I heard a fascinating story that took place back in 1945 at one of the Nazi concentration camps.  The camp was called Bergen Belsen.  The british were the first to arrive there to liberate the prisoners and the british colonel, Mercin Gonin, happened to keep a diary of what it was like to be there; to actually be one of the first to arrive at a concentration camp and be one of the first to try and help.  He wrote,

‘I could give no adequate description of the horror-camp in which my men and myself were to spend the next week of our lives.  It was just a barren wilderness, as bare as a chicken run.  Corpses lay everywhere, some in huge piles.  Sometimes they lay alone or in pairs where they had fallen.  It took a little time to get used to seeing men, women, and children collapse as you walked by them and to restrain oneself from going to their assistance.  You cannot get used to the idea that the individuals do not count.  You knew that 500 a day would die and 500 a day would continue to die for weeks before anything we were doing would have the slightest effect.  We saw people drowning, we saw men eating worms, and piles and piles of corpses. 

'It was a short time after the British Red Cross arrived, though it may have no connection, that a very large quantity of lipstick arrived.  This was not at all what we wanted.  We were screaming for hundreds and thousands of other things.  I wish so much that I could discover who did it.  It was the action of genius - sheer unadulterated brilliance.  I believe nothing did more for these internees than the lipstick.  Women lay in bed with no sheets and no nightgown but with scarlet red lips.  You saw them wandering about with nothing on but a blanket on their shoulders and scarlet red lips.  I saw a woman who had perished, lying on the post mortem table and clutched in her hand was a piece of lipstick.  At last, someone had done something to make them individuals again.  They were ‘someone’, no longer merely the number tattooed on their arm.  At last they could take an interest in their appearance.  That lipstick started to give them back their humanity.'

Each of us has passions and desires and drives to do something in the world.  It’s sometimes hard to articulate but maybe it is this; the modern world has its way of robbing us of our dignity and humanity and yet, there are people who go around with lipstick, giving people back their humanity.  So that leads me to a hard question - what am I doing with my energies?  How am I bringing more peace to the world?  When we focus on ourselves, our lives can become as big and wide as ourselves and our energies can consume us.  Do you know anyone who has extraordinary talent and resources and it isn’t being used to bring ‘shalom’ or 'peace' to the earth?  Their energy can dissipate because the focus of their entire being is essentially themselves.  The size of what we focus on and our intentions will determine all sorts of things.  If we are not incredibly intentional about this question of what we are doing with our energies we can lose the beautiful joy that comes from participating in pursuing peace. 

I have had the the wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know a canadian couple who have dedicated their lives to 'giving out lipstick' to the people of Mozambique, Africa.  It was not any easy transition for them and they still come upon obstacles on a consistent basis, but they have a strong & steady heart-of-giving for the people of Mozambique.  We have also had the privilege of helping to support them in the building of an airstrip.  They still need funding to complete the airstrip and in many other areas so we encourage you to check out their blog and to join us in supporting their work.  Every little bit helps in their service!  Reading about their day-to-day life there humbles me, warms my heart, inspires me, and reminds me of the purpose we are here.  Below are some beautifully-captured shots {photography by Royden & Ruth Lepp} of life in Mozambique.  This photo {below} will be their airstrip...

If you would like to support them in a different way or if you have any questions about how to donate online please email me at hautminerals@gmail.com.   We will give you updates from time to time on the progress being made in their work there.

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