A Reason to Live

I SO admire Ilan for starting Little Travellers and I am proud to take up the cause and sell as many as I possibly can.  Please consider how you can make a difference - 100% of the money you pay for a Little Traveller goes back to the Hillcrest AIDS Centre and the people who make them there.

One of our newest Specialty Travellers was affectionately named "Dress Up" and I'm sure you can see why.  She probably resembles some of the little girls in your life - dress, purse and even a tiara!  She sells for $8 and comes in a number of different colors.

"'They may be small, but they have made a big difference to me and my family.  I was dying when I started making them, and I had nothing to live for. . .I now have a house, my children are going to school and I have a reason to live.'  Tandi Chamane - crafter"

She Sees a Person

Perhaps you are already thinking of Christmas gifts already - I know I am.  I want my gifts to reach farther this year.  Across the ocean if possible!  Join me in giving a different kind of gift.  Not only one that your friends and family will appreciate, but one that truly makes a difference in the life of someone in great need.

Hearts sells for $6 and I know that it would be a special gift for the special someone in your life!

"Ntombi says that after making Little Travellers 'I often lay them on my sofa and admire them for a while.  I look at them and wish they could talk, breathe and walk.  That is how much I love them.  Beading makes such a big difference in my life, I love it, I make life out of it!'  Ntombi says that when she sees a Little Traveller, she sees a person.  She explains that she makes all of hers perfect as if she is creating a human being."

Restoring Hope

I mentioned that I met the founder of Little Travellers this past weekend and I want to highlight some of our newest Specialty Travellers this week.  They are SO new, they are not on the website yet!  You can order via www.littletravellers.net or contact me directly because I have a whole bunch of them, waiting for you!

I want start with Gramma & Baby (we ordered Mama & Baby, as pictured on the website, but sometimes things change and so Gramma & Baby it is!).  This Specialty Traveller is $8 and I want to start with it because for me, this is such a strong symbol of the struggle of HIV/AIDS.  So many grandparents are left to take care of their grandchildren, after their own children die of AIDS.

"The little travellers are making a positive difference in the lives of men and women affected/infected by HIV and AIDS.  By making little travellers, families have been fed, lights have been turned on, children have gone to school, water has poured out of taps, but most importantly hope has been restored.

Altar

One of my favorite songs that Steve Bell sings is "Here by the Water" (music and lyrics by Jim Croegaert).  This is the second verse and chorus:

"I think how a yearning
Has kept on returning to move me
Down roads I’d never have chosen
Half the time frozen
Too numb to feel
I know it was stormy
I hope it was for me learning
Blood on the road wasn’t mine though
Someone that I know
Has walked here before

And here by the water
I’ll build an altar to praise Him
Out of the stones that I’ve found here
I’ll set them down here
Rough as they are
Knowing You can make them holy
Knowing You can make them holy
Knowing You can make them holy"

Those words have always spoken right into my life, whether I felt that God was far away or close by. . .'down roads I'd never have chosen. . .blood on the road wasn't mine though. . .I'll build an altar to praise Him'.  Throughout the Bible, people build physical altars of stones as a visual reminder so as they passed by these places, they might remember God's faithfulness and continue to press on.

This Sunday, one year ago, is an altar in my life - a reminder that changes had been stirring within me for a while and this day marked a specific change.  So many people, including myself, expect God to work instantly, and if we don't feel a change right away, well, we wonder if God is really working.  Starting in April 2009, I made the decision to let go of bitterness and anger, and start to listen to God's voice again.  Things did not change overnight.  I felt like I was still reading my Bible out of habit and that my prayers were still bouncing back to me off of the ceiling, but I persevered.  I certainly experienced God in profound ways - small glimpses - as the year progressed, but nothing radical.

Then came this Sunday in South Africa!  I got a call from a friend back home and I remember telling her that I actually FELT like a Christian.  No angels singing or flashes of lightning, but rather a realization that God had been working all along.  His purposes were specific and He never gave up on me.  I am thankful to God for many things, but I think one of the items that tops the list is His patience.  It took so long to turn things around for me, but I'm SO thankful that He never let go and thought me a lost cause.  And so I build an altar, as a reminder of my faithful God, who's mercy is never-ending and love is all-encompassing!

Floodgates

For months, my life was quiet. . .at a sort of standstill.  I have waiting on God - what's next?  It's hard to take a step of faith when you can't really see past tomorrow, but that's faith, I guess!  So as October begins, I have looked back a bit.  Last month, I made the decision to take as many sub days at schools, and shifts at the shelter in order that I would be able to get a car.  That was big decision and I knew that things would change radically at that point, which they have.  I say that September is a bit of a blur, but really, I only got the car on September 14th so it's been 2 weeks of intense activity in my life (certainly compared to the first 1/2 of the year!).

 The floodgates have definitely opened and I am trying to keep my head above water.  But really, I want to do more than that.  I want to be Christ's ambassador no matter what I'm doing.  Working with kids, dealing with crisis calls and abused women, selling fair trade products - I believe that they are all important to God.  Those are the things I get paid to do, but I am also at a point where there are a million volunteer opportunities and, again, I want to exemplify Jesus in all of it.  Next week, I'll be starting my photo/injustice class again at the high school.  I made presentations to the students yesterday and now I just have to wait and see if anyone will show up Tuesday night.  I am also putting my photography skills to use, again starting next week Tuesday, working with some of the kids from immigrant families in our community.  And today, I was finally able to meet the founder of Little Travellers, Ilan Swartz, who I consider a modern-day hero - someone who is truly making a difference in our world!  I feel so privileged to be a part of the work that they are doing in bringing hope to South Africans, living with HIV/AIDS.

Truly, the floodgates have opened, and I believe that God has been priming them for a number of months now, preparing me for this time.  I may be eating on the run more and sleeping a little less, but there's work to be done right here.  I said exactly that as I left South Africa last December and I know I am here for a specific purpose - that through living my life, I am encountering God in my work, in my volunteering, and in my play.

September

September has been so busy - so much so that I find myself sick today - hoping that I'll be good to go again tomorrow!  So I say, bring on October!  And then I think, how can it be October already?!?  The year has flown by and before we know it, we'll be ringing in 2011.

Nostalgic

I have been trying to figure out why I've been so nostalgic over the change of seasons from summer to fall.  Why is it that the colors of leaves seem more vivid this year; why it feels great to pull out a sweater to keep warm from the autumn breeze?  I have finally figured it out - I missed fall completely last year!  My perpetual summer changed into winter and snow overnight, and I missed out on the leaves and fall sweaters.

Compassion Sunday

I blogged before the weekend about my involvement in our church service this past Sunday.  Other than talking about Kids at Risk during the service, I also had a table set up with 50 Compassion profiles - kids around the world that need sponsorship.  I am SO excited to report that 2 kids were sponsored (the last time I did this, the number was 0)!!  Two does not sound like a lot, but consider that these 2 may be the future leaders of their communities.  They may go out and train to be a nurse or teacher or doctor because of their training through Compassion.  They may share the story of Jesus with their friends, family and community and those people may continue to share Jesus with others. . .  Are you getting the big picture?!?  Two is awesome, but that means that I still have 48 profiles waiting for sponsors.

Well, actually it's 47 - I've been humming and hawing myself and I have decided to sponsor a 2nd Compassion child.  Along with Evelyn from Ecuador, I am now sponsoring a little boy named Suraj from India.  And I again urge you, if you have been considering sponsorship at all, please let me know.  That ONE child may be able to make a huge difference in the world, but they first need your help.

Human Trafficking Count Laid

This article is from Friday's Winnipeg Free Press:  www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/human-trafficking-count-laid-103697094.html

Deliver Us From Evil - Prayer 4

Pray for people fighting sexual trafficking

Remember The Salvation Army, the Church, law enforcement, non-governmental organizations, all of us

Pray for:
» Wisdom and understanding
» Cooperation and unity
» Compassionate hearts
» Faithfulness in prayer
» Necessary resources
» Legislation and support from government
» Passion and patience

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory”—Matthew 12:20

Deliver Us From Evil - Prayer 3

Pray for traffickers and all those involved in the sex industry

Remember the traffickers, pimps, johns and men buying commercial sex as well as brothel, strip club and pornography site owners

Pray for:
» Repentance and change
» Justice and restoration
» Healthy relationships and marriages
» Redemption
» Closure of brothels, strip clubs, pornography shops and sites

“Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord”—Acts 3:19

Deliver Us From Evil - Prayer 2

Pray for sexually trafficked persons

Remember the people who are already living in sexual slavery in Canada and around the world; those who have been recruited, bought and sold for the purpose of sexual exploitation

“But this is a people plundered and looted, all of them trapped in pits or hidden away in prisons. They have become plunder, with no one to rescue them…”—Isaiah 42:22a

“Say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’”—Isaiah 49:9a

Pray for:
» Safety and miracles
» Rescue and freedom
» Restoration, hope and peace
» Access to adequate services (health, shelter, legal services, counseling, training/education)

Deliver Us From Evil - Prayer 1

The Salvation Army is calling us to a Weekend of Prayer for Victims of Sex Trafficking from September 24 - 26.  Please see Salvationist.ca/trafficking for more details.  I will be highlighting 4 specific prayers from their Prayer Guide over the next few days.


Pray for people who are vulnerable or at risk of being trafficked

Around the world, and in Canada, people (mainly women and girls) are at-risk of being exploited and treated like property rather than as human beings.

Pray for:
» Safety and protection
» Wisdom
» Economic alternatives and hope to see other choices
» International development
» Supportive families and churches

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full”—John 10:10

Colors of Fall

I know I've talked about the summer leaving and it feeling more like fall.  I've also mentioned that the autumn is one of my favorite times of year (#38 on my "Did You Know. . ." list, which is rapidly nearing its end).  I actually said that it rated after spring, but now that it's back with a vengeance, it may be back to spot #1 and the reason is all the colors of fall.  I am hard pressed to convince non-prairie people (and many prairie people!) why I love living on the prairies.  But once you get out here and you SEE the sunset - I mean you SEE it ALL the way down to the horizon (not 1/2 way up the sky like in the mountains), you start to understand.  When you see the trees change color and the landscape is full of yellow, orange, red, green and brown leaves, you cannot help but feel that God enjoys decorating/painting when it comes to this season on the prairies.  We've had a lot of rain lately, but I'll try to head out and snap a picture for all of you to enjoy!