THE [ACTIVATE] SERIES

My pastor gave me a pamphlet a while ago, but I realized that I had not blogged about it and felt I should. It is called "Not So Ancient: Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery" and is put together by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. This is the first of THE [ACTIVATE] SERIES which "is a resource for youth and young adults seeking to live out their faith in a tangible and impacting way. By 'activating' God's mission and call in our lives we can affect change and bring glory to God through our actions and lifestyle. [ACTIVATE] is for those who are tired of the status quo, and are ready to live the life that is truly life - found in God's call for justice." - which is exactly what I'm looking for. They do not shy away from the tough issues, but instead, deal with them head on. I am waiting for my copy of the second in the series, focusing on euthanasia.

Our Last Class

Tonight was the unofficial last class for photography/injustice. We will meet next week, but it will be the exhibit (7 - 9 p.m. at Miller, come one, come all!). It was the last chance to see each other's pictures and we talked about the movies & documentaries we're watched over the last few weeks (since there was not enough time to do so yet). We also ventured up onto the roof of the school to take some shots from a different viewpoint!

if. . .

if she could read. . .if she was healthy. . .
if she had opportunities. . .if she was safe. . .

Literacy & Education - Maternal Health
Livelihood & Life Skills - Trafficking & Prostitution

Please see www.samaritanspurse.ca/ourwork/women/default.aspx for the women's projects Samaritan's Purse is currently focusing on.

Birds

This week I was reminded of my early morning starts from last summer while in Gamboa, Panama. Spring seems to have established itself around here and with it, the songs of a few birds have hit my ear. Last summer, I usually got up around 6-ish to avoid the line for the 1 indoor shower at the church where we were living (there were 3 outdoor spouts as well, but no thanks!). This was not about getting a hot shower - there was no such thing, since the church only had cold water. I just like to have enough time to get ready in the morning and I also like the quiet of the morning. Little did I know that there was no such thing as a quiet morning in Gamboa. As part of the tropical rain forest, it is known for its diversity of bird species. People from all over the world come here in search of the birds - birds that enjoy getting up early and singing their hearts out!! As I said, it REMINDED me and also made me thankful for the FEW chirps I heard, sounding that spring is really on its way!

Update on Levi

My family thanks you for your prayers for my uncle Levi and we ask that you continue to pray. He had a trach put in last Sunday so at least he does not have the tube down his mouth. It's been a difficult week as doctors cannot seem to pinpoint the exact causes and places of infection. With his lungs under so much pressure, other organs are starting to be affected. Sleep has been hard to come by for him as well. The staff at the hospital have been good, willing to meet with the family as requested to be sure that everyone has the correct information and also have a chance to ask questions.

You Are There

"You are there, and I am here,
so one of us is obviously in the wrong place."
~Ashleigh Brilliant

To all my friends, those close in distance, those farther and those yet farther than that:

Know that it is my sincere wish to drop for 'coffee' today and just talk. To catch up on lives that are too busy, where time cannot be controlled. To encourage one another - to laugh and to cry together because life is full of humor and tears. But, because you are there, and I am here, know that I am thinking of you, thankful for your friendship. Know that I would not be the person that I am without your influence in my life.

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world,
and the best that we can find in our travels is an honest friend.”
~Robert Louis Stevenson

Angels

Sometimes, in the regular busyness of life, we forget that we are surrounded by extraordinary people - angels - who don't blow their own horn about their lives and what they do each day, but instead they just are. Maybe they are nurses or teachers or moms who go about their lives and their work, doing things they consider to be normal and regular. And until we step in to walk a few steps of life together with them, we don't realize just how amazing they are. Look around - I have no doubt that there are angels all around you!

"I've seen & met angels wearing the disguise
of ordinary people living ordinary lives."
~Tracy Chapman

Because You Never Know. . .

This post goes out to some of my teammates from last summer - Joanna, Alaina and Marilee - this one's for you! As we spent more time together, we figured out one another's quirks and the lines that we regularly liked to use. I became known for the following line: "You better eat up, because you never know when you'll eat again" (or what you'll eat again, for that matter!). That may be the reason why I gained weight over the summer (plus I was told it was rude not to finish what was served, so I ate it all, even if it was 2 cups of rice for lunch and then again for supper. . .).

Anyway, I sold my car before I left for YWAM and can't afford one right now, so we shuffle vehicles between my parents and brothers, which I am extremely grateful for. I was emailing my cousin, letting her know that I had a car that day and all of a sudden the line came out, reminding me of the summer: "I did every last thing I could think of doing while I was out because you never know when the next time will be."

Old habits die hard, eh girls?!

Pain & Joy

Last week we did not have photography/injustice class because of Spring Break (though we did head to the food bank for our project), but we were back at it this week. Added excitement was that 1/2 of the students (plus myself, earlier today) sat down for an interview with a reporter from the local newspaper. As regular though, their pictures once again blew me away. I am getting more and more excited about the exhibit - 2 weeks from today!

I love the classroom and have certainly enjoyed teaching this class. Even just in the organizing and running around. I think the most surprising detail, though, has been just how much everything has come together. I planned the class in 2 separate portions - photography and injustice - but in so many aspects they have intertwined to simply be 1. Even tonight, we watched "Amazing Grace" and witnessed William Wilberforce's pain and joy as he persevered to abolish the slave trade in Britain 200 years ago, while tonight's photography assignment topic is Pain & Joy.

Born Again

Today I found myself
After searching all these years
And the man that I saw, he wasn't at all who I thought he'd be
I was lost when you found me here
And I was broken beyond repair
Then you came along and you sang your song over me

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
In my life

Make a promise to me now
Reassure my heart somehow
That the love that I feel is so much more real than anything
I've a feeling in my soul
And I pray that I'm not wrong
That the life I have now, it is only the beginning

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
For the very first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
For the very first time

I wasn't looking for something that was more
Than what I had yesterday
Then you came to me and you gave to me
Life and a love that I've never known
That I've never felt before

It feels like I'm born again
It feels like I'm living
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
It feels like I'm breathing
It feels like I'm moving
For the very first time
I'm living for the first time
In my life

Third Day

Happy Easter!

I want to wish you all a Happy Easter! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Stones into Schools

I reserved "Stones into Schools" online through my library, not having read Greg Mortenson's bestseller "Three Cups of Tea" yet, and when I went in to pick it up, I was a bit nervous. "Half the Sky" was a thick book, but this one was even thicker. I was worried that I might get lost in the language, not knowing Mortenson's style of writing, and having middle Eastern locations and names to wade through. BUT, I got right into the book and I highly recommend that you snag yourself a copy from a friend or library and get ready for a great read.

"Mountains can never reach each other, despite their bigness.

But humans can." ~Afghan Proverb

A Long Awaited Word

It's difficult, having one's friends in countries scattered over the globe. Thank goodness for email and Skype and, surprisingly, a fairly trusting-worthy postal system that has delivered everything I've sent off! And I appreciate EVERY contact that my far-off friends make, but I have been especially waiting to hear from Ngoie, the teen I introduced you to last November from South Africa. It was only a 1 line email, but I finally received word from her this week! So I can breathe a little easier, knowing that she's ok. Now if only I would hear from Liza and Sara. . .

Walk to Stop Human Trafficking

I want to again direct your attention to Joy Smith's website (www.joysmith.ca) for information regarding the Walk to Stop Human Trafficking. PLEASE join me on Saturday, May 8, 12 noon at the Manitoba Legislature to stand up and speak up against human trafficking.

Human trafficking, at its very basic form, is the movement of people against their will. It is a concern in and of itself, but more so because it is the root to issues of child labor, pornography and prostitution. It is simple economics of supply and demand. As the demand for cheap labor, pornography, and prostitution go up, the supply for people needed also goes up. That's why super-events like the Olympics and World Cup are under the microscope when it comes to human trafficking. Many people, mostly men, will come to these events, anonymous and willing to take risks that they normally might not. Because there are so many more people at these large events, it pushes up the demand, which in turn pushes the supply - hence, trafficking goes up. Even within Canada, prostitutes were moved from cities such as Toronto out to Vancouver for the Olympics because their pimps knew that that there would be a lot of business, which means a lot of money. Please consider walking to stop human trafficking.