Hey guys! I know I just reopened this thing to the public, and so probably don't have many readers, but to those of you who see this, I want to tell you about a few names and missions with which you can keep up and about which you can pray!
My roommate Brittany has just arrived in Fiji and will be an intern there for the next month. Last year, she went to India with Pioneers, and this year has the privilege of working with them again, except on a beautiful island! Woohoo!! You can check out what's going on so far on her blog: http://britt473.blogspot.com. And you can pray for her, for the missionary family with whom she's living, for the short-term missionaries she's getting to know and for the people of Fiji who need Christ's love, life, death, and resurrection as much as all of us.
Another Brittany friend will be heading to Uganda on June third to love and serve the people there in whatever way she can. I know she's just been praying that God's will be done and that He prepare her heart for whatever is to come. Britt's blog is http://bwolfe44.blogspot.com/
B. Wolfe's siter, Andrea, is about to embark on a journey to the border of Texas and Mexico to be light and salt and peace in a place that obviously needs a lot of it, especially now. In her words, "In the Rio Grande Valley I will be sharing Jesus' love with in need families and children through vbs, kids heart week, shoe donations, church planting, and construction." So cool! Andrea is one of the funniest people I've ever met and has been awesomely moved by God this year, so I know that He will be pouring joy and hope from her heart! Her blog is: http://andreasbordermissiontrip.blogspot.com/
Cam and Sarah are some great friends from Morgantown who devote themselves, basically, to loving college students who then devote themselves to loving high school students. There is far more than that to it, which you can read about here: http://kingfriend.blogspot.com/. They are amazing people of God to whom He's given a lot of work and responsibility. Pray for them!
Colin is a guy who went to Honduras with us last year. He just graduated from college and is now planning a 7 month Business as Missions trip in Chiapas, Mexico, where he will be helping bring clean water to the people. And a whole lotta love! Pray for him as he raises support and awareness and prepares his heart!
Ten friends from City Church in Morgantown will be heading down to El Salvador in July to work with a mission there and to do whatever they can to help. The mission, begun to bring food and education (and other important things) to people who live on the side of a volcano, has been really impactful there.
Keep praying for Didasko Children's Home in Támara, Honduras; that the kids would truly come to know Jesus' neverending love and that Rhonda, the house parents, and the teachers would be overflowing wells of His goodness, peace, joy and love. http://www.hogardidasko.org/
Friends of Ft. Liberté in Haiti needs your prayers and support, too! They are doing a bunch of work on King's Orphanage right now, and continue to bring medical aid and sponsorship of children to the village. http://www.haitifriends.com/
This year, I've been exposed to some homes for kids right here in the U.S., and they need a lot of encouragement and sustenance. These two in particular are for adolescents, many of whom have been in trouble with the law, failing school, or experiencing hard times in their families. The first is in Michigan, and is called Promise Village. http://promisevillage.com/
The second is here in Edinboro, and is called Hermitage House. http://www.hermitagehouse.org/ These two organizations work differently in many ways, but have the same mission of showing the kids they are loved and that there are great plans for their lives. Many of these guys and gals have to return to their families after some months, which can be extremely difficult.
Send me a message if you find this page and are interested in hearing more about these missions or if you'd like to support these people or the organizations.
"You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many" -2 Corinthians 1:11
Showing posts with label cool organizations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cool organizations. Show all posts
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Jake's Story
Nuru International is seeking to end extreme poverty by teaching the people who live on less than a dollar a day how to sustain themselves...then, unlike other organizations, they move on to the next suffering community. Extreme poverty has so many more implications for the state of today's world than one would suppose. Watch this video if you're interested in learning how Nuru was started in order to fight extreme poverty, and in the same breath, terrorism.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
be HOPE to her!!!!
My shoulders, neck, and back ache as I type this, but my SOUL is elated with excitement about the possibilities!
Today at 11:00, a big group of us gathered at the Student Speech Zone for Be Hope to Her, an event that has happened this week (mostly today) at 10 other campuses across the nation. The event was hosted by Nuru International, which is a sweet organization that is devoted to ending extreme poverty in the world, one community at a time. Be Hope To Her has the same mission--the money raised for this event is going to build 4 wells in Africa, so the women who live in those places will no longer have to spend their entire days fetching water. So we walked for them with heavy buckets of water (but by far lighter than their loads)...
But let me back up a bit!
We were each given the option of buying a "kanga" (a long piece of cloth that you wrap and put on your head) to place under our buckets of water, or using a t-shirt to serve as a kanga. After an awesome motivational talk about exactly WHY we are doing this, we headed out on our walks of solidarity. Each girl received a big yellow bucket to carry down to the river, while the guys held signs that told people about what we were doing.
Trekking down to the river, even with an empty bucket, was hard work. I really couldn't imagine having to make the journey down to the river (but ten times the distance), in scorching heat, barefoot, 2-3 times a day EVERY day. Moreover, we had people encouraging us along the way, telling us "awesome job!" and asking if we needed their help to readjust our kangas...it hit me that women in Africa have no encouragement or help from the men of their villages...it's just what they do. Day in, day out. They don't have time for education or any of the luxuries we can experience because we have TIME. Also, many times these women are fetching water that will in turn make them and their families sick. What an incredibly broken world.
We stopped down by the amphitheater to fill our buckets. We filled them using empty milk containers. Most of us chose to fill them up the whole way at first, wanting to truly feel the weight that the women of Africa feel...this proved to be really really difficult, though. As soon as the bucket was on my head, my neck started shaking under the weight. My steps were short and unsure, and I was totally going against what my arms were telling me by keeping them up on the bucket--they were screaming at me!! It was sooo awesome, though, to be walking with other gals. We encouraged each other with the phrase, "Tuko Pamoja," which means "We are together." I think it's Swahili? Anyway, the water sloshed out uncontrollably, and we had to stop a few times here and there to empty our buckets a little...a choice that African women don't have. At one point, my bucket was so heavy that I ran into a telephone pole! I felt incredibly weak, but God and the girls around me were just so loving through the process...and though my body was extremely tired(I realized what a weakling I am today!), my heart was strengthened by His presence and the purpose for all of this.
As Carli (the girl I was walking with) and I neared our destination, my bucket fell off my head. Thankfully, Carli (who is so incredibly sweet!) was willing to share some of her load, but we couldn't figure out how to get the buckets back on our heads! We asked some guys if they would help us, and I'm sure they were in a hurry and didn't understand what was going on, but their response really surprised us. They said, "Nah, you guys look like you're having enough fun." I don't know where their hearts are, and this encounter was maybe one of those "wrong time wrong place" type of deals, but it reminded me of how America treats the issue of extreme poverty....these people are desperate, and we have what they need...
"There isn't enough for everyone's greed, but there is more than enough for everyone's need."
...but we just pretend that this problem doesn't exist. We have the mindset that places like Africa are over there, so there's nothing we can do. Wrong! Today, we made a difference, and made the lights of this world to shine just a little brighter by our efforts...you can too!!
We rounded the corner into Woodburn Circle where everyone was waiting to take our buckets and give us fresh drinking water. What would it look like if "What if" were met with "Why not?" Let's not wait around for opportunities to act in love, because they are everywhere.
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before
TUKO PAMOJA!!!!!!
Today at 11:00, a big group of us gathered at the Student Speech Zone for Be Hope to Her, an event that has happened this week (mostly today) at 10 other campuses across the nation. The event was hosted by Nuru International, which is a sweet organization that is devoted to ending extreme poverty in the world, one community at a time. Be Hope To Her has the same mission--the money raised for this event is going to build 4 wells in Africa, so the women who live in those places will no longer have to spend their entire days fetching water. So we walked for them with heavy buckets of water (but by far lighter than their loads)...
But let me back up a bit!
We were each given the option of buying a "kanga" (a long piece of cloth that you wrap and put on your head) to place under our buckets of water, or using a t-shirt to serve as a kanga. After an awesome motivational talk about exactly WHY we are doing this, we headed out on our walks of solidarity. Each girl received a big yellow bucket to carry down to the river, while the guys held signs that told people about what we were doing.
Trekking down to the river, even with an empty bucket, was hard work. I really couldn't imagine having to make the journey down to the river (but ten times the distance), in scorching heat, barefoot, 2-3 times a day EVERY day. Moreover, we had people encouraging us along the way, telling us "awesome job!" and asking if we needed their help to readjust our kangas...it hit me that women in Africa have no encouragement or help from the men of their villages...it's just what they do. Day in, day out. They don't have time for education or any of the luxuries we can experience because we have TIME. Also, many times these women are fetching water that will in turn make them and their families sick. What an incredibly broken world.
We stopped down by the amphitheater to fill our buckets. We filled them using empty milk containers. Most of us chose to fill them up the whole way at first, wanting to truly feel the weight that the women of Africa feel...this proved to be really really difficult, though. As soon as the bucket was on my head, my neck started shaking under the weight. My steps were short and unsure, and I was totally going against what my arms were telling me by keeping them up on the bucket--they were screaming at me!! It was sooo awesome, though, to be walking with other gals. We encouraged each other with the phrase, "Tuko Pamoja," which means "We are together." I think it's Swahili? Anyway, the water sloshed out uncontrollably, and we had to stop a few times here and there to empty our buckets a little...a choice that African women don't have. At one point, my bucket was so heavy that I ran into a telephone pole! I felt incredibly weak, but God and the girls around me were just so loving through the process...and though my body was extremely tired(I realized what a weakling I am today!), my heart was strengthened by His presence and the purpose for all of this.
As Carli (the girl I was walking with) and I neared our destination, my bucket fell off my head. Thankfully, Carli (who is so incredibly sweet!) was willing to share some of her load, but we couldn't figure out how to get the buckets back on our heads! We asked some guys if they would help us, and I'm sure they were in a hurry and didn't understand what was going on, but their response really surprised us. They said, "Nah, you guys look like you're having enough fun." I don't know where their hearts are, and this encounter was maybe one of those "wrong time wrong place" type of deals, but it reminded me of how America treats the issue of extreme poverty....these people are desperate, and we have what they need...
"There isn't enough for everyone's greed, but there is more than enough for everyone's need."
...but we just pretend that this problem doesn't exist. We have the mindset that places like Africa are over there, so there's nothing we can do. Wrong! Today, we made a difference, and made the lights of this world to shine just a little brighter by our efforts...you can too!!
We rounded the corner into Woodburn Circle where everyone was waiting to take our buckets and give us fresh drinking water. What would it look like if "What if" were met with "Why not?" Let's not wait around for opportunities to act in love, because they are everywhere.
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before
TUKO PAMOJA!!!!!!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
What I've Been Doing Lately...
I thought it'd be cool to do a little update about things I've been doing lately, just for fun, and so you know about some of the sweet opportunities to get involved here on campus.
First of all, during the past year and a half-ish, I've been spending a lot of my down time at Sozo, a little coffee shop in downtown Morgantown that sometimes features live bands, has open mic night every Friday from 9-12, art stuff on Thursday nights, and invites non-profits from all over to share their cause with anyone who is interested in changing lives. They have yummy lattes, a wall full of cereal, cool artwork posted all over, and comfy places to sit and study, talk, or just enjoy an eclectic day in the life. Plus, it has a way of attracting cool people to meet and chat with! Woo!
Ahhhh so here we are in Sozo! Awesomest of all coffee shops!! Also, if you are looking to do some volunteer work, this is the place to go. :) Would it not be super fun to learn how to make cool smoothies, hang out with a variety of chillin' townies, and to be introduced to some awesome causes that YOU can contribute to? I think so.
Also, there is a sweet campus ministry called 17three, run by Chestnut Ridge Church--there is a weekly 17three experience at the Met Theater on High Street, the next one being TOMORROW at 8! With this ministry, some canvas groups have been formed...by "canvas group" I mean a group of people from all walks of life that come together once most weeks to talk about life, study the bible, do fun community service activities together, and to grow together. :) It has been a really cool experience for everyone involved--and that's one of the coolest parts! Everyone can be involved, because there are groups on all different nights of the week, at different times in the evening--so you should definitely check it out if you're interested in connecting with some passionate, people-loving people.
Last night, I attended my first official practice for the swim club here at WVU, thanks to my awesome friend Casey! It's on Mondays and Fridays from 7-8 at the rec center, and Wednesdays from 8-9. The practices have been challenging, but not enough to make you feel like you have to puke on everyone around you, and you are allowed to do as much or as little of the work-out as you'd like. It's not like high school, where the coaches take joy in forcing you back into the freezing water to swim until your legs cramp up. :) The people in the group are really friendly, and there is always the hot tub for afterward. If you love swimming, think about it!
The Passion Play is coming up at Chestnut Ridge in April--so, a few months away--but as far as I know, the church is always in need of people who can sew, who can work lights and equipment backstage, and who can do make-up! I saw the production last year, and it was heart-wrenchingly awesome. This year, I have the privilege of being involved, myself, and I am super pumped. :)
APO is the community service fraternity (co-ed!) here on campus, and I think the largest as well!! There are constantly kids in need of tutors, families in need of housing, the homeless in need of a warm meal, blood-drives to run, walls to paint, and people to love. APO gives the opportunity for all of these things and more. It's really a melting pot of college students from all kinds of different backgrounds and goals, who share the common love of helping a friend in need. Dues are only $40 a semester at the moment, and it is a really fun time! Even if you are knee deep in homework, the requirement for service is only 16 hours a semester--and it's well worth the fun and the chance to make friends!
STE and Kappa Phi are the Christian service fraternity and sorority at WVU, and they both have a great group of kids to get connected with. Along with worship, we do a lot of fun activities like camping, service weekends, and even self-defense lessons...pretty sweet, right?? Haha. Well, there is also a bible study every Thursday night at the Campus Ministry Center right around the corner from the downtown BB&T.
Here is STE (plus Chelsea!) at Seneca Rocks after a weekend of skiing, playing games, sharing meals, playing hide-and-go-seek in the woods (SCAAAARRYYYY!!) and jumping in the freezing river. :)
Last but definitely not least, there are a few organizations that I hope to become more involved in that have really captured my heart. The first one is Dry Tears. It was started a few years ago by a couple of high school kids in Georgia, who took action when they heard about the lack of clean drinking water in Africa(and so many other places). Over 1.1 billion people in our world don't have access to clean drinking water, so these guys have been raising money to put in wells, and have put in several already. There is a facebook cause if you are interested in donating, and there are other ways to help--simply tell someone about it, buy a few t-shirts from them (100% will go to the cause), or let them know that you'd like to sell some bracelets (like the LiveStrong ones) for $2 a piece. My friend Addison is doing this right now, and a ton of people have been interested in buying them! Try to imagine your life without clean drinking water...I think it's nearly impossible for us, because we're so blessed...we turn a knob, and out it comes. But in other countries, it's just not so. What would the world look like if we let God strengthen our hearts to take on some of the burdens of the poorest of poor? Even as college students living on Mac and Cheese, we can make a difference.
The second cause that has made such a HUGE impact already in such a short period of time is Nuru International. Who are they? Well, the website can explain it better than I can, but they are basically "a grassroots movement of thousands who have grown tired of waiting for someone else to end extreme poverty in Africa." A few months ago, my friend Billy spoke about the American perspective on extreme poverty. He said something that really hit home for a lot of us: Just as we look at the Americans of the 1800s who looked upon slavery as though nothing was wrong, so will future generations look at us, because of the way so many of us choose to do nothing in the face of extreme poverty. Harsh, huh? But sooo true. There are chapters of this organization being started nation wide...and fortunately, there is already one that has got it goin' on at WVU. There is also a facebook cause for Nuru--check it! My friend Billy is a great contact as well!
I think that the greatest aspect of life is the relationship. To be in a relationship with an awesome God and his people is the best thing any of us can have...and to be able to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of others, whether it be by smiling in passing, or by going on mission to a third world country, is an amazing blessing to both the beloved and the lover.
I love this story from Mother Teresa, which I think captures the spirit of giving, and shows how much we can all make a difference:
"Some time ago I made a trip to Ethiopia. Our sisters were working there during that terrible drought. Just as I was about to leave for Ethiopia, I found myself surrounded by many children. Each one of them gave something. 'Take this to the children! Take this to the children!' they would say. They had many gifts that they wanted to give to our poor. Then a small child, who for the first time had a piece of chocolate, came up to me and said, 'I do not want to eat it. You take it and give it to the children.' This little one gave a great deal, because he gave it all, and he gave something that was very precious to him."
We are only on this earth a short time, but we're given so many opportunities to love!
P.S. Happy birthday to Alecia!
First of all, during the past year and a half-ish, I've been spending a lot of my down time at Sozo, a little coffee shop in downtown Morgantown that sometimes features live bands, has open mic night every Friday from 9-12, art stuff on Thursday nights, and invites non-profits from all over to share their cause with anyone who is interested in changing lives. They have yummy lattes, a wall full of cereal, cool artwork posted all over, and comfy places to sit and study, talk, or just enjoy an eclectic day in the life. Plus, it has a way of attracting cool people to meet and chat with! Woo!
Ahhhh so here we are in Sozo! Awesomest of all coffee shops!! Also, if you are looking to do some volunteer work, this is the place to go. :) Would it not be super fun to learn how to make cool smoothies, hang out with a variety of chillin' townies, and to be introduced to some awesome causes that YOU can contribute to? I think so.
Also, there is a sweet campus ministry called 17three, run by Chestnut Ridge Church--there is a weekly 17three experience at the Met Theater on High Street, the next one being TOMORROW at 8! With this ministry, some canvas groups have been formed...by "canvas group" I mean a group of people from all walks of life that come together once most weeks to talk about life, study the bible, do fun community service activities together, and to grow together. :) It has been a really cool experience for everyone involved--and that's one of the coolest parts! Everyone can be involved, because there are groups on all different nights of the week, at different times in the evening--so you should definitely check it out if you're interested in connecting with some passionate, people-loving people.
Last night, I attended my first official practice for the swim club here at WVU, thanks to my awesome friend Casey! It's on Mondays and Fridays from 7-8 at the rec center, and Wednesdays from 8-9. The practices have been challenging, but not enough to make you feel like you have to puke on everyone around you, and you are allowed to do as much or as little of the work-out as you'd like. It's not like high school, where the coaches take joy in forcing you back into the freezing water to swim until your legs cramp up. :) The people in the group are really friendly, and there is always the hot tub for afterward. If you love swimming, think about it!
The Passion Play is coming up at Chestnut Ridge in April--so, a few months away--but as far as I know, the church is always in need of people who can sew, who can work lights and equipment backstage, and who can do make-up! I saw the production last year, and it was heart-wrenchingly awesome. This year, I have the privilege of being involved, myself, and I am super pumped. :)
APO is the community service fraternity (co-ed!) here on campus, and I think the largest as well!! There are constantly kids in need of tutors, families in need of housing, the homeless in need of a warm meal, blood-drives to run, walls to paint, and people to love. APO gives the opportunity for all of these things and more. It's really a melting pot of college students from all kinds of different backgrounds and goals, who share the common love of helping a friend in need. Dues are only $40 a semester at the moment, and it is a really fun time! Even if you are knee deep in homework, the requirement for service is only 16 hours a semester--and it's well worth the fun and the chance to make friends!
STE and Kappa Phi are the Christian service fraternity and sorority at WVU, and they both have a great group of kids to get connected with. Along with worship, we do a lot of fun activities like camping, service weekends, and even self-defense lessons...pretty sweet, right?? Haha. Well, there is also a bible study every Thursday night at the Campus Ministry Center right around the corner from the downtown BB&T.
Here is STE (plus Chelsea!) at Seneca Rocks after a weekend of skiing, playing games, sharing meals, playing hide-and-go-seek in the woods (SCAAAARRYYYY!!) and jumping in the freezing river. :) Last but definitely not least, there are a few organizations that I hope to become more involved in that have really captured my heart. The first one is Dry Tears. It was started a few years ago by a couple of high school kids in Georgia, who took action when they heard about the lack of clean drinking water in Africa(and so many other places). Over 1.1 billion people in our world don't have access to clean drinking water, so these guys have been raising money to put in wells, and have put in several already. There is a facebook cause if you are interested in donating, and there are other ways to help--simply tell someone about it, buy a few t-shirts from them (100% will go to the cause), or let them know that you'd like to sell some bracelets (like the LiveStrong ones) for $2 a piece. My friend Addison is doing this right now, and a ton of people have been interested in buying them! Try to imagine your life without clean drinking water...I think it's nearly impossible for us, because we're so blessed...we turn a knob, and out it comes. But in other countries, it's just not so. What would the world look like if we let God strengthen our hearts to take on some of the burdens of the poorest of poor? Even as college students living on Mac and Cheese, we can make a difference.
The second cause that has made such a HUGE impact already in such a short period of time is Nuru International. Who are they? Well, the website can explain it better than I can, but they are basically "a grassroots movement of thousands who have grown tired of waiting for someone else to end extreme poverty in Africa." A few months ago, my friend Billy spoke about the American perspective on extreme poverty. He said something that really hit home for a lot of us: Just as we look at the Americans of the 1800s who looked upon slavery as though nothing was wrong, so will future generations look at us, because of the way so many of us choose to do nothing in the face of extreme poverty. Harsh, huh? But sooo true. There are chapters of this organization being started nation wide...and fortunately, there is already one that has got it goin' on at WVU. There is also a facebook cause for Nuru--check it! My friend Billy is a great contact as well!
I think that the greatest aspect of life is the relationship. To be in a relationship with an awesome God and his people is the best thing any of us can have...and to be able to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of others, whether it be by smiling in passing, or by going on mission to a third world country, is an amazing blessing to both the beloved and the lover.
I love this story from Mother Teresa, which I think captures the spirit of giving, and shows how much we can all make a difference:
"Some time ago I made a trip to Ethiopia. Our sisters were working there during that terrible drought. Just as I was about to leave for Ethiopia, I found myself surrounded by many children. Each one of them gave something. 'Take this to the children! Take this to the children!' they would say. They had many gifts that they wanted to give to our poor. Then a small child, who for the first time had a piece of chocolate, came up to me and said, 'I do not want to eat it. You take it and give it to the children.' This little one gave a great deal, because he gave it all, and he gave something that was very precious to him."
We are only on this earth a short time, but we're given so many opportunities to love!
P.S. Happy birthday to Alecia!
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