The Story of Stuff

Found this really interesting website and I encourage you to check it out: storyofstuff.org.  Definitely good food for thought so watch the video and see what you think.

Autumn is in the Air

The days are getting shorter, the air cooler and flocks of birds are starting to migrate south - autumn is on its way!  That might feel better had the summer weather been more favorable, but like it or not, autumn is coming.  Time to pull out sweaters again, and trade sandals for shoes and socks.  Plans for autumn are still up in the air for me, but hopefully everything will be sorted out soon - I'll keep you posted.

Numbers

This weekend was the final summer festival I had a table at.  I sold 39 Little Travellers and 488 Threads of Hope at the Morden Corn & Apple Festival!! We had rain much of Saturday and today, but people were still out.

The best 1 day total sales of Little Travellers this summer was Friday in Morden at 18.  The best 1 day total for summer sales of Threads of Hope (by 77 over Morden) was in Altona on Saturday at 266. Because I love numbers so much, here are the summer festival totals:  63 Little Travellers found new homes and 1008 Threads of Hope were sold at my tables.  Thank you southern Manitoba (and all your tourists) for supporting families in South Africa and the Philippines!!!

Ode to the DQ Muffin

This blog is for Carmen (how can it possibly be that we've known one another for 14 years?!?):

When I moved to Winnipeg for university, Carmen was my first roommate.  She was a country girl herself - she came from Morden, where I lived and taught a few years ago.  Carmen has many passions but the way she talked about the muffins at DQ (a Morden-only specialty), made my mouth water even though I had never tasted one.  I too learned to share her passion for DQ muffins and I even brought some out as a wedding gift for her when she got married in BC (yep, they made the trip!).  It was my full intention to take a picture of one today and then blog about it (knowing I would make Carmen's mouth water!) since I'm in Morden for the festival this weekend, BUT I found out that they have not been making them for 1.5 years - just about the time I left Morden.  I have to admit that I was a little sad for me, for Carmen and for the DQ muffin. . .farewell.

Be

I saw a plaque the other day that said this:

Be Bold

Be Thankful

Be Quiet

Be Original

Be Spontaneous

Be Punctual

Be a Star

Be Young

Be Loving

Be Crazy

Be Loud

Be Random

Be Adorable

Be Unique

Be Daring

Be Obnoxious

Be Yourself

Morden Corn & Apple Festival

Just a reminder to find my table on Stephen Street (between 7th & 8th St) at the Morden Corn & Apple Festival this weekend.  I will be selling Threads of Hope ($1) and all the Little Travellers that I've featured this week ($5 - $9).  Hope to see you there!

And Others. . .

The only other specialty Traveller that is featured at www.littletravellers.net/buy-dolls is Mama & Baby which I am still waiting for - they are on their way from South Africa right now!  The newest one is a Bride and she is pretty cute in her dress and veil.  I also have the following, but don't have pictures so you'll just have to check them out for yourself:  Skirts, Handbags, Woman's Hard Life, Gold Hair, Sassy Girls, Makoti and Warrior.

Mineworker

Yes, Little Travellers are for guys yet too.  The Mineworker Traveller will make a great gift for a guy in your life ($7)!

Working Lady

Many of the specialty Travellers reflect South African life and culture, as demonstrated by the Working Lady ($7).  Part of the proceeds from the sale of Little Travellers go back to the women from South Africa that make them.  The other part goes directly to the HIV/AIDS hospice that the women are linked to as they are either infected or affected by HIV or AIDS.

Soccer Player

Little Travellers could not overlook the fact that South Africa was hosting the soccer World Cup this year and so little soccer players (aka 'footballers') were introduced.  These Travellers come in either the traditional pin format or are available as a keychain for $8.

Mermaid

This one is a favorite of little girls everywhere (especially when they bring their dad to the table and he asks which one they want!) - Mermaid Traveller sells for $9.

Specialty Little Travellers

In getting ready for the Morden Corn & Apple Festival happening next weekend, I picked up some more Little Travellers today.  I am going to feature a number of the specialty ones I have in an attempt to peak your interest and hopefully decide to purchase some of these cute little pins!  I would love nothing more than to deliver a big, fat cheque to Winnipeg instead of returning any Little Travellers that are left over from the summer festivals.  Please stop by my table in Morden or send me an email and I will keep the ones that you want.  Today's feature is the Bumblebee ($7) and I have 42 of them to sell - they are too cute to pass up!  (www.littletravellers.net)

Measure

From my devotional Our Journey:

"This word measure in Revelation 11:1 isn't about God finding out how big the temple is.  God knows how big it is.  That term measure is also used in Ezekiel 40 through 48.  An angel there measured the temple with a ten-foot rod.  It pictures God's intent to establish and protect His people.  'Measure it,' is a way of saying 'All right.  This is what belongs to Me.  These are My people.  This is what's on My heart.'  God was instructing John to mark the people under God's protection."  ~James MacDonald

Heart & Hand

I ordered an Empowerment Pendant from the Somaly Mam Foundation (see www.somaly.org/store/) not just because it was a beautiful piece of jewelry but because of what it symbolizes:

"Symbolizing an unwavering commitment to ending human trafficking, the heart and hand is a graceful reminder that the world will only be moved when we bring together hearts and hands, merging compassion with action."

Family Update

The last few weeks have seen a lot of changes for my mom's family.  My uncle Levi continues to improve since being transferred to the intermediary ICU.  He has had times where he has been off the ventilator and only on oxygen through his nose, which is amazing.  The staff there is hopeful that he will be off the ventilator by the end of the month, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see.


Since my grandma had a stroke in 2002, she has moved to different types of apartments (independent, assisted) and now has made the move to a care home.  Each move has helped downsize and even in this last move, she didn't think she had as much stuff as she did.  It's crazy how it all accumulates!  She seems to be adjusting well so far.

I Shall No Longer Ask Myself. . .

"I shall no longer ask myself if this or that is expedient, but only if it is right.

I shall do this, not because I am noble or unselfish,

but because life slips away,

and because I need for the rest of my journey a star that will not play false to me,

a compass that will not lie.

I shall do this, because I cannot find it in me to do anything else.

I am lost when I balance this against that,

I am lost when I ask if this is safe,

I am lost when I ask if men will approve.

Therefore I shall try to do what is right, and to speak what is true."

Alan Paton

Cry, The Beloved Country

Batten Down the Hatches

This weekend was the second out of 3 summer festivals I have a table at.  I sold 7 Little Travellers and 135 Threads of Hope at the Winkler Harvest Festival.  I know that numbers were down for everyone with the poor weather of wind, rain or wind & rain.  Here's hoping for MUCH better weather and bigger crowds 2 weeks from now at the Morden Corn & Apple Festival!  Find me there August 27 - 29.

Family Pictures 2010

There are only 3 kids in our family, but it seems nearly impossible to get us all together in one place at one time.  My brother Lee was home from Saskatchewan last weekend and Lyndon was also home, not driving his semi across the continent.  We quickly took the chance to take family pictures (one is posted at the side of my blog already - Lyndon is wearing the hat, Lee is bald).  Thank goodness for a tripod and timer. . .I think we did alright!

Strawberry Memories

I hope the rain didn't keep you away from the Winkler festival, because I was there. . .waiting for you!  It was a slow start today, but I'm hoping for better weather over the next 2 days and a lot of traffic.  One of the people who stopped by the table could remember my first name (he actually said Lavonne, but that's pretty close, considering how unusual my name is) and so I tried to place him.  He was young, but I knew that he was not a student, because they usually don't figure out my first name.  David was one of the kids that worked at the strawberry farm when I worked there between high school and university summers (way back when).  I couldn't believe that he remembered me!  He actually said that his family stills heads to the strawberry farm every summer to help with the we-pick berries.  His worst memory. . .the early morning starts!  My best memory of his family. . .the fact that so many of them piled out of the smallest red car (kind of like the clown car trick)!

Winkler Harvest Festival

Just a reminder to find my table at the fair grounds for the Winkler Harvest this weekend (Friday - Sunday).  I will be selling Threads of Hope ($1) and Little Travellers ($5 - $9).  Hope to see you there!

Jesus Thirsts

"Jesus wants me to tell you again. . .how much is the love He has for each one of you - beyond all what you can imagine. . .Not only He loves you, even more - He longs for you.  He misses you when you don't come close.  He thirsts for you.  He loves you always, even when you don't feel worthy. . .

For me it is so clear - everything in MC {Missionaries of Charity} exists to satiate Jesus.  His words on the wall of every MC chapel, they are not from [the] past only, but alive here and now, spoken to you.  Do you believe it?. . .Why does Jesus say 'I thirst'?  What does it mean?  Something so hard to explain in words - . . .'I thrist' is something much deeper than just Jesus saying 'I love you.' Until you know deep inside that Jesus thirsts for you - you can't begin to know who He wants to be for you.  Or who He wants you to be for Him."

~Mother Teresa

Somaly Mam Foundation

I found The Body Shop's petition after reading Somaly Mam's book "The Road of Lost Innocence" (which I blogged about earlier) and heading to her foundation's website www.somaly.org and I would encourage you to do both - read the book about her life and check out the website.  Another great book is "Traffick" by Norman Jean Roy which allows you to look directly at Cambodia's prostitution and trafficking problems through the eyes of its victims.  "The word for prostitute in Cambodia is srey kouc, 'broken woman' - broken in a way that cannot be mended."  (p. 47, "The Road of Lost Innocence")

Sign Our Petition

I know I have already emailed some of you about this, but for those of you who need a reminder or whose email address I don't have, please head to www.thebodyshop.com/_en/_ww/values-campaigns/stop-trafficking-select-country.aspx to sign a petition for your country through The Body Shop - Stop Sex Trafficking of Children & Young People.

The Guest of Honor

The table would not be complete without the guest of honor and my pick is Jesus himself.  He is the motivation behind each person's work at my dinner table.  And it is my personal belief that the fight for injustice is in vain without the One who himself experienced the grossest injustice of all - a perfect life hung on a cross paying for all of humanity's sins.

Dinner Guest #5

Around the table so far South Africa, Albania/India, Britain, and the Netherlands are represented.  Today I add an American to the mix in Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 - 1968).  Also a Nobel Peace Prize winner, King wore many hats - Baptist minister, civil rights activist, among other - and as with Wilberforce, King could not view the roles separately.  As Mother Teresa had spoken directly in opposition to abortion, King opposed the war in Vietnam with much criticism.  Where would America be today, had it not been for Martin Luther King Jr.?  And I also wonder, how much farther would they have gone in the civil rights movement had King been around longer?

Dinner Guest #4

Menno Simons (1496 - 1561) is the 4th guest at my dinner party.  He was a Dutch Anabaptist and his followers became known as Mennonites, of which I'm one.  As I blogged before, there is a common thread between all my guests in that they were not preaching one thing but then acting differently (or indifferently).  His relationship with God convinced him of many things that were wrong in the church and so he took action.  Again, he was not always the most popular, but knew in his heart that God had called His people to something greater.  Being one of the oldest people at our table, I'm sure we will gain great insight into just how radical he was for his day and then be motivated to go out and do the same.

Dinner Guest #3

My 3rd guest is a British politician by the name of William Wilberforce (1759 - 1833).  He worked tirelessly for almost 1/2 a century to abolish Britain's slave trade and make slavery illegal.  It's one thing when the majority of the population agrees with your fight for injustice - it was an entirely different thing when, because Britain and its economy were so dependent upon the African slave trade, the fight seemed insurmountable.  In the midst of his political career, Wilberforce also had an encounter with God which made him question whether he should stay in politics or give it all up for the ministry.  Thankfully, with the guidance of people from both sides, he realized that his fight in politics WAS his ministry.  Now, 200 years later, we can look back at his struggle and fight modern day slavery (in the form of human trafficking) with the same resolve.  Imagine getting his insight into human trafficking today.

Dinner Guest #2

Yesterday I was excited to realize that no 2 of my dinner guests come from the same country, and I didn't do that on purpose!  We will have different backgrounds, come from different cultures, perhaps speak some different languages, but I believe that all my guests have the same heart for justice.  My second guest is Mother Teresa (1910 - 1997), a Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship.  Along with Nelson Mandela, she is also a Nobel Peace Prize winner.  It is her transparency and honesty that touch my heart - she talked many times about her 'nothingness' so that Christ could be everything.  The poor were not her burden, they were her Jesus.  And the fact that she lived like the poor around her in order to speak the same language and understand them more.  The fact that she spoke God's truth even when it was unpopular.  She is my lone female guest so maybe I would connect with her in a way that would be impossible with the gentlemen around the table.

Dinner Guest #1

In no particular order, I will start with my only living guest - Nelson Mandela.  I think that you will see a common theme in all of my dinner guests - they did not wait idly by for someone else to do something about their situation, they themselves affected change.  There's something to be said Mandela had fought against apartheid and racism, but he did so much more than that.  In "Long Walk to Freedom", he continually writes about winning over those who had oppressed them for so long.  And it was not to tolerate them or win them over to the other side, but to truly find common ground for peace, dignity and respect for all.  I would be honored to have Nelson Mandela as a dinner guest and to hear what continued to push him to fight for a South Africa's freedom.

You are Invited to Dinner

While hiking the Austrian Alps in 2003, my teammates and I had A LOT of time to kill.  My teammate Dan loved to play the "if" game.  For example, "If you had the choice, would you choose to lose your sense of sight or your sense of hearing?"  Of course, there were never easy or simple answers, so that made these discussions interesting and long (always a good thing while on the trail).  There are actually "If. . ." books that you can buy, full of interesting questions that are great conversation starters.

I remember another question Dan posed:  "If you could invite anyone, past or present, to a dinner party, who would you invite and why?"  For some reason, this has come back to mind in the last little while, especially as I've been reading many biographies/autobiographies.  And so, you are invited to my dinner party this week as I introduce my 5 (or so) party guests.  I don't think there will be any surprises, but maybe you have some suggestions of people that I'm missing.

Speaking Engagements

This is the 3rd Sunday in a row that I've had a speaking engagement (last week was a children's feature and the other 2 times were 1/2 hour 'sermons' at churches where their pastor was on holidays).  In preparation for this week, I looked back at the last 7 months and counted 10 different churches and 3 schools that I've spoken to, plus other activities like newspaper and radio interviews.  I still don't have specific plans for the fall, but my calendar is slowly starting to fill up with more speaking engagements.  I told the congregation this morning that God has a message and I still have a mission, even though I'm home now and not travelling.