Trade As One

Lynne Lorentsen just got back from her first trip to Rwanda, and can’t stop thinking about how the other side lives (the other side of the planet), where the folks who grow coffee for the world cannot even afford to drink it, at $2.70 a cup, on their daily wages.  When she’s not writing, she’s raising two teenage daughters with her husband, David, or out for a bike ride in scenic New Hampshire.  She blogs at http://knitme2gthr@blogger.com/.  If you’re interested in guest posting on our blog, email us at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

This past August, I had the outrageous opportunity to work in cooperation with The P.E.A.C.E. Plan in the African country of Rwanda.  Piloted by Saddleback Church, The P.E.A.C.E. Plan is a project with goals that support sustainable spiritual and economic development worldwide. For a few incredible weeks, our teams got to work with local leaders to develop simple skills that, when passed on, may change their tomorrows.

Back track: I’m a normal everyday working mom, doing life and loving God up here in New Hampshire, and I happen to attend an extraordinary church.  Together, we make little ripples which sometimes turn into tidal waves, like getting to assist community development volunteers (CDV’s) in Rwanda.

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We’ve had not one, not two, but count ‘em, three events here at Trade as One these past couple weeks.

First, on August 30th, yours truly hopped on a plane out to Heartland Community Church to spend some time with the good people at PM, their “twentysomethings” ministry. It was a great night. Casey Bankord and I spent the evening talking about fair trade and about our role as consumers, and I got the chance to meet some really committed and earnest people. I’m really excited to see what comes out of PM, I met some great people who are excited to bring this idea to their communities, both inside and outside of the church. So all that to say we’re big fans of Heartland and of PM.

Secondly, we got to be a part of HOPElives at Mountain View Community Christian Church outside of Denver this last weekend. They spent a weekend highlighting some organizations they believe in, and some causes that they’ve gotten behind, and encouraged their congregation to get involved. Our partner on the MVCCC end was Brendan Yost, who led their team of volunteers. Orders are still coming in every day from Mountain View, and I hope we get many more chances to work with them.. Plus, any excuse to head out to Colorado is a good one, right?

And finally, we had one event right here in our own backyard. Centerpointe Presbyterian Church hosted us this last weekend, and we piloted our JustOne idea, which you’ll be hearing much more about these next few months. We had some great conversations, got some great feedback, and (i hope) shared an idea that will be in loads of churches this fall.

Next up: our good friends at Riverbend. We love them, and we can’t wait to get back to Austin.

Trade as One has been blessed with so many people who have given so much of their time and talent to support what we do. They’ve worked tirelessly to help us accomplish our goals, and we can honestly say that our success has hinged on their efforts. We call these people our stalwarts, and we’re going to profile them here on our blog so that you can see what they’ve done and why they do it. Next on the list: Jimmy Chu. Jimmy has flown himself out to the Chicagoland area twice now to work with us, spent time at a few local events lending his talent, and taken numerous photos that we’ve used as well. He’s been blessed with seemingly endless amounts of optimism and energy. We love him.

What sparked your interest in fair trade?

I think it started with hearing about the unfair practices in the chocolate and coffee industries.  From that, the curiosity grew and opened up my eyes to the very large and very real issues that we face today with exploiting human capital in the name of expanding the bottom line. 

How did you connect with Trade as One?

Believe it or not - it was plugged during a sermon.  Dean Smith, Senior Pastor at the Highway Community in Palo Alto was concluding a sermon around Christmas time and mentioned that that year (2007) he purchased gifts…

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I just came across this story on CNN. The FBI just busted 3 American sex tourists in Cambodia and are being brought back to the US to face prosecution. Reading this story brought mixed feelings for me, relief that these men were arrested, but grief knowing that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Poverty and a lack of legal protection for the poor have wrought incalculable damage in Cambodia, and as always, those that bear the heaviest burden are the women and children. For us, it’s a reminder to keep supporting the great work happening in the midst of all of this at Hagar. They bring hope and restoration to rescued victims, and ensure that their children will not be subject to the horrors their mothers have escaped.