It's been a terribly difficult start to the year, from the tragic losses caused by bushfires, heatwaves and floods, to the cascading impact of the financial crisis. In the first few months of this year as I have spoken around the country, the hardship caused by these events on ordinary Australians has been a common theme.

I have spoken with company directors in Queensland, superannuation trustees on the Gold Coast, chartered accountants in Sydney and health practitioners at an International Mental Health Conference in Brisbane.

There was a look of real fear on the superannuation managers faces, a fear of being out of control. Their questions were: "When will this end? And how?" But it was dawning that this is an ethical crisis, and the questions moved to the deeper issues: "Were we living the right way in the good times? And if not, how do we change our values?"

These audiences might seem a bit disconnected from global poverty, however it has allowed me to advocate on behalf of the world's poor, ask questions about the way we have been doing things as a society, and tap into the sentiments felt by many Australians. It also means the speaking fees I get can help fund vital World Vision projects in the field.

In addition, I have spoken at the Monash University Conference on Environmental Sustainability and the National CANA Conference on Climate Change. Climate change and its potential to destroy the way of life of many people already struggling with poverty means it is now very much an international development issue, a humanitarian issue rather than a purely environmental one.

I also spoke at Easterfest in Toowoomba where 35,000 Christians gathered and I addressed 6,000 young people at a Planetshakers gathering here in Melbourne. With the boundless energy and passion of youth, many young people indicated their intention to support our fight against the Global Food Crisis, a silent crisis affecting 100 million people.

Despite these major challenges, what gives me hope is the resilience of Australians, the strength of communities to bounce back as they help each other with adversity.

From Geelong to Townsville, despite job cuts or floods, ordinary people have this incredible ability not only to make do when times are scarce, but to thrive and achieve amazing things.

I've also seen many times the generous community spirit that extends beyond our nation's borders. We can make a difference in developing countries that is every bit as meaningful as the contributions we make to one another here in difficult times.

I hope you will join my blog as I share the many stories from my travels and the characters I meet from all walks of life.

Shalom

Tim