It doesn’t take much to save lives

Here’s a video from NBC News about a Seattle man makes a difference by helping bring much-needed clean water to a village on the edge of the Amazon Forest in Bolivia. He shines shoes for a living - not exactly a high-income gig - but he’s making a huge difference. You can see World Vision featured in this clip, as the group with whom Leon McLaughlin chose to work. You can read more of his story here.

Paul told Timothy to not let anyone look down on him because of his youth. I think God wants to tell us, today, that we should not look down on ourselves because of any perceived lack in our lives, be it money or skills or whatever. He is faithful to turn small crops sown in faith into a huge harvest. I think Leon knows that, don’t you?

Tags: World Vision

(I’m pleased to welcome Christian novelist Brandilyn Collins to Inspired to Action today. I watched with great interest as Brandilyn used the power of social media to bring change in the lives of Liz and Katy)

Elizabeth (Liz) Hughes has been a reader of my Seatbelt Suspense® novels for years now. She and her talented artist daughter, Katy (now 16) have been struggling financially, and they both fight ongoing health issues. I knew of their struggles through Liz’s occasional emails. But between this past Christmas and New Years, their problems took a serious turn. Through sudden loss of income, and with no job, they couldn’t pay rent on their apartment—and became homeless.

I received an email from Liz as they were living in their car. Katy had a computer that she uses in her home schooling. They would drive around and pick up free wifi. Katy had started a blog, Anywhere But Here, and she was blogging of her homeless experience. I knew I had to do something to help. I sent them a check for a few hundred dollars but knew that would only pay for a few nights in a motel. They needed a group of people helping them.

Less than two months previously, I’d joined Twitter. I’d also had my own blog, Forensics and Faith, running for four years, and it enjoys good readership. I first posted about Liz and Katy’s plight on Forensics and Faith on Tuesday, December 30. And immediately that morning I started tweeting about their needs. The response was amazing. People on Twitter picked up the story, retweeting to their own followers. Many people visited my blog to read details. If you read that post you’ll see updates beginning as early as 9 a.m., when others began to get involved in the story. By 11:20 it became clear that we needed an online way for people to donate, rather than just sending checks to Liz’s P.O. box. But to open a Paypal account, you need an address, and obviously the Hughes didn’t have one. I posted that I’d use my own Paypal account to receive funds and make sure all monies got to Katy and Liz quickly.

It was so heart-warming for me to see the donations come in—everywhere from $2.00 to one for $500. Many who said they had little money to give in today’s hard economy sent in something. Many of these people did not know me, yet trusted me to give all donations in my own Paypal account to Katy and Liz.

By Wednesday a wonderful PR gal on Twitter, Julie Bonn Heath, had picked up the story and was contacting media about it: “Homeless teenager blogs about her experience.” On Wednesday the local NBC and ABC news channels interviewed Liz and Katy, and ran their stories on the 6:00 news. Practically overnight, Katy’s blog went from around 25 hits to over 25,000. On Friday, the day after New Years Day, Good Morning America contacted Katy, saying they wanted to do a show.

As I’m writing this (Jan. 15), the Good Morning America show has not occurred, but the segment producer is still trying to push it through. Even without that show, the mere publicity of its possibility helped Katy and Liz. People contacted Katy to pay for some art work projects. Others donated money. I got on the phone with Paypal, and they helped me set up an account in Liz’s name without a permanent address. I knew if the story went national, I should no longer use my own Paypal account.

California Deputy Attorney General (and Christian novelist) Rick Acker also jumped in to help, updating Liz’s resume and circulating it, and setting up a coaching session to prepare her for job interviews. On Friday, Jan. 9, the local ABC channel ran a follow-up story about Katy and her mom. By this time I’d been posting updates daily on Forensics and Faith since that first December 31 post, linking to other blog posts about the story. On Jan. 6 I was interviewed on WHO Newstalk Radio about the story.

Liz and Katy are now in a motel, where they’ve been since the donations first started coming in. They’re waiting to get into housing, which may take place this weekend. Their donations have dwindled to nothing after paying for the motel nights, food, and for repairs to their very ancient car. The news of housing is so exciting to them—they just want their own roof over their heads! But they’re concerned how they’re going to pay for even reduced rent when they have nothing. Katy would like to take on some art projects for pay. She’s really very good. If you know of someone who wants an avatar or some art work done, please email her at sophiepeaches (@) gmail (dot) com. You can check her blog for examples of her art work.

Twitter is a powerful social tool! This story wouldn’t have spread across the country—and so fast—without it. Nor did I do this alone. Julie Bonn Heath’s work in contacting media was terrific. (If you need a PR firm, look into JBH Marketing.)

Mostly what I learned was that the homelessness can’t be stereotyped. As Katie says on her blog, “Homelessness has many faces. And sometimes it has a computer.”

To donate online to Liz and Katy, please use the Paypal account for: hugheselizabeth (@) rocketmail (dot) com OR send a check to: Elizabeth Hughes, P.O. Box 111525, Campbell, CA 95011

“The arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice.” - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In our history lessons, we’re not often reminded that the Civil Rights Movement was a religious movement.  African-Americans organized their communities through the churches.  During the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56, those who walked miles and miles each day to work and school would gather each night at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to hear sermons and be encouraged that their struggle was just, and that right would ultimately prevail.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Baptist preacher, became the leader of the movement in those years.  It was he who insisted that the movement be non-violent.   He and other black preachers continually reminded their congregations that they were fighting for justice, and that the Author of justice would not fail them.  And slowly, but surely, with hope and pain and fear, the dream of equality for all Americans, regardless of the color of their skin, began to come true.

We write a lot about injustice here at Inspired to Action.  The full weight of all the horrible things that happen in this world, from human trafficking to children starving to wars to disease, can be overwhelming at times.  When I start to feel that nothing I can do will really make a difference in the grand scheme of things, I’m encouraged by Dr. King’s words.  He was wise enough to recognize that restoring Biblical justice in a broken world is a slow process, one that requires a sustained commitment and undying hope.

In the past few years, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has become a day for serving our communities.  As you enjoy this day off today, I encourage you to find a way to serve others, to make that march towards a just and loving community just a little bit closer.  Stop by a nursing home and ask the staff which patients never have visitors, then give those people a precious gift of your time.  Take a trash bag on your afternoon run and clean up a trail in your local park.  Sign up to sponsor a child through Compassion International or another reputable organization and change a child’s life forever.  Call your city council members and ask what is being done to insure that trafficked individuals aren’t being forced into modern-day slavery in your community.  Making the world right is a difficult task, but it takes all of us to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world.

I don’t know if you’ve every read Nicholas Kristof’s work with the New York Times. He tackles some extremely tough topics, and has spent a great deal of time in Cambodia investigating the sex trade there. Here is a quote from a recent article (it appeared in the January 1 issue of the NYT):

Whenever I report on sex trafficking, I come away less depressed by the atrocities than inspired by the courage of modern abolitionists like Somaly and Sina. They are risking their lives to help others still locked up in the brothels, and they have the credibility and experience to lead this fight.

This is a very optimistic statement, one that gives hope. But it is almost totally unexpected, coming near the end of an article talking about Sina’s experience as a sex slave - where she would be beaten, receive electric shocks (bad enough to cause involuntary bowel movements and unconsciousness), and be locked in a coffin with biting ants for days, all because she did not smile well enough. How can optimism be found there?

His encouragement, and mine, comes from the fact that this is no longer happening in a vacuum, out of sight from the public eye. More people, like the two mentioned in the above quote, are stepping out and taking risks to talk about and do something about this problem. Pictured on the right is Long Pross (click on the picture to read about her story and watch a video of her), who is talking about what happened to her. Abducted at 13 and sold for sex, having two painful abortions, asking for rest after the second and having her eye gouged out in response. Amazingly, she is still willing to talk about this! And because of the courage of people like Long, and Somaly and Sina, other people are taking notice.

It’s hard to believe that people can look at a picture of someone like Long and still believe that Nicholas Kristof’ and others speaking on this (like myself) are exaggerating or making this up; but they do. Read Kristof’s blog, where he invites reader comment on his stories, and you’ll see hundreds of comments to that effect. But enough people believe that there is a need for modern day abolitionists that something is being done. On December 23, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act into law. William Wilberforce - he’s the Englishman who famously pressed for the abolition of slavery in England, and portrayed in the recent movie Amazing Grace. Two hundred years on, and his name is being used on a modern piece of legislation to end the modern slave trade. Our friends at International Justice Mission were heavily involved in this, among other groups, and have been equally involved in similar legislation around the globe.

So, do we despair? No, we take courage, we become inspired, because the eyes of men are being opened and because the Lord is with us. There is much work left to be done, but the goal - saving men and bringing mercy and compassion to our neighbor - is one that can and will be accomplished.

Tags: IJM, International Justice Mission

This month we are taking some of our time to talk about what has moved us, over the years, to be people of action and not paralyzed by the weights of the world. Today I’m going to talk a little bit about how I got to where I am, and it really is a story of baby steps. There’s a lot of reading here, and perhaps not a lot of point, but it is who I am. Perhaps it will help you know how God is calling you and using you.

Were you to have talked to me ten or fifteen years ago you would have found a very different person from whose ramblings you read today. You can say that about any person, true, but my path has lead me to be a person who is trying as hard as he can to talk about and do something about the things of this world that many view as tragic, even unconscionable, but unavoidable. I’m here to say that something can be done.

I grew up know about the poor, the needy, but not really wanting to know about them. The channel changed fast as lightening every time a commercial for Christian Children’s Fund came on. I would give, at church, and maybe even bring a can or something for the food banks, but I wanted nothing else to intrude upon my middle-class, suburbial Christian bliss. It’s easy to live in ignorance, you know. One of the first steps I took away from ignorance and apathy was meeting my wife. You see, she has such a tender heart (in contrast to the callouses on my own) and day after day, year after year, she would refuse to “not see” the person on a corner asking for help. To my shame, I drug her down and discouraged her from doing anything for a long time. But her message started sinking in - these are real people, with real needs, some of which I can meet.

So, as time progressed, I started to do a little something. I would give a handout, or give some pre-packaged food to the person on the corner. I started noticing people, acknowledging them as human and not below my concern. My heart began to soften; I see, in retrospect, that God was preparing me to accept and know more, but I thought I was near the end of that road when I was just at the beginning.

And then I had my watershed moment, that time that everything started to change and I saw through different eyes than I had previously. My daughter was born.
Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: ACTION

A message from Jill Biden~  ”Today, I’m excited to share some news with you. You may have already heard that the President-elect, Michelle, Joe and I are planning to spend the day before the Inauguration – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – performing activities devoted to serving others in neighborhoods across the Washington, D.C. area. We’re hoping you join us – not just in service activities that day, but in making an ongoing commitment to serve our communities and our country. To help, we’re unveiling a brand-new website: USAservice.org.

It’s a tool that will allow you to organize a service event in your community and recruit others to join you. Or, if you’d prefer to join an existing event, the site will direct you to what others have organized in your neighborhood.

You built this movement – person by person, neighborhood by neighborhood. And that’s how we’ll begin the work of renewing America’s promise: together.

Like many of you, Joe and I believe our nation has one truly sacred obligation: To take care of those who defend our families, our country and their families. And as a mother with a son in the National Guard, I know the strains that deployments can have on military families. There are countless stories of untold bravery – of sacrifices so profound, but also so unknown to everyone but the families of those who are serving.

Whether it’s assembling care packages for our service men and women stationed around the world, supporting programs for at-risk youth, or fixing up a park in your neighborhood, USAservice.org can help you find the perfect way to serve near you. And if not, you can create your own event and recruit others who might just share your same passion.

As we come together to begin the work of renewing America’s promise in earnest, we need you now more than ever. Because the way you built this movement is the only way we’re going to rebuild this country – one block at a time.”

- Jill Biden

*Find an Event near you!  What are you going to do?

One of my goals for the New Year is to do the things I’m already doing, but do them better.  One thing I do is sponsor children through Compassion International.  Sometimes I get overwhelmed by life, and I don’t think of my sponsored children as much as I should. But certainly this is something tangible and within reach that I can change.

The other day the Compassion International Blog posted a finish the sentence of “On behalf of my sponsored child, I resolve…”

I’m changing it a bit to become “In regards to my sponsored child, I resolve…”

I resolve to write each of my sponsored children once a month.

I resolve to pray for each of my sponsored children everyday.

I resolve to learn more about the countries where my sponsored children live so I can pray for them better.

I resolve to give up some monthly treats so I can send each of them a family gift this year.

How about you?  Do you sponsor any children?  Do you have any goals or resolutions in regards to them?

Welcome to the First Monday Fast, for the first Monday of 2009!

I’ve been pretty much off the computer the last two weeks or so, and I’m out of practice on how to write these blog things; anyway, here we go! I hope everyone has had a great holiday season and is ready for the new year.

And that brings us to the theme for this Monday and for the month of January: change. It only seems appropriate, considering the time of year, but I want to start by asking you who are reading this to join me in spending time in prayer and fasting today and consider what things God may calling you to do, how He is calling you to do those things, and what in you must change to meet His challenge. I would love to hear from everyone on this topic - comment on what you think it is God is calling you to in these coming days.

Over the rest of the month, I hope to be able to talk with some of you and with others about changes you have already made and the calls to which you have responded. I want to spend time telling personal stories; stories about how we have come to believe what we do and act the ways we do today. We all have gone through a process, a change in our hearts and our lives that has moved us from one place to another. The people who come around to Inspired to Action tend to be those whose hearts have been softened to the needs of God’s children and are looking for encouragement and ways to do more. I hope to be able to share some stories of people who have been through this transformation, of the little nudges that brought them to action in God’s name. Through the sharing of stories, perhaps we can find encouragement - remember, Elijah was just a man like any other.

I’m really looking forward to this month, and I’ll be sharing my own story in the coming days. Come back, and I promise not to make it too awfully boring to read! And thanks for joining us on the First Monday Fast!

Tags: First Monday Fast

“This Christmas, Congolese children will not only get toys as presents; they will get the right to live,” said Brazzaville’s Archbishop, Anatole Milandou.”..

“Indeed, in Congo, more than 12 per cent of children die before reaching age five, 80 per cent because of health problems that can be prevented or treated like malaria, diarrhea, respiratory infections, malnutrition and neonatal infections. While access to health services and essential commodities is critical, many life saving behaviors can be implemented by the caregivers themselves. For example exclusive breastfeeding for six months, sleeping under an insecticide treated mosquito net or hand washing can reduce child mortality by 13, seven per cent and three per cent respectively. 

Ensuring caregivers, and particularly mothers, know and practice these behaviors is the whole purpose of the initiative. This means training 200,000 women and girls to use 12 simple, inexpensive, and easy to practice household behaviors, to prevent or treat diseases that kill most children in the Congo.”

Read More…

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
Everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.

This is my grown-up Christmas list.

Merry Christmas, everyone. Posting will light here over the holiday’s. Be sure to come back on January 5^th for the First Monday Fast.

euphrony

Tags: Compassion International, International Justice Mission, Jesus Greater Than