In the rooms and offices in D.C. there was a common theme from those we elected. They could not fight for constituents who did not fight with them. As you can imagine, the risk of sticking their necks out for something they and their constituents believe in must be a well-fortified act. They just want a little bit of support.

You can imagine that if we were all clamoring to end the horrific famine in Yemen and South Sudan that we would not have need for the national security line. If we stood up for the common inherent value of human beings and communicated that our neighbors were not simply those living next door to us, but also those who live across the world, we would see a different and far less reluctant response from the White House.

I learned something in Washington on this last trip. I learned that I am the obstacle that keeps foreign aid from reaching those in need. I have learned that we are often too quiet and even silent in our expectations for how and why we serve other people.

I also learned that in this current famine mothers and children are choking down sand in order to alleviate the hunger pangs and emptiness in their stomachs, and we can do something about it.

About Dan Haseltine | For more than two decades, Dan Haseltine has been the founder and primary songwriter for 3x GRAMMY winning music group, Jars Of Clay. He is currently the Co-Founder & Director of Artist Relationships at Blood:Water (www.BloodWater.org). Dan is a champion for the work of affirming dignity through collaboration in the fields of art and global health specifically related to clean water and HIV/AIDS in Africa. He is a public speaker, consultant, author, columnist, advocate and mentor. He lives in Franklin, TN with his wife, Katie and sons, Noah and Max.

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