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Giving Back回馈I am writing this post on my final day here in Africa. It has been a great trip. While much of the trip has been spent providing food, clothing, love and prayer for some of the most desperate people in the world, I feel refreshed and full of life.
我的这个帖子是在非洲的最后一天写的。这是一段伟大的旅程。旅途的大多时间是在分发食物、衣服，播散爱心同时为世界上那些近乎绝望的人们祈祷，我对生命的充实感到焕然一新。
This trip has reinforced my belief that when you help others, you help yourself. Think of the last time you gave of yourself to help someone. It could have been jump-starting someone’s car, a meal you made for a friend who was sick, or serving at the local homeless shelter. How did it make you feel?
这次旅行强化了我的信仰,当你帮助了别人,你就是在帮助你自己。想想上次你帮助了什么人。它可能是帮助某人发动熄火的车辆,可能是你为一个生病的朋友亲手做的一顿饭,或在当地收容所提供服务。这些助人为乐的事情让你感觉如何?
When you take your resources, whether it is your time, talent, or money to help others, there is something about the experience that fills you up and brings greater joy and satisfaction to your life.
当你把资源,不管是你的时间,天赋,或钱拿来帮助别人,你就会获得一些经历填充到你的生命中,给你的生活带来更大的快乐和满足。
The American Culture
美国文化
Americans are the most generous people in the world, measured by charitable giving as a percent of GDP. Despite the deep economic recession, charitable giving in 2009 topped $300 Billion.
以慈善捐赠占GDP的百分比衡量，美国人是世界上最慷慨的人。尽管严重的经济衰退,2009年美国慈善捐赠仍然超过3000亿美元。
The instinct to rally around a cause, to serve a greater need has been part of our country dating back to 1630 when John Winthrop led a group of English Puritans to Massachusetts Bay and imparted the “model of Christian charity.” He said, “We must bear one another’s burdens. We must not look only on our own things but also the things of our brethren.”
为一项伟大的事业团结起来，服务于更大的需要，一直是我们国家的一部分，其源头可以追溯到1630年,当时约翰·温思罗普领导着马萨诸塞湾的一群英国清教徒，他被授予“基督教慈善机构的典范。”他说,“我们必须忍受彼此的负担。我们不但关注自己的事情，而且还必须关注我们弟兄们的事。”
In settlements like Jamestown and Plymouth, neighbors depended on each other to survive the drought, blistering heat, lack of food, and harsh winters
在早期的定居点詹姆斯敦和普利茅斯,邻里之间互相依赖，在经历了干旱,酷热,食物缺乏,以及严酷的冬天后幸存了下来。
In the mid- to late 18th century, public service became less of a Christian mission and more of a civic duty. The stories of how people gave of themselves to help others are endless, from Harriet Tubman who lead more than 300 slaves to freedom through the underground railroad to volunteers who collected more than 4 billion dimes between 1938-1955 for polio research, we have come together as a country to help others.
在18世纪中期到后期,公益服务作为基督徒的使命在减少，而公益服务更多的成为了公民义务。从哈丽特塔布曼带领300多名黑奴穿越地下逃亡线，走向自由，到志愿者在1938 - 1955年之间为小儿麻痹症研究募集了4百亿多美元,人们是如何奉献自己，帮助别人的故事是无穷无尽的,我们作为一个国家整体，已经一起努力去帮助别人。
Not only have we been a nation to help our own people, we have also come together to help people around the world. One of the Africans told me if it weren’t for America, half of Africa would be dead. While that’s likely an exaggeration, the fact is people around the world have a great deal of respect for our humanitarian efforts.
我们不仅作为美利坚民族帮助我们自己的人民,我们也一起来帮助世界各地的人们。一位非洲人告诉我，如果没有美国,非洲人就死了一半。虽然这可能有点夸张,事实上，世界各地的人们为我们的人道主义努力表示出了极大的尊重。
Quite frankly I was nervous about how I would be treated here in Africa, I was blown away with the love I felt from the people. Everywhere my wife and I went, people went out of their way to smile, wave and say hello. It was almost as if when they saw a Caucasian, they knew they were here to help them.
坦率地说,我为在非洲的礼遇而感到不安，我为人们之间的爱而深深震撼，我和妻子无论到哪，这里的人们到会特地过来，对我们微笑，挥手，打招呼。就好像当他们看到一个白种人,他们知道他们是来帮助他们的。
When disaster struck Haiti earlier this year, Americans rallied to donate their time and money. There were so many doctors and nurses from America who volunteered to help, a waiting list had to be created. Millions of other Americans helped by donating money or jumping on planes to serve the people of Haiti.
当今年早些时候,灾难袭击海地，美国人团结起来，贡献他们的时间和金钱。很多来自美国的医生和护士,他们自愿提供帮助,以至于不得不创建一个候补名单。数以百万计的其他美国人，通过捐款或直接跳上去海地的飞机，帮助海地，为海地人民服务。
