The church is only a church when…
“The church is the church only when it exists for others. To make a start, it should give away all its property to those in need. The clergy must live solely on the free-will offerings of their congregations, or possibly engage in some secular calling. The church must share in the secular problems of ordinary human life, not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live in Christ, to exist for others.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
We get to carry each other
I’m reading the new book “We Get to Carry Each Other: The Gospel according to U2
How different (my) our outlook and lives could be if we saw serving and loving others is actually a privilege – a calling – a purpose in our lives…
Laundry Love Project :: additional notes
A few additional notes…
After our “surprise” visit to the Glenn Heights Wash and Dry last month, we requested permission from the owner in order to post flyers and such letting people know we would be offering free laundry on the last Saturday of the month.
While we weren’t able to talk with the owner directly, we were told she wasn’t interested via another employee. It was frustrating, but we pushed ahead and decided to go wash our own laundry and then simply offer free laundry for those around us.
Laundry Love Project :: You’re FREE!
With two Laundry Love Projects under our belt, we are quickly realizing that while the concept itself is sometimes hard to understand in English, it’s even harder to explain to those speaking Spanish (or other languages).
We had twice as many Spanish-only families this month as last month and we found it increasingly difficult to communicate with them throughout the two hours. (It’s nice to see that a smile and friendly gestures can still cross cultural and language barriers.)
Playing with a new look
Just a heads up, things may be changing around here over the next week or so. I’m playing with a few themes for something new and fresh. If you click on the blog and see something you really like (colors etc) leave a comment and let me know. Thanks for your patience!
Laundry Love Project :: No strings attached
Wow! What a great time with this month’s Laundry Love Project.
We had a great time washing more than 30 loads of laundry (double last month’s numbers) and helping more than 15 different families.
We’re quickly finding out that communication and language barriers may be our biggest hurdle to overcome. Yet they bring such joy once they’re overcome.
Life’s roller coasters
Laurie’s shared a very open, honest post over on her blog – that I’d say is probably one of the most open an honest things I’ve seen her write. I’m so proud of her for writing it and sharing it.
Restored – To the Land of the Living
Some of you may recall the prayer requests shared for Lanessa Allman last year (She’s Chris Allman’s sister-in-law and attended UMHB with us.)
Last year she was struck with encephalitis and several other complications after giving birth to her fourth son.
And now that she’s had time to heal and recover, she’s put her story into words and self-published a book, “Restored – To the Land of the Living.”
iPhones and dirty Coltan #justicefriday
Today a new iPhone 3Gs is being released to the masses. Folks were lining up around the block to get their hands on Steve Jobs’ latest gadget.
The new 3Gs just adds to the iphone buzz on Twitter about the new iPhone 3.0 OS (released earlier this week).
And I get it. I’m a huge fan of technology and gadgets – including my beat-up BlackBerry Curve 8310.
But what if these things we consume on a daily basis are enslaving folks in more ways than we realize (there’s a reason folks have fondly adopted CrackBerry as an appropriate nickname for their BlackBerry)?
Obama administration looks at human trafficking
Hillary Clinton wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post today regarding human trafficking and the Trafficking in Persons Report 2009, which was released by the US Dept of State last week ::
Twenty-year-old Oxana Rantchev left her home in Russia in 2001 for what she believed was a job as a translator in Cyprus. A few days later, she was found dead after attempting to escape the traffickers who tried to force her into prostitution.
Oxana’s story is the story of modern slavery. Around the world, millions of people are living in bondage. They labor in fields and factories under threat of violence if they try to escape. They work in homes for families that keep them virtually imprisoned. They are forced to work as prostitutes or to beg in the streets. Women, men and children of all ages are often held far from home with no money, no connections and no way to ask for help. They discover too late that they’ve entered a trap of forced labor, sexual exploitation and brutal violence. The United Nations estimates that at least 12 million people worldwide are victims of trafficking. Because they often live and work out of sight, that number is almost certainly too low. More than half of all victims of forced labor are women and girls, compelled into servitude as domestics or sweatshop workers or, like Oxana, forced into prostitution. They face not only the loss of their freedom but also sexual assaults and physical abuses.
To some, human trafficking may seem like a problem limited to other parts of the world. In fact, it occurs in every country, including the United States, and we have a responsibility to fight it just as others do. The destructive effects of trafficking have an impact on all of us. Trafficking weakens legitimate economies, breaks up families, fuels violence, threatens public health and safety, and shreds the social fabric that is necessary for progress. It undermines our long-term efforts to promote peace and prosperity worldwide. And it is an affront to our values and our commitment to human rights.
I for one am glad to see Clinton bringing this to light through her position. I know it’s not the first time administrations have looked into this issue or talked about this issue. But I do hope that as awareness continues to rise this administration will really step up to the task of ending human trafficking in the US and abroad.
Read More
See the Dept of State report
(picture from Power to the Poster :: download. print. post.)
