Happy New Year!

As you reflect back upon the blessings and trials of the past year and pray about what the Lord has in store for you in 2012, we want to thank you so much for your commitment to children in poverty.

The children are truly are blessed by your passion and faith.

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.

Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

– Isaiah 60:1-3 (NIV)

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Zoom Koom is a cool, refreshing drink from Burkina Faso, West Africa. Zoom means flour. Koom means water.

According to Emmanuelle Boco, who submitted the recipe, zoom koom is a drink for welcoming newcomers and is served on special occasions. On Saturday night, when you welcome the new year, be sure to provide your guests with some zoom koom deliciousness. It’s easy.

View a larger image of the recipe.

Emmanuelle’s recipe isn’t as complete as it should be; some key steps are missing. But years of watching the Food Network helped me make numerous executive chef-like decisions throughout the process.

Before I was able to make the first one, I had to figure out what a tamarind decoction is.

Decoction is not a misspelling or a made-up word. It’s the end result of extracting the flavor from something by boiling it.

A tamarind is the pod of a large, tropical tree in the legume family. It contains sour, acidic seeds and is an important ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. It can be found in Indian and Asian markets.

I didn’t go the tamarind decoction route. I opted for the lemon juice and water mix, even though Emmanuelle didn’t specify how much water and lemon juice to mix together. That became executive chef decision one.

Executive chef decisions two and three were determining how much ginger to use and whether I really needed two-thirds of a pound (300 grams) of sugar.

This is how it played out.

My wife prepped the pineapple while I skinned the ginger. Skinning ginger is the testosterone-laced version of peeling it.

As I began to channel my masculinity into the ginger skinning, I had to decide how much ginger to skin. The verdict: one whole root. My wife was frightened, but it turned out to be a good amount … if you like ginger.

I pureed the pineapple and ginger, then mixed it with the 300 grams (2/3 pound) of millet flour for 10 minutes.

I had to help things along initially by using a spatula to ferret out the flour that didn’t want to play with the wet ingredients.

Since the recipe called for one liter of tamarind decoction, I decided to use one liter of water in my lemon juice mix.

I juiced five lemons and added that to the Kitchen Aid.

Then I overruled myself and added only six ounces of water because step two of the recipe called for a “little water.” A liter is more than a little, although they sound the same.

I never added more water because I was happy with the smoothie-like consistency; however, in hindsight, if I had added more water it probably would have been easier to strain out the flour.

Emmanuelle’s recipe didn’t call for straining the mix, but I found a different zoom koom recipe on the Web that did. Before I strained the mix I rebelled one more time and put the kibosh on adding 300 grams (2/3 pound) of sugar to the drink. I added only two ounces of sugar.

I opted to strain the mixture because two-thirds of a pound of flour made zoom koom sound more like a meal than a drink.

After pouring the mix into the strainer I expedited the extraction (of the liquid) with some pestle action, which left this behind.

Then I forgot to add the vanilla, which was probably a subliminal thing since the recipe doesn’t specify how much to add.

By this time, I’m not sure you could call what I made authentic zoom koom. But my wife and I called it yummy.

When I make my next batch of zoom koom for our New Year’s party, to supplement our homemade egg nog, I’ll add more water to help filter the flour better. This first attempt tasted gritty. Not bad, just gritty. Like when you add lots of wheat germ to a smoothie.

I expect to sweeten the sequel to make it more appealing to our guests and to balance the power of the ginger. What I originally made was quite strong; 10 ounces was all I drank before calling it a day.

Let me know what you think.

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The global economy is a wreck. There’s a global food crisis devastating the developing world. Loved ones have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jobs have been lost. The implosion of the housing market has left many in dire straits.

But you could also view the past 10 years in a different light.

We have been punched in the face, bloodied and beaten. Our pockets have been pilfered. Our sense of security crushed. But we’re still standing. And that’s saying something.

Standing. That’s how I’d like to start this new decade.

It’s time to take a deep breath, expand our lungs, square our hips and boldly, defiantly …stand.

But just standing isn’t enough. We need to stand with a purpose. Stand for a reason.

I think that would be a great New Year’s resolution for this year. To stand. Stand and be heard. Stand and be counted. Stand and speak up. Stand and make a difference.

Because, you see, for the poorest of the poor around the world, the economy is always horrible. The billions living on less than $2 a day are attacked over and over again by a ruthless terrorist: poverty.

The poor have lost loved ones in the battle against malnutrition, unclean water and disease.

And jobs? For the poor, they’ve always been scarce. They know little of a “housing market bubble” because they can’t imagine getting beyond their shacks made of tin and wood scraps. They can’t even imagine coming home to a carpeted floor.

The truth is, the poor have been beaten by poverty for far too long. And it’s beyond time to stand up for them.

This year you can do it.

In 2010, you can stand up for the poor. Pray. Give. Share. Care. Use your time, talents or treasure to help those less fortunate.

Stand and expect more from our government. Stand and lead your church to become part of the solution. Stand.

This next decade will say a lot about us … about the Church. Will we shrink in the aftermath of disruption and despair? Will we lie crumpled in our grief?

Or will we plant both feet firmly on the ground and say “Enough!”?

What will we look back and say in 2020? Will we shrug our shoulders and excuse ourselves, saying, “Well, we needed time to recoup,” or will we look back on the 20-teens and say, “That was the decade we decided to change the world. That was the decade we decided to stand”?

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The last two months of the year have traditionally been known as “the season of giving.” Whether it is the good cheer of the holidays or the appeal of potential tax deductions, the year’s end seems to prompt charitable giving . . . This year, I expect that end-of-year appeals will feature a double plea for generosity. Not only will they rely on the tried and true annual “season of giving” sentiment, but they will also likely include some version of the nearly ubiquitous theme:

In these tough economic times…

Now more than ever…

In today’s climate…

. . . But what are we really saying? If we are saying that this is the season for giving or that current economic conditions merit increased generosity, aren’t we implying that giving is unnecessary at other times of the year or when the American economy is strong?

Read more at newsweek.washingtonpost.com

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Take a look at some of these popular New Year’s resolutions for 2009:

• In 2009, I resolve to eat better.
• In 2009, I resolve to keep my home in better shape.
• In 2009, I resolve to take better care of my body.
• In 2009, I resolve to be better about what I spend my money on.
• In 2009, I resolve to look for a new job.

Any of those look familiar?

Now, go back and read those resolutions again … but this time, from the perspective of a person living in poverty.

Imagine a little boy in Kenya who resolves to eat better because he’s tired of going to bed hungry. Imagine a single mother in Peru who resolves to keep her 6’x6’ shack clean. I’ve seen families that sweep their dirt floors just to try to keep their humble homes presentable.

Imagine a little girl in India who wants to take control of her own body instead of falling prey to the men who abuse it. Imagine the family that scrapes together spare change to eat today. Imagine the father who is desperately searching for a job so he can give his children an education and a shot at life.

This year, I urge you to resolve to do something about global poverty. Get involved. 

Here’s a list of suggested, revised New Year’s resolutions for you:

• In 2009, I resolve to go on a mission trip.
• In 2009, I resolve to help my church start a food pantry — or donate to an existing one on a regular basis.
• In 2009, I resolve to pray for children trapped in poverty.
• In 2009, I resolve to support a ministry that cares for the poor.
• In 2009, I resolve to think beyond myself and truly make a difference in the life of a child living in poverty.

And let’s try to make these New Year’s resolutions last.

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On behalf of my sponsored child, I resolve . . .

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We’re interested to know if what we like is even remotely similar to what you like.

And if you’re not much into leaving comments on blog posts, this is a great opportunity to work on that New Year’s Resolution we know you made. You know, the one about becoming a blog extrovert.

Happy New Year!

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Here are a few of our highlights from 2008. In fact, they might be some of yours too; after all we could not have reached any of them without you!

• We registered our one millionth child.
• We opened the first Compassion child development center in Togo.
• Compassion Tanzania registered its 50,000 child.

Of course, a year can be marked with trials as well. But through these trials the Lord is faithful to refine us as gold.

Many children and families already struggling to buy food have been, and are still, greatly affected by the Global Food Crisis. Although, with the guidance of God and your heart much has been accomplished:

• 79,016 children have been able to receive immediate food relief because of your Global Food Crisis (GFC) donations.
• In the Dominican Republic your GFC donations provided food certificates to 775 Child Survival Program participants. The main recipients being mothers and infants.
• In Honduras your donations created productive micro projects such as poultry and fish production farms, to fight the crisis long term.
• In Ethiopia, GFC donations helped provide therapeutic supplements, staple food grains and medication to nearly 11,000 families.

Thank you so much for your commitment to children in poverty this past year. They truly are blessed by your passion and faith.

In all things we can be confident that no matter where the Lord takes us, what situations He brings us into, or what blessings He has in store we will honor Him and be filled with His love.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” – Proverbs 16:3, NIV

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