I’m in a Plane

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The flight took off several minutes early and I have an entire row of seats to myself. The Garuda stewardesses are serving breakfast. I chose the scrambled eggs.

To say I live a life of privilege would be an understatement.

Most of the people I’ll meet this week don’t live in a comfortable, four bedroom, suburban home. They live a very different life to me but I know that at the heart of it all, they’re people just like me, walking, and sometimes stumbling, on this journey we call life.

I’m spending a week in Indonesia with Compassion Australia
, seeing how local churches are working with Compassion to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

I’ve seen poverty before in places like India, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Haiti and Dominican Republic. I’ve also seen poverty in Australia.

Poverty looks different wherever it’s found and it takes many forms.

It’s been said that poverty is essentially a breakdown in four key relationships. Our relationship with God. Our relationship with ourselves. Our relationship with others. Our relationship with the rest of creation. By that definition poverty is something experienced every day by rich and poor alike right around the world.

I really don’t know what poverty will look like in the places I’ll visit this week but I’m looking forward to meeting people and hearing their stories. I’m looking forward to hearing how hope is being restored and how dreams are being born. Big dreams in the hearts of small children.

I hope that I’ll be able to share some dreams and hopes with you over the coming days and that maybe you’ll even decide to release a child from poverty through Compassion.

(This was posted from the airport after arriving in Indonesia.)



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About the author

Rodney Olsen

Rodney is a husband, father, cyclist, blogger and podcaster from Perth Western Australia.

He has worked in radio at Perth's media ministry Sonshine for over 25 years and has previously worked at ministries such as Compassion Australia and Bible Society.

The views he expresses here are his own.

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