 Hey all, I've been relaxing the last couple days. It's been nice to sleep in a bed for a little bit. I just wanted to follow up on my trip with a few pictures, and a little more detail. Here's a picture of Prosper. He was my traveling companion for the trip. He was a joy to travel with and like me he was happy to work hard and play hard, so we got along just great. He can speak a little Maasai and just a little bit of English so between the two of us we could communicate pretty well.

This article ran in Sojourners this month. I would be interested in getting your reaction:

A Convert to Peace

A conservative Republican member of Congress talks about his journey of repentance for supporting the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Interview by Jim Wallis

A Litany of Remembrance, Penitence and Hope We light a candle in remembrance for all those who suffered and died on September 11, 2001, in New York, Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. We light a candle to remember those who still live and who suffer because of the events of that day. ________________________________________ Remembrance begins with deep, personal identification. It begins with remembering the affliction of our brothers and sisters, and marking their pain as our own.

We learn to be members of the Good and Beautiful Community by doing, by giving, by sharing. This week, put into practice these (not-so) Random Acts of Kindness! They won't change the world; but they may begin a powerful change of perspective in you.

Practice Random Acts of Kindness
Deliver fresh-baked cookies to city workers
Collect food and deliver it to a food bank
Take donuts to work as a treat for your co-workers
Volunteer in an elementary school classroom
Clean your office or your classroom for the custodian
Order, pay for and have a pizza delivered to your neighbor

My friend Jeff sent me this quote from the populist pundit: "I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

Our journey from Paris to Normandy began with a whimper. We allotted plenty of time to walk from our digs at the Garden Hotel to the Metro station at Grand St. Lazare (which was the subject of a series of Monet paintings.) At the station we validated our tickets, waited like patient tourists until the information on our train popped up on the overhead board, and climbed onto our train with twenty minutes to spare. I thought it odd that only a handful of passengers were boarding, but wrote it off to our thoughtful preparation.

I just uploaded some more pictures.  Check out the following link for sabbatical pictures from Namibia, Kenya, Scotland/Iona, and France/Taize. 

Go to: http://hopwoodcc.org/photos?page=1

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    Tonight is our last night on the Isle of Iona.  The wind and sea are calm this evening.  Lights are coming on in homes on the Isle of Mull, just across the water.  To the west is open water, all the way to North America.
    The island is rocky and rolling, full of green pastures and wild flowers.  Houses here are made of stone; sheep and wooly cattle far outnumber people.  The hundred or so residents are farmers and fishermen, artists and craftsmen.

Check out the latest pictures from the Rosses in Kenya!

http://hopwoodcc.org/node/6227

Check out a few Kenya pictures at: http://hopwoodcc.org/node/6227