What does it mean to value all people as Jesus does?
I’ve a friend who’s a professor of peace studies, a lawyer with a doctorate of law on human rights. We often get into discussions, even arguments on the way to interpret rights. First – I believe strongly in human rights. Our promise at cbm is to “value all as Jesus does”, which in my mind is stronger than human...
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The Miracle of School
My wife is a teacher, and today (in Canada) kids are going back to school. We sometimes take school for granted. Certainly most Canadian kids do. In my experience working internationally education is one of the key tools in breaking the cycle of poverty to whole communities. It is even more crucial in the cycle of poverty and disability....
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Fighting Injustice: Lessons from MLK
Last week was the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder. I am old enough to remember that day. I am fascinated by him but have marveled over the years at how his reputation has mellowed. Make no mistake, MLK was radical. He demanded society and individuals change. He may have done so in a non-violent way, but still,...
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Prove it!
When I was a kid, this phrase was often used to silence an argument. New ideas, something a bit different, a new concept was often challenged with the phrase “prove it”! It’s still important today to prove what works and why. Over the last three years we’ve been working on 3D printing of prosthetics. We believed that we could...
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I can’t imagine turning anyone away.
Last May I watched a 4-year-old child in Tanzania who was almost blind gain full sight! Shadhili came into our partner hospital CCBRT with cataracts, seeing only light and darkness, nothing more. After he and his mother travelled four long days to CCBRT, it took less than 24 hours for his pre-surgery check, surgery and night rest. In the...
Read moreSurvival Shows are Fake
I like watching TV shows about the wilderness and people testing their survival skills. Often one of the key and vital challenges is to obtain access to water… clean water. If the participants can’t find clean water, they call for help. If they still don’t get the help they need, they fail to “survive”. In reality, this just...
Read moreJoy to the World
Christmas is about music and joy. One of my favourite Christmas hymns is “Joy to the World” and when I thought about this song this year, two joy-packed stories popped into my mind. The first story is from 1987, when my wife (Norilynn) and I lived in Jordan. At that time, Norilynn managed a rehab center in a Palestinian...
Read morePrayer Bridges Oceans and Cultures
Amazing things happen when you pray with someone. And it really doesn’t matter where you are or even what faith group you belong to. Because prayer bridges miles and a multitude of differences. At our partner hospital, CoRSU in Uganda, we often meet with the caregivers before or after surgery. In some ways, we’re intrusive… foreigners. And we’re meeting...
Read moreNot just another day…
Recently, at a family gathering, my cousin — a year younger than I — told me he had undergone cataract surgery. “What a difference this simple surgery made,” he told me. He was having difficulty driving in the evening, reading and working. His poor vision was gradually creeping into most of his life. It reminded me of the upcoming...
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