I am thankful for...

This is one of those times of the year when we get busy, caught up in our own lives, and sometimes can forget about the little things in life. A few months ago I saw this, shared by a friend, and it resonated with me. 

When things get to be too much, we just need to take a deep breathe and remember the silver lining in everything. There is always a positive side, it just depends on the direction in which you are looking.

A Smile and A Mattress

There are many times in our Western society that we think things like "I wish I had a new car," "I wish I had the latest smart phone," "I wish I could go on more vacations." Have any of us ever thought "I wish I had a mattress to sleep on"? Probably not. There are some things in our lives, such as a comfortable place to sleep, we take as expected and not privileges.

I want to introduce you to my friend, Hawa. She is 10 years old and lives in West Point, Liberia. Her father has passed away and her mother makes a living selling cold water and fried rice. Hawa helps her mother do work but loves to play, especially kickball. Even though she is a quiet young girl she is constantly happy and smiling. 

During one of my visits to West Point I had the honor of going into Hawa's home. Hawa proudly showed me where she stays, which you can see in the picture below...

Her mother, grandmother, brother, and sister all stay in this room and sleep on the "bed" behind her. When you take a closer look you can see that the bed is layers of cardboard on top of cinder blocks. 

About two weeks after returning to the states I woke up one morning in my big, comfy bed, that I do not have to share, and could not stop thinking about Hawa. I had some conversations with MTM individuals both here and in Liberia about getting Hawa and her family a mattress. A mattress in Liberia costs about $140 and Hawa's mom makes about $10 a month. Clearly, this would be a very costly purchase for them and would take some time to save up the money.

This all happened at the time I was figuring out how much money had been raised for my trip, how much had been used, and therefore how much was going to MTM as a donation (because of all the amazing people backing me, I had more money than I needed for this project!). Wouldn't you know the total amount in excess came to $139. Wow, God certainly had His hand in this and of course had it all worked out before I even thought about it. The money was transferred, Macintosh bought and delivered the mattress, and Hawa again gave us one of her big smiles.

Like many of you, I had never thought twice about the mattress I sleep on until I met someone who didn't have one. There are so many things in our everyday lives that we take as expected and don't think twice about. We need to remember how insanely blessed we are and must keep that smile on our faces because those who have less than us never let it leave theirs.

Macintosh

Macintosh. When most people hear that name they think of a computer. When I hear it I think of one of the most wonderful, generous, energetic, amazing, selfless people I have ever had the privilege to call a friend. And I have never said that statement so sincerely before. 

Macintosh and me in his home. 

More Than Me has very few staff members in Liberia and the main guy is Macintosh. He has lived in the slum of West Point for 32 years and has two adorable, yet often mischievous, children. He knows where every MTM child lives and could tell you their story, off the top of his head. I was so often amazed by his ability to recall individual information on a girl I would be asking about. A number of my days in Monrovia were blessed by spending time with this man. Many meals were shared, conversations were exchanged, and motorbike rides were taken.

 Mac with his children.

There is such an array of stories I could share with y'all about Macintosh but there is one I particularly want to tell you. Nearing the end of my trip we had the final day of the summer program with the girls. There was one point where I was in the room with over 100 girls by myself due to the other volunteers finishing up photographs and different tasks while Macintosh had to step away for a short meeting.

I was passing out packets that held a culmination of the girls' work over the past few weeks. Those of you who know me know I can speak very loudly and have no problem demanding attention when trying to accomplish a task with kids. Nothing I tried worked, and I was fighting a constant battle of getting the girls to stay in their seats and stay quiet so they could hear the names being called. I was just about to reach my limit when helped arrived.

When Macintosh returned to the room he told the girls to sit down and be quiet once and they listened. I then thought out-loud and said "why is it when he asks you to do this you listen, but when I ask 17 times you don't listen?" Well, Macintosh took that questions seriously. He looked at the girls and said "the woman asked you a question. We will stay here until you answer or else you can go home without lunch." All 100 pairs of eyes stared back at us.

Grace, 11 years old, raised her hand and said "well Jennifer never told us we would have to go home if we didn't listen." Macintosh was not impressed with this and responded in some way that implied that was not an acceptable answer. We continued to stand there in a room full of silence.

Macintosh then began to express his feelings on this. He looked at the girls and said (and this is quoted to my best memory) "do you know why she is here? Because she loves you. I can walk down the street any day of the week and see your ugly faces (of course the girls started laughing) but she spent a lot of money to fly here to see you. There are poor people in her country. There are homeless people in her country. But she chose to come here to see you and this is the respect you show her? I don't care what color some one's skin is or what country they come from (he begins to point to his arm) the same blood runs through our veins. There are times when I won't be here and another adult will be standing in front of you. You need to listen, do what they say, and give them respect. I don't care what adult is talking to you, you need to listen." Then of course the social worker in me kicked in and I said "unless that person is asking you to do something that will hurt you, then you do not have to listen to them!"

Many people have questioned why I go to Africa to do work when there are people in the United States in impoverished situations.  My response has always been "I don't care what color some one's skin is or what country they are from we are all children of God." So, of course when Mac referenced that idea in his talk with the girls I began tearing up so when I chimed in I was all choked up.  I was so touched to hear this man that I respect so much share the same view of people and to know how much he gets it. Way too many people in our world put divides on things because of skin color or nationality when really we are all a part of the same human race and we are all part of the same family.  Mac's intent on the talk was to express to the girls their need to respect adults in general and not just him. It, however, became so much more than that for me.  

This is just one of the many stories I could share about this dear friend of mine. It is my sincere hope that I will get to hang out with Mac again one day and I truly think that will happen. Regardless, I know that he has left an impression on my life that will not quickly fade.

 Mac and me with West Point in the background.

The Bathroom

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about something most of us do numerous times a day without a second thought: going to the bathroom. Yes, I agree, this is an odd thing for me to be thinking about but please, bear with me.

When I was flying earlier this summer I had a layover in Brussels and loved their airport's "restroom" sign....

Yes, it is different than the signs in America yet very similar and therefore I knew exactly what it was for. This got me thinking about the vast differences there are across countries yet some things are still the same. I walked in expecting toilet paper, soap, running water; I never thought twice about it.

Once I got to Liberia, though, going to the restroom was a different story. Most to the time, well, there wasn't one. Since I have had the privilege of traveling to many countries I have learned a few things when it comes to this: to carry tissues with me, always go to the bathroom when there is one available because you never know when you'll come across another one, and have to master the "squat."  

While in school with the girls they would often ask to go "pass water." Once they were granted permission they would go outside and, well, just go anywhere. No toilet, no running water, no tissue, no soap, and for them, no problem. This is what they know and how things work in Liberia. Going to the bathroom is a thing of life and therefore just happens when it needs to, no special room needed.  

On my last day, a few of the girls were going to join me on my ride to the airport and therefore came with me to the apartment where I was staying to get my luggage. I knew this was going to be a hard afternoon and was not looking forward to saying good-bye nor the 30 hours of travel I had ahead of me. As I was checking to make sure I had everything I needed to take with me I was not expecting to have, yet another, memorable experience with these girls.  

A few of the girls used the bathroom in the apartment and then Abigail, who is 14 years old, came to me and said "where is the bucket of water for the toilet?" (In many areas without running water when there is a toilet water is taken in a bucket and thrown into the bowl of the toilet which allows it to flush down the pipes.) I said "no bucket is needed" and walked into the bathroom with her and 8-year-old Angel. It then dawned on me that these two girls had never seen a running water toilet. I told Abigail how to pull the strange silver knob on the toilet and then watched these girls' eyes express amazement. Angel looked up at me and beamed a big smile which I could only imagine was a non-verbal "COOL!" 

Now in reality this whole exchanged lasted about two minutes and then we quickly went about whatever we were doing. These two minutes, however, have not left me. Something I have thought of as an every day (well multiple times a day!) thing for so many years was still a moment of amazement for two girls, 14 and 8 years old, who have never seen it before. We take for granted so many little things in life instead of appreciating that they are everyday things to us.

Last week I came back from the restroom at a restaurant and had one word for my friend... "jackpot." There was toilet paper, soap, and running water. Of course they looked at me like I was crazy but instead of coming to expect these things I have come to appreciate them as luxuries.

Tell me about your trip...

"So.... tell me about your trip." I have to admit, this has been my least favorite statement said to me recently. The last few weeks I spent in Liberia were busy and wonderful and then once I arrived home 10 days ago I hit the ground running in Western life again. This has joyfully involved hanging out with many people I have missed over the last two months. Everyone wants to hear about my trip but when they open the door with such a broad statement, I stumble around how to answer. I have tried using every adjective I can think of to describe it; I have tried sharing funny stories; I have tried sharing heart wrenching stories; I have tried to respond to that statement in many ways and still feel I never fully give my time in Liberia justice. 

I have also realized that I could talk for hours when in reality people may be asking the question out of courtesy of conversation and may not actually care to listen to a long rant about what I experienced. Even with my closest friends and family, who have graciously let me rant extensively, I still days later think of yet another story I haven't shared with them. I say all of that to eventually get at this: I have failed in keeping up with this blog while away and will work on going back and sharing some stories of things that happened. This may serve more purpose to my processing of things but hopefully at least provide some enjoyment to anyone who may be reading this.

Thank you to everyone who supported my trip both monetarily and prayerfully. It seriously would not have happened if it wasn't for all of you, and I am forever indebted to each of you. I am thankful for this adventure and all that I went through, both good and bad. I am thankful for the people I have met and the conversations I have had. I am thankful for the girls and their families that have taught me way more than I could ever think I taught them. I know my life has forever been changed and no matter what I have done for others through this experience it will never add up to what others have done for me.

Home Visits

What is a home? Where I come from we call it a house and it means everyone having their own bedroom, having separate rooms to eat, bath, sleep, live. It often means having a structure separate from other people's homes. In the slum of West Point it is called a room because that is what it is, one room. It is either made out of aluminum or concrete but sometimes only cardboard for walls. It is connected to other family's dwellings. There a common area outside of the rooms that is used as a bathroom and a cooking area, oh yea and its also the walkway/alley for people passing by.

As social workers deal with children's safety we do many home-visits. Often these take place over an hour or two, involve extensive paperwork, and require things like smoke detectors outside every bedroom and a posted escape route. Lately, however, I have been conducting home-visits West Point style. This means asking the guardian and student questions while there are anywhere from 3 to 30 other people standing around. There is no privacy which at first worried me as I would be asking some personal questions, but then I realized there is no privacy with a lot of things in their lives due to living in such close quarters. Some of the adults don't know their real age. Some of them have no idea how much money they make because it is a very hand to mouth society. Some guardians only completed a few years of school and many never went at all. Some of these girls live in a room with 8 other people. Some sleep on the floor, or cardboard, or maybe a mattress. 

I sat with Mary's dad, a fisherman, who was cutting fish preparing his bait for the next day's work. He says the rainy season is hard because they can't work everyday. The following day it poured rain all day, and I sadly thought of him being unable to use the bait I watched him prepare.

I talked with a grandmother who was probably in her sixties (she is unsure of her age) ask me if we could stop in the middle of talking so she could dance to a song she liked that was being played (we definitely did some dancing and yes, its on video). On numerous days I sang praise and worship songs while walking with one of our oldest girls, Regina, who always seemed to find us. I was thanked many, many times and told God Bless more times then I can count. 

When I asked one grandmother what she wanted for her granddaughter's future she said "I want her to become somebody, to become something better." These guardians are so thankful for the opportunity their girls are being given to go to school and have big dreams for them. These girls have big dreams for themselves too; they want to be journalists, teachers, nurses, accountants, and many want to be doctors. When I asked Sietta, age 9, what she wants to be when she finishes school she said "A doctor because my grandma is sick and I'd be helping her."

 

As Patience, age 14, was asked if their was anything she wanted to say to those helping her go to school she smiled really big and said "Oh yes! Thank you for all you've done for me. I have nothing to give them but God will give them blessings."- Patience -age 14

I always ask the girls what they do when they are not in school and most of the time their answers are along the lines of "I can be washing dishes or helping my mom cook." Many of them mind their younger siblings (often you see a 10 year old with a baby sibling tied in a lappa on their back). When I ask them what their favorite food is the majority say rice, in reality its the food they eat basically every day (with variety being in what they put on top of the rice- palm butter, cassava leaf, beans, etc.)

Being able to see a glimpse of these families' lives, in the places they live, has been such an awesome privilege. I have met many people that I will never forget; many I have seen again on repeated visits remembering me and smiling widely when I stop to say "hi." I am so glad do to this work with Macintosh as he leads me through the alleys and streets, never getting lost, and serving as a "translator" anytime accents get too thick for either person. Every day we spend in West Point ends the same way, with a dozen kids walking with us; I'd say they are pretty good days! 

West Point, Lebanese food, and teaching

West Point is the area that the majority of the MTM girls live as well as the country coordinator. It is  and is the worst slum in Liberia. Located on a peninsula just outside of the capitol city of Monrovia, it is home to about 75,000 people. There is no plumbing and only a few public toilet areas, otherwise people use the beach or just the ground they are standing on.  

Tuesday was the first really rainy day I have had here, but also the day I had arranged to walk around West Point with Macintosh. We didn't let the rain stop us... even though we got completely drenched! He showed me where some of the girls lived, and a few joined in on our walk. I met a few parents, and he checked in on a couple girls that haven't been around in a while. I was so thankful to have his guidance through the streets and around the shacks as I certainly would have been lost many times!   

The rain continued this week and Wednesday right when school was letting out it began to fall. One of the volunteers and I decided to walk through it anyways to get something to eat. We went into a place where a Lebanese man asked if we were Americans after greeting us. He brought us a towel and insisted we dry off a bit. We then each ordered a chicken shawarma but he was unhappy with that choice. He came back and questioned it saying "that's a Lebanese food, you have chicken sandwich." He continued on questioning why were wanted to order that until I told him we liked Lebanese food and then he finally gave up his quest to change our mind and shook his head as he walked away. As we paid my friend had a larger bill to cover to main portion and I had smaller bills to get the rest. We exchanged that we would settle it up later and this man was yet again unhappy with us. He said "no I will figure out the difference and you pay her now." He got out the calculator and made sure that I paid her back in front of him. Goodness, he was certainly the oddest restaurant manager I have ever met! 

On Friday I worked with the oldest girls. I began talking to them about stress, which was a very foreign word to them and hard to portray what I meant. We then moved into talking about relaxation, which went a bit better. I got them all up and went through some stretching which clearly they had never done before but were really enjoying and definitely feeling! I tried to lead them through progressive muscle relaxation and a breathing exercise. Well.... they didn't quite go over as well I had hoped. They didn't quite understand that their eyes were to be closed during the whole thing and not just when I told them to close them! We then talked about being healthy with food and drink choices, bathing, etc. That whole conversation went over very well! And somehow the day ended up with them wanting to learn Swahili so I taught them a song and they ate it up singing it many times at the top of their lungs. Of course this gave me a great big smile! :)

Birthday and Beach

We had some fun filled days with the girls to start off the week! On Sunday Macintosh was celebrating both of his children's birthdays and invited us to attend. This was also my first trip into the slum of West Point. As we went off the main road we began taking many turns and walked through some very narrow areas until we can to what seemed to be a communal area of the housing units that was not too big but filled with about 100 people! Most of these people were children and many of them girls from MTM.

There was dancing, oh, lots of dancing, at this party! There is a song/dance really popular here called Azonto and it was played at least five times during the afternoon. I asked one of the girls to teach me the dance and well, they can certainly dance better than me!

Monday was beach day! We took about 60 girls to Myrtle Beach (no, South Carolina does not have the only Myrtle Beach in the world). For some of these girls it was not the first time to a beach (as there is one on the edge of the community they live in) but it was their first time in the water as very few people ever go swimming. Each of the adults took two girls at a time into the ocean. Sometimes only my hand was held and other times I had one girl on my back and another clinging to my front! We had a volleyball and net and some other beach games but the focus was certainly on the water. This was such a different beach trip than I have ever been on but no question will be one of the most memorable.

UNFPA presentation

This week I had an awesome opportunity to go to the presentation of the most recent census information for Liberia (done in 2008). This presentation was for Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) Executive Director and Under Secretary General of the UN and for His Excellency Joseph Boakai, the Vice President of the Republic of Liberia. I felt a little out of place as I realized I was sitting amongst many important people when the person next to me introduced himself as the Cote D'Ivoire Ambassador. 

This was only the fourth census to be done in Liberia (others done in 1962, 1974, and 1984). In 1984 they made a law to do census every ten years but then the war happened so 2008 became the first post-conflict census. They have accounted for 3.4 million people and 63% of them fall into the youth category (in the age range of 10-24). Wow, certainly a young population. I also learned that 90% of youth in the world live in developing countries. Liberia also has 56% literacy rate but shows more boys than girls in school.

Along with the presentation of the findings, both guests of honor spoke. Dr. Ostoimehin was great to listen to and had many awesome things to say:
          -He spoke about education and said that it is important to educate for the market not just literacy but skills that can get individuals a job too.
          -He said that in order for the UN's Millennium Development Goals to be reached, empowerment of young woman and girls is necessary. 

There were also two quotes of his I absolutely loved: 

"In any country, human capacity is the most valuable resource."

"The face of poverty is the face of a young girl."

The girls from THINK concluded the program by making statements that were very powerful. They all stated their name and age and then said things like:

"I want to finish my education. I am too young to become a teenage mother."

"How can I achieve my goals if a big man comes along and ends my dreams? I need you, Mr. Vice President, to make laws to protect me."

"The way I dress is not an excuse for you to rape me."

"We must work harder to bring perpetrators to justice."

They then each ended with what they wanted to be when they grew up: a medical doctor, a petroleum engineer, a nurse, a mechanic, etc. Ah, the audience absolutely loved this!

Living with Liberians

This week was pretty cool for a few reasons. I spent it with a Liberian woman, Rosana, who is doing great things here and making many waves of change. She runs an organization called THINK (Touching Humanity in Need of Kindness). They have a girls empowerment program that goes for 9 months and works with 25 girls (10 of which are teenage mothers) who all have been taken advantage of sexually, have poor home lives, or face other various obstacles. They run a clinic and safe house for survivors of rape. The organization also works with both boys and girls on doing reproductive health education and programming.

I spent the week shadowing her life, basically. I learned a lot and was able to ask many questions. I got to go on grounds at the Executive Mansion (where the President's offices are). I got to attend an awesome program (which I will devote its own post to here soon). I also stayed at her home, ate lots of Liberian food (chicken feet often showed up in the dish but those I did not try!), and became friends with her kids. When I say kids I mean granddaughter, foster children, niece, friends. There were usually 6-8 people in the house aside from the two of us and none were her biological children (she has 3 grown children). She cares for everyone and clearly shows that in her homelife. We had no running water (oh back to bucket bathing that I became so accustomed to in Kenya) and no electricity. But have no fear, they charged laptops during the day at work so we could watch bootleg TV programs at night, haha.

One of the awesome things this family does is nightly devotions. The first night I was a part of this I was so moved. As we were all in the living room and had just finished watching a program, the 9 year girl old said "this is the day that they Lord has made" and everyone began singing a song based off that verse. After many minutes of singing (ah I love that most Africans I have met can bust out into song with no music and sing so beautifully) the 19 year old boy read a passage from 1 John about being a light in the world and then spoke about it. Everyone then took turns saying their prayer for the day as well as a bible verse. One of the daughters concluded in prayer for all of us and everyone followed with the Lords prayer. The time ended with a song about sharing love and everyone moved around the room shaking each others hands (hand shaking happens so often here). Ah, it was beautiful. There was also morning devotion similar to this at work. What a great environment to be in!

Rosana and I

Rosana had me posing on the lawn in front of the Executive Mansion.

Moving Meeting with Parents/Guardians

Today we had a meeting with many of the parents and guardians of the MTM girls: mothers, grandmothers, uncles, etc. Wow, so touching. It would have been wonderful to just meet them but we got much more than that. They shared with us how much it meant for their daughters, nieces, granddaughters, etc. to be on scholarship for school. They spoke of the change they have seen in the girls. They prayed for us and spoke great things upon us. They really are greatly appreciative for the chance their girls have that they are unable to afford to give them. 

Macintosh opened the floor for questions and concerns as well as encouraging them to share joys. He spoke about how they can help the girls at home by making sure they get rest and not go out in the night time. He expressed how we are all family and largely stressed caring for all kids and not just those that are biologically theirs.  He is a great speaker with motivating words and such a heart for children, its so great!!

One of the uncles present asked why MTM only worked with girls and not the boys. A grandmother, Agnes (who made a point of introducing herself and thanking each of us before the meeting), stood up and asked if she could help answer the question. She explained the importance of educating females and how much it benefits families and that is how their country is going to grow. She said "if you educate a girl, you educate a nation." As you can imagine, this moment brought tears to my eyes. Below is a picture of Agnes, her granddaughter Azetta, and me.

I had a chance to share today and after I spoke Macintosh asked if they understood what I said. Their response? Laughter and "no, she talks too fast!" Haha. So, he repeated what I said so they would be able to understand. Mind you, we all speak English, just very different accents!

The people I met today were so hopeful for the future and value what MTM is doing for their community so much. It was an incredibly moving day, and I have done a poor job in expressing it properly to you.

Greetings from Monrovia!

Where do I begin?? In my first few days I have had some awesome experiences and met some amazing people. There are so many stories to tell and so many things I want to share already but also lots of things that are going to be really hard for me to write about so to be honest, I probably won't.

I have been going back and forth on how to blog while here in Liberia- whether I share what is going on each day, only highlight important things happening with my volunteer work, share stories of living here, etc. What I think I have decided is that I will not give a day to day run down of what all I am doing but share both volunteer related things and stuff from just being in Liberia. We shall see how this goes. I am already sure that I will not be able to share all my stories, but I will try to do the best I can and some will just have to wait to be told in person (I apologize in advance to those of you that I don't see to see regularly!). 

And so it begins....

After arriving and settling in, a meeting was had with all the volunteers here (four others from the states and a Dutch woman, Marleen, who lives here) and the country staff (two men, Macintosh and Cyrus). There is currently a summer program being run three days a week with the girls as they are out of school for break. The three individuals who have been here in Liberia have been running (with 100+ girls!) and now the other volunteers are teaching as well. 

Friday I went to the school with everyone. Ah! What an experience. It was awesome to met some of the girls I have seen in pictures or videos such as Morrisline and Angel. I met everyone as a whole group and then lots of girls individually but only have a few names down. The awesome productive part of the day programming wise was getting to talk one-on-one with Marleen who has been doing some individual counseling with a few of the girls. This allowed us to talk about how we saw the psychosocial program being implemented and what it would look like in the school year.

Still lots to be done as far as the program is concerned but we are on the way!

Prayer

In the last two wees I have had the privilege of hanging out with so many people that I love! Some of these were, unfortunately, only brief encounters and others lasted a few hours. Many awesome conversations were had about life, both past and present, and the world we live in. A number of my encounters with loved ones involved prayer. Some prayers were said over the phone, some before a meal and others involved individuals specifically praying for me and my trip.

Prayer is such a powerful thing. It allows us to come together with those around us in appreciation of our creator. The awesome thing is, there is no specific way to pray, no format that needs to be followed. It does not matter which words you choose or what order you put them in, God loves it all the same.

Aside from actually sharing in prayer with people, I have had many friends send me texts and messages letting me know that they were praying for me. That, I must tell you, is an awesome feeling and such a joy! The fact that people want to take time out of their days to lift me up to God in prayer is amazing. I am so thankful for each of them and will selfishly ask that you continue to pray for me over the next six weeks. Pray that I remain safe and make a difference. Pray for the individuals that I come into contact with that I may love them and show them grace continually. Pray for the girls that More Than Me works to help everyday that their lives may be changed for the better and they may reach their fullest potential.

No matter where you are or what you are doing you can talk with God. You can lift up your joys and sorrows to the one who will love you, no matter what. How awesome is that?!

Changes

Growing up I hated change and believe me I still have my moments, just ask my mother. When plans change, I don't like it. But really, its when I don't control the change that I don't like it. When I come home after being away and a new road has been built or I find that Meijer has been painted blue instead of red, I don't like it. But really, I don't like that things aren't the same as the way I left them. 

"The only thing constant is change." Throughout my 20s this has been such a real statement in my life. I have lived in too many places to count. I have had numerous part-time jobs. I have made awesome friendships with people that then turn into long distance friendships that often get lost in the shuffle of life. I have constantly been asked the question "so, what are you doing now?" And for someone who loves schedules, I have had a different one every few months for longer than I care to think about.  

My point is, we cannot avoid change. It happens. It will continue to happen. The question is, what are we going to do with it? It seems like there are two obvious answers- resist it and be unhappy or accept it and embrace it. Each of us is inclined to one but always holds residue of the other. I have constantly been trying to be in the latter mindset but recently my view on change has changed, ironically enough, all together. 

Last week I was very blessed to have a dear friend of mine take time out of her crazy work week to share a meal with me. Conversations with her are always an enjoyed occasion for me, and this night was no exception. But it was something she said to me in a text after departing that really stuck with me. "Change and be changed." Ah, how awesome?! Instead of seeing change as something that is forever happening in my life, I was in that moment able to see it as such a privilege! I have the opportunity to not only create change but to be changed by others, by experiences, by life! That is truly amazing.

Need vs. Want

In the past few years I have moved more times then I'd like to think about. This weekend I moved, yet again. After finishing my masters degree and hanging out for a couple months, I moved back home. I have no idea how long I will be here as I anticipate more changes in the new few months but for the time being I must change the "home" address in my GPS.

One of the bright spots about moving at least once a year (most of the time twice!) is that it prevents you from being a hoarder. In this last move I donated two car loads to Goodwill, got rid of my furniture, and gave a ton of things away to people I know. It is quite liberating to know that my possessions fit into two cars. 

How long has it been since you've been through your stuff? Most of you reading this probably have WAY more than you need. Westerners often have an excess of "things" as we live in a world of materialism. We often use the word NEED instead of WANT. I bet if you really thought about it a lot of the things you say you need are really only things you want. We buy the newest thing when the one we have still works (whats the old saying- if its not broken don't fix it). We buy multiples of the same item when we only need one of them. We hold onto clothes thinking one day we will wear them and a year later we still haven't.  

Go through your closets, drawers, basement, garage. Get rid of stuff you don't use anymore. Find someone that can use it and give it to them. If you NEED the money sell the stuff, if you don't just give it away. Give things to consignment shops, shelters, etc. 

Think about what you really need in life and what you want out of it. Try to adjust your mindset and word choice. Live with less and experience more.

Modern Day Slavery

This morning I was watching E! News while getting ready for the day and did not think much about seeing an interview with Jada Pinkett Smith going on until I heard what they were discussing- human trafficking. Not really something I thought I would hear about in the middle of which celebrities got married over the weekend and who called it quits. Ah, how refreshing though that it is talked about in the middle of all the Hollywood gossip.

Image: Ira Gelb/Creative Commons

Statistics vary on this issue because a lot goes unreported but the ones presented below are from Don't Sell Bodies (a website devoted to bringing awareness and with whom Jada Pinkett Smith works alongside).

There are 600,000-800,000 individuals trafficked across international borders annually. The thing is, people often think it doesn't happen where they live. Well, for those you reading this that live in America, 40,000 men, women, and children are enslaved in America right now. The number of confirmed trafficking cases in the US that are American born citizens is 83%. Yep, its definitely not just an issue in some other country. Slavery did not die in the 1800s. It is very much apparent today. It just looks different. Modern day slavery usually (but not always) involves sex. The majority of individuals who fall victim to this are female and 50% are children. Most girls are recruited before they even become teenagers.

Check out this video made by the Jubilee Project that depicts this huge issue.

Another issue that occurs with trafficking is that those forced into prostitution get picked up by the cops and not the pimps who are really to blame. The traffickers are the criminals yet the victims are the ones being arrested. Many states are cracking down, making new laws, making large arrests (of the individuals orchestrating it), etc. I am proud to say my home state of Ohio is one of those states. Governor John Kaisch signed a law last week that was immediately put into effect and makes human trafficking a first-degree felony that can get up to 15 years in prison. An even better part about this law is that it has provisions for victims to have their records expunged for charges that were a result of forcefully being involved in the sex trade.

Internationally efforts are also being made to bring an end to this awful human injustice. A week before the Ohio law was signed the European Commission "adopted the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings." This is a five-year plan that will provide support to victims and bring traffickers to justice.

As a human race we need to put an end to this trafficking and bring back the innocence many young people lose at the hands of adults. We should be educating, providing, and nurturing the children of our world, not taking advantage of them. 

Support

THANK YOU so much to everyone that came out and supported IMAGINE: a benefit show this past Thursday! I am so blessed for all the friends and family that helped with the event as well as everyone that came to it, whether they know me or not. 

A special THANKS goes to Devin and Ian who put together the benefit and worked hard to make it happen. 

I am SO excited to report we raised over $1,000! That puts my current total amount of funds raised at about $1,600! Ah, amazing! If you were unable to make it to the event and would like to support my trip/work please use the DONATE button on the side of this blog. My goal is about $3,000 which means we are more than half way there! For info about my trip and what I will be doing, please check out the first blog post.

There are others ways to support me as well! Here are a few of them... 

          -SHARE! Pass this blog along to your friends and family. Post it on Facebook. Send an Email to your contact list. 

          -PRAY! Specific things you can be praying for: safe travels, the program's development, the girls in West Point, Liberia. 

          -LEARN! Educate yourself on whats going on in the world around you outside of the area you live in. Find out what is happening and don't ignore the problems of our broken world.

Benefit show tonight!

 IMAGINE: a benefit show is happening TONIGHT! I am super excited about it and hope many of you reading this will be able to join us. 

What can you expect? For all of the logistics (time, place, etc.) check out the event's website. Otherwise, know that...

Your ears will be aroused with music from local musicians: 

          Bryan Kim and Devin Colleton, Kim Baston, and Dallas Corbett

Your eyes will be enticed by art of different mediums by local artists: 

          Krystin Arneson, Gwyn Pevonka, and Red Frednie 

You can also win raffle prizes from an array of area businesses: 

          Pandigital 6inch LCD Digital Photo Frame

          $25 gift certificate to Polliwogs restaurant

          $25 gift certificate to Rush’s
          $30 gift certificate to Paul Mitchell: The School

          8 class pass and initial assessment at K.O.R.E. Wellness 

          $50 gift certificate to Baker’s Sports Pub and Grill

          $50 worth of Paul Mitchell hair products
          One hour massage therapy session at K.O.R.E. Wellness

All of this is happening to raise money for my trip and work with More Than Me in Liberia, West Africa that is happening in less than 4 weeks!! 

Travel Preparation

In less than 5 weeks I will be boarding a plane (then another, then another) to go to Liberia, West Africa! Ah! I cannot believe that the time is approaching so quickly. I so clearly remember sitting on my bedroom floor in February talking to the More Than Me founder on the phone for the first time. This trip was dreamed up so naturally through our conversation and now it is almost here. The plans are coming along well but, in true African nature, are not concrete (I may be sleeping on someone's floor for a bit... eh, oh well!).  

I have traveled internationally before so I know a bit of what to do and expect and thought I would share some of that with y'all. For any international trip there are three major things you must think about before you even open the suitcase:

-First off- passport! Sometimes these can take a while to be processed but always a good idea to have. If you don't have a passport, I would recommend getting one (they are good for 10 years) even if you have no travel plans in mind, you never know when you might decide to go somewhere! It is not a good idea to travel with a passport that is within 6 months of expiring, just to be on the safe side. I have a friend who went to get on the plane to go to Kenya a few years ago and at that time realized her passport has expired! 

 -Next, check on the country you are traveling to and see if you need a visa (this will depend on your home country's relationship with the destination country). Some visas can be acquired in the destination country's airport. For Liberia, you cannot even get off the airplane if you don't already have a visa. Let me tell you, FedExing your passport to an embassy in DC is a bit stressful! I know I did everything as I was suppose to but sealing up that envelope and hoping it comes back to me still gave me a small feeling of panic!  

-Third thing is vaccinations! Getting sick at home stinks but getting sick while in another country is awful! Check with the CDC to know what is required for your destination. Most vaccines are good for a few years so I did not have to get any new shots but do have to take anti-malarial medications (watch out, the kind I have can give me some crazy dreams!).
 

Once each of these is taken care of you can think about the little things such as the climate during the time of year you are going. For me, it will be the rainy season (ugh) so rainboots, raincoat, and an umbrella are currently at the top of my packing list! If you taking anything electrical, look up the plugs and see if you need a plug adapter. If you can talk with someone in your destination, ask them if there is anything they recommend you bring. This is especially helpful if you are going to a non-western country and can talk to a person whom is not a native; there are always things you wouldn't think you would need or did not think of that country not having. 

If you have traveled internationally before, what other things would you recommenced in preparation?

Creating Change

Lately, I have had a few people tell me things like "I don't know how you go to Africa. It's great work that you do, but I could never do that" and "I wish I had the guts to do something like what you're doing." Now, I wholeheartedly feel led to go to Africa and will gladly continue to go as long as God provides the opportunities and allows plans to develop and work, but I know that isn't for everyone. Here's the thing, as More Than Me's founder, Katie, said in the video I featured in the post Awesome Video Clip!, not everyone can go to Liberia but you can live for something bigger than yourself, no matter where you are. 

Each of us has different talents, different levels of comfort, and different places in which we flourish. Sometimes it talks some self-exploration to figure out what those things are. Give stuff a shot, try something new; trial and error is always a good method to see what works for you. Pray and ask God to show you where He is leading you to serve. Life is not just about ourselves, and in some countries, especially America, we can be very "me" centered. Think of how awesome our world would be if everyone gave more than they took, helped more than they asked, and thought of others more than they thought of themselves.

Start small. Make changes in your everyday life. I love a quote I saw recently that said "small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world." Maybe it starts with you and spreads to people you may never come into contact with. Think of the ripple effect. One of my favorite commercials shows exactly what I mean...

When you want to do something bigger, look into the organizations in your community. If you like to build or want to do something hands on, check out Habitat for Humanity. If you enjoy talking with people and building relationships, visit your local nursing home. If you want to mentor a child and help them grow up well, look into Big Brothers/Big Sisters. There are a myriad of places and things you can do, you just have to look for them.

Great change can happen. It starts within each one of us.

IMAGINE: a benefit show

Imagine. Imagine a girl. She is eight and smiles with all the radiance of the world. She is curious. She dreams of being a doctor when she grows up. She is resilient. She is lovable.

Now, imagine a world. Imagine a world where you are orphaned by war and left to live alone in the slums of West Africa. You are hungry, and a single egg costs fifteen cents. A man will pay you fifteen cents to have sex with him.

This is the story of many of the girls that More Than Me works with. We work to get girls – beautiful, resilient, lovable girls – off the street and into school.

This July, I am going to Liberia for six weeks to work with More Than Me. Having just graduated with my Masters, I am ready to put my social work background to use in a place that needs it. Specifically, I am going to Liberia to create a social work program within More Than Me to address what the girls have been through – living in a world of crime, poverty and sexual assault.

To help me get to Liberia – to help these girls – two amazing friends of mine are hosting a benefit show: IMAGINE. This show will feature local musicians and artists. Artists will be selling their art and sharing the proceeds with me. In addition, there will be a raffle of items donated by local businesses.

The cost of admission is $15.

IMAGINE will be hosted at the Carolina BCM (819 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201) from 7:00 to 10:00 PM.

Come out on Thursday, June 21st to support me and More Than Me. 

Sevenly

When I started this blog I wanted to feature issues I found interesting as well as organizations that are doing awesome things; I have failed on the latter. Time to change that!

Sevenly is an organization that works to raise funds and awareness for wonderful charities. Each week they promote a different charity on their website by selling a unique T-shirt design their artists have created (and anyone can apply to design for them!). The shirts are only available for 7 days, $7 from each shirt goes to the organization, and there are 7 types of causes they support.

Not only do they raise funds for the organization of the week but they do so much to promote the organization and therefore the cause: information is featured about the organization on the site, when you receive the shirt you've ordered you also receive an information card about the charity, and then every time you wear the shirt you are a walking billboard!

Some people purchase a shirt because of the color, the design, the style of a shirt, or the organization that it is supporting. No matter what the reason, its a good thing! Check out their site (and often, cause it changes each week!), buy a shirt, and learn about a new organization and the work they are doing.

"I Do My Best To Believe"

More Than Me founder, Katie Meyler, wrote a fantastic piece that is featured on the glass heel website. I took the liberty of reposting it on here because I find it incredible moving and just had to share! Enjoy :)

I believe in Unrestrained Compassion. Unreasonable Love. Unfathomable Joy. I believe in giving your whole heart to whatever you do. To feeling every moment, every word you say, every look you give. I believe in living a life of thanks, a life of giving back not because we can but because we must. I believe in living impractical, improbable, idealistic, unlikely dreams. 

I believe in understanding each other. Looking deeper into people, into history, looking through the surface. 

I believe in names and stories. Who are the 250 million child labors that work for pennies 12-16 hours a day in brutal conditions? Who are their parents, what do they think about, what does their smile look like? 

Why is this man sleeping on a corner, how did he get here, why is my neighbor so bitter, how does she feel everyday, who loves her? 

Who are the people that stole my suitcase of favorite things? Why do they steal, no really, how did this happen? 

How did we get to a place where it’s okay to have extreme excess when 25,000 people die every day of hunger, and my 12 year old friend James lives in a house made of garbage? 

How did it become okay to be a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew and to horde our stuff, to kill, to hate each other? To be an American and not know anything about other countries, and barely our own? 

What is my responsibility? How do I contribute to this mess? 

I believe. I believe. I believe. 

I will do my best to live as I believe. To not only say I care, but live a life that cares. To not only cry for my brothers and sisters being raped, blown into pieces, terrorized in the Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan but to ask myself how I can help. 

I believe in taking responsibility. I believe I have a voice. That my life counts. I believe in taking life by the horns and aggressively moving towards a better way. Not tomorrow, not when “I grow up” but now. I have my now. I give my all now.

I believe in we. Katie

Civil War

Many African countries have faced civil war, and Liberia is no exception. In the late 1980s economic riots brought about political killings and unrest. In the early 1990s rebels, led by Charles Taylor, traveled across the country fighting the Liberian army and West African peacekeepers. Charles Taylor became president in 1995 and a peace agreement was signed. Fighting broke out again four years later in 1999 and other West African nations became involved. Taylor stepped down and went into exile in Nigeria in 2003. Political stability was sought and finally achieved in the 2005 elections. The BBC writes up a short review of this war on their site. 

Sierra Leone was caught in its own civil war during the 1990s. Charles Taylor had a part in that war and was arrested in Nigeria in 2006 and put on trial in The Hague. In April of this year he was convicted on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including aiding and abetting one of the rebel groups during the war. He was said to be paid in blood diamonds mined by slaves of the rebel group that also kept sex slaves and forced children into becoming soldiers. Taylor is the first African ex-head of state to be sentenced by a world court and the no other head of state has been sentenced since the Nuremberg trials in 1946 and the first African ex-head of state. Read more about it here.

But, I digress. Since the 2005 election (where Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was elected, more on her in a later post) Liberia has been stable. There is a CNN writer and producer who grew up in Liberia and was able to leave the country during its time of war and recently went back to visit. She did a short piece with on the ground footage about where the country is now as opposed to when she left over ten years ago. This gives a great picture of the country and shows the city, Monrovia, where I will be going. Check it out.

Why girls?

Some of you may be wondering "why girls? what about the boys?" In the Western world a lot of opportunities in life (education, health care, etc.) are given to both boys and girls but the same is not true for developing countries. There is a myriad of research and information out there about the disparity between growing up male and growing up female. I could share lots of stories and statistics about this with you but frankly, they are really depressing. Instead, lets focus on the positive. The awesome thing is that research is not only showing this disparity but now is able to show what can happen when girls are given a chance.  

The Girl Effect is an organization that provides a lot of information about what can happen when girls are given a chance. According to their fact sheet, there are 130 million youth out of school and 70% of them are girls. The thing is, in developing countries, when girls are educated they marry 4 years later and have 2.2 fewer children, they earn higher wages (10-25%), and they reinvest more of their income into their families (90%) than males do (only 30-40%).  

They have also made an amazing 2 minute video. Check it out... 

In order to effectively change the brokenness of our world we must realize that girls are the key. This needs to be on the agenda whether it is with international organizations providing aid, countries creating laws to protect, or individuals giving opportunities. The Coalition for Adolescent Girls has done a ton of work and is a great resource for more information.  

Watch the video, do the research, read the material, and have the conversation with others. Education is power for everyone and once you have it, its one thing no one can take away from you.

Awesome Video Clip!

I cannot explain how excited I get when I watch this video!! It shows the area I will be going to, the West Point slum, and some of the girls I will get to hang out with! You have GOT to watch it! It also talks about the organization and what More Than Me is all about.

If you want to support my trip and the work I will be doing with MTM, please use the donate button on the right side of the page.