It’s really easy to get involved in charity these days. Drop off some canned goods, donate some clothes, write a check, and boom! You have crossed charity off your list. You are now free to move on with your life feeling good that you contributed to society.

Have you ever thought about the people on the other side of that equation?

I have. A lot.  And thankfully, so has the leadership of my church. This is why we are committed to not just building a great church, but building a great city. And we started this process by listening. Listening to the people on the other side of our “charity” efforts.  We sat down across the table and asked them, “what do you want for your community?”  From this came Engage. A strategy to reach out to the community and help them be great.

What does that look like?

Staining pergolas for four and a half hours.  Planting trees and flowers. Painting a house. Installing drywall. Cleaning up trash. Getting out into the community and helping out and working with the people in the neighborhoods.

It is about being the hands and feet of Jesus in a very practical way. Because sometimes the pergolas need stained. And sometimes someone has the tools, they just lack the manpower. Or they are tired after putting in countless hours working for their community, they need someone else to come alongside and say, “hey, we can help with that.”

The best thing is the kids at the school probably won’t notice that the pergolas are stained.  They may notice the landscaping. I can bet you they will be excited about the hopscotch. But mostly, they will know that the community is cheering for them. That we see the good that can come from the broken. And that we are here to listen. To cheer. To love them. In practical, tangible ways.

This year TOMS did some incredible. They opened up their giving trip contest to anyone and everyone who wanted to enter. You just had to create a flag, write a story, and hit enter. Then the decision is left up to the world.

Of course I entered. Not only do I love to travel, I want to go on a trip so stinking bad. I would honestly pay to go on one, but TOMS doesn’t really just let anyone go on them. And regardless of your opinion,  since I bought my first pair of TOMS, I have been in love with the company, the shoes, and the business model. And more than anything, I want to go on a trip.

So I am shamelessly asking you to vote for me. To ask all your friends to vote for me. To ask the stranger on the street to vote for me.  🙂  It takes less than a minute and it would mean the world to me.

Here is the link to vote http://www.toms.com/ticket-to-give/flags/4804.

Last night I hung out with a group of college students. I shared a little bit of my heart and passion for fighting human trafficking and a pretty cool opportunity to get involved in the global fight on a very local level.  I have to admit, if someone would pay me to go around and talk about human trafficking, I would quit my job in a second. Sometimes I seriously contemplate just quitting anyways and figuring out how to pay the bills later. (Don’t worry mom, I won’t really do that!)

The coolest part was they got it. They listened intently and they got on board. After I finished, we sat around and talked about the issue and what we can do to fight it. They all had ideas about ways they could take the issue to their professors, friends, residence halls, and other organizations. They want to get the larger USI campus involved and a few of them talked pretty seriously about going on a trip.  And they are already serving. Several of them are in the process of raising funds for trips, many of them have been on previous trips, and they all felt the gravity of the issue. 

I feel like I have a small army geared up and ready to go. And I am not about to let anyone doubt their abilities. They may not be able to write a $100,000 check, but I can assure you they will be willing to do whatever they can to fight. Because they are not ok  living in a world where slavery is a daily reality for 75 million people.

However, while last night was hugely successful interms of getting a group of college students on board, I believe God orchestrated last night for my benefit. I have been really struggling lately with my purpose in life and why I am here and why God lit a fire of passion in my heart for this issue.  Surely He could have picked a more qualified candidate in a bigger city with more money or resources or time. For some reason though, He chose me. He put in my heart an inability to sit still and live my life unaffected. Over the past several years every aspect of why I do what I do, why I shop where I shop, and why I am working full-time and going to school has been affected and motivated by an intense passion for seeing slavery eradicated once again in my generation.

And so for a brief moment last night I got to share my heart. I got to participate in what I believe is a divine calling on my life. And it was just the encouragement I needed to keep believing God has a bigger plan for my life than I can see or imagine.

If you want to get involved in the issue, check out www.unchartedinternational.org/traffic  (it’s still a work in progress so be patient with us!)

If there is one thing I will remember most from my trip to Myanmar it is the sound of laughter.  While language barriers may prevent deep conversation, laughter is universally recognizable and communicates a clear message. The message of joy, happiness, enjoyment, acceptance.  It fills a void where words are absent. And it communicates a sense of hope. Where laughter abounds, hope also abounds.

As I spent time in our orphanages, I was amazed at the hope that hung in the air. You could feel it. You could also hear it. All across our various campuses the sounds that filled the air were joyful squeals and laughter from children playing, teenagers teasing, and adults chatting.

If you took a few minutes to listen to the story of a child or teenager, they were heartbreaking. The tragedy they have overcome in their short lives many of us will never experience. The limited resources they have, the few outfits, and small bed were all reminders to me of how blessed I am. And yet, most days I struggle to have the joy I saw in so many of the children. I struggle to love others with such abandon, with such loyalty, and with such ferocity. I do not have such strong trust in my God to provide, to save, and to work miracles. It was a challenge each and every day of the trip for me to get out of my comfort zone, to let the kids sit on my lap, hang on my arms, and borrow my camera. To hold less closely to my material possessions, my personal space, and my ideas of how time should be spent.

As hopeful as the children inside the walls of our orphanages are, those outside are perhaps equally as hopeless. You do not hear the sound of laughter as you walk through the markets, the temple, and the streets.  As you watch groups of monks perhaps no more than 7 or 8 walk solemnly down the crowded streets, I was once again reminded of the great needs in this small country. We sat with leaders and talked about the vast issue of human trafficking and little laughter was heard around the table. It is a serious subject with grave consequences. The loss of innocence, hope, and ability to be a child. The loss of laughter, joy, and freedom.  It is my prayer today and each day that God would use our orphanages to spread hope, laughter, and freedom in a country so marked with bondage you can feel it in the air.

I will never forget the sound of laughter that resonated loudly from within the walls of our 11 orphanages. I will also never forget the absence of that sound from so much of the country.  It is a reminder of hope and of the call to continue to work, fight, and equip leaders to spread the message of the gospel and the joy of Christ in a country on the brink of a revolution.

My pastor on Sunday was talking about resolutions and he said that studies have shown one of the easiest ways to stick to a decision is to make it part of a story. Thus as we say goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013, I am going to use this time to weave a story throughout the next year of my life. It may not end up being a story anyone else reads, but nevertheless it will be my story.

The overarching component of a story is the theme. Perhaps one reason resolutions end up broken by February (if we make it that long) is because they are disjointed or generic-get in shape, save money, improve our relationships etc. It will be the same, I will struggle to find a parking spot at the gym for January and come February it will be back to my normal crew, the “resolute” having already given into other temptations. Perhaps to begin with we need a theme. My theme for 2013 is a bit cheesy, but it is what my life looks like right now. I even came up with three neat little words that all start with D to describe my hopes for the next year.

Dig, discipline, and determination

Dig deeper into life where I am, into relationships, and into my passions. I am starting off the year on a good note with a trip to Myanmar which is sure to springboard my “dig” component of my life for the next year.

Discipline in my walk with God, school, my job, my finances, and my daily life. I heard from some great leaders this year and one consistent theme they talked about over and over was being disciplined. I found a daily devotional, am going to set up some accountability, and am in the process of cleaning and organizing my apartment so that I can maintain a better sense of order this year. I set up a budget for myself and am going to take the GRE and look at potentially continuing on in my education. In everything, I want to work on creating a “20-mile march” mentality.

Determination to finish a marathon, learn to cook, and graduate with a 4.0 and a paper ready for submission to a journal. I am 26 so I figure it is a good year to put 26.2 miles under my belt. I got a crock pot for Christmas and am determined to stop eating out so much. I made it a year with my 4.0, surely I can make it another. I love to write and someone else has to want to read about bureaucratic effects on governments or anti-human trafficking policy right?

Thus instead of making a typical list of resolutions. I am going to tell stories this year. The story of training for 26.2. Stories of recipes, budgets, and organizing. Stories of love and passion and relationships.

Perhaps you too can join me and tell a story. Perhaps the story is not getting in shape, but running your first 5k or tacking a sprint triathlon. Perhaps it is of saving for a new car or new purse. Whatever it is-tell a story, don’t make a list-those are so yesterday:)

First off, I apologize for the lack of blogging lately. My schedule has gotten a bit ridiculous as of late. A master’s degree and a full-time job are plenty to keep me busy, but add a relationship, an extra grant writing class, trying to get a paper published, a volunteer project at the YWCA, an avid exercise program, church, trying to fundraise for my Myanmar trip, occasionally a social event and well, I feel accomplished if I have eaten three meals that day!

However, it’s October 26th and in a little over two months, I will be getting on a plane and flying a VERY long way to Myanmar.  And so a little update and a little plea for help:)

I am getting so excited. I chose Myanmar as part of my topic for a huge research paper I have to write this semester and I am learning a lot about this beautiful country. God is also continually breaking my heart over the injustices so prevalent in our world. I cannot wait to go, to see, and to learn.  However, to go I need to get my trip fully funded. So here’s the deal:

I need to raise $1000 in the next month. (I actually think I need it by next Saturday, but I get a little grace since I started late) The drop dead date to have all my funds in is December 1. I am saving my money and will be able to cover whatever I do not raise, but I also have to cover a week of unpaid vacation while I am gone and sadly, bills do not take vacations. So here is what looks it:

1 Person @ $1000

2 People @ $500

4 People @ $250

10 People @ $100

20 People @ $50

100 People @ $10

It’s a big number, but I serve a bigger God. And while I am tempted to get discouraged, I know I am supposed to go on this trip. So I am asking you to please consider donating something towards my trip. (Hey, you can write it off on your taxes!)  It’s really easy-you can either use the link below to make an online donation or email me here with your address and I will send you a letter with an envelope to mail in a check.

I covet your prayers and your support! I will keep you updated over the next month with my support raising. For those of you who have already graciously donated, I am overwhelmingly thankful and blessed.

“Stand up, Stand up, Stand up, all you dreamers..” *

Spend five minutes talking to anyone under the age of 12 and you will more than likely hear about some dream they have. Especially if you ask them. It is one of my favorite things about listening to little children-they have so many dreams. Sometimes they are dreams like wanting to be doctors or singers and sometimes they are dreams like wanting orphans to be adopted or children to have food. In every case, in their mind, the world is limitless.

But something happens as we get older. We start to see limits. We listen to voices who try to quiet those dreams. Voices who talk of the impossible and the impractical. Voices who speak of the unreasonable. Voices who say you should get a job, buy a house, have a family, and live a quiet life. And while some of the dreams of our youth may have been impractical-like time traveling or turning things into gold-I think a lot of those dreams just get put on the shelf labeled impossible because they are too big, too hard, too much for us to consider.

Or maybe we are too worried we will fail. Worried we will set out to do something and come up short.  Maybe we stop believing in ourselves because of mistakes we have made. Maybe we spend too much time looking at the successful people around us and decide they are better educated and better looking.

Regardless, at some point, I think all of us can admit we had a dream we put on the shelf and replaced it with a more practical, logical dream. One we were pretty sure we could be able to accomplish and one which seemed to be socially acceptable.

I will admit, I am guilty of this. A lot. I have always been a dreamer, but the second someone suggests it might be impractical or illogical or hard, I usually place it up on my shelf and move on.  Every once in a while, I grab hold of a dream and I hang on to it for dear life. And a funny thing happens when you grab an impossible dream and fight for it-people start noticing. And they start joining the cause. And ever so slowly, the dream that once was impossible, starts to seem a little more possible. I was reminded of this last week.  While the details will stay locked in my heart, I remember going to sleep that night with a very real sense that a) someone else believed in my heart, passion, and dream and that b) I could take on the world.

Maybe that’s why kids are such good dreamers. Because we affirm their dreams. We pay attention to them. And we very seldom tell them their dreams are impossible, even when we know they are.  Perhaps then we need to treat each like more like children and less like adults. Maybe the only way to truly change our lives, our communities, and our world is to spend a few minutes dreaming together and pretending once again we live in a world with no limits. And sure, we may hit a roadblock here and there. A set-back. Or a chasm so big that we decide is best to scrap the dream and start fresh. Regardless, may we never stop dreaming. May we never stop believing the best in others and the capability of each and every dream to make a difference, start a ripple, and ignite a fire of change that cannot be stopped. May we stand up as dreamers. And trust our dreams to the hands of the One who holds our hearts and has proven over and over that impossible by earthly standards means nothing to Him.

*Wake up, All Sons and Daughters