To Me

Hope is:

Belief in what you can't see.

Looking for a better tomorrow.

Seeing a problem as a project to take on.

Pursuing peace.

Loving people.

Acting on what you say.

Being more than a face.

Getting down and dirty.

Touching the least of these.

Never giving up.

Knowing what you do makes tomorrow better than today.

Laughing at politics.

Leveraging all you've got.

The power of a simple word.

Working your hardest and being satisfied with that.

Taking time for the little things.

Blood. Sweat. Tears.

The love of the Father.

Time to Learn pt. 3

Here is the 3rd section of a Youtube series about Hinduism. Take the few minutes to watch; it will open your eyes to the Hindu way of life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZavKqW7m08&feature=related

Are you listening?

You have so much to be thankful for. You may not drive the nicest car or have the biggest house but God is meeting your needs, isn't he? Just a thought for you today: There is always a need around you. Are you taking notice AND doing something about it or do you just pass by like it is nothing?

"Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered."

Proverbs 21:13

"Is Adoption The Only Way?"

Check out a friend of mine's blog. She has some great things to say on adoption and family:

http://aneverydaytarheel.blogspot.com/2010/11/is-adoption-only-way.html

TIme to Learn pt. 2

Alrighty here is the second part of the Hinduism documentary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEJNbdn9t20

Origami

Origami Emotion

Elizabeth Barrette

"Hope is

folding paper canes

even when your hands get cramped

and your eyes tired,

working past blisters and

paper cuts,

simply because something in you

insists on

opening its wings."

I read this poem the other day for one of my classes and fell in love with the ideas that are underlying in it.

To me hope is about so much more than just being optimistic or looking ahead to the future but about putting actions with your words. Even though the dictionary defines hope as a feeling, I believe it is worth so much more than that. If we just 'believe' that something will happen but make no effort towards accomplishing our goal, nothing will ever come of it.

James 2:14-18,20 says:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

...one verse later...

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

In the poem what made the most impact was the fact that even though all hope and any reserved energy seemed to be gone, the worker pressed on and created a beautiful piece. If they had given up just a few steps prior to finishing, they would just end up with crumpled paper but by finishing out the steps, they created a beautiful crane!

In case you would like to know what it takes to make a crane:

What Should I Do With My Life?

Ever wonder how I came up with the crazy idea of using photography to tell stories overseas? Well that would be a really long story and maybe one day I will blog about it but I will show you someone who has inspired me to believe that my dreams really are possible.

Esther Havens is a super talented humanitarian photography. I could go on and on about her but I would just rather if you would take a few minutes to check out some of her work and read her story:

When I was a little girl I was always snapping photos with my pink and blue 110 film camera. At 12 years old, I took "studio" photos of my cats by positioning them the way I wanted. I also dressed up my brother and sister and made them pose and smile while I clicked away. I bought my first Canon digital Rebel in high school and started learning about f-stop's and shutter speed. Since I was home schooled, I graduated early at the age of 16 and started a junior college in Dallas. While there, I fell in love with the darkroom and black and white images. I had some amazing professors who challenged me to see light and shadow differently. I remember seeing Mary Ellen Mark's work in India and being in awe of how she captured the essence of people.

When I was 18, I traveled to India with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). A group of us lived in a village and volunteered with the local charities, including the local Mother Teresa house. India shaped my vision for what I wanted to do. I really fell in love with the people there and for the first time I knew that I would pursue photography. I came back from that trip and wanted nothing more than to photograph for magazines while traveling the world. I knew that travel and fame alone wouldn't satisfy me because I really wanted to help those in need.

The following year I met an inspiring group of people doing exactly what I envisioned - using photography for global change. I started volunteering for nonprofits at first and slowly got jobs with them. At one point I was photographing in the Democratic Republic of Congo when a severely malnourished child walked by. I snapped an image and thought, "What a great shot." I suddenly realized with a horrified feeling that I was photographing for me and not for them. I had started out wanting to help people, but deep inside I was still looking for that image that would make me the best photographer. After that, I vowed to myself to never again take an image for my own sake, but instead to capture images that empower the individuals I'm photographing. While the child's situation was desperate, he could be photographed in a way that would help tell his story in a positive light. To do this, you have to ponder how that image will affect your audience. I could take the image of a child with flies on his face eating dirt, or I could wait till his mom comes lifts him up and maybe a small smile breaks out on his little face.

I've seen some of the worst and most miserable situations on earth but have still found people with hope and joy. Though they have little to give, they greet me with a smile and offer me a place in their home. I have chosen to search for those stories and document them to challenge viewers to not simply view but to act. In my mind, acting can best be done in the form of giving - giving time, giving resources, giving hope. World change can happen if we would all be willing to give up a piece of ourselves to another. It doesn't have to be on a global scale; giving can happen in your neighborhood. Through my photography and my travels, I have learned that in giving you find more of yourself than anywhere else.

http://estherhavens.com/

Human Trafficking Report

This is an a report by IJM. The faith-based International Justice Mission "is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems." They work across the planet to ensure justice is brought about for those who are being oppressed and to the oppressors. Bet you weren't aware how prevalent these types of issues of slavery are.

Time to Learn pt. 1

This is the first of several videos that documents Hinduism. It is rich in history but also gives good insight into the peoples' lives by their religion. It's about 9 minutes but worth the time (be glad I didn't post all of the documentary here at once).

Enjoy! There will be more to come...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKE7enkhZyo&feature=related

In honor of my dinner outing tonight:

I had the chance to TrySomethingDifferent (we call them TSDs) tonight with a group of Honors students. We visited a South Indian restaurant near Charlotte. The food was very authentic and delicious. Here are some images of just a few meals that I had while visiting India in 2009.

Where all the magic is made:

Who ever said you couldn't have chicken curry and birthday cake?

Some of the best times were spent just sitting on the floor, drinking chai, and hearing the Family tell stories.

Chokardani: a fun outing with a plate of food filled like this:

A dosa with my adventurous teammates

A second lunch of the day: PB&J with chai and masala flavor chips.

Ministry

In my New Testament class we are currently studying 2 Corinthians. One of the main themes of this book is Christian ministry. Reading some of the scripture took me back to India because I saw a mark reading "India 12/09". We used this passage throughout our trip last year.

Check out this whole passage! It will change your life if you let it.

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."

2 Corinthians 5:14

Ransom

"A man who was completely innocent, offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act."

Mohandas Gandhi

I don't know what Gandhi meant by this but I love it. For all I know he was talking about himself but either way, I think about Jesus. Jesus came to earth to become the ransom for us, his creation. He is the best and most perfect example of love.

Invisible

Last night some 'roadies,' as they call themselves, came to Gardner-Webb to share with us about the Invisible Children in Northern Uganda. The video we watched brought the room to tears. The reality of this war was something most of us had never heard of even though it has been the longest war in Africa. So many men, women, and children have been killed, displaced, and mutilated.

Three guys from California saw first hand the carnage of this war and knew they couldn't stand by and let it continue.

www.invisiblechildren.com

Stealing gods

This man and his son have a pretty solid company. They sell coconuts and flowers to worshipers that pass by them. There are many people who worship where they are from and they have prime real estate for their buyers' convenience.

They live a sad life.

Despite how profitable their work may seem to an outsider, they have one of the saddest jobs. They sell their coconuts and flowers to the worshippers of the Rantek temple. Here they are preparing offerings that worshippers can purchase at the temple to present to the gods. The gods and their carnal forms, the monkeys that overflow the temple grounds, help themselves to the offerings even before they can be purchased. This means there is less to sell and they lose money to their gods' stealing. And what are these men supposed to do? Nothing. You can't really just chase away the gods or scold them. It's their offerings anyways, right?

How unfulfilling.

http://www.nagpurplaces.com/temple/ramtek.aspx

Message from Hillsong

"How often do we see something then just simply just change the channel?"

"Who are we to judge as if we were any better?"

"We say that's not right. That's not fair. All too often that's all we do because to do anymore is actually going to cost us something."

"When we ignore the orphan and the widow in their distress we actually add to their pain."

http://www.theiheartfilm.com/

One Man's Trash

Throwing garbage on the street is just a part of life in India. It made me mad when I first got there. I didn't understand why they would just continue to put trash on the ground. Why doesn't someone start a movement and clean up the country? If people would stop throwing trash out their car windows and everywhere, eventually the place could be clean, right? This was how I felt until I was told by a local, "Even if I stopped throwing my trash on the ground, others still would and the mess wouldn't be cleaned up. I would just be working harder for nothing."

It is interesting to think about. Could one person who stopped littering really change a country?

Could one person really loving people change a world? One person's love might not change everybody in the world, but it could change one heart. Is that one heart worth it? I'm taking the stand to live in love. I don't think I will change the world just as one person but I will make a difference to someone.

What are you waiting for? DO what it SAYS

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

James 1:22-27

Feet

I have always hated the way that my feet look. One verse that was brought to my attention over and over again in India was Romans 10:15. I had a hard time really grasping that feet even humanly ugly ones, can be the instrument of God. It is so true though. God really does love to use unlikely tools and people to do his work.

Here is that scripture. Read it and think, what are you doing to use your beautiful feet? Where do they take you?

Romans 10:14-15

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%2010:14-15&version=NIV

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+52:7&version=NIV

The World of Stolen Women

The New Internationalist magazine tells a story of a girl, trafficked into India from Nepal by close friends, but rescued by the Rescue Foundation. It is a powerful story. I don't know much about the organization but from what I have read thus far, they are going some great work. Check out the article (below) from a few years ago of a rescued girl and the dark world she lived in for a time.

http://www.newint.org/columns/makingwaves/2006/06/02/rescue-foundation/

Skyline

It can be so powerful to take some time and pray over a city. One time during my first trip to India, for our group morning devotions, we had a time of worship and then spread out around our rooftop and prayed over all corners of the city. We took time to pray for God to move mightily in the people of Nagpur. It was amazing individually and as a team to pour our hearts out over the city. That can cause you to really fall in love with a skyline.

www.crosspointofindia.org