Divine Demolition & Inspiration: Sandy Disaster Relief Trip

Most of us have heard of Hurricane Sandy. NOAA  put out before and after shots showing the destruction caused by the storm. 

I had the opportunity to see some of this destruction up close last week when I, along with 170 other volunteers from Baptist Collegiate Ministry groups from across SC served on a disaster relief mission trip with the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team.


We filled 3 charter buses with students exhausted from final exams and settled in for a 13 hour drive from Columbia, SC to Staten Island, NY.

Why do this when they could have been going home to sleep, watch Christmas movies and hang with family and friends? 

Because Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." - Mark 12:31.

If Hurricane Sandy had hit SC instead of NY, I know all 170 of us would have been incredibly grateful if the students of NY drove down to love us through disaster relief.

Supposedly Forgotten

Staten Island, we were told is often called "The Forgotten Borough" of New York.

But, even if the world overlooks it, we knew that the Lord does not.

Because Jesus said, " I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep" - John 10:14.

He knows his sheep, whether they live in Staten Island, South Carolina or Syria. Anywhere. Everywhere.

So we set out to serve his sheep of Staten Island ;)

Each morning we would wake up, get breakfast and load up our buses to depart to our work-sites where, even 40 days after the storm hit, there was still lots of mud-out and demolition left to do. We would work until about 4 or 4:30 and then head back to our "Volunteer Village" - tents to sleep in, trailer showers and porta-pottys.

 Sweet Women & Work

I had the wonderful blessing to work at the homes of two sweet ladies -  Ms. Ginny's home on the first day and Ms. Mary's for the final 3. We pulled out pipes and bathtubs, tore up floors with crowbars and shovels, ripped out insulation, picked up trash, did yard work, power washed, and sprayed for mold.

It was cold and rainy and sweaty and dirty and exhausting... and WONDERFUL.

Because the Bible says, "Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically." - Romans 12:11

People, even me, often say we should "be the hands and feet of Jesus."

I have never had an opportunity to do that in such a tangible, visible way.

We literally used our hands and feet and broke some fingernails and acquired some bruises to serve those sweet ladies by getting their homes cleaned out and ready to be rebuilt. Why?

Because the Bible says, " Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress." - James 1:27

Ms. Ginny had moved into that home to care for her parents who have since passed away and Ms. Mary's husband has passed away as well. Orphan and widow. In distress.

Though these women were certainly in distress having had much of their homes ruined and many of their things destroyed, they were strong, positive, inspiring ladies.

Beautiful Spirit & Perspective

Both of these women were a joy to be around and so kind to us. That really says something. At one of the toughest times in their lives when they are trying to salvage and rebuild after Sandy, they were others-focused.

My favorite memory of Ms. Ginny was her efforts to help us. Instead of sitting and watching us work, she jumped in there and ended up schooling all of us even though she is over twice our age. We were using crowbars and hammers to pry up the wet, molded plywood above the sub-floor and it was not easy work.

While my team of 9 students and I were plugging along and making decent time, Ms. Ginny jumped in with a crowbar to help and within about 5 minutes, she had ripped up about half the floor!?! She was so strong and motivated and impressive.

She clearly has a fighting spirit determined to move forward and recover quickly.

I spent more time with Ms. Mary so it is hard to pick just one favorite memory...

• She had a great sense of humor and was always making us laugh, like when she charged us to use her bathroom... with a hug, every time :) 
• She would come and sit with us during lunch to tell stories and get to know us
• The last morning she surprised us with hot chocolate and donuts waiting for us

Though I was already impressed with her ability to laugh in the midst of what she is going through, I would have to say that hands down, my most favorite memory of her (and possibly the whole trip) was this:

We gathered each morning to pray on site before beginning our work and one morning Ms. Mary was outside so we invited her to join us. It was the day after the Connecticut school shooting.

When we asked her if she had any prayer requests, I fully expected her to ask for herself about her health or her home or her family. Instead she said this which was so moving and true:

"I'd like you to pray for the families in Connecticut. All this that I've lost here is just stuff. But they lost their children and I bet any of those mothers would give away every single thing they owned just to have their kid back."

 Perspective. It is a powerful thing.

Ms. Mary has a great perspective.

A Different Way to Worship

Another perspective I gained while on this trip was a different way to worship. 

One of the days we were gone was a Sunday but we did not go to church. 

We went to our work-sites and I posted this picture and this caption on facebook: 

On this Sunday, we worship not in khaki pants or singing from hymnals but by pulling up floors and working in the cold, rainy weather of NY. I mean Jesus was a carpenter ;) Here is to worshiping a little bit differently sometimes!

The whole trip was a way to worship differently. 

While you and most of the world have never head of these two, single women living in the Forgotten Borough of Staten Island, the Lord knows them well and wants them cared for.

Because Jesus says, "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders" - Luke 15: 4-5


In addition to caring for the over-looked and worshiping through divine demolition, on a light-hearted note, here is what we also learned

1. The southern stereotype that northerners are not hospitable is simply false: they were so friendly and grateful, often stopping their cars in the street to say hi and thank you.
2. The warning we've heard since childhood that we should never take food from strangers apparently does not apply during disaster relief! More than once, kind people saw that we were volunteers and they offered us free sandwiches, juice, chips, etc. We never hesitated to take them or enjoy them.
3. One can do hard physical labor but still look good while doing it ;) For example, I may have broken several nails but they were painted red underneath my work gloves. In addition, while I had to borrow my brother's camo hunting jacket because it was insulated and could get dirty, I accessorized with my bright pink scarf ;) Truly a Southern Belle Feminist moment!!! 

Lunch Buddies, Lanyards & Love

I have a date every week with a 9-year-old.

I see her every Thursday. She is my lunch buddy :)

It is a program with Communities in Schools, a "nationwide network of passionate professionals working in public schools to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life."

I must admit, when I began the process of applying to volunteer, I felt awkward.

Beyond that, I felt like a creeper. The forms asked questions like what school we wanted to work with and what age child and gender. I felt like a pedophile selecting, "I'd like a little blue-eyed, blonde 7 year-old girl" Now, to clarify, the application did not ask for those details... but still!

I pushed through the awkward application process, however, and got my background check approved and my references in. Then I was allowed to begin the program.

My little girl, who I shall refer to as K, was a little reserved at first. 

Our first couple lunch dates, we covered the usual topics like favorite color, food, tv show, etc. And I began to ask about her family. When I asked about her parents, she said: "I have a mom. She is 38." 

This threw me off. And broke my heart. 

In sharing about my mom, I have never once revealed her age (In fact, I'd probably get in trouble for making that public knowledge, lol!). However, K obviously has been asked/judged so much that even as a 9-year-old, she was on the defense to prove to me her mom was older - not a teenage mom as many would assume. Although, I later found out K has sisters who are in their early 20s so her mom was a teenage mom who just continued to have children.  

My heart further broke a few weeks into the school-year when I found out her mom went to jail so K was living between her older sisters' homes and her own where the mom's live-in boyfriend still resided. My little 4th-grade lunch buddy was left to do homework/eat/entertain/protect herself many nights with little-to-no adult supervision. 

It comes as no surprise that when she is then under strict supervision at school, she often gets in trouble. I am not even assuming this; in a scarlet-letter-kind-of-way, the school has a branding system of colored lanyards: 

• Gold = good behavior
• Green = you've been spoken to but mostly behaved
• Red = you got in trouble, seriously or frequently

Well, my little K has been on red LITERALLY every week that I've met with her this school-year :( 

Despite that we had not had progress in the lanyard arena, we had progress in our connection with each other. 

The first week, she wouldn’t even hardly hold my eye contact, much less my hand. But the more lunches and conversations we shared led to smiles, then hugs, then walking her to her classroom or recess. 

A few weeks ago, she held my hand all the way from the lunch room to recess and had me play with her outside a bit; before we said goodbye, she told me she loved me. 

Gah. Melt my heart. 

Once I realized she knew I cared for her and I knew she cared for me, I felt that I could push her and she knew it would be coming from a good place – not just another adult telling her what to do. 

On our next lunch date, I talked with her about her lanyard and asked her if she thought she could get on green. She didn’t really know what to say. 

I told her I didn’t just think she could get on green; I knew she could. She pinky-promised me (which is about as binding as a contract can be for an elementary school kid!) that she would try to get on green.

Sadly, I didn’t see her the next Thursday because the weather was awful and the streets were flooded and I couldn’t get to her school. 

The next Thursday was Thanksgiving so school was off. 

As a result, it was 3 weeks before I saw her again :/

And to make matters worse, I was late that Thursday. I had just managed to find parking near her school when I got a call from the lady in charge of Communities in Schools; she told me K was asking to make sure I was still coming in that day. I told her I was literally walking in the door and would see them both in 2 minutes. 

As I walked into the lunchroom, K spotted me first. She gave me a big ole smile and hug and then we sat down to chat about our usual: her food, her classes, her weekend, etc. 

But, then she asked: “Do you like surprises?” with a coy smile on her face. 

I had no idea where she was going with this. 

I said, “Of course, I love surprises! Do you?” 

But, she ignored my question and simply stated, “I have a surprise for you.” 

I still had no idea where she was going with this. “You do!?!” I asked. 

At this point, she begins to unbutton her coat which I had failed to realize was still on. By about the third button, I saw it, hanging around her neck: a GREEN lanyard!!!! 

She saw me see it and asked me, “Do you remember how last time we met, you told me I could get a green lanyard?” 

“Of course I do!!!” I said, pleased and impressed that she still remembered. 

“And I knew you could do it!!!” I added, “I am SOOOOOOO proud of you!!!” 

I proceeded to give her countless high fives and hugs… as I fought back the tears welling up in my eyes because she had remembered and honored that challenge. AND she had believed in herself because someone else had believed in her. 

She said, “See, I can be not bad.” 

This broke my heart too. She believed she was a bad person. I said, “Oh, K! You were never bad. You may have made some bad choices but you were never bad. You are a sweet, good girl and you can always be that if you decide to be.” 

I know it was cheesy but I don’t think she has ever heard this. Certainly not at school. She is told she is bad and she is viewed as bad since she has to wear a red lanyard. 

For clarification, this is not to hate on the system or the teachers or the school. I know they have structure in place for a reason and it can be largely effective. However, for K, she had begun to believe she was only as good as she had gotten in the system: red lanyard status. 

Further, it didn’t seem that she believed she could move beyond that. 

But she did!!!! 

I brought up her green lanyard and green things like 50 times in the last 15 minutes of our lunch.

I am happy to report that the next week, K still had a green lanyard :)

She and I were both excited and proud. We have already decided that in 2013, we are aiming for the gold lanyard. She believes she can do it now. 

A little thing like a shift from a red lanyard holding your student ID card changing to a green lanyard has had profound effects on K’s self-confidence and I think even self-worth. 

And, it was all accomplished in a few lunch dates. 

This is not a bragging moment for me as such a great lunch buddy because I only had one afternoon of training and I don’t have special tricks or tips. I was just a grown-up who took time to meet with a little 9-year-old girl and through that, I believed in her and loved on her. 

That is what has profound effects on a child. And, this is something anyone can do. 

Including you.

You too could take less than an hour out of your week to meet with, love on and believe in a child at a school near you. It could have profound effects on you and the child both. 

Communities in Schools is a national organization so check out the one near you… 

 

Beaufort instead of Blogging: 3 interesting trips home :)

Sadly, it has been almost a month since I last blogged. I feel the need to explain myself... and I think you will find it all entertaining, I hope ;)

I have been busy with work and a boyfriend and 3 visits home in the last month. I wanted to fill y'all in on my 3 trips to Beaufort:

1. A Redneck Anniversary 
2. Snotty & Scotty
3. A Thanksgiving to Remember

 A Redneck Anniversary

You may remember the redneck wedding I blogged about from last Halloween. Unforgettable, right?

Well, we did lots of reminiscing when the newlyweds came to South Carolina with my aunt and uncle to visit me and my parents for their ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. I can hardly believe it has been a whole year. 

In true redneck style, there was beer drinkin' and porch sittin', stories about crazy family, and even boiled peanuts and fried green tomatoes. 

Plus, in honor of their Halloween wedding, we went on a ghost tour and visited a graveyard or two. Yes, incredibly romantic, I know.

While we were out shopping one day, I saw this wall art and almost had to buy it in honor of their visit ;)

But, all in all, we had a wonderful time exploring the lowcountry, eating way too much and having family time :) They clean up pretty good too... but don't mind all the dollar bills taped to the wall... clearly we were keepin' it real classy!

Snotty & Scotty

I know I have written lotttsss of blogposts about being single but, now, I'm happy to report that I am taken :) 

However, now that I am no longer single, I am in new territory where I have yet to figure out what all I can post. While boys I have blogged about in the past were in and out of my life, I'm hoping this one will stick around so I can't embarrass him too badly on here! 

A couple weekends ago, he came home to meet the family. Yes!!??!!!

Unfortunately, the day we were supposed to go home, I was really sick :/

I went to the doctor and she said it was just a brutal case of the classic cold.
Um: understatement.
It destroyed me.

My nose was running non-stop and I was sneezing and my cough sounded more like a bark.

This + really dreary, rainy weather cancelled most of our plans.

But, the funny thing is, we still had a great weekend. That's what happens when you have good company :) Colds and cancelled plans don't matter when you have good company and Scott was good company!

He wooed my mom by the end of their first conversation.
He talked football with my grampa and complimented my granny's cookies when they came over for a BBQ and bonfire on Saturday night.
He got the stamp of approval from all my friends, Sunday School teachers and extra grandmas at church.
Plus, my daddy thought he was a nice guy as well :)

Needless to say, he did well for his first visit to my home! 

And he took such good care of me. Even when I was at my worst all snotty and sick, by the end of the weekend he still liked me... so this one is definitely a keeper!

A Thanksgiving to Remember 

Call me anti-social or maybe selfish but I have never brought anyone home for the holidays. 

And, neither has my brother. 

However, this year we had a twin moment and both brought a friend home for Thanksgiving. 

And, you won't believe this: my friend's name was ABBY and my brother's friend was named ABBAS. 

Real life. 

And while we both adore our friends, they aren't exactly the all-American kids next door.

My friend Abby is a tatted up red-head and my brother's friend Abbas is an active Muslim from India. 

Abby is one of the most fashionable people that I know and she always has flawless hair and makeup and cute clothes. I rushed out to meet her after she drove up but I was horrified because my daddy - who doesn't care one thing about fashion - made a comment on my outfit. While I had tried to look cute with a floral top and colorful costume jewelery, I had been cold and chillin' in the house... in my slippers. And they happened to be purple and furry ;)

As I walked out, my daddy I guess didn't realize they were slippers. He said, "Sarah. I think you need to do something about those shoes." Dang. I knew I looked bad if he not only noticed but took the time to comment on my outfit. 

Fortunately, my fashionable friend didn't hold it against me :) 

And Abbas was sweet as he could be! He had a delightfully formal and polite manner and speech. He was very kind and open and grateful. He woke up at 5:30am every day to pray to Allah; he also said his mid-day and evening prayers as well but was very respectful of us and our prayers to Jesus. It was crazy awesome to be around him and hear more about his country and religion. 

We gathered around the table with our friends, my parents and my grandparents to share a delicious meal and laughter and stories. It was a beautiful picture of what the original Thanksgiving was about where different looking people from different backgrounds came together for a meal and being grateful. 

But our fun didn't stop with the food. 

We showed Abbas this American tradition of breaking the wishbone :) And, he won! 

The most fun came the next day. No black Friday shopping for us! 

Instead, our family had tickets to go zip-lining for my daddy's birthday and we brought Abby and Abbas along with us!

Here we are signing our life away so we wouldn't sue anyone if we were injured or killed. Our poor friends didn't realized what they signed up for when they agreed to come home for the holidays with us! 

And before we went up for our first ride, our guide gave us nicknames: 

• Daddy was "Pumpkin"
• Mom was "Sunshine"
• Tyler was "Master of Disaster"
• Abbas was "Cupcake"
• Abby was "Zip Princess"
• I was "Buttercup" 

 
We all had a blast climbing staircases in trees, crossing suspended bridges and jumping about 10 ziplines. Some of them were as high as the treetops and we had to jump off of 4-story-towers, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles an hour!?! Also, did I mention that the only brake we had was our left hand!??!!!??? I wish I was joking :/

 I was a little bit legitimately scared when our guide asked who the youngest person was and it was me. He said that he always offered the youngest person of each group the best ride of the day.

I told him, how could I walk away from that? What it ended up being was riding tandem with him down the longest zip at top speeds of over 40 miles an hour and then he also bounced us up and down at the end.

First, though, he made me dangle over the edge :/

Then, he harnessed himself to me and we both took off at top-speed...

The deal was he would go as fast as he could if I would scream as loud as I could; we both held up on our end of the deal ;)

After 2 hours, we all escaped unscathed and had soooooo much fun! That's me with our super cool guides :)

It was indeed a Thanksgiving to remember :)

-----------------------------

So those were my 3 recent visits to Beaufort and part of the reason I've been so behind on my blogging. However, even in the midst of the holiday season, I'm hoping to stay a bit more on top of my blog...

I hope y'all had a great November filled with family, love, good food and fun as well!

Scarier than Any Halloween Movie: Nefarious

Scarier than Friday the 13th, The Exorcist, Halloween, Night of the Living Dead, etc.

Scarier than ANY Halloween movie. Ever.

What is?

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls.

It is a documentary I saw recently and the reason it is SO scary is because it isn't Hollywood.

It. Is. Real. Life.

It is an incredibly well-made documentary detailing the selling of souls. Not objects but people.

People (mostly women) who are raped multiple times a day by lots of different men.
Often trapped in the same tiny room that is basically a prison.
Treated worse than a dog.
Dehumanized.
Violated.
Sold.
Broken - body, spirit, soul.
------------
And then it happens the next day.
And the next.
And the next.
With NO END in sight.

And again, this movie isn't a made up Hollywood Horror.

It is real life for millions of people.

27 million people, in fact, who are bought and sold in modern day slavery.

Like Ordering a Pizza or Buying a Beer

In the movie, one man compared the process of purchasing women to the process of ordering a pizza. Do you want mushroom or pepperoni? The blonde or the brunette?

Oh. My. Word.

I wanted to spit in his face. People around me were sniffling and crying but I had a simmering anger stirring inside of me.

Another man in Asia owned 2,400 girls. He sold them in clubs where a beer cost $4, grapes cost $5 and for ONE HOUR, a little girl cost $3. Little girls who grow up with the horrible false reality that they can be bought for a price and a price less than a beer!?! Little girls who grow up with no sense of self-worth and no hope and no dreams of a future. Little girls who are away from family. Little girls who are sold into the slave trade by their family!?!

Cable or Your Kid

The movie described a "culture of complicity" where families see their daughters as a blessing, not because they get to love them as they raise them into a cherished young woman. Instead, daughters are blessings because they are seen as a security asset to sell if they needed more money. Frighteningly, this process of parents prostituting their daughters in human trafficking has become so common that many of them sell their daughters not because they have to but because the money their daughters can make allows for families to have luxuries like television and alcohol. Yep, keep you kid or have access to cable tv.

Moving Mannequins

Another disgusting and heart-wrenching image was in Amsterdam where prostitution is legal. Women were standing in windows displaying themselves for purchase. They looked like the mannequins in a Victoria's Secret window, only they moved. And they had faces and hearts and souls. 

And in the rooms where they worked, there was a built-in "panic button" in case their customer tried to injure or kill them. 

The website lists this fact: Up to 96% of women in prostitution want to escape but feel that they can't.  

That is not Hollywood horror; it is real life.

Other Fast Facts from the Website

• A child is trafficked every 30 seconds. – UNICEF
• Human Trafficking occurs in 161 out of 192 countries. – The United Nations
• In some countries it is estimated that 70% of men purchase sex. – Victor Malarek; The Johns
• Over 27 million people are enslaved around the world. This is more than double the number of Africans enslaved during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. – Kevin Bales; Free the Slaves

Scary, is it not? 

I could go on for pages and pages detailing the frightening facts and insights this movie provides on the real life horror of human trafficking. Instead, I encourage you to simply watch the film yourself. 

It has won over 21 film festival honors. 

You can buy the film or host a screening. 

And then find out how you can take action because again, this film is not a made up Halloween Hollywood Horror but it is real life. 

I Did It: I Applied to Graduate School!?!

Last week I submitted my graduate school application to Vanderbilt!?!

I applied for a degree in Community Development and Action. You may never have heard of it; I hadn't.

But, once I discovered it and researched it, I fell in love with it... so much so that I am not applying anywhere else. I realize this is risky but I'm stepping out in faith because I know that if I applied to the other programs I was looking at, I wouldn't go even if I was accepted to them. If I don't get into Vandy, I'll just reapply.

That is how cool this program is :)

So, what is it?

The Program

It is technically a Masters of Education, though one does not have to teach once they graduate. The website says that

"Graduates of the CDA program can work in community organizations, governmental agencies, and development institutions. some have continued on to further post-graduate degrees in various fields; future study might include Social Work, Law, Public Health, Community Development, and social sciences such as Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology."

You know, just basically everything I'm interested in ;) 

The focus of the program is to train

"professionals seeking to foster developmental change in human communities. We analyze development as freedom to choose among opportunities for realizing our human potential." 

I love that: helping people learn to make the most of themselves and their gifts and their passions... their human potential.

I also love the content of the program that seeks to develop the following in its students:

• competencies as a self-directed, life-long learner
• competencies in helping roles that the student may perform as a human services worker
• group relations competencies
• administrative and organizational competencies
• competencies as a change agent
• research competencies upon which all the above depend

This hits on so many of my interests: learning, helping, being with people, organizing, and making positive change.

I can hardly believe these are all rolled into one program!?!

Round 1 of Applying

The first time I started applying to graduate school was my senior year of college. I had taken the GRE the summer after my junior year, visited a couple campuses, started 3 different applications and was on my way to pursuing a PhD to become a professor in Communication and/or Women's and Gender Studies.

But, my heart wasn't in it.

I was simply applying because my parents and professors really wanted me to and I didn't have another alternative. This PhD route seemed to be a good idea because I enjoy school and teaching; however, I had intense anxiety and no peace about spending so much time, money and effort on the next 5-6 years of my life to end up with a degree and a profession I wasn't 100% certain I wanted to have.

I finally broke down and decided to take a detour from that PhD path, much to my parents' and professors' disappointment. I, however, felt incredibly free and relieved... though I had no plans for what to do instead.

Fortunately, a door was opened to allow me to work with BCM which I've been doing the last year and a half. It has provided me with a mental breather and also placed me not behind a desk or at a computer all day but in a community where I've been able to learn so much about people and myself.

Another blessing about this job is that it led me to Vanderbilt.

What Led me to Nashville

Side note for a moment: Do you remember the YaYa Sisterhood phenomenon from a few years back? Well I do, largely because I had seen it lived out my whole life in a group of ladies my mom took vacations with. They met in college and ever since, they've been getting together over the years to relive their memories and make new ones... so I call them the YaYas.

Their trips have included New York City, Vegas, San Francisco, etc. For whatever reason, in 2012, they chose to have their YaYa reunion in Nashville, a place I had always been enthralled with but never had the chance to visit. My mom, knowing my interest in the city, its music and its art scene, asked her friends if I could tag along. I was so excited to hear they said yes that I booked a plane ticket right away.

NOW, back to BCM: The very next day after I bought my plane ticket, I received an email from my boss about how BCM had a national collegiate ministry conference which is held once every 3 years. They were to meet in May of 2012 and it was the first time ever that they invited the semester missionaries/BCM interns (aka me) to come along.

It sounded like a good opportunity to learn and network and prepare to be a better BCM intern for this year so I said yes. When he sent me further details I found out that it was where???

Oh. Nashville. NBD.

And when???

Oh just the 3 days prior to when I was supposed to tag along on the YaYa long weekend reunion.

Hmmm. Handy.

Now, realizing that I was going to be in Nashville for nearly a week I thought I might go ahead and check out Vanderbilt because it is such a good school.

How I Discovered the CDA

I googled Vanderbilt and Masters of Public Administration which is what I was considering this time around for grad school since literally ALL of my internships happened to be in non-profits (not on purpose, because I chose several of the first few for writing or PR experience and they just happened to be at non-profits). 

What came up as the result of my search was the Community Development and Action program. 

I could not believe how perfect it was. 

Ephesians 3:20 has been a huge verse for me in the last couple years as things continue to happen that are better than I could ask or imagine. This was another Ephesians 3:20 moment for me because I had no clue this kind of program existed. 

It combines helping people, activism, organizing, empowering, an interdisciplinary approach where you can pursue classes that align with your passions. PLUS it is in Nashville (which I loved by the way, more than I even thought I would have)!?!

It seems too good to be true but I am hoping and praying that is not the case. 

If you pray too, please do pray that doors would open and that they would accept me... if it is the Lord's will. And if it isn't, I'm praying that he will give me peace and a plan B... much like the door to BCM opened up after my senior year. 

But, by February at the latest, I should know if I'll be heading to music city to start at Vandy!?!

Advice from a Yogi, Anne Frank and a First Lady

If you ever want to start your day off well, go for an early morning walk with a yogi (aka someone really into yoga).

That's what I did to start off this fabulous Friday.

My yogi friend was drinking green tea and was full of positive energy... which I needed as I have been berating myself all week as I attempt to complete my grad school application which I was steadily convincing myself would never get me accepted.

She stopped me in the midst of putting myself down over failing to write a "good enough" purpose statement for my grad school application. She told me something that she had just learned in her yoga teacher training and it was incredibly profound:

"If you wouldn't say it to someone else, you shouldn't say it to yourself."

Dang.

So true.

But, how often do we - especially women - put ourselves down? Whether over body image or boys or grad school application inadequacies. 

I always work so hard at encouraging other people BUT often fail to do the same for myself. I am my own worst critic.

Well, I plan to quit it.

I invite y'all to do the same.

What if instead of telling ourselves we aren't good enough for [insert your own personal insecurity in here], we told ourselves something positive that we appreciate about ourselves?

It doesn't have to be as cheesy or high energy as this, though it is adorable and one of my YouTube favs ;)

This little girl's daily affirmations may be a bit extreme BUT what a great example of being grateful and pleased with who we are and where we are in life.

What if we started each day off the same way?

Not endlessly picking apart our "flaws" but appreciating our hair or home or whatever and telling ourselves that we "can do anything good"?

I believe that the power of positive thinking would have impressive effects.

One of which is happiness :)

My friend's positivity made me happier by the end of our walk AND, conveniently, her tea bag's tag summarized it well with this quote on the back:

"Inspiring others towards happiness brings you happiness."

Even in the midst of grad school application stress, I can find something to be happy about.

One reason I know this is because Anne Frank in the midst of putting her life on hold and hiding to avoid being persecuted or killed during the holocaust said this:

"Whoever is happy will make others happy too."

Isn't that impressive? In the midst of her rough circumstances, she chose to be happy.

Happiness is a choice.

The first ever First Lady of America, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington, said this:

 "The greater part of happiness or misery depends on our disposition, not our circumstances."

We can choose a disposition where we put ourselves down and feel miserable OR we can choose to be nice to ourselves and be happy, making others happy too.

I hope you will join my yogi friend, myself, Anne Frank and Martha Washington in choosing to be happy and thinking more highly of ourselves.

Remember, "if you wouldn't say it to anyone else, you shouldn't say it to yourself." 

The Day I Quit Saying I was "Starving"

My boss adopted a little boy from an orphanage in China earlier this year. Through his adoption process and since his son has arrived, he has been told many stories about orphanages and I have the opportunity to hear of them through him.

Monday night he shared this story:

One of his friends went to work at an orphanage in Turkey. It was in poor condition and could only afford to feed the children twice a day.Sometimes only once a day.

Every single meal was the exact same thing.

It was not what many of us would ever choose to eat: a bowl of bland, nasty oatmeal mush. My boss clarified it definitely wasn’t any apples and cinnamon kinda flavor from Quaker like we’re accustomed to.

But, these children were truly starving so they never complained or hesitated when the food was available. In fact, they would scarf it down to ensure it makes it into their own stomach before perhaps an older or larger kid could come and snag it. When these children are so hungry and eat the food so fast, it can upset their stomach and make them sick.

The next thing my boss said brought up a mental image that broke my heart and burdened my soul.

His friend witnessed a child who ate too quickly, got sick and threw up his food.As soon as that happened, without any hesitation, all of the children rushed over and began eating the child’s vomit filled with the food.

At that point my boss closed his story saying “And the day I heard that story is the last day I ever said I was ‘starving.’”

I echo his conviction.    
                                                                                        

From Monday night onward, I shall never say that I am “starving” again.

Think about how often we throw that word – “starving” – around when we’re late to eat something from our over-flowing pantries and fridges stocked full of food.

How offensive and insensitive that is.

For many of us in America and around the world, we have never come close to starving.

But, according to the World Food Program, 925 million people do not have enough to eat. They also say that 10.9 million children under five die in developing countries each year. Malnutrition and hunger-related diseases cause 60 percent of the deaths.

They are starving.

I am a word nerd as a former communication major. I believe that words and the ways we use them are powerful.

So are the ways we mis-use them. Like saying we're "starving" when we really aren't. If we are not going to donate money to fight hunger or hand deliver food to them, I think the very very least we can do is change our vocabulary to be a bit more sensitive.

I hope that after reading this, you'll join my boss and I to quit saying you're "starving."