One of the greatest influences on my life

Me and grandma sitting with her dog in the garden

My grandma died about two years ago, just two weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

I have been reflecting on major influences in my life, and she defintely makes the top 5 list.

Below is the eulogy I delivered at her funeral. I sure learned a lot from my grandma:

Grandma taught me so many things about life, but as I have been reflecting back over the past two weeks, there are four things that really come to mind.

First, Grandma taught me how to love. She did this by example, never overtly coming out and saying “this is how you treat people,” she just showed me how to treat people with unconditional love every day. I had the benefit of getting this from two generations of Picketts, because she taught my dad how to love too. So every day growing up I had shining examples of how to love unconditionally and how to treat people right, through my dad and through my Grandma.

When I was in the sixth grade, my mom would drop me off at Grandma’s house every morning on her way to school. I would spend an hour with Grandma before walking to school, and then usually I would walk back to her house at the end of the school day. I came to love these mornings in sixth grade. I would wake up at my house and have breakfast with my mom, dad and sister. Then I would get dropped off at Grandma’s house and she would have breakfast waiting for me. We would eat breakfast together and then play checkers or Chinese checkers or cards. Sometimes Grandma would help me with my homework. Each morning Grandma always greeted me with a smile and a warm meal. I probably didn’t thank her very often, I certainly did not thank her often enough. But she still showed me unconditional love every day, and through her example taught me what love looked like.

Another life lesson that Grandma taught me was to keep a positive outlook on life. She exemplified this in all that she would do. If it was raining, she would be excited about the rain. If it was sunny and warm, she saw that as a blessing. If it was cold and blustery, that was great too because it was an excuse to stay inside and eat soup. Grandma epitomizes the phrase “If life hands you lemons, make lemonade!” She always saw the silver lining in every cloud. The story my dad told about the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. is a great example of this.

The third life lesson that Grandma instilled in me was a strong work ethic. Keep in mind that Grandma was 70 when I was born, so for my formative years my Grandma was in her 80s. She had long since retired from running her health food store or working in a traditional job, but she still had a powerful work ethic that she shared with me. When Grandma lived in Black Canyon City, she had five or six citrus trees in her yard. Anytime that we visited her during fruit season, we would be out in the yard picking the fruit from the trees. We had had an endless supply of grapefruit, tangerines and oranges. Grandma moved to Flagstaff in 1989 when I was 11 years old, she was 81. Grandma’s house in Flagstaff had a lawn, so we wanted to get her a lawn mower. We shopped around for gas and electric mowers, but grandma insisted on a hand powered manual mower. This made a lasting impression on an 11 year old boy. She taught me how to use that mower, but more often than not she would cut her lawn in the summer before I could get down to her house. The same was true with shoveling the snow. If we had a big snowstorm overnight and I did not rush down to her house first thing in the morning, she would have already shoveled a path from her front door to her mailbox and also shoveled off the back patio for the dogs. She did this through her 80s and I watched and learned as a teenager. Once again I had the benefit of two generations of Picketts, because Grandma also instilled this work ethic in my dad, who shared it with me.

The final thing that I remember most about Grandma was her love and appreciation for God’s creatures and God’s creation. Grandma’s love of animals knew no bounds. She would put her dog’s wellbeing in front of anything else. She was the original “dog whisperer” as she had a keen ability to communicate with her animals. Grandma taught me how to treat animals with respect and kindness, and demonstrated to me the beauty and depth of a bond between humans and our furry companions. I grew up with a great dog named Zephyr, but she was my parent’s dog. After much pleading I got my own dog just before Grandma moved to Flagstaff. His name was Royal and it was Grandma that really showed me how to bond with him and treat him like family. We used to sit for hours and watch Royal and Grandma’s Dalmatian Lady play in the yard. When Grandma would read on the couch in the afternoons, she would always drape her hand down to the floor and Royal or Lady would always lie there Grandma would pet them for hours.

Grandma also had an amazing appreciation for nature. She was a gardener extraordinaire and had the greenest thumb of anyone I have ever met. She could make anything grow. We used to get grapefruit from Black Canyon City the size of small watermelons. I remember one time she even planted Kiwi seeds (because I asked her if it could be done) and before you knew it she had a kiwi plant. Grandma’s love for gardening and nature had a profound impact on me. I ended up doing yard care during high school as a summer job and tending the garden at my house.

When we bought our first house in Denver, there were two important criteria: We needed a good space for our dog and I knew it had to have lots of plants and trees and space for gardening. Clearly Grandma has had a huge impact on my life.

So when I reflect back over Grandma and her life, these are the four life lessons that Grandma has taught me:
-She taught me how to love, how to love unconditionally
-She taught me to keep a positive outlook on life, no matter what the circumstances
-Grandma instilled in me a strong work ethic
-Grandma taught me an intense respect for nature, both for God’s creatures and creation

Despite Grandma’s departure from this earth, her legacy will live on. It lives on through everyone she ever came into contact with, everyone who experienced her unconditional love, everyone who encountered her positive outlook, and every creature and plant that she nurtured. And she nurtured me. I love you Grandma, thank you for what you instilled in me. You are missed, but your light will keep shining on through all of us.

Tears of sadness and joy

God Bless you Claro. You are an inspiration

and you will be missed.

Me, Brock, Kerrie, Claro and

Mario (Healing Waters Guatemala Director)

Brock, Kerrie and Claro



Graham Johnson, one of the members of the
Wellshire team that went to Guatemala

Standing with Claro in front of his new house

I wrote about an incredible missionary family that I had the privilege of spending time with in Guatemala when I was there with the group from Wellshire in March. You can read that post here: http://blogadegregorio.blogspot.com/2009/05/great-ministry-in-guatemala.html

I was checking in with that family today, reading their blog and sending them an e-mail when I stumbled on this blog post written by Brock, the husband and father of the missionary family in Guatemala:
Claro

Claro died today.I have only known Claro for a few months, but I loved him. God
connected us, which always builds a friendship bond at a faster pace than
otherwise.

We met after his nephew came to us and asked if we would come visit his home. He had heard our ministry built houses in the community, and said his uncle Claro was in great need.He was right. Claro’s house was more like an old tool shed. Made of cornstalk, there were gaps everywhere, allowing space for the cold, rain, and wind to make life miserable. The inside was barely big enough for a twin-size makeshift bed, and a fire. The floors were dirt. His only belongings were a few dirty pieces of clothing, a some filthy dishes caked in soot, and a machete. He cooked over an open fire about 2 feet from his bed, giving him a constant inhale of smoke and dirt. No
electricity, no water, no plumbing… his house was cold and dark.

But Claro was a joy.

He smiled and talked. And talked, and talked... He told us how cold and dusty his house is, and how it always makes him sick. At 65 years old or so, he is difficult to understand (even for the locals), because he blurs and joins his words in a unique mutter. But he said “thank you God and thanks to you” no less than 20 times every time we talked.

When we finished his home, roughly the equivalent of a concrete block 2-car garage, he stood inside and cried. “Never in all my life did I think I would have a home like this.” That statement froze me. I wondered what kind of home I could envision myself standing in that would warrant the very same comment from me.

The house only has two small rooms. Instead of basking in the glory of his new space, he immediately moved his son, daughter in law, and granddaughter into the adjacent room.

2 weeks ago, with some friends that were visiting, we delivered Claro a new bed. When we moved out his old one, made of stiff hay, he said “don’t throw that away, I can sell that and make a little money!” We all laughed. He sat on his bed. We could tell he was amazed at how soft it was.

A few days later, some other friends had decided to bless Claro with a new chicken coup they had built. We went to his house to surprise him. After yelling for him and getting no answer, my friends waited at the street and I went up to see if he was home.I peeked in the front door and saw Claro lying in his bed. He was on top of his blanket, which made me smile as I realized he wasn’t cold. I felt bad waking him up, so I stood there and just looked at him for while. He looked comfortable.I called out his name and he popped up…said he was just taking a quick nap. We gave him the
chicken coup. He was very grateful. He told us he could manage the baby chicks
without a problem, and he was excited about the new micro business
opportunity.

That was a week ago. Today, I ran into Claro’s son on the street. Sobbing, he gave me the news that Claro has passed away suddenly in his sleep. Unexpected. Just like that, Claro was gone.

I just got home from the viewing in Claro’s house. He was lying in an open coffin, in the exact place that he had served us his famous fried chicken just over a month
earlier at his home dedication. As I stood over his coffin, looking at his face,
I could hear his scratchy voice: “Gracias a Dios, Gracias Ustedes.”

I am so humbled, so honored, to have had the opportunity to show the love of Jesus to Claro in the last couple months of his time on earth. After a long, difficult life living in extreme poverty, Claro spent his last couple months in comfort. I wish it could have been longer, but I believe he went out with a sense of dignity, an appreciation for God’s blessing, and the ability to leave behind a safe, warm home to his son.

Peace Claro. See you again soon. I’ll be looking forward to feasting together at the
Lord’s table – and having another round of that fried chicken.

I cried as I read this post. I cried tears of joy that Claro could see the love of Christ through the act of building a simple house and that he lived his last few months in comfort. I cried tears of sadness because I had the privilege of meeting Claro when I was in Guatemala in March, and he had touched me and other members of my group in a deeply profound way. Despite his humble surroundings, his love for God was unwaivering. This man was truly an inspiration and his departure from this earth, while glorious because he is now dwelling in heaven, was sad because he will be missed by those who had the privilege of knowing him.

Claro reminded me a lot of my grandma, who died two summers ago, just shy of her 100th birthday. My grandma was in incredible inspiration, with a quiet but profound faith. I miss her too and reading this story of Claro brought back some of those feelings. I will post the eulogy I wrote for my grandma in my next posting along with some photos.

I am finally getting to the end of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson. Below is a bible study I led this morning on Chapter 13, a study on HUMILITY and Psalm 131. (You can read Psalm 131 by clicking on any of this sentence.)

Below is my bible study with quotes from the book:
“Christian faith needs continuous maintenance. . . Psalm 131 is a maintenance psalm. . . two things that Psalm 131 prunes away are unruly ambition and infantile dependency. . .” p. 149

“It is no easier to be a Chinese Christian than to be a Spanish Christian than to be a Russian Christian than to be a Brazilian Christian than to be an American Christian – nor more difficult. The way of faith deals with realities in whatever time and whatever culture.” P. 150

Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

“Our culture encourages and rewards ambition without qualification. We are surrounded by a way of life in which betterment is understood as expansion, as acquisition, as fame. Everyone wants to get more. To be on top, no matter what it is the top of, is admired. There is nothing recent about the temptation. It is the oldest sin in the book, the one that got Adam thrown out of the garden and Lucifer tossed out of heaven. What is fairly new about it is the general admiration and approval it receives.” P. 151

Is ambition a sin? What about ambition to see the success of a ministry? What makes it a sin if you think it is?

“The legend of Faustus, useful for so long in pointing out the folly of a god-defying pride, now is practically unrecognizable because the assumption of our whole society (our educational models, our economic expectations, even our popular religion) are Faustian. ¶ It is difficult to recognize pride as a sin when it is held up on every side as a virtue, urged as profitable and rewarded as an achievement.” P. 152

Does our culture value and glorify pride and ambition? If it is a sin, how do we get away from it if it is so embedded in our culture, down to our education system, economic system and popular religion?

Peterson defines aspiration as valuable, but ambition and arrogance as sins. (p. 152-153) How do you make a distinction between these two?

“There are some who conclude that since the great Christian temptation is to try to be everything, the perfect Christian solution is to be nothing. And so we have the problem of the doormat Christian and the dishrag saint. . .” p. 154

How do we strike this balance?

“Our Lord gave us the picture of the child as a model for Christian faith (Mk 10:14-16) not because of the child’s helplessness but because of the child’s willingness to be led, to be taught, to be blessed. God does not reduce us to a set a Pavlovian reflexes so that we mindlessly worship and pray and obey on signal; he establishes us with a dignity in which we are free to receive his word, his gifts, his grace. . . For God does not want us neurotically dependent on him but willingly trustful in him. And so he weans us. The period of infancy will not be sentimentally extended beyond what is necessary. The time of weaning is very often noisy and marked by misunderstandings: I no longer feel like I did when I was first a Christian. Does that mean I am no longer a Christian? Has God abandoned me? Have I done something terribly wrong?” P. 155-156

Is this weaning a one time occurrence or do we go through it again and again?

Because Eugene Peterson mentions having "faith like a child" so much in this chapter, it reminded me of the Jars of Clay Song:



Finally, I took some excerpts from the book and wrote the closing prayer below:
Prayer (p. 153-154): I accept God as my maker and creator; I will strive to grow day by day into an increasingly glorious creature in Christ, developing joy, experiencing love, maturing in peace. I will not try to run my own life or the lives of others; that is God’s business, I will not pretend to invent the meaning of the universe; I will accept what God has shown it meaning to be; I will not strut about demanding that I be treated as the center of my family or my neighborhood or my work, but seek to discover where I fit and do what I am good at.

Have a great weekend!

Amazing Photographer + Big Heart = Powerful Photographs and a Good Friend

Photo by Bryce Boyer from the D.R.
To see more of his DR photos, go to:

http://dominicanrepublic2008.blogspot.com/

When I was in the Dominican Republic for five weeks last summer doing my work with Healing Waters International, I had the privilege of co-leading a group of Healing Waters and Compassion International friends during my last week there. The group came down to help inaugurate a Healing Waters system and also visit the children that they sponsor through Compassion international. There is an amazing synergy between our organizations and this trip was a great manifestation of that synergy. (that was an academic sounding sentence, sorry about that, there is still a lot of academia left in me.)

Anyhow, Compassion International sent down a photographer with this group of people named Bryce Boyer. In the week that we spent together, it became very clear that Bryce is a talented photographer and has a HUGE heart for the work that Healing Waters and Compassion do. I really cannot say enough good things about him, and consider him a good friend after spending a week in the DR with him and seeing the way he interacts with people, especially kids. I have used a few of his photos in my blog posts.

I wanted to share a couple of differnent links with you about Bryce. First is his website as a professional photographer (shameless plug.) He does amazing work and has shot for some REALLY high end magazines and newspapers. http://www.bryceboyer.com/

The other link I want to share is the blog he put together after our trip to the DR. His posts provided some amazing insight to the issues of poverty and safe drinking water in the developing world, and I was so impressed with his perspective and his amazing photos. http://dominicanrepublic2008.blogspot.com/ I have cut and paste his most profound post below, but please jump over to his blog that he wrote to see some AMAZING photos.

If you saw a hit and run, would you tell anybody by: Bryce Boyer
Thursday, September 11, 2008

If you saw a hit and run, would you tell anybody?
Visiting the ghettos in a third world country can feel like a punch in the stomach. Like witnessing a terrible car wreck... an accident in which no one want to take responsibility for the victims who are left writhing in pain.

How can I witness such a need for the basic necessities of life (like healthy water) and not tell someone about it. I just got back from a trip to the Dominican Republic taking photos for two fantastic non-profits that are doing something to help: Compassion International & Healing Waters. It feels good to have done something to contribute to their efforts.

My parents have sponsored children through Compassion International for over 25
years. We always had pictures on our refrigerator to remind us of them. This was
the second international trip I've made taking marketing pictures for Compassion
Int. (You can see my Africa trip blog here).

Compassion's focus is helping the poorest of the poor children of the world. Thru community churches, they mobilize thousands of volunteers and staff to help over 1 million children around the world get food, medical attention, education, and encouragement. In America, sponsors help make this possible with $35/month and letters to their sponsored children.

Compassion realizes they can not help the poorest of the poor children of the world if the children are sick all the time because they don't have access to clean water. Healing Waters is a non-profit NGO (non-government-organization) that has a passion for installing clean drinking water systems in some of the poorest areas of the
world. I don't want to bore you... check out their site here if you are interested in what they do.

I hope my pictures will help spur someone into action. Volunteer, here or abroad. Donate. Go on a trip. Sponsor a child. Do something.
Posted by Bryce Boyer Photography at 9:02 PM 0 comments

Great ministry in Guatemala

This is a photo of me, Mario (Healing Waters

Regional Director for Guatemala and Mexico)

Brock and Kerrie of Deepstream Guatemala

ministries and Claro, a Guatemalan who is having

a house built for him by Brock and Kerrie's ministry.

When I was in Guatemala back in October I met a family that had just moved there to work as missionaries. They have an amazing story and I have mentioned them in my blog before. You can read a little bit about them here:

The Johnson's are Brock, Kerrie, Madi (11), Brooke (10), and Jake (7). God called us to Guatemala to help those whose needs are far greater than our own.

Our eyes have been opened to true poverty, suffering children, and desperate need - which has changed us to the core.

Living in Guatemala has been a wild faith journey thus far. Arriving here without a "ministry plan", we have simply been zeroed in on following the voice of Jesus.

You can read a brief summary about our calling to Guatemala, or a series of blog postings where we have shared our last year or so.

When I returned to Guatemala in March with a group from Wellshire Presbyterian church, I visited the family again, this time with my whole group, and saw some of the projects they are working on. I continue to be impressed with their ministry, not a typical "missionary" model, really trying to get in to the community where they work and meet the most basic needs of the people, letting the love of Christ shine through their actions.

This is a photo of the group from Wellshire church

praying with Brock and his family in the community

of Buena Vista where they work building houses and

changing lives.

They have put together a short video that highlights their work and I want to share it with you:

Another Amazing video from Playing for Change

This is another video from Mark Johnson and the "Playing for Change" movement. If you don't know what I am talking about, read the blog post below from yesterday.

I have to give a shout out to one of my other Blogging friends who is also a co-worker with me here at Healing Waters International, Aaron Walling. He has a great blog called "One Drop", the title is from the Bob Marley Reggae song, so this next video I am posting is for him. His blog is a lot like mine with a mix of videos, thoughts, reflections, and some good Healing Water stuff thrown in there. Check him out and check out the remarkable video below:

Playing for change - street musicians making a difference

I heard a story about this on NPR yesterday and after a little bit of digging, found these videos. This is AMAZING!

There is this guy named Mark Johnson who recorded and filmed a street musician in California singing "Stand by me" and then decided to start filming musicians in all corners of the world singing the same song. He states, " The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world."

This first video is the "Stand by me" video. I will post a few others over the next few days/weeks. Really cool stuff!

Amazing Blog Post in support of Healing Waters

A child at a Compassion International site

in the Dominican Republic with a cup of

clean drinking water from the

Healing Waters system

Compassion International, the child sponsorship organization that is a partner with Healing Waters, posted an amazing story on their blog today and I want to share it with you. It not only deals with the impact that the safe drinking water has had from the Healing Waters project, it also talks about the investments in the community that the church has been able to make with the revenue generated by the project.

I have cut and pasted some excerpts below. The link to the whole story can be found here:
http://blog.compassion.com/inside-a-healing-waters-international-project/

Inside a Healing Waters International Project
Written by: Adones Martinez

Since the Healing Waters International water project opened at the Comunidad Cristiana El Santuario Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Church in 2006, church members have had more opportunities to decide on matters that can benefit the ministry and the community of Barrio Mexico in southern coastal town of San Pedro de Macorís in Dominican Republic.

The church’s leadership calls for periodic members’ meetings where all ministry managers update the assembly on their ministry. Since all the ministries overlap in some way, these reports help the church make the best decisions.

The ministries include Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, the Healing Waters International water project, a school and a community holistic vocational center.

These church meetings have become a forum at which the community, represented by the believers, can discuss the best ways to manage resources.

Milqueya is a mother of eight and grandma of seven. She and her husband still live with 11 children and grandchildren at home. Milqueya and her large family enjoy the benefits of the decisions she’s been helping her church make as a voting member. One important decision was the incorporation of the Healing Waters International water project.

In the past, even the least harmful water source wasn’t safe enough for Milqueya. She bought water from the trucks that drove past her home.

Miqueya paid only RD$20 for a 5-gallon water bottle, avoiding the RD$35 price at local stores. But the truck-bought water was making her and her family sick.

“The water caused us stomach diseases. But after we began to drink the water
from the church, we are always healthy and we don’t have any stomach problems.”

After the Healing Waters International project began, the community’s health has improved.

“Since we’ve been running the project, there’s not been any health problems
reported,” says Ana Ivelisse, manager of the Healing Waters International
project. “The National Ministry of Health comes and tests our water to certify
it.”

Not only is the water from the church the purest, it is also the most economic.

For RD$10, half of what she paid for the truck-bought water that made her family sick, Milqueya can take her 5-gallon water bottle home, saving her family’s limited resources for other living expenses.

Proceeds from the water project go toward human and social development to serve and benefit the community through education, health and nutrition.

In the field of education, the Healing Waters International project provides 20 children from Barrio Mexico with a scholarship so they can study at the church’s school.

The project also pays for a watchman who protects the property and equipment of the Compassion-assisted child development center, and a housekeeper who cleans the center’s building.

The proceeds also support the church’s vocational school, which trains locals in a variety of jobs, including computers.

Motorcycles, carts and trolleys arrive each day, taking home 41,000 to 45,000 gallons of purified water each month. The church donates another 600 gallons to the community.


The highest water consumption in the year comes during the summer months when the temperature reaches around 34 degrees Celsius, and the children are home for school break.

The 600 gallons of water that the church donates to the community benefits many groups, including the Compassion-assisted children at Cedina Student Center, the students in the church’s school, the medical staff and patients at a local clinic, and some neighbors in times of special need.

When the community holds a sports event, the church is always willing to support it. Pastor Ventura Taylor says,

“We serve the water in small bottles and we donate it to them as a way of our
church being committed with that activity, which has to do with the social and
cultural development of the community.”

A label is put on the bottles specifying that it is purified water from Comunidad Cristiana El Santuario Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Church and Healing Waters International.

Swine Flu and Safe Drinking Water -- Update # 2 -- I actually broke a news story on my blog!

This photo that I took during my last trip to Latin America

shows a child filling a bag with water from a stream

I wanted to post another quick update on the Swine Flu (or as we are supposed to call it now "Influenza A H1N1") and the role of safe drinking water.

Basically, any flu hits you a lot harder if you have a compromised or weakened immune system. The sad reality is that many people in developing countries live their entire lives with weakened immune systems because of poor nutrition and lack of access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and hygiene. So an epidemic like this is just magnified and multiplied.

I was reading commentary about this on CNN.com that verified this:

Up to now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, has gone only so far as to advise people to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico, which seems to be ground zero in the imminent pandemic.

It's there that at least 2,500 people may have been infected. Mexican authorities also suspect that 159 deaths have resulted from the infection, although only a small number of cases -- less than a dozen -- have been confirmed. And in most of those cases, it wasn't the flu that was fatal but some another illness that took advantage of a weakened immune system caused by the H1N1 flu.

By not having access to safe drinking water, good nutrition and basic health, sanitation and hygiene, what would be a "typical" flu outbreak in the United States has a much more profound and far reaching impact in a developing country like Mexico.

NPR picked up a story about this just yesterday. I couldn't believe it, I was driving to work at Healing Waters International on Thursday listening to the radio. I had made my blog post on Monday talking about the link between safe drinking water and the flu outbreak in Mexico, and sure enough, NPR did a story on it. I will be honest with you, I felt kind of vindicated when I heard the story. (That tall, goofy blond guy that works for the water org was on the cutting edge of news and actually "broke" a story before the mainstream media covered it. . . cool!) You can click anywhere on the preview of the story below to link to the NPR website and listen to the 4 minute clip.

Global Health
Sanitation Problems Thwart Mexico's Flu Battle
by Jason Beaubien

Morning Edition, April 30, 2009 · Mexico's President Felipe Calderon on Wednesday night encouraged citizens to stay in their homes. Mexico City remains the epicenter of the swine flu outbreak. The lack of water has made sanitation a challenge in many working-class neighborhoods.

Feel free to e-mail me, Greg Allen-Pickett, with any questions, comments or feedback. Thanks for reading and LET THE CLEAN WATERS FLOW!