Catching up

Wow! I'm very sorry for the 2 week gap in posting on Bread Blog.  Let's just say we got caught up with recent events - Hunger Justice Leaders Training and Lobby Day.  I wish we had live blogged from each session during the training, but many of us were too busy with other tasks or details.  Luckily, some Hunger Justice Leaders stepped up to the plate and they mentioned the training on their blogs. 

Anne Edison-Albright from Westmont, NJ (soon relocating to Slovakia for an internship) posted about the opening worship.  She will post her notes from the whole event soon.  Stay tuned to her blog - Leaves from a Lutheran notebook.

Ben Wideman from Pasadena, CA has some pictures from the weekend, including the image above of our California group after a lobby visit with Senator Boxer's office.  We met with an aide from the office to discuss increasing poverty focused development assistance by $5 billion for FY 2009.  It was amazing to see this group lobby.  A few days prior, many of them expressed their fears and concerns about meeting with congressional offices.  It was incredible to watch them step up to the challenge and nail the meetings.  I was moved by their stories of visiting or living in the developing world.  Many in our delegation represented their home countries - stories of parents and grandparents who emigrated to the US to ensure a better life for their families and children.  This group is not only passionate, but they deeply understand the value of seeking justice by speaking out to some of the most powerful people in our nation.

Laura Mac's livejournal has some great reflections on the whole experience of the training and Lobby Day.  She writes:

All in all, I feel like I was really invested in during this conference. I learned so much about how our democracy works, I learned about poverty and hunger in the US, about the downfalls of food stamps, and how I really do have a say in my government as a US citizen (what a blessing!). I am determined to encourage others to be active citizens, too (hence my commitment to Bread advocacy for the next year or so). I think I am going to work on getting Justice Matters to do some lobbying in the coming semester among other things. It'll be good to move beyond awareness into practical and effective action.

Amen!