GOSHEN -- Peter Illyn understands that the effects of climate change are often hard to detect from Elkhart County.

To better illustrate it to Goshen residents, he's bringing in pastors from Uganda -- a country hit hard by drought -- and the South Pacific island Tuvalu -- which scientists say might be totally under water within decades due to rising sea levels caused by climate change.

"Within the Christian world, especially the evangelical Christian world, there's been kind of a bit of skepticism about climate change," said Illyn, founder and executive director of Restoring Eden, a ministry that encourages nature appreciation and environmental stewardship as a biblical value.

Restoring Eden, along with Goshen College, is bringing the two speakers, Rev. Tafue Molu Lusama from Tuvalu and Sara Kaweesa from Uganda, to the Old Goshen Theater on Saturday for a lecture, "Ankle-Deep in reality" about the effects climate change has had on their countries.

Regardless of arguments about whether global warming is real, Illyn believes people shouldn't waste the earth's limited resources. He added that some pollution, like carbon dioxide, is almost invisible, which makes people think it isn't a problem.

Paul Steury, education coordinator of Goshen College's Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center, said he thinks Lusama and Kaweesa will be able to illustrate the effects of climate change, which he said is difficult to detect in America, by telling the stories of what's happening in their countries. He pointed out that the winters don't seem to be getting any warmer in Goshen, which makes people skeptical of global warming.

"To have people coming from around the world where climate change is affecting them, that's really important to hear, because it helps us understand that everything we do is connected globally," Steury said.

Illyn said Restoring Eden has brought other programs to Goshen in the past. He said Restoring Eden targets a younger (ages 18 to 35) audience, and Goshen College has a reputation for being extremely environmentally conscious.

"They were one of the first Christian colleges, and there's only seven, that have made a commitment to really green their campus," Illyn said. "And so Goshen is one of the leading colleges in this movement."

IF YOU GO

What: “Ankle-Deep in reality,” a lecture about climate change Who: Rev. Tafue Molu Lusama, from Tuvalu, and Sara Kaweesa, from Uganda When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: The Old Goshen Theater Ballroom third floor, 216 S. Main Street, Goshen