What aid work looks like in Africa
The invitation arrived last September: “Would you like to accompany the Canadian Foodgrains Bank on a media study tour of Ethiopia?” It sounded like an eye-opening opportunity to see an organization follow through on its mandate to combat global hunger. Our trip was planned so that we would get a chance to see what aid…
Greening Africa
At a February ceremony in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Migibare Senay Children and Family Support Organization received a first place “green award” from President Girma Wolde-Giorgis. The organization’s work is “a model of sustainable land management,” according to a release put out by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), which has partnered with Migibare Senay over the…
The trouble with normal
“You can’t be serious. Pork! Pork is what you eat for breakfast, not fish, not lobster and definitely not sushi! What is this world coming to? Fish for breakfast? This is an outrage! Bacon, ham, sausage, eggs: these are proper breakfast foods. Everybody knows this!” My sister-in-law was neither intimidated nor dissuaded by my passionate…
Have a blessed, refreshed summer
We are nearing the end of another Canadian winter and looking forward to a change of seasons. Some of you may already be making plans for your summer vacation. Some may have plans for renovation projects, while others are planning time to relax by the lake or in the backyard. Maybe your plans include a…
Paying tribute
When my dad died, I worked with family members to prepare a eulogy. I gave the first draft to my husband, and asked for feedback. “It’s good,” he said slowly, and then gently added, “It’s a little too good.” (I knew immediately what he meant, but waited for his explanation.) “It’s important to speak of…
Dust off your Bibles!
Over the years, the Faith and Life Committee of Mennonite Church Canada has often heard questions about the place of Scripture in our lives: “Do our people read the Bible anymore anyway?” “Does how we think about an issue depend on how we read Scripture?” “Where do we place the Bible with respect to other…
Readers write
‘Regular guys’ who went off to war A former soldier read, and liked, a poem for peace that I’d sent to a veterans organization working hard for peace. He phoned me and we became good friends over time. He’d often invite my wife and me to come visit him, and he liked nothing better than…
Still in need of a village square
This is the time of year when Canadian Mennonite’s 12 board members gather for their annual meeting to look backward and forward to see how the national publication has met the needs of its readers, has ongoing financial viability and is meeting the challenges of a New Media age. This year’s discussions focused on how…
Beauty from loss
It is indescribable, the feeling of losing a loved one, especially when that person is lost as the result of a murder. Cliff, Wilma and Odia Derksen have experienced this firsthand, having lost Candace, their daughter and sister, in 1985, when she was grabbed off the street, bound and left to freeze in an industrial…
