A disappearing nation

Kiribati.  Ever heard of it?  Until an NPR program the other day,(http://www.npr.org/2011/02/17/133681251/preparing-for-sea-level-rise-islanders-leave-home?ft=1&f=1001)  I hadn't either. 

Turns out that Kiribati is a small island in the Pacific - south of Hawaii and Northeast of Australia.  It's so small that the island and accompanying atolls are approximately the size of New York City.  That's right, NYC! 

Although it is small, it is a nation with a people, a president, a culture, traditions - a way of life that is particular to the people of Kiribati. 

As it stands, the nation of Kiribati will no longer exist by the end of this century.  Scientists predict that tides will rise enough that this nation - people with their own language and customs - will be uninhabitable.  It might be covered in water or at least have sea water covering most of the existing living space as it currently stands.  The highest point of elevation is 10 ft or so.  That's not a whole lot of fudge room with sea levels expected to rise 1 meter (approx. 3 feet) by the end of this century.  Unfortunately, that's a modest prediction with still catastrophic results.  Check out this excerpt:

"With only a one metre sea level rise some island nations, such as the Maldives, would be submerged. Already, two of the islands that make up Kiribati (a Pacific island nation) have gone under the waves, and in early 2005 others were inundated by a high spring tide that washed away farmland, contaminated wells with saltwater, and flooded homes and a hospital.


If current warming trends continue, cities like London, Bangkok and New York will end up below sea level – displacing millions and causing massive economic damage. Alexandria, Egypt, is one of the many cities that could be inundated by a one meter sea level rise. At some point, building higher and higher sea walls becomes impractical, and even the wealthiest nations will see cities flood.


Rising oceans will contaminate both surface and underground fresh water supplies. - worsening the world's existing fresh water shortage. Underground water sources in Thailand, Israel, China, Vietnam and some island states are already experiencing salt water contamination.


Rural populations and farmland (especially rice) on some coasts will be wiped out. For example, according to the UK Royal Society a one metre sea level rise could flood 17 percent of Bangladesh, one of the world's poorest countries, displacing tens of millions of people and reducing its rice-farming land by 50 percent."

 http://sb350.pbworks.com/w/page/5565710/Sea-Level-Rise
 
 
So why does this little nation matter to me and why should it matter to you? 

"Every tribe, every nation, every tongue..."  Does that ring a bell to you?  The Creator said that every tribe will one day confess Him.  Yes, it seems that some Kiribati people are followers of Jesus, but what of the future of the people?  Will there be future generations of Kiribati that live as their forefathers or will they be the generation that says, "Our nation was wiped off the face of the earth because the sea levels rose as a result of ice caps melting due to global warming resulting from an excessive use of fossil fuels and other greedy ways of living."  Oh and by the way, not the ways that they live.  If you listen to the NPR piece, you'll hear that one of the girls had never seen a stop sign/light before travelling to Australia.  Their way of life is much simpler and easier on the earth.  ( BTW - this is not to imply that I think the solution to climate change and the degradation of the earth is a return to life as it was several centuries ago.)

I just want us to consider what it would be like to be in their shoes: being forced by nature to enter a radically different way of living, leaving behind my country, my home, my culture, everything I hold dear and take for granted as a way of life each day...this is what the young people of Kiribati must face.

I don't envy them. 

A bio & need some encouragement

This post is mostly a little bio I just used for another site.  I thought I'd post it here as I'm trying to make it back to my blog instead of just blogging in my mind!  Now that the littlest one is 5 months old, I feel like I am getting into a new swing of things.  I want - need - this to include creative outlets: one of which is blogging.  So, if you read this little blog of mine, please drop me a note or comment sometime.  Feel free to disagree with me, ask me questions, point me to new resources.  This would be encouraging to me.  It seems that most of  the time I am talking to myself and well, my loving Heavenly Father.

If you haven't already gathered what makes me tick from other blog posts I've written, here's a little something about me!

Kristie loves Jesus and His creation. She has been on a journey of seeking to live in harmony with God, herself, her family and friends, and the rest of His creation for several years now. It has been a journey with many switchbacks – vistas that at first glance make it seem that she’s walking in a circle, but upon closer inspection reveal new insights, healing, and growth. This journey has meant pursuing a deeper knowledge of God and herself, of being painfully honest about who she is (and is not), and allowing Him to transform her into the woman He created her to be. She loves being a voice for the voiceless in whatever ways God gives her – whether that’s through hosting benefit concerts at her church for the work of International Justice Mission, or teaching others about the call to care for creation. Often the harmony she seeks seems far from her grasp because while she’s changing a little one’s poopy diaper another “mess” happens, or she’s busy trying to keep up with her “border collie” 3 year old daughter who’s always outsmarting her! She has a deep passion for justice and longs to raise her daughters to be “ezers” (see http://www.whitbyforum.com/ for more about this rich word) in a world where women are still horribly oppressed. She’s privileged to raise them alongside a strong and tender man that won her heart by seeing into hers and loving her through and through.


Here are some topics/ideas that I would love to write on:

• Encouraging women to be ALL of who they were made to be – not just one role – wife, mom, career woman, etc.

• Helping others live in greater levels of harmony with God, themselves, their families and friends and the creation.

• Whole foods/solid nutrition – how we can honor God with our choices of food. How to eat locally, organically, thoughtfully and how our food choices have long-reaching effects.

• “Creation care” and what God’s word has to say about our interconnectedness with creation, and how our actions affect the poor locally and around the world.

• Natural childbirth, homebirth, educating and empowering women to partake in the process of pregnancy and childbirth

My husband loves my honesty – I try to live so that who I am on the inside is who you encounter when you meet me. That’s not always pretty. So, by default, I encourage others to be who they really are before a loving God and a safe community. This could branch out into blogs about women’s relationships and our insecurities and sin that get in the way of building deeper connections. (I’m trained as a therapist (www.rts.edu), and although I don’t practice anymore I still lean towards helping others understand the “darker” sides of themselves in the healing light of Christ.)

My sweet baby finally passed out after a little bit more mama's milk - yay!  So,I'm off to sleep too!
 
Until next time...
 
Peace be with you,
Kristie