“Three Cups of Tea” is both the title of a book and a song which tell the story of an extraordinary man named Greg Mortenson as he continues his odyssey to advocate education in the Islamic countries of central and southwest Asia — specifically, the education of girls. One day in 1993, high up in the world’s most inhospitable mountains, Greg Mortenson wandered lost and alone, broken in body and spirit, after a failed attempt to climb K2, the world’s deadliest peak. When the people of an im-poverished village in Pakistan’s Karakoram Himalaya took him in and nursed him back to health, Mortenson made an impulsive promise: he would return one day and build them a school. Mortenson did return and, after selling what few possessions he had, began one of the most remarkable humanitarian campaigns of our time. Today, as the director of the Central Asia Institute, Mortenson has built fifty-five schools serving Pakistan and Afghanistan’s poorest communities. He continues to wage war with the root causes of terrorism—poverty and ignorance—by providing both girls and boys a balanced non-extremist education. As this real-life Indiana Jones from Bozeman, Montana, crisscrosses the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush fighting to keep these schools functioning, he provides not only hope to tens of thousands of children, but living proof that one passionately dedicated person truly can change the world. On Sunday, December 3, our UUFB “Occasional Choir” will sing “Three Cups of Tea” for the fellowship. The heroes in the song are the children who, in the face of adversity, oppression and poverty, relentlessly pursue their dream of an education. For lack of adequate facilities, children often write their lessons in the sand with sticks. In reality, one penny buys a pencil and one dollar will fund a child’s education for a month. Sharing tea is an important activity/ceremony in the lives of the villagers Mortenson meets as he continues to work for peace. To honor this tradition and to help further the work of this remarkable man, we invite you to share a cup (or three) of tea following the service. Three Cups of Tea:First Cup, you’re a strangerSecond cup, a friend By the Third, you’re family.Assalam Alaikum (Peace be with you) www.uu.gomontana.com/december06-uufb.pdf © 2006 Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Bozeman
