If there is to be peace. . .

"If there is to be peace in the world,

There must be peace among nations.

If there is to be peace among nations,

There must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,

There must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,

There must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,

There must be peace in the heart."

Lao Tzu

Mobilizing Men Against Human Trafficking

Check out mobilizingmen.com for more details about Mobilizing Men Against Human Trafficking - Taking Action to Combat Modern Day Slavery.  Here's some of the information from their website:

"Mobilizing Men is a movement within Winnipeg looking to bring awareness of human trafficking for the purpose of sex slavery and to speak up for the victims who are brutally traumatized.  One goal is to moblize 100 priests, pastors, nuns and leaders who will pray and fast to petition God to break the chains of bondage. A second is to mobilize 1000 men on the 5th of June to do the same."

"Women currently comprise the majority of people fighting against modern-day slavery, but men are the driving force behind the industry, so they’re the ones with the most power to put a stop to it. We want to let them know how much of a difference they can make by providing resources, spreading the word, and volunteering their time."

"Our efforts are focused on abolishing human trafficking and the sex trade through…
• rescuing, supporting, and healing victims;
• identifying, prosecuting, and punishing perpetrators;
• eliminating the demand for exploited women and children;
• supporting existing non-government organizations that already work towards these goals; and
• educating and inspiring men and women about the problem and what they can do to become part of the solution."

"Our values are rooted in and drawn directly from the Word of God. We believe that—through faith, prayer, fasting, and action—God can use us to stop the victimization of men, women, and children, both in North American and around the globe."

"It’s time to take action to set slaves free."

Sunday June 5th, 6:00 – 8:00pm.
Immanuel Pentecostal Church
955 Wilkes Ave
Keynote speaker MP Joy Smith

Bono-fide

When I blogged about U2 the other day, I had no idea they were coming to town and putting on a show tonight (see, people think I'm in the loop, but. . .).  I may be too late to get a ticket (or just simply can't afford one!), but I'm feeling the U2 vibe!  I actually shared about Bono in my adult Sunday school class this morning.  I've blogged this quote before, but it's so good, I think it bears repeating:

"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."  ~Bono

Hold Me by Jamie Grace

I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me
I love, I love, I love, I love the way you, the way you

I’ve had a long day I just wanna relax
Don’t have time for my friends, no time to chit-chat
Problems at my job, wonderin’ what to do
I know I should be working but I’m thinking of You and
Just when I feel this crazy world is gonna bring me down
That’s when Your smile comes around

Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love You more than the words in my brain can express
I can’t imagine even loving You less
Lord, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh whoa, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh

Well You took my day and You flipped it around
Calmed the title wave and put my feet on the ground
Forever in my heart, always on my mind
It’s crazy how I think about You all of the time
And just when I think I’m ’bout to figure You out (figure You out)
You make me wanna sing and shout

I’m so grateful and thankful for all You’ve done
Wish I could tell You in a short story or poem
But, all I have is my voice and this guitar
And You have my heart

The World's Children

From the book "You and Me Together" by Barbara Kerley, Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children's Defense Fund writes:

"Why have we endangered so badly the hopes and lives of so many children?  What kind of world permits 38,000 children to die every day from preventable poverty-related causes?  What kind of world lets children and mothers die in violent wars and massacres?  What kind of rich nation like America lets a child be abused or neglected every 11 seconds; be born into poverty every 40 seconds; and be killed by guns every 3 hours?  We must never adjust to an unjust world which lets children die needlessly.  We must pray, persevere, and refuse to give up.  We must open our eyes and our hearts and energize and organize so that all children in all places in our borderless world - in Africa and South America, in Australia and Europe, in North America, and all over the world - have what they need.  Let us push our love beyond the children in our own homes to give all children a home in the world of our hearts." [bold added]

Local Coverage

Yesterday the radio waves were filled with our awesome news from Tuesday night!  Check it out at:

www.pembinavalleyonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22521&Itemid=33

Displaced Reflections - Part 4

I just can't stop sharing Oddny Gumaer's words from "Displaced Reflections" (p. 98):

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

"There are times, I have to admit, that I think of the refugees in terms of us and them.  Sometimes doing that helps me cope with the stories I hear about them.  It becomes a way to distance myself from the realities of lives lived in poverty, fear and pain.  If I can think about them as a mass of people far removed from me, I can convince myself that maybe their pain is not as real as mine.  When I distance myself from them and start thinking of them as a large group of people rather than individuals I find excuses for my own lack of involvement.

"But then I see a picture of a little boy having school in the [Burmese] jungle and he somehow makes me see him as a child no different than mine.  The cells that make up his body are much the same as the cells in my own children's bodies.  The heart that pumps his blood is made in the same amazing way as the hearts of my own daughters.  His brain has been wired with millions of little brain wires, making him more amazing than the most wonderful computer.  He feels happiness, fear, sadness, cold, hunger and pain exactly the same way we do.

"It bugs me.  Because then the people come so close.  Then I feel like I can't just ignore what they feel.  Then I can't just ignore the pain.  I start to almost feel it myself.

"I think it should bug me.  Not to fill me with guilt and hopelessness, but to wake up my heart.  I need to feel my heart and sense the pain so the people we are helping are not simply numbers on pages and faces with no names.  I need to think of them as people who are as excited about the first day of school as my little girl.

Drum Roll Please. . .

Wow, what a day!  I was running around in high-gear, trying to get everything ready for tonight's art auction (I kind reminded myself of the Tasmanian Devil!).  I also got a call from the local radio station and ended up doing an interview in the midst of all my errands.

Anyway, the evening finally arrived and to say that it exceeded my expectations would be an understatement!  About 50 people stopped by throughout the evening and it was just a wonderful way to end a class that was extra special to my heart!  These young women are so inspiring and passionate, and I feel so privileged to have been a part of it all.

Of course, those of you who have been anticipating this evening as much as I have are waiting for me to give a total - how much money was collected for Build A Village tonight?  Well, I didn't want to get my hopes too high, but if all 5 framed & matted prints went for the minimum $50 then we would make $250 on the night and I would have been happy (kind of).  We also had ticket sales and photo booth prints, which generated $255 alone.  Thankfully one of the students had 2 grandfathers fighting over her picture and there was a bit of a bidding war - this print alone went for $325!  Are you getting excited?. . .because the grand total for the evening was (drum roll please) $800!!!!!!

A HUGE Thanks to everyone who came out to support these young photographers and also help Build A Village financially!!  Thank You to everyone who made the evening a success - your contribution, whether large or small, did not go unnoticed!!  And finally, Thanks to Brooklyn, Kiana, Jess & Taylor - I don't have the words to express what this class has meant to me other than to say:  It is Possible to Move Mountains!!

Displaced Reflections - Part 3

I blogged from "Displaced Reflections" by Oddny Gumaer way back in January, but I have been using it over and over again as I have taught the photography youth Sunday school and now am teaching the adult Sunday school class from the book "Justice for the Poor."

As I prepared for the adult Sunday school class the other night, I emailed Partners (the organization associated with "Displaced Reflections", www.partnersworld.ca) to thank them for this wonderful book.  I would love to meet Oddny face-to-face!  I think we would have a great time together.  Her writing is so honest - it resonates deep within me and speaks to my heart.  Here's part of page 91:

U2

"He [Bono] talked about getting closer to the melody that is in one's heart.

"I have been thinking about that.  It is about loving and knowing God, it is about being known by Him and accepted for who I am.  It is about loving people the way He would love them.  It is about fighting for justice and loving mercy.  It is about grace.

"How close am I to the melody in my heart?

"I tend to be self-righteous.  I think that I should be allowed to retire from being good one day soon.  I have spent more than ten years of my life helping refugees for goodness sake!  I should be able to start thinking about myself now.  Can somebody else take over and let me go hiking in Norway?

"I feel that I deserve a break.  But that proves how badly I have missed the point, because it has nothing to do with:  'Have I done enough yet?'  It has to do with getting closer to the melody.  It is about moving closer to God's heart.  it is in pursuing the true purpose of my life that I will find the song that was written for me.  The journey I am on with God will take me to His heart, and that is where I want to be.  On the way there I will meet people who need me, whom it would be a sin to ignore.

Freeset

It's been an INSANELY busy week training at Ten Thousand Villages - my brain feels full and empty all at the same time!  Of course, my brain is also thinking about the Art Auction happening this Tuesday and then the Jolica conference happening the first weekend in June.  Did I mention that I'm still tutoring in Winnipeg twice a week?!?  AAAHHH!

Anyway, it's all good and I'm excited about the people I continue to cross paths with.  It's great to meet people who have similar passions and yet different experiences than mine so I'm able to add a lot more to my knowledge base (which means my blog keeps going too!).  Check out Freeset's website at www.freesetglobal.com and find hope on the streets of Calcutta through fair trade bags and shirts (not only do they employ through fair trade practices, their cotton is also fair trade).

Putting their dreams on the auction block

A huge thanks goes out to Lori at The Echo for coming out to visit our class on a Tuesday night and then putting together such a wonderful article for us:

www.altonaecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3129600

LaDawn's DREAM Picture

"You see things and say 'why?'

But I dream things that never were;

and I say 'why not?'"

~George Bernard Shaw

I dream of a world
~where 'poverty' will be a word to describe the past, not the present or the future
~where every single child - all girls & boys - will be given the key to break the chains of poverty through education
~where every human being, regardless of gender, color, race or religion, realizes just how connected we truly are to one another and how poor we really are when we forget that.

~LaDawn

Taylor's DREAM Picture

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Live the life you have imagined."

~Henry David Thoreau

My Dream is to travel.  The open horizon is a world full of options.  We, as humans, are so small in this big world, there is so much to discover.  I love to explore.  I long for adventure.  ~Taylor

Kiana's DREAM Picture

"We need time to dream,

time to remember and

time to reach the infinite.

Time to be."

~Gladys Taber

This picture is representing the innocence of a "child".  Where their dreams are big and nothing distracts them from their joy in life.  They take the time to dream, to be, something the older generations forget about.  We should follow them, dreaming big, dreaming to make a difference.  We need to remember to take time, and live in the moment but dream about the future.  ~Kiana

Jessica's DREAM Picture

"Within your heart, keep one still secret spot where dreams may go."

~Louise Driscoll

dream of flying into the sky

dream of being free

dream of letting go

~Jessica

Brooklyn's DREAM Picture

"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.

Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal."

~Pamela Vaull Starr

You may be confused as to how "coffee" can be related to Dreams.  But to me coffee is my dream.  My dream is to open up a coffee shop.  The line "for stars lie hidden in your soul" in my quote really stuck out to me.  Because a dream doesn't just appear one day.  It lies deep in your soul for a long time, and only shows itself to you when it wants to.  And when you take hold of it, you can't get it out of your mind.  That's what happened to me with the coffee shop idea.  It would come to my mind every now and then, but I never thought I could.  But then I realized as long as I want to do this, I can do this.  So I will.  ~Brooklyn

God is Present

I know I have blogged about the book "Divine Nobodies" by Jim Palmer before, but I was sharing a story with the adult Sunday school class this morning ('favorite' would not be the right word to describe it - maybe the most 'impactful' story in the book) and want to share part of it again.  I couldn't make it through this paragraph without tears (p. 144):

"Somewhere over the Atlantic, forty thousand feet above the earth, these nice thoughts about God gave way to disturbing images I wish I could forget from my trip.  Now the question, where was God today? tortured me.  Today a ten-year-old girl is being strapped down tight to a bed and brutally and repeatedly raped.  God is present.  Today an eight-year-old emaciated boy is covered with a cardboard box and left to die.  Slowly he slips into unconsciousness.  God is present.  Today a young mom of three wails in bed as her skeletal body writhes with the unrelenting agony of AIDS.  God is present.  Still, I grew angry.  Why was God pushing these horrors in my face?  I was emotionally spent and wanted to go home to my world.  God could have that world; that was his deal, he's God; I didn't live in that world.

Or did I?"

World Fair Trade Day

Head to www.wftday.org for more information about Fair Trade events happening right around the globe.

DREAM Details

The final photography exhibit for my injustice/photography class is actually an art auction.  The theme is DREAM and it's happening May 24 at the Border Land School Division Office.  From 7 - 8 p.m. you will have a chance to view all the photos, do some silent bidding (there are 5 8x10 prints, matted & framed to 11x14 - bids will start at $50 and these pictures will be featured next week so be sure to check them out), buy tickets for the rainbow auction ($1 for 1 ticket, $2 for 3 tickets or $5 for 10 tickets - there are 8 5x7 framed prints, pictured below) and get your picture taken in our 'photo booth' (automatic prints are $1 each).  At 8 p.m. the prizes will be awarded.  There is no admission.  Refreshments will be served.  And the best part - ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE GOING TO 'BUILD A VILLAGE'.  Bring your chequebook and your change to support this local charity and to encourage these young photographers!  If you'd like to see the pictures before May 24, they will be on display from May 16 - 21 in the mall, across from IGA.

Screwed

So I love my new car and we get along pretty well.  The only issues I've had so far has been with the tires.  My front passenger tire keeps losing air (sometimes faster than other times), but I deal with it.  Since I've been driving into Winnipeg more lately, I've been extra vigilant and am checking the pressure and filling it as necessary.  This afternoon I was running around doing some errands before starting work at 4 p.m.  My last stop was around 3 p.m. - I wanted to pick up some Fair Trade flowers for my first day at Ten Thousand Villages this Saturday (it being World Fair Trade Day).  I park my car and go to enter the florist, when I hear this hissing sound.  I look around and realize that it's coming from my front passenger tire, and it won't stop.  Thankfully there was a Domo on the same lot and so I went to ask if there were any tire shops close by.  Miracle upon miracle, there was one a block away!  Domo didn't have any air to fill my now flat tire, so I head over to the shop on foot.

Sometimes I wonder about my life:  how do I get myself into all these scraps all the time?  Anyway, the guy at the shop was so great.  He actually sent one of his workers (yeah Jon!) to go and fill my tire.  Jon told me I better drive fast, given how quickly the air just escaped from my tire.  Tire full, I ripped it down the block back to the shop where a screw was discovered.  In a matter of minutes, my tire was patched up and only $22.40 later, I was on my way and made it to work on time.  Sometimes you get screwed, sometimes you don't!!

Here's my shout-out to T-Mac Auto Services! - check them out at 337 Ferry Road.

A Matter of Days

It's amazing how life can change in a matter of days. . .

Last weekend I had a Jolica table set up at the Morden Craft and Quilt show.  To save some gas money and time, I stayed at my friend Elaine's place from Friday until Saturday.  In catching up with her, she mentioned that the Ten Thousand Villages in Winkler was looking for a manager.  I volunteered at the store when I lived in Morden a few years ago and I'm currently volunteering in the Altona store.  For those of you who don't know, it's a Fair Trade store (www.tenthousandvillages.ca) under the NGO of MCC (canada.mcc.org).  Anyway, I told I would check it out after I was finished in Morden.

I went the the TTV website and the job was listed, but the deadline for applications was May 1.  I thought I would email them just to make sure.  On Monday morning I got a reply that I could still apply; by the afternoon they called to set up an interview; and on Wednesday I went in for an interview.  I was offered the job and I took it - I'm starting this Saturday for World Fair Trade Day.  Please come and check out the new store especially if you haven't been there yet (725 Main Street Unit B).  There will be Fair Trade treats, draws and a chance to meet the new manager!

P.S. - Thanks again Elaine!

Final Selections

Tonight was the last formal class for my photography/injustice students.  Final selections were made for our art auction, happening May 24 (more details to follow, so stay posted!).  Invitations were put together and Lori, one of our local news reporters, stopped by for an interview.  I don't know where the time went - the class flew by SO quickly.  Tuesday nights have definitely been a highlight for me as of late and I'm going to miss getting together with these fantastic young women to talk photography and injustice.

My Name in Arabic

So not only are Monday nights with the Hopes & Dreams crew a time for them to learn, the evenings are also a chance for me to learn.  Tonight, I discovered my name in Arabic (at least that's what Wafaa told me - she's only in grade 1, but I have to trust her Arabic since it's better than mine!).

This week: DYEing 4 Change

Just a reminder that 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.

I Feel Like a Bird

I received this email from Parnters (www.partnersworld.ca):

I cannot get the sewing machine out of my head. The woman sitting on the floor in front of me is poor. She has no shoes. She has walked for four days to talk to me. She comes from one of the most oppressed areas in the world. How come she had a sewing machine?

"It was a gift from my husband," she says. "Where is the sewing machine now?" I ask. "It’s still where he put it when he hid it." "Aren’t you going to get it?" "I can’t." Of course she cannot. Bringing the sewing machine back from under the bushes and branches in the jungle will be like ripping up a wound that is still painful.

It happened January a year ago. The day was cold and crisp. Saw Mya Htoo was out hunting in the jungle. Naw Muu Wah was busy in the house. With six children to care for she rarely had a quiet moment.

Saw Mya Htoo’s eyes were always on the lookout, for animals, for plants to eat—and for the enemy. On this day he spotted the enemy first. From the hill where he was standing he saw them coming walking. Quickly Saw Mya Htoo took his gun and shot it in the air. He had to alert the village somehow, and he was too far away to run there and warn them. He was the person responsible for the radio and always carried it with him. The other person responsible was the village teacher. They did not leave the radios on all the time in order to save batteries. The shot did not have the desired effect. The old gun jammed and the shot just sounded like a little puff in the air.

Then he looked over in the other direction and noticed the village over there, one that was a lot closer, had picked up on his attempt. Quickly the villagers fired off one of the village mortars, and this time the sound was impossible to ignore. Within seconds he got a call from the teacher who asked what was happening. "Hurry! Get the people out of the village. The enemy is coming!" was all Saw Mya Htoo needed to say before he hung up and started running. On his way back to the village he met his neighbors, all of them running with whatever they were able to carry. They looked serious and afraid.

He met his wife and kids too. "Hurry! Run the fastest you can," he told them. He made it into their house, grabbed the sewing machine and ran back into the jungle. With the sewing machine tucked away he decided he may have enough time to run back once more to get some more rice. He knew from experience that whatever was left in their house would be destroyed or stolen. He also knew that they would need much food while in hiding in the jungle.

He got a bag of rice and he told her to run the fastest she could. He would catch up. But he never did. As he came around the corner of his house the soldiers entered the village. Without hesitating they shot him dead. Then they lit the village on fire.

In the jungle sat Naw Muu Wah with her six kids, the youngest only one year old. They were terrified and shaking. The oldest daughter had caught up with them and she told them the news they did not want to hear: "I think they shot daddy." They had shot after her too.

"You know what I feel like?" Naw Muu Wah asks me. "I feel like I am a bird that is not allowed to fly."

"Do you ever consider taking the children and moving to a refugee camp?" "Never. I will not give them that victory."

"All my life they have been chasing us. They have done a lot to my family. They killed my husband, my brother, my uncle, my cousin, my brother in law and my father." "Do you know why the Burma Army come and attack you," I ask. The answer is so sad: "We don’t have any idea. The Burma Army never speak to us or tell us anything."

We sit in silence. We both are mothers. We both love our husbands. We both have dreams and fears. We both have a sense of humor and like beauty. We both want a day off to do whatever we want. We both sit in the same room. But our lives are as different as lives can be. I think it is unfair.

Oddny Gumaer
Co-founder, Partners Relief & Development

Sylvan

I know that my blogging has been a bit sporadic and I think that may be the case more this month.  I just started a tutoring job at Sylvan in Winnipeg and in order to justify the amount of gas I'm putting into my car, I've arranged to take shifts Wednesday and Thursday with the intent of staying in the city Wednesday nights (I think it's called couch-surfing!).

Be reassured that I'm still here (that is, I'm still blogging) and I certainly invite your comments and any other great tidbits regarding anything to do with injustice - I love to share with those who take a regular interest in my blog.  Thanks again for reading and checking what's new - I appreciate it!

Hopes & Dreams

I will be spending Monday nights for May and June with a group called Hopes & Dreams.  Basically it is an opportunity for people from our community to welcome and support the new refugees and immigrants that have moved here.  It's about getting to know one another and it's a great place to practice English/play Charades (depending if you're new or old to the community!).

Please Vote

Please get out and vote today!  Exercise your right (which is not a right in every country) and take an active part in choosing those who will lead our country.  Don't wait for others or make lame excuses - just go vote!