As I watched the inauguration this morning I was intrigued by several things.
What was going through the mind of President Bush? Certainly it was a blend of thoughts and emotions. A sadness to be leaving a position that he must have loved more deeply than any of us can imagine. Not because of the power or the perks but for the love of his nation and we the people he called, “my fellow Americans.”
I am not a political pundit. I am ignorant of politics and the workings of partisan government influence. But I think I know a man when I see one. A real man. A man not of polish or pretense, but a man who cared more about doing the right thing than merely saying the right words. A real man who was willing to do the right thing regardless of how unpopular the decision.
Like you I was amused by the misspeaks and verbal gaffs uttered by the 43rd president. To say he was not a gifted speaker is to say that Gilligan was not a great sailor.
But when George W. Bush spoke in the National Cathedral following September 11, 2001 you knew he was speaking with genuine emotion, genuine grief and genuine resolve. When he spoke by executive order and appealed to the nation for support, as he called us to war against the terrorist that were harbored in Afghanistan and Iraq, what he lacked in eloquence he made up for in resolve and conviction.
History may judge my president poorly for the result and the recovery of Iraq. But a man cannot make a nation choose freedom and liberty and democracy, he can only give them a choice. And he gave them a choice.
My new president is gifted at speaking and demeanor. He is very intelligent and inspiring. But he like his predecessor, is faced with a great challenge that threatens the very fiber of our nation.
He is faced with a new enemy. The enemy is not foreign but domestic. Its weapons are not military but are monetary. Our new president has been given the great challenge of overcoming consumerism and greed.
President Obama must lead our nation beyond the intoxication of riches and the allusion of wealth without work. He must lead us to rise above selfishness and indulgence.
He as any president is charged with leading our great nation. If we are to prove we are a great nation then we must choose to follow. We will not all agree on every decision that he makes. But we must remember one man cannot make our nation great. He can only offer us a choice.
A choice to live within our means. The chance to choose to measure our wealth and our worth not by the mirage of Wall Street but by the true sweat of American ingenuity. Where people do a fair day’s work for a fair days wage to produce a product of which everyone can be proud.
President Obama is what every president before him has been. Just a man with great responsibility thrust upon him because he was willing to serve. We the people must choose to pray for him. Encourage him. Follow him as much and as far as we can. At best he will be able to lead and offer us a good choice…but we the people must make the choice.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Africa 2009
Our 2009 journey to Africa began on Friday Morning Jan 2. We hit the road at 9:00 am. We flew out of Raleigh Airport to a connection at JFK in NY. From there we flew to Casablanca, Morocco. With a 12 hour layover we took in a tour of the city and made our next connection to Burkina Faso in West Africa. From the airport we traveled over 5 hours by bus to the mission house in Diabougou. By the time we went to bed that night we had been traveling for over 50 hours.
Our work week began Monday morning with a one hour ride to the village of Nakar. A small remote village without power or water. A village that has changed little in the last 500 years. It occurred to me that Jesus must have made his was into villages just like Nakar.
Each day began with a worship service and gospel sermon. Each day we saw adults from the village and surrounding villages make professions of faith. Following the service we would see patiences until 5:00 each afternoon and then make the one hour drive back to the mission house.
A typical visit to the clinic for one of the locals was an interview with a nurse with the aid of a translator. They would move from the interview to the Malaria testing station. With results in hand they would move on to an interview with a highly experienced nurse or with a Doctor. Following a visit with the Doctor the patient would move to the pharmacy bench where they would receive a worm treatment, a malaria treatment if necessary and other medicines as prescribed by the Doctor. Some of the most prescribed medicines were OTC pain reliever and antibiotics. Many patients went through a wound care area where major wounds were dressed and bandaged. Several severe wounds were treated. Broken leg, burns, lacerations, and the most abused feet on the planet were typical cases.
We saw patients for five days. Concluding the clinic on Friday afternoon by seeing nothing but infants and small high risk children. It was the toughest day of the week. So many sick and needy people and not enough time or resources to help them all.
Our return trip began early Saturday morning with a return trip of 5 hours back to the capital city of Ouagadougou. We took a short shopping trip for souvenirs and dinner before making our way back to the airport for a 3:00 am flight. We flew back to Casablanca and then on to JFK and back into RDU. Upon arrival in Raleigh we learned that none of our baggage had made the flight. I laid down in my bed at 1:00 Monday morning. The end of about 40 hours of travel.
A quick road trip to Dillon SC on Wednesday secured our luggage and we celebrated our trip with our congregation on Sunday night Jan 18 at Sardis.
On the trip we saw 439 people in the clinic. Treated 152 for Malaria and saw 94 people make professions of faith. I want to thank www.shatteringdarkness.org for planning the trip and for the whole team that went. I want to especially thank Frank and Kim Donohue, Rob and Angela Jackson, and my son Jonathan for being such great team mates.
I love you all. Kenn Hucks
Our work week began Monday morning with a one hour ride to the village of Nakar. A small remote village without power or water. A village that has changed little in the last 500 years. It occurred to me that Jesus must have made his was into villages just like Nakar.
Each day began with a worship service and gospel sermon. Each day we saw adults from the village and surrounding villages make professions of faith. Following the service we would see patiences until 5:00 each afternoon and then make the one hour drive back to the mission house.
A typical visit to the clinic for one of the locals was an interview with a nurse with the aid of a translator. They would move from the interview to the Malaria testing station. With results in hand they would move on to an interview with a highly experienced nurse or with a Doctor. Following a visit with the Doctor the patient would move to the pharmacy bench where they would receive a worm treatment, a malaria treatment if necessary and other medicines as prescribed by the Doctor. Some of the most prescribed medicines were OTC pain reliever and antibiotics. Many patients went through a wound care area where major wounds were dressed and bandaged. Several severe wounds were treated. Broken leg, burns, lacerations, and the most abused feet on the planet were typical cases.
We saw patients for five days. Concluding the clinic on Friday afternoon by seeing nothing but infants and small high risk children. It was the toughest day of the week. So many sick and needy people and not enough time or resources to help them all.
Our return trip began early Saturday morning with a return trip of 5 hours back to the capital city of Ouagadougou. We took a short shopping trip for souvenirs and dinner before making our way back to the airport for a 3:00 am flight. We flew back to Casablanca and then on to JFK and back into RDU. Upon arrival in Raleigh we learned that none of our baggage had made the flight. I laid down in my bed at 1:00 Monday morning. The end of about 40 hours of travel.
A quick road trip to Dillon SC on Wednesday secured our luggage and we celebrated our trip with our congregation on Sunday night Jan 18 at Sardis.
On the trip we saw 439 people in the clinic. Treated 152 for Malaria and saw 94 people make professions of faith. I want to thank www.shatteringdarkness.org for planning the trip and for the whole team that went. I want to especially thank Frank and Kim Donohue, Rob and Angela Jackson, and my son Jonathan for being such great team mates.
I love you all. Kenn Hucks
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