I've been rearranging my blog again. On the left side you'll notice a couple quick links for various topics. I'm still working on one or two but the others are up and ready for review. Check them out and see how you can help support the work I'm doing. These will be updated often to give a better idea of what is needed.
The past couple weeks have been hectic and relaxing at the same time. I've spent quite a bit of time visiting with friends and working on getting my paperwork finalized in order to get back to South Africa. The visa process is long and frustrating but will hopefully be shipped off for approval towards the end of next week. Stay tuned for further updates but in the meantime I've written down some thoughts from a few days ago.
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The line that really struck me was "this is your life, are you who you want to be?". As it repeated over and over it resonated within me. I realized that I am who I want to be. I'm finally at a point in life where I enjoy what I do and know that I'm working for a cause bigger than myself. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed every job I've had for various reasons but I'm doing something that I believe in now.
I know some people who do mission's or humanitarian work simply for the praise of others. While that's nice, it's certainly not the reason I'm returning to Africa. I've been criticized by loved ones and have unfortunately seen distance grow in certain relationships. South Africa was the last place I wanted to go originally; it's on the other side of the world and I didn't know a single person when I arrived. It was impossible for me to step back onto a plane and just turn around, I had to figure out what I was doing and why.
I've seen the kids who ask for a dime so they can buy a piece of bread for dinner, the parents who want to talk about their unemployment and alcohol problems, the grandparents who have become a burden on their children because they are too old to work. The men on the street who wake up every morning wanting to be a "good man" but have to sell drugs in order to make a living, the women who sell their bodies for money, the blind, paralyzed, limbless bodies that seem to clutter the streets asking for food. I've become broken for a broken world. I can no longer sit back and watch life's atrocities pass by while sipping a coke. Something has to be done.
I've come to accept that I'll never be rich, but I can help enrich the lives of others. Helping families find work, playing with children who crave attention, just sitting and talking with people; these are skills that I have and can pass on. My desire is to help others learn to listen, speak with compassion, and share their heart.
The greatest Biblical commandment is to love. Love is not silent or passive, it takes action. You can't love your spouse, friend, neighbor, or stranger without performing some action to show them the feelings inside you. Love gets up and moves.
I understand the predicament that most people are in. They are tied down for various reasons whether financially, for work, friends, family, ailments, love, or anything else. It makes sense to me, but not doing something at all doesn't make sense. You don't have to travel the world to make an impact, your home is your world. Volunteer at a soup kitchen, give a buck to a homeless man (even if you think he might spend it on booze), watch the bratty kids of a single parent for an evening and let them have some time alone, smile at a stranger for no reason other than to possibly brighten their day.
We all are citizens of the same world and we all have certain gifts that others don't. Everyone has a talent; baking, cleaning, singing, painting, writing, etc. Each of those talents can be used to help change the world around you. Like an earthquake, that change will create a ripple effect and affect a greater number than you'll ever realize.
I recently heard of a man in New York who loves to draw and figured out a way to use his passion for change. He's offered to send an original drawing to anyone who sends money for a certain charity he supports. The charity gets money, the people get a picture, and he gets to draw. His passion is inspiring change within his sphere of influence.
This last video was presented to us on our DTS by a man from the US. He moved to Afghanistan when he was 18 to do missionary work and has been there for over 10 years now. He currently helps hundreds of students get a better education because he wasn't afraid to get out of his comfort zone and move to one of the most dangerous places in the world. The creator of this video made it as part of an inspirational contest about what matters to him in life. I hope you're as invigorated by it as I am.
