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Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

faith & spirituality

Believe you can change the world: Review of A Dream So Big by Steve Peifer

May 1, 2013

If you aren’t in love with Africa and its people already, then reading A Dream So Big will break your heart for them and leave you challenged to make a difference, however big or small you’re able. dream so big cover

Steve Peifer didn’t want to go to Africa, but after the death of his 4-day-old son, God impressed upon his heart to make his wife’s dream come true. His wife Nancy’s dream was to serve in Africa.

The family spent a year as dorm parents at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. It was a challenging time and a healing time and they would leave the country changed. Steve’s heart was pierced by the extreme needs of the people, and when he encountered a classroom of children lying on the floor, his whole world was changed. He asked the teacher why the kids were lying down.

“It is Thursday,” she said. “Most of the children haven’t eaten since Monday. If they sit up, they will faint.”

That was the turning point for Steve, and when the family returned to Kenya as full-time ministries, Steve began to act on a vision to alleviate hunger in Kenya.

A Dream So Big is full of humor as Steve recounts his attempts to learn Swahili and interact with the culture. It’s also an honest soul-baring account of his transformation. What started as an escape from grief turned into a lifelong mission.

The impact Steve has made on Kenya’s schools through lunch programs and computer centers is inspiring.

If you’ve ever wanted to change the world but didn’t think it was possible, read this book and believe.

——

In exchange for my review, I received a free copy of A Dream So Big from Zondervan through the Booksneeze program.

Filed Under: faith & spirituality, missions, Non-fiction, The Weekly Read Tagged With: changing the world, cnn heroes award, eradicating hunger, global poverty, kenya, rift valley academy, steve peifer

When fiction speaks truth

April 25, 2013

The following quote is from a book I read this month and reviewed yesterday.

If we reach one person at a time, we’ll have done far more than just turning our backs with indifference or pretending there aren’t real lives at risk. There are women out there who want a better life but don’t know how to get it. Some of them are little more than trapped children who can’t find their way.

In the book, the lead character is trying to reach out to prostitutes who might want to leave that life and start new. She has secured a loan for a house, has moved into the neighborhood and has tried to befriend the women she wants to help. This quote is her defense to the man who loaned her the money.

Even though it’s from a work of fiction, its message struck me as relevant to many social justice causes today.

And it’s a reminder that for every “cause” out there, a real person with a real life is at risk. Hunger, sex trafficking, unsafe working conditions, homelessness, unfair wages, AIDS–all of these affect real people.

Photo by Leroy Skalstad | Stock Exchange

Photo by Leroy Skalstad | Stock Exchange

People with faces, names, hopes and dreams.

I don’t want to forget that.

And I don’t want you to forget it either.

Filed Under: faith & spirituality, missions Tagged With: quotes from fiction, social justice

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Hi. I’m Lisa, and I’m glad you’re here. If we were meeting in real life, I’d offer you something to eat or drink while we sat on the porch letting the conversation wander as it does. That’s a little bit what this space is like. We talk about books and family and travel and food and running, whatever I might encounter in world. I’m looking for the beauty in the midst of it all, even the tough stuff. (You’ll find a lot of that here, too.) Thanks for stopping by. Stay as long as you like.

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Lisa Bartelt is a participant in the Bluehost Affiliate Program.

Occasionally, I review books in exchange for a free copy. Opinions are my own and are not guaranteed positive simply due to the receipt of a free copy.

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