To Catch a Dollar

www.tocatchadollar.com

Apparently micro-finance works everywhere!!

Shake Hands with the Devil

A quote from the book Shake Hands with the Devil:  The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by LGen Romeo Dallaire:

"After one of my many presentations following my return from Rwanda, a Canadian Forces padre asked me how, after all I had seen and experienced, I could still believe in God.  I answered that I know there is a God because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil.  I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him.  I know the devil exists, and therefore I know there is a God."  (p. xviii)

Your Love by Brandon Heath

I felt it first when I was younger
A strange connection to the light
I tried to satisfy the hunger, I never got it right
I never got it right

So I climbed a mountain and built an altar
Looked out as far as I could see
And everyday I’m getting older, I’m running out of dreams
I’m running out of dreams

But Your love, Your love
The only thing that matters is
Your love, Your love
Is all I have to give
Your love is enough to light up the darkness
It’s Your love, Your love
All I ever needed is Your love

You know the effort I have given
And You know exactly what it cost
And though my innocence was taken, not everything is lost
Not everything is lost, no

You’re the hope in the morning
You’re the light when the night has fallen
You’re the song when my heart is singing
It’s Your love
You’re the eyes to the blind man
You’re the feet to the lame man walking
You’re the sound of the people singing
It’s Your love

All I ever needed, all I ever needed
You're love is all, all I ever needed

Your love is all that I needed
All I ever needed is Your love, Your love
All I ever needed is Your love
Your love is all that I needed
All I ever needed is Your love
Your love is all that I needed
It’s all I ever needed

Small by Amanda Falk

I just need to get away from me
I just need to find some peace of mind
Caught in this game of unmet expectations
I wanna leave it all behind

I wanna be small
I wanna be just like a child
I wanna be quiet in your arms
I wanna be small
I wanna be just like a child
I wanna be quiet in your arms

So in that moment when I loose myself
Let the world fade away from me
Give me a moment to just seek the silence
I just wanna be set free

I wanna be small
I wanna be just like a child
I wanna be quiet in your arms

Out of Prostitution

My friend Paola is spending some time in Amsterdam.  She is learning about the programs that YWAM has set up to work with prostitutes there and she will be using this training when she returns home to Costa Rica.  You can check out her blog for more information at paolacostarica.blogspot.com.

Recently she blogged about the opportunity to speak with Denise, a former prostitute.  Paola asked her what advise she could give her as a person working with people involved in prostitution.  Her answer:  "Never tell a prostitute that once she accepts Jesus in her heart, she cannot work as a prostitute anymore! Jesus is the one that is going to do the transformation in that person's life.  He is the only one that has the power to transform her and it will take time.  When I accepted Jesus, I kept working and I prayed and still worked.  You can give your heart to Jesus while you work in prostitution because God is the only one that can help you step out.  You can get out of prostitution but the prostitution can't get out of you until Jesus comes and set you free."

Because I Am A Girl

Saw this ad in a magazine the other day:


Because I Am A Girl, I watch my brothers go to school while I stay home.

Because I Am A Girl, I eat if there's food left over when everyone is done

Because I Am A Girl, I am the poorest of the poor


And yet. . .

Because I Am A Girl, I will share what I know

Because I Am A Girl, I am the heart of my community

Because I Am A Girl, I will pull my family out of poverty if you give me the chance

Because I Am A Girl, I will take what you invest in me and uplift everyone around me

Because I Am A Girl, I can change the world


Click on the "Because I Am A Girl" poster on the sidebar and donate to Plan Canada today (becauseiamagirl.ca).

They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children

A few poignant thoughts from They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children by Romeo Dallaire:

"Where you are born should not dictate your potential as a human being."  (p. 170)

" - a global appreciation that all humans are equal, that all humans are human, and that no one human is more important than any other."  (p. 241)

"I reread a passage written by Elie Wiesel, published in an anthology called What Does It Mean to Be Human?  'To the homeless, the poor, the beggar, the victim of AIDS and Alzheimer's, the old and the humble, the prisoners in their prison and the wanderers in their dreams, it is our sacred duty to stretch out our hand and say, "In spite of what separates us, what we have in common is our humanity."'"  (p. 246)

"Can you grasp that there are practically no limits - except those we wish to impose upon ourselves, individually and collectively - that can prevent us from influencing the whole of humanity, from initiating and sustaining reforms from anywhere we live and work?"  (p. 259)

BLACK GOLD

If you can't rent "BLACK GOLD" from your local rental store, ask them why not and then ask if they would get it in for you - blackgoldmovie.com.

Oh to be in Grade 1 again. . .

Spring in a wonderful time to substitute in a grade 1 class.  It seems like teeth are literally falling from their mouths (and they are sure to show you any loose ones or new gaps) and spring coats feel new even though they are from last year.  You can't help but smile - they are so full of wonder. . .and it makes me wonder when we lose that quality.  As they learn and grow, the world is literally new to them every morning - I wish I would wake up like that each day!

While substituting yesterday, one little boy came up to me at the beginning of class, cupped his hand to my ear and whispered "Adios, amigo!"  I informed him that he was telling me 'good-bye' and his reply that it was for later.  By the end of class, Spanish was the farthest thing from his mind:  he told me that he had changed his name to Indiana Jones!  Oh to be in grade 1 again. . .

Preview of Ethiopia: Unashamed

www.listenuptv.com

Also check out a corresponding article from Rikki Ratliff of Listen Up TV from the National Post: life.nationalpost.com/2011/02/08/among-the-ethiopian-ruins-faith-and-worship

Threads of Hope

I know I've blogged about Threads of Hope (www.threadsofhope.com.ph) before. It's been so great to partner with them for almost 2 years now.  My speaking engagements have slowed down too much for me to hang on to their stock and so I'm down to about 250 bracelets right now (and I won't be ordering any more for the time being).  If you're interested in buying some, please let me know.  They are $1 each and are great for kid's party bags or little thank you gifts because they have such a special meaning behind them.

 

Close to God

The youth Sunday School class on photography that I've been teaching is coming to an end.  We've finished the lessons, and today was spent putting cards together using the students' photographs.  I don't quite understand why it is, but I felt today was the Sunday I was closest to God.  Not in teaching lessons or reading the Bible together, but in active service.  You see, the cards are simple and easy to make.  And the money raised from the sale of the cards for Build A Village (which I blogged about a few days ago) won't be extreme.  But all of these little things put together will effect real change for the refugees that will be sponsored by Build A Village to come and live in our community.

Partnering for Change

I've spent the last few days in Winnipeg at a conference called Partnering for Change:  Conversations on Rights, Livelihoods, and Peacebuilding.  I learned a lot about various aspects of international development through the speakers, panel discussions and workshops.  I was challenged in my own thinking and probably left with more questions that I arrived with.  I was reminded again of just how interconnected we all are.

Part of the dilemma in such discussions is one's viewpoint.  When asked to define truth or justice or reconciliation, the answers are very different from a secular perspective versus a Christian perspective.  I would like to say that our end goal is the same, but I can't really say that.  I have collected many great quotes from Martin Luther King Jr, but I think one in particular stands out in this regard:  "All that I do in civil rights I consider a part of my ministry, because I think the gospel in its essence ministers to the whole man. It is not enough to be concerned about the soul of man; you’ve got to be concerned about the body and the environmental conditions, which may scar the soul.”

fair trade: a human journey

Check out the Winnipeg Free Press review on fair trade:  a human journey.  The only thing I disagree with is their criticism because I have none.  I LOVE the book and would recommend you get a copy for yourself!

www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/fair-trade-primer-appropriately-good-coffee-table-book-117847618.html

1 Year

It was 1 year ago today that my uncle Levi entered the ICU.  A year seems to fly by for me, but I doubt that would be the case, lying in a hospital bed day after day.  Good news came this past Monday - he had the trache removed!

Build A Village

I attended a meeting yesterday with a local organization called Build A Village.  The charity was originally set-up 10 years ago to help the victims of El Salvador who had just survived a devastating earthquake - very literally, it was to rebuild their homes and villages.  I was in my first year of teaching then and I remember doing some fundraising to help in their efforts.

Somewhere over the past decade, while still raising funds for El Salvador, another focus emerged - one much closer to home.  Build A Village started working with MCC in sponsoring refugees to our community and helping them settle in and adjust to Canada.  In April, a family of 18 (a grandmother, her 4 married children and 9 grandchildren) will be making Altona their home.

The meeting was designed to help community members plug in to volunteer as this family makes the transition.  Part of the evening was spent over some table discussion questions.  So many different emotions flooded back over me and my heart ached for all those - refugees and others - that I left behind in my travels of '09.

Enjoy the Pi!

My favorite holiday of the year has returned - Happy Pi Day!

just be

I should know better by now - volunteering to teach a youth Sunday School class, when the lesson is really for me in the end!  Hopefully the students have picked up some photography skills along the way, or learned a bit more about 'perspective' (our theme), or connected with God in a new way (or all of the above!).  The lessons have been a good reminder for me, especially today's.

The topic today was 'God's Perspective' - to view other's the way He views them.  But the next step is also to view myself the way God views me (I don't know about you, but I forget about this too often!).  I talked about getting up every morning and, along with my clothes, I put on the expectations of the day.  "What is everyone expecting of me?  What am I expecting of myself?"  I wish I could say that the only thing I think about each morning as I get ready is that God simply wants me to be.

As I continued to think about this morning's lesson, my mind wandered back to my time in Austria in 2003.  We didn't have much time to ourselves that summer - it was a very busy 6 weeks.  For some reason, I remember checking out some of the town's shops one day by myself.  I walked into a wood shop and marveled at the detail of the carver.  But the only sculpture that has stayed with me specifically is one of a hand - palm up, fingers open - and it was big enough for me to sit in.  (If I had the money and a way to get it back home, it would have been my only souvenir!)  What better reminder than to actually crawl into a hand - the hand that holds the universe in place, who painted butterflies and carved canyons into the earth - and just be?

Iftin

My aunt, uncle and cousins just returned from Africa with some special necklaces.  The pottery necklaces are made by Noor Creations, which started out with 6 ladies and now has grown to 10.  All the ladies are graduates of Iftin (which is Somali for light), an English program in the community of Eastleigh in Nairobi.  There are 3 levels to the English program.  All the women are either refugees from Somalia or Ethiopia.

DYEing 4 Change

The Manitoba Association of Women's Shelters (MAWS) has a unique event happening from May 8 - 14:  DYEing 4 Change.  There are more details at their website www.dyeingforchange.com but the basic idea is that women have a special relationship with their hairdresser.  One in four women experience some type of abuse in their lifetime and many never report it to police or go to shelter but they will be more likely to talk with someone they trust, like their hairdresser.

Salons can get involved in a variety of ways.  They can donate a % of sales, donate their tips and/or collect donations from their customers to support this worthy event and cause.  "Snip it.  Streak it.  Style it."  Whatever you do, don't be Silent about it.

International Women's Day

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day.  It's a chance to celebrate the women in your life, look back at the progress made in women's rights, and look forward to the changes that still need to happen for women.

"The rights of women are not recognized around the world as much as they need to be. The rates of abuse and violence perpetrated against women are still outrageously high and women are a crucial and a beautiful part of our society that needs to be celebrated," Aisha Entz, a volunteer with the West End Women's Resource Centre said.  (www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/rally-celebrates-100th-womens-day-117569743.html)

Grinning from Ear to Ear

It's been a while since I've updated you on my uncle Levi's condition.  He's actually been in an isolation room as of late, fighting an infection he got at the hospital (which isn't that hard to do when you've been in the hospital for about a year).  The source was finally discovered as a bladder infection.  My parents went to visit him on the weekend and they got a pleasant surprise - Levi was driving around in his wheelchair (something he hasn't done in almost a year).  He was granted permission to head down to the cafeteria and enjoyed some mashed potatoes and gravy.

Chasing Light

Judith Voth (the photographer who took pictures for me last November for my Christmas pictures) will be exhibiting at the Pembina Hills Art Gallery in Morden this month.  "Chasing Light" will officially open Friday, March 11 at 7 p.m.  For more details check out: www.pembinavalleyonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21223&Itemid=33.

*CHANGED TO SUNDAY, MARCH 13 FROM 2 - 3:30 P.M. BECAUSE OF ROADS*

A No-Gift Year

I have made the decision for 2011 to be a No-Gifts year and that will be hard for me because I love to give gifts.  And I'm talking No-Gifts in that I won't be giving physical gifts - at least not to the family and friends that would normally unwrap a gift.  The physical gifts will be given to people in need, locally or globally, while the people here at home won't receive another 'thing' (needed or not) but rather the satisfaction of knowing that a gift was given on their behalf.  The first is for my parents (today is my Dad's birthday and March 12th is my Mom's):


Keep 5 Alive from partners Relief & Development Ca on Vimeo.

A Little Camera Shy

Some say that photographers take pictures so that they don't have to be in pictures. . .true or not, the members of the Photo Club (we're looking for a better name by the way, any suggestions?) were made to 'sit pretty' for a group shot tonight.

Seeing Things

I went in to Winnipeg today and felt so grown up - I went to the Winnipeg Art Gallery for the very first time!  My interest lay in the photography exhibit, but I also enjoyed checking out the paintings and sculptures on display.  More information on the photography display at: www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/seeing--things-116386629.html.

The Story of Citizens United vs. FEC

The newest The Story of Stuff came out today:  Citizens United vs. FEC.  Go to storyofstuff.org/citizensunited for more information.