04.30.09
Washington D.C. – Day 2
I woke up on Tuesday excited for another day in D.C., but nervous because we were actually going to our Congressional offices that day. On Monday we’d received a crash (and I do mean CRASH) course in the three main issues that Sojourners would like to address. That wasn’t too hard to grasp, but the additional info about how the budgeting process actually works was mind-blowing. It’s no wonder that we have so many opportunities to fight about stuff – especially money. It’s a really complicated system! It’s eery to me to think about having created a system that seems too large to change. But as was often stated this week, slavery and segregation seemed unchangeable at one point too …
Anyway, there were about 40 of us from Ohio, and we visited the offices of both Senators Voinovich (R) and Brown (D). And then we split up to visit the Representatives from our individual districts. I have never visited a member of Congress before. In fact, I’ve never written a letter until last month, so I feel like I’ve made huge strides in a very short amount of time.
Obviously, these are very busy folks, and so we didn’t meet personally with either Senator or with my Representative, Mary Jo Kilroy. At each office we met with legislative aides. I admit that I was a little disappointed by that, but from what I understand it would have been much more unusual to have actually met with our elected official in person. The House was actually taking a vote when we went to Congresswoman Kilroy’s office, so she had the best excuse, I think 
(By the way, did you know that there are underground tunnels that run from all the Congressional office buildings to the Capitol? I didn’t. How National Treasure is that?! Actually, it’s just quite practical, but I know that if I were a member of Congress I would pretend to be James Bond every time I went down there. I have to admit, I didn’t actually know that not all members of Congress have offices in the Capitol. Some have space there in addition to their main office, but everyone’s main space is in another building. So now I’ve been to D.C. three times and still have never been inside the Capitol.)
Overall, the 1100 attendees of the Mobilization to End Poverty met with 83 Senators and 200 Representatives that day. I feel good about that. It was a good lesson for me because during the Presidential election I was very frustrated because I kept feeling like I couldn’t get close enough to either candidate to know if he was trustworthy. There’s just really no way to know for myself what kind of person someone is when all I get is highly filtered messages. So I’ve long since decided to just put my main focus on local politics. But suddenly there I was on Tuesday standing in my nation’s capitol, meeting with staff from the offices of my Senators and Representatives. I know – it’s not like I met with President Obama. But it did suddenly make national politics seem much more accessible than it ever had before. It was empowering. I think I’ll be making some visits to their district offices too. So Continuum Church folk, I will be asking some of you to come along!
TuesDay2 also included picnic lunching in the park with new friends, a little frisbee throwing in which I injured my thumb because I am not coordinated at all, iced chai at Ebenezer’s, a wander through the Smithsonian American History Museum, some dim sum (ha!), worship lead by Vicky Beeching, and a commute home on the Metro by myself.
I think I could have as easily chronicled this trip by person, not just by day. Maybe I’ll work on that next …
For now, I leave you with verse from Wonderful Cross that I have never heard before. Vicky led this song with a melody unfamiliar to me, and included a verse that everyone else seemed to know, but was powerfully fresh for me:
“Forbid it Lord that I should boast
save in the death of Christ, my God.
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.”
04.27.09
Washington D.C. – Day 1
This morning, I had to be at the Convention Center by 7:30 to help set up the Convoy of Hope booth. They have generously provided my conference registration fee, and I am happy to be representing them at their sponsorship booth. My new friend Linda rode along.
Set up was rough, as somehow we had the right banners but the wrong stands on which to display them. So we borrowed some bright turquoise Duck Tape from the Wesley Seminary folks, and jerry-rigged one of the banners on an easel. It works, but I don’t love it.
I explained my parking situation to Dave Donaldson, and he fixed it for me immediately by making sure that I could park close by and it would be covered. Very generous, but what else could you expect from such a great organization.
Let’s just admit: I’m totally in my element at the booth. I LOVE to talk to people and I REALLY LOVE to talk to people about organizations and causes that I’m passionate about.
Within the first 45 minutes, I struck up a conversation with a lovely young lady who was interested in Dave’s book. She’s a high school history teacher who does an entire unit on global activism. And if that wasn’t cool enough … she’s from Columbus. Get out! No, really, she is! And we think that we might be twins separated at birth.
Needless to say, we hit it off. Immediately. And were inseparable for the rest of the day.
I heard some fabulous speakers, my favorites being Rich Stearns, CEO of World Vision, and Tony Hall, former representative from Ohio who I think needs another run.
I had lunch and fantastic conversation with my good friend Pam Pryor. We don’t agree on everything, but we do agree that there is value in that. And we can work together.
At our lobby day training, New BFF Angel and I met Jonathan, who is passionate about health care and might be our long-lost twin brother. And so the three of us stood around and talked for another hour or so.
Then Angel and I ate dinner at Union Station. I went ahead and left my car securely in the garage. And then I walked back to my temporary home.
I think that the lesson so far is that I will not be conquered. There is no question that evil in the universe conspires against the people of God when we are on to something good. And today it was confirmed that I am on to something REALLY good here. And I’m so glad that I stuck it out yesterday. I’m thankful for friends and family who encouraged me to come, made it possible for me to come, and prayed hard for me when I was so discouraged yesterday. It will be worth it. It IS worth it.
Tomorrow is Lobby Day. We’ll be visiting Senators Brown and Voinovich, and then Angel and I will be visiting Representative Mary Jo Kilroy. And hopefully a trip to the Smithsonian American History Museum to round out the day.
Stay tuned for further reports, which might not come until I’m home because I don’t think I’ll pay for another day of wireless connection. This city needs to learn the value of Free Wi-Fi.
Washington D.C. – Day 0
So today is technically D.C. Day 1, but it won’t make nearly as much sense if you don’t know Day 0. So here we go and I’ll try to be succient but powerful. I am in Washington D.C. for the Mobilization to End Poverty.
I really wanted to arrive in time on Sunday to attend the 4:30 meet and greet with Jim Wallis. I am attending on very generous joint scholarship from Sojourners, Convoy of Hope, and Continuum Church. That event was specifically for scholarship recipients. (And I found out today that there was a little program with bios of all the scholarship recipients so today I’ve actually had several people say, “Oh I saw your bio and I’ve been wanting to meet you.” Ego stoke.)
However, I left the house a little late. I had the <ahem> “trusty” Tom Tom, generously loaned to me by Jill. However, Tom can’t find the Penn House where I’m staying, so Jill spent a lot of time programming in the exact latitude and longitude of the House so that I could use Tom for directions. However, just to be safe, I had a Google map and directions from Penn House. With all this, I believed I could still be on time.
The drive itself was harder than I thought. Within the first couple hours, a deer tried to commit suicide in front of my car. I literally yelled out asking for help from Heaven, and managed to narrowly avoid the deer. When I entered Maryland, there were signs reminding you to watch out for Maryland wildlife, with the typical graphic of a leaping deer … and a bear. A BEAR?! I could hit A BEAR?!?! What kind of place is this?
Maryland is mountainous! (Who knew? Not me!) And while I enjoy road trips in solitude, I don’t enjoy driving 75 mph … down a 6% grade … for 13 miles straight … surrounded by semis. There are actually “runaway truck ramps” on this road!
Finally when I arrived in D.C., I tried to reconcile all my different directions. At one point I would up in the wrong lane, but in my defense there were no less than NINE choices! So instead of a nice direct, mostly highway route, I wound up driving all the way through the city. I barely missed being part of a four-car pile-up in a roundabout. And then when I finally arrived, I could not for the life of me find the hostel. Again, in my defense, there is NO SIGN in front of the place! And the address is hard to see.
So I park, come inside, and check in. At the end I asked where I could park my car, because I wasn’t sure I could leave it on the street for the next three days. “Oh” says Intern Ben, “there’s nowhere to park.”
“Nowhere?! At all?”
“Well,” says the ever helpful Ben, “you could park it at the garage at Union Station. It’s about $18 per day.”
Now, because I am a hard-core Midwesterner, this comes as a total shock to me. Really. There’s a whole section about what to know before you make your reservation and there is not one word about parking! Not one! But, I’m here now. So the options are 1: go home (which I seriously considered) or 2: figure it out later. I took option 2.
When I got upstairs, and I got unpacked I discovered I had left my cell phone charger at home. This was basically the last straw. I have to find where to park. I’m missing my first session. And now I am about to be without communication. Unacceptable. The only thing I can think at this point is that I cannot think anymore until I’ve had a shower.
But I forgot my shower shoes. And there’s no hot water. I’m not kidding.
And then, I think because I have some wonderful friends praying for me, things turned around.
The hot water started working.
I met some of my lovely roommates: members of Womens’s International League for Peace and Freedom who are here to lobby for nuclear disarmament. None of them are under 65. Some of them are also members of the Raging Grannies (which would be an exceptional name for my garage band, but it’s already taken. Right now I can hear them talking about a 90 year old woman who periodically gets arrested, and hopes that the next time it happens, they take her to jail on a motorcycle.)
Darling Margaret invited me downstairs to their dinner where they were going to eat Thai food and strategize. At the dinner, I met Linda, who is also here for the Mobilization.
I found my cell phone charger.
I decided to drive to the convention center today and then figure out the parking from there.
Linda and I took an amazing walk to the Capitol in the twilight. I really love this city.
So, although my bunk bed creaks and sways like a cheap cruise ship, I went to bed happy. Until the Raging Grannie on the bottom bunk started snoring.
04.21.09
Blue Plate Tuesdays
Yesterday I declined to participate in Blue Plate Mondays because I really didn’t think the meal was worthy enough. I tried a version of Swedish meatballs that was a hybrid of recipes from The Joy of Cooking and the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Classics both. My other sacred text of cuisine is the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook.
Anyway, the meatballs … they were OK. In my mind Swedish meatballs are lovely little carnivorous treats that are always available at any decent potluck. Also, in my mind they are slightly sweet. Not exactly glazed, but almost. Mine were not. And I let the noodles cook too long. They had the smooshy texture of homemade noodles, but they just weren’t quite what I wanted. So I’m not going to post that recipe. (However if anyone has a tasty slightly sweet meatball recipe, I’d love to have it.)
So we will observe Blue Plate Tuesday instead. And I hope that it still counts because I am dead set on winning Kelly’s apron.
Tuesday’s Blue Plate Special was quesadillas. This is a house favorite. We have it probably every couple weeks. I highly recommend this dinner on a weeknight because it’s fast, and everyone can top it the way they want.
Let’s begin.
Start with a couple of good sized chicken breasts, cooked any way you like. When I have time, I bake them in the oven. In the past I have also boiled them (and used the stock later) or just cooked them in a pan on the stove. Microwaving is a last resort. The cooking is always the longest part of the process, so when possible cook the chicken in advance.
After cooking the chicken, shred it. You can also just cut it into small pieces, but the shredding makes the chicken fit better in the tortillas. Once it’s shredded, put it back in the pan with some water or chicken broth. Add some garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and chili powder.
Use large flour tortillas, and lightly (very lightly!) spread vegetable oil one side of the tortilla. The cookbook says to spray it, but as I don’t have a spray bottle, I just use my fingers. Lay the oiled side down on a nonstick baking sheet and put chicken on one half, leaving a half inch clear around the edge. Cover the chicken with colby-jack cheese. Use a small amount of vegetable oil around the perimeter of the chicken and fold the other half of the tortilla over the filling. Press down to seal the edge as well as possible, and then lightly (very lightly!) spread oil on the exterior of the tortilla.
Bake quesadillas in the oven at 475 for 10 or 15 minutes, until lightly browned. The will be crispy. And hot. So be careful when you take them off the baking sheet.
We like to top them with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa. Refried beans are a lovely side.
Next week, I’ll post a recipe for General Tso’s Chicken. Which Lucas likes to call General Beth’s Chicken. Which amuses me.
04.13.09
The Pen is Mightier than the Sword
Friday the 13th was a bad day. I was at fault in a stupid small accident. And I knew I was getting sick. Really sick, not just little-tickle-in-your-throat sick. It lasted for three weeks, until I finally went to the doctor. His only comment to me was, “Why did it take you this long to come see me?!” It was a full-blown sinus infection. Which is why it’s taken me a month to write about what I’m trying to write about. But I digress …
The day after I got sick, March 14, we had a Continuum Church outreach event called The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. Cool name. Adam came up with it. Which is good because we would have had an even harder time convincing people to come to Political Letter-Writing Night. But essentially that’s what it was.
A week before our outreach team had been to a training event hosted by Bread for the World. We had debated seriously about whether we wanted to take on a letter-writing event. We’ve all been working very hard, mentally, to broaden our ideas on all the avenues God has provided for us to do good in the world. But I was afraid that it wouldn’t seem valuable if we weren’t actually getting our hands dirty. But the team agreed that we should give it a shot. So we went to the training.
It was almost a full day of information on how to perform a Bread for the World Offering of Letters. I’ll let you check out the link for yourselves because it’s good stuff, but suffice it to say, we learned a lot. We learned about how much the U.S. spends on foreign aid each year (less than 1% of the country’s annual budget!) and how it is distributed. And we learned that it could be done more efficiently, even without spending any more money. We also learned about the horrors of malnutrition and starvation from a doctor from Doctors Without Borders, but really that was just to set the stage for the conversation about aid. We talked about the differences between “betterment” and “development” - development being the best option because the goal is to contribute to an infrastructure that will eventually empower people to care for themselves. (This is an idea that I’ve been grappling with for several months as I consider our domestic outreach projects.)
And then, after all that learning, we wrote letters. Hand-written letters to Senator George Voinovich asking him to work towards streamlining the U.S. approach to distributing foreign aid. (We hand-wrote envelopes too because that’s really what catches someone’s attention initially.) Even though this project was my idea, I was intimidated by actually writing the letter. But there we were with half an hour to do it, and as it was the culmination of the training, there really was no way out of it. And I am SO GLAD that I did. I had no idea what a sense of accomplishment it would bring just to write a letter. Elected officials really read those hand-written letters. Usually they read them personally, but at the least they are read by a high-level staffer. And for every letter they receive, they assume that there are hundreds more constituents back home who believe the same thing and haven’t bothered to write.
This IS a way to do good in the world. No one wants kids to starve. Everyone wants our tax money to be used efficiently. So our Glenn Beck followers were on board for more effective government. And our Obama-button wearers were stoked that we were doing something to increase assistance to struggling foreign countries. That’s the way it should be – with compromises, both sides should win. Until the day when we get some new sides, or get rid of them altogether.
So, that was the training. But then, on the 14th, our outreach team recreated it for Continuum Church folks and friends as The Pen is Mightier than the Sword. We had 11 more people show up to write letters. And we had a really good time. One friend, Chris, said to me, “This was very good. I expected it to be two hours of lecture.” No sir. We had videos, Chutes and Ladders board game, small group discussion, and plenty of visual aids. And everyone wrote a letter. And they liked it!
This is how we fight our own cynicism. This is how we refuse to be caught up in the powers, but subvert them instead. This is how we take small steps that add up to a great journey. As someone said on Sunday, you don’t have to be a soloist, but you should always be part of the choir. Because, as Lucas wrote in his letter, Spider-Man reminds us that with great power comes great responsibility.
Blue Plate Mondays
“Domesticity is not for the faint of heart.”
Here in my new living situation in Columbus, my main household responsibility is cooking. This is just fine with me; I actually requested it. But, let me just admit, it’s harder than I thought. I have even more respect for my mother, who worked hard and made dinner most nights. My Columbus-family is already a little tired of my repertoire.
So I’m going to join my friend Kelly in observing Blue Plate Mondays. Of course, posting this recipe doesn’t actually mean that I made it for dinner. It means that you should make it for dinner, and I should continue staring into the fridge and pantry contemplating whether I might be successful with shell macaroni, vanilla soy milk, and canned pears.
However, in this case, I made this recipe on Saturday. It was lovely, if I do say so myself. My mom used to make this, and our whole family loved it. So here you go. I tried, unsuccessfully so far, to come up with a catchier name for it. Suggestions appreciated.
Sausage Casserole:
Fry up around 8 sausage patties. I use turkey sausage, and this time bought one that was too lean. (Didn’t think you’d ever hear that, huh!) If it is too lean, the patties just stick to the pan. The directions said to add a little oil. But I ask you, what is the point of adding oil to sausage that you purposely bought lean? In this case I added water, which worked, but didn’t allow the patties to get brown and crispy.
Scrub 8 small-ish potatoes and 8 carrots and cut into bite sized chunks. Of course the smaller you cut them, the faster this will cook. You can also add some onion, if your family likes that.
Put the sausage and veggies in a 4 quart baking dish that has a lid, and grind a good helping of black pepper over the top. I had to use two 2-quart dishes because I didn’t have any other options with a lid. This worked out well though, since one casserole could be onion-free.
Combine one large can of tomato soup with a little water. Sorry, no definite quantities here. Just keep mixing until it seems saucy, but not soupy. Then pour it over the sausage and veggies.
Bake it at 375 for an hour. I know, this is the part that makes it hard to do on a weeknight. I’m sure the crockpot would be helpful in this situation, but I don’t know if the potatoes would hold up for 8 hours of workday, even on low. But it’s worth a shot. I was afraid to turn the heat up any higher, but I was tempted. I know it doesn’t work for baking, but really we’re just heating this up, right? So maybe jack it up to 400 or 425 and see what happens. I’m a little leary because I blew up a glass bowl in the microwave the other day. Indeed, domesticity is not for the faint of heart.
