www.goodfortunesoap.com
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Side Note
One thing that I forgot to mention in my post yesterday dealing with doing good in the world is a soap company that I LOVE. This company was started by a girl with a vision. She trains girls how to make these soaps, so that they have a trade, and aren't left to resort to other forms of self-support. They have all different kinds of soap with different scents and different functions. Like toothbrushes, we all (hopefully) use soap. Consider buying soap from this company and support a GREAT cause.
Friday, September 14, 2012
What are you going to do about it?
A few days ago I posted about the apathy that is running rampant in our country, and worse, in our churches. (Don't worry. I get back on that soapbox.) At the end of my time in Cambodia, I was asked a question that still haunts me: Now that you know, what are you going to do about it?
So that is the question that I pose to you, my faithful readers. Now that you have been reminded of our own complacency in light of what's going on in the world, what are you going to do? Maybe your thinking, I really don't care. Then you need to pray that God would show you his love for the "least of these" and break your heart for what breaks his. Hopefully, however, this is not the case. Maybe, like many that I've encountered, you care, but you don't really know what to do about it.
Never fear, my friends. I will just tell you some easy things that I have changed in my own life, and maybe that will inspire you! (I'm not setting myself up on a pedestal here. I don't care NEARLY enough. I've just done a lot of research in these areas.)
The most obvious thing that comes to mind is supporting a child through a project like Compassion International, or Worldvision. Through monthly donations, organizations such as these provide life necessities to children living in poverty. With Christian founders, it is usually a requirement for these children to attend Bible classes and church services. Hmm...adressing spiritual and physical needs at the same time...sounds a little bit like how Jesus ministered a lot of times. For both Compassion and Worldvision it is pledge amount of $40/mth, and you get to write letters to your child and send them fun things for their birthday, and most times the children write to you as well! It's a huge blessing to get those little letters. My parents and I both support children through Compassion. Here are the websites for the two I've mentioned if anyone is interested:
www.compassion.com
www.wvi.com
There are also a lot of One-for-One organizations that seem to be springing up. A lot of you are probably familiar with Toms Shoes, a company that is committed to helping people in poverty by providing a pair of shoes to those without for every pair that is purchased. One-for-One. Even if you don't like the style, consider buying a pair as a reminder that we are so lucky to have things that we take for granted -- like protection for our feet.
www.toms.com
Another one-for-one company that I recently discovered is called Smile Squared. It's a toothbrush company that -- you guessed it -- gives a toothbrush for everyone purchased to children in poverty that aren't able to practice basic hygeine. We all brush our teeth, so why not buy these toothbrushes next time your in need of a clean one, and do some good while you're at it? They also have an option to just donate toothbrushes, which is nice if you require a specific type!
www.smilesquared.com
Another thing that is really easy to do is to start buying fair trade. Fair Trade certified products offer fair wages to all the workers involved. They are a little pricier than slave-based products (which I'm sure you can reason out on your own) but it is well worth to not propogate slavery. Did you know, that there are more peoples enslaved today than there were at the height of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?
Two of the biggest culprits for using slave-based labor are coffee and chocolate. (These are by far not the only two, but the two that are most notorious.) Thankfully, due to the increased awareness of slave-labor, fair trade versions of these two products are making their way onto shelves, and a lot of other companies are starting to switch their practices. You can do a google search to learn more about Fair Trade, which companies use slave labor, and so on.
Well, friends, this post is long enough. If you want more information, just shoot me an email: aliciajoy731@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer questions or anything.
Let's start caring for the "least of these."
Ali
So that is the question that I pose to you, my faithful readers. Now that you have been reminded of our own complacency in light of what's going on in the world, what are you going to do? Maybe your thinking, I really don't care. Then you need to pray that God would show you his love for the "least of these" and break your heart for what breaks his. Hopefully, however, this is not the case. Maybe, like many that I've encountered, you care, but you don't really know what to do about it.
Never fear, my friends. I will just tell you some easy things that I have changed in my own life, and maybe that will inspire you! (I'm not setting myself up on a pedestal here. I don't care NEARLY enough. I've just done a lot of research in these areas.)
The most obvious thing that comes to mind is supporting a child through a project like Compassion International, or Worldvision. Through monthly donations, organizations such as these provide life necessities to children living in poverty. With Christian founders, it is usually a requirement for these children to attend Bible classes and church services. Hmm...adressing spiritual and physical needs at the same time...sounds a little bit like how Jesus ministered a lot of times. For both Compassion and Worldvision it is pledge amount of $40/mth, and you get to write letters to your child and send them fun things for their birthday, and most times the children write to you as well! It's a huge blessing to get those little letters. My parents and I both support children through Compassion. Here are the websites for the two I've mentioned if anyone is interested:
www.compassion.com
www.wvi.com
There are also a lot of One-for-One organizations that seem to be springing up. A lot of you are probably familiar with Toms Shoes, a company that is committed to helping people in poverty by providing a pair of shoes to those without for every pair that is purchased. One-for-One. Even if you don't like the style, consider buying a pair as a reminder that we are so lucky to have things that we take for granted -- like protection for our feet.
www.toms.com
Another one-for-one company that I recently discovered is called Smile Squared. It's a toothbrush company that -- you guessed it -- gives a toothbrush for everyone purchased to children in poverty that aren't able to practice basic hygeine. We all brush our teeth, so why not buy these toothbrushes next time your in need of a clean one, and do some good while you're at it? They also have an option to just donate toothbrushes, which is nice if you require a specific type!
www.smilesquared.com
Another thing that is really easy to do is to start buying fair trade. Fair Trade certified products offer fair wages to all the workers involved. They are a little pricier than slave-based products (which I'm sure you can reason out on your own) but it is well worth to not propogate slavery. Did you know, that there are more peoples enslaved today than there were at the height of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade?
Two of the biggest culprits for using slave-based labor are coffee and chocolate. (These are by far not the only two, but the two that are most notorious.) Thankfully, due to the increased awareness of slave-labor, fair trade versions of these two products are making their way onto shelves, and a lot of other companies are starting to switch their practices. You can do a google search to learn more about Fair Trade, which companies use slave labor, and so on.
Well, friends, this post is long enough. If you want more information, just shoot me an email: aliciajoy731@gmail.com and I'll do my best to answer questions or anything.
Let's start caring for the "least of these."
Ali
Thursday, September 13, 2012
I'm legal!
It's official. I am now legally able to travel outside of the states.
My new passport is here!
For those of you have, like me, (until yesterday) have only had the old passports, let me tell you, the new ones are WAY cooler. They're like super decorative and every page has cool designs on them.
I'm excited to get new stamps as I travel! There's just something about that stamper hitting the page that sends a new wave of adventure through me.
Yes, I know I'm a dweeb. But that's ok.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The United State of Apathy
82,000. That's the recorded number of orphans in Romania for 2010. And that doesn't include the estimated 170,000 "migration orphans" left by their parents. Add to that number the 1,000 street kids with nowhere to go. Usually after hearing statistics like this our response is "...wow. That's tragic." And then we go on with our day and focus on our "middle-class problems" and that is that.
It always amazes me when I encounter the general not-caring attitude of the average American. We prefer to live in our little bubble of American prosperity and not really care about what's going on in the world around. We don't know, and what's worse, we don't care. And even when we are forced to face the stark reality of the world in which we live, our response is the proverbial shrug of the shoulders in a very "eh, that's their problem" sort of way. And the truth is, this response is seen both in secular and sacred circles.
But that is not how we are called to live our lives. Now I'm not saying that we all need to be Mother Theresa's and embrace utter poverty to live out the calling of God. But I am saying that we need to be more conscious of the poor and destitute, just as Christ was, and just as he has called us to be.
It is so easy to be caught up in the American idea of poverty. And I am guilty of this, so this post is just as much a self-reflection as a call to others. But the reality is, the majority of us have no idea what it means to be poor. We complain about struggling to pay the bills, but those bills are for our high-speed internet, satellite, 2 cars, and nice house. Most of us have never experienced a struggle to feed our families, or to afford a one-room hovel, or to not be able to clothe our children.
We need a wake-up call to remember the poor and needy. My first wake-up call came walking through the barrio of La Vega, Dominican Republic. Garbage piled in the streets. Houses made of corrugated tin. And by house I mean one or two rooms for an entire family. Children running around naked, with the puffy bodies of starvation.
My next wake-up call went above and beyond the desperation of poverty into the world of human slavery. Child sex trafficking. I walked through the casinos in Cambodia where most of the workers were slaves. I saw the faces of children rescued from the life of sex slavery and forced prostitution. And my life was forever changed.
It's hard when you experience things like that to make people back home understand. It can become exasperating to try to push past the apathy and make them understand what you've seen, to feel the same passion that you do.
We are called to care about the poor and downtrodden. Before my trip to Cambodia, I spent time looking up verses dealing with this very issue. It is my prayer that you, dear readers, will take time to prayerfully read through them, and see what areas of your life could be tweaked, what areas you have become apathetic to the plight of those less fortunate than us.
"...learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." [Isaiah 1:17]
"Blessed are the merciful...for they shall receive mercy." [Matthew 5:7]
"When Justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but terror to evildoers." [Proverbs 21:15]
"Blessed are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times." [Psalm 106:3]
"For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong." [Isaiah 61:8]
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God?" [Micah 6:8]
"For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." [Psalm 9:18]
"Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is He who is generous to the poor." [Proverbs 14:21]
"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." [Amos 5:24]
"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. " [Proverbs 31:8-9]
It always amazes me when I encounter the general not-caring attitude of the average American. We prefer to live in our little bubble of American prosperity and not really care about what's going on in the world around. We don't know, and what's worse, we don't care. And even when we are forced to face the stark reality of the world in which we live, our response is the proverbial shrug of the shoulders in a very "eh, that's their problem" sort of way. And the truth is, this response is seen both in secular and sacred circles.
But that is not how we are called to live our lives. Now I'm not saying that we all need to be Mother Theresa's and embrace utter poverty to live out the calling of God. But I am saying that we need to be more conscious of the poor and destitute, just as Christ was, and just as he has called us to be.
It is so easy to be caught up in the American idea of poverty. And I am guilty of this, so this post is just as much a self-reflection as a call to others. But the reality is, the majority of us have no idea what it means to be poor. We complain about struggling to pay the bills, but those bills are for our high-speed internet, satellite, 2 cars, and nice house. Most of us have never experienced a struggle to feed our families, or to afford a one-room hovel, or to not be able to clothe our children.
We need a wake-up call to remember the poor and needy. My first wake-up call came walking through the barrio of La Vega, Dominican Republic. Garbage piled in the streets. Houses made of corrugated tin. And by house I mean one or two rooms for an entire family. Children running around naked, with the puffy bodies of starvation.
My next wake-up call went above and beyond the desperation of poverty into the world of human slavery. Child sex trafficking. I walked through the casinos in Cambodia where most of the workers were slaves. I saw the faces of children rescued from the life of sex slavery and forced prostitution. And my life was forever changed.
It's hard when you experience things like that to make people back home understand. It can become exasperating to try to push past the apathy and make them understand what you've seen, to feel the same passion that you do.
We are called to care about the poor and downtrodden. Before my trip to Cambodia, I spent time looking up verses dealing with this very issue. It is my prayer that you, dear readers, will take time to prayerfully read through them, and see what areas of your life could be tweaked, what areas you have become apathetic to the plight of those less fortunate than us.
"...learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." [Isaiah 1:17]
"Blessed are the merciful...for they shall receive mercy." [Matthew 5:7]
"When Justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but terror to evildoers." [Proverbs 21:15]
"Blessed are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times." [Psalm 106:3]
"For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong." [Isaiah 61:8]
"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly before your God?" [Micah 6:8]
"For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." [Psalm 9:18]
"Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is He who is generous to the poor." [Proverbs 14:21]
"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." [Amos 5:24]
"Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. " [Proverbs 31:8-9]
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Vlad the Impaler
As I have talked about this trip with various people, I have been warned to be careful. But not for the normal reasons of traveling in a foreign country...but in case my travels should take me to Transylvania, the home of Dracula. (Thanks for the concern, everyone. I will do my best to avoid him. I'll keep an eye out for any sparkling men. [and yes, I did just allude to Twilight. Deal with it.]) And so, being the history nerd that I am, I decided to do a little research and find out the history surrounding Bram Stoker's gothic novel.
This is Vlad, III or Vlad Dracula. (I really like the name Vlad, so forgive the overuse that is more than likely going to take place.) Vlad lived in the 15th c. For those of you who struggle with centuries, I will relieve your stress and just tell you it's the 1400s. He was born to Vlad, II (shocking, I know) in Transylvania (tune in in the next few days for some history on Transylvania and Dracula's castle). Vlad, II was a member of a secret society that was determined to protect "christianity" during the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the mid 1400s.
Vlad Dracula was inducted into the Order of the Dragon, the same secret society his father belonged to, at the age of 5. Talk about indoctrinating your children. Growing up he was tutored in combat skills, geography, mathematics, science, languages, classical arts, and philosphy.
Both Vlad's were rulers of Wallachia (not Transylvania) as you can see in this map of Romania:
The character found in Bram Stoker's novel circa 1800s, may have been loosely based around Vlad II, (aka the Impaler, aka, Vlad DRACULA), however Stoker made enough changes that no direct links can be made to good ol' Vlad. Many historians will agree, however, that Stoker's knowledge of Vlad Dracula played into the character.
This is Vlad, III or Vlad Dracula. (I really like the name Vlad, so forgive the overuse that is more than likely going to take place.) Vlad lived in the 15th c. For those of you who struggle with centuries, I will relieve your stress and just tell you it's the 1400s. He was born to Vlad, II (shocking, I know) in Transylvania (tune in in the next few days for some history on Transylvania and Dracula's castle). Vlad, II was a member of a secret society that was determined to protect "christianity" during the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the mid 1400s. Vlad Dracula was inducted into the Order of the Dragon, the same secret society his father belonged to, at the age of 5. Talk about indoctrinating your children. Growing up he was tutored in combat skills, geography, mathematics, science, languages, classical arts, and philosphy.
Both Vlad's were rulers of Wallachia (not Transylvania) as you can see in this map of Romania:
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Vlad II ran into some trouble during his reign, and so he sent Vlad III and his brother as hostages to the Ottomans. Vlad III was known for being defiant, thus explaining Vlad III's hatred for the Ottomans. He also had daddy issues since his father sold him to the very people that his secret society swore to work against.
Vlad III took the throne at a young age after his father had been killed. This first reign was short lived and he fled into exile for a few years. When he took the throne for a second time, he found Wallachia in an appalling state. He implimented severe measure to bring prosperity back to the province.
And so began the bloodshed. To ensure his rule, he put many of the nobles to death (those whom he deemed responsible for his father's death).
When the Pope declared war on the Ottoman Empire in 1495, the Turks visited Vlad III to ask for a delayed tax to be paid. Vald refused, saying that to pay the tax would signify Wallachia's inclusion in the Ottoman Empire.
Instead, Vlad had the envoys killed by nailing their trubans to their heads, for "refusing to remove their hats in his presence." And then he went on a killing spree. He ravaged through the Ottoman empire, killing men and women, young and old alike. Posthumously dubbed "the Impaler", his favorite method of killing was by impalment. I'll leave out all the gruesome details that I came across, but this guy was bad news, and was known for his sadistic pleasure in killing people. The death toll during his reign is estimated in the tens of thousands.
The character found in Bram Stoker's novel circa 1800s, may have been loosely based around Vlad II, (aka the Impaler, aka, Vlad DRACULA), however Stoker made enough changes that no direct links can be made to good ol' Vlad. Many historians will agree, however, that Stoker's knowledge of Vlad Dracula played into the character.
So now you know the real Dracula (minus the gorey details). Rest assurd, readers, that I will do my best to avoid any vampires, or impalers whilst journeying throughout Transylvania and Wallachia.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Flight Itinerary
Good Morning! I thought I would just pass along my flight itinerary as some of you may be interested in the technical side of this trip as well.
We will be flying Finnair out of JFK, in New York, the only airport I've ever flown out of! Our flight leaves (supposedly) at 5:50 p.m. Friday (Flight 6 for those of you who are really into technicalities) and will arrive in Helsinki, Finland at about 8:50 a.m. on Saturday (or about 8 hours after we take off, since planes NEVER leave on time). We have about a 40 minute layover, and then we board Flight 753 for the short 2 hour flight to Budapest, Hungary. Now I know some of you might be saying, wait. I thought you were going to Romania. Why are you landing in Hungary? Well, my curious friends, we will be driving for a few hours after we touchdown, and will at last arrive in Romania by car, or van, or bus, or whatever vehicle takes us there.
At the end of our time in Romania we will travel (by land, again) back to Budapest, where we will fly on Flight 754 at about 11:35 am, and will be landing in Helsinki around 3 pm. We have an overnight stay in Helsinki (my first ever layover longer than an hour!) and then we will take Flight 5 and arrive back at JFK around 3:55 pm.
Total flight time, (not including driving to and from airports) will be about 10 and a half hours!
Ready to fly,
Ali
We will be flying Finnair out of JFK, in New York, the only airport I've ever flown out of! Our flight leaves (supposedly) at 5:50 p.m. Friday (Flight 6 for those of you who are really into technicalities) and will arrive in Helsinki, Finland at about 8:50 a.m. on Saturday (or about 8 hours after we take off, since planes NEVER leave on time). We have about a 40 minute layover, and then we board Flight 753 for the short 2 hour flight to Budapest, Hungary. Now I know some of you might be saying, wait. I thought you were going to Romania. Why are you landing in Hungary? Well, my curious friends, we will be driving for a few hours after we touchdown, and will at last arrive in Romania by car, or van, or bus, or whatever vehicle takes us there.
At the end of our time in Romania we will travel (by land, again) back to Budapest, where we will fly on Flight 754 at about 11:35 am, and will be landing in Helsinki around 3 pm. We have an overnight stay in Helsinki (my first ever layover longer than an hour!) and then we will take Flight 5 and arrive back at JFK around 3:55 pm.
Total flight time, (not including driving to and from airports) will be about 10 and a half hours!
Ready to fly,
Ali
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Reality Check
You know those moments that happen every so often that give you a good taste of reality? Those moments that make you stop, and think about your life, and realize it's not that bad...
My sister and I both had moments like that this weekend, at different times and in different ways.
She had been going through a bunch of baby clothes to donate to Romania. I was looking through the clearance section of Sears on my break trying to find great bargains. And we both struggled. Both of us, as we looked through the clothes and saw things such as "My Mommy Loves Me" or "Daddy's Little Girl" or "Grandma's no. 1 Guy" we were both given that reality check. These kids don't have mommies, or grandmas, or daddy's to rely on.
How many times do we complain about our families? How many times do we roll our eyes at our parents who "just don't understand"? How many times are we annoyed by our aging grandparents who sometimes get confused even though you told them the same story 6 times in the last 20 minutes?
But these kids don't have that. They will grow up, for many of them, never experiencing the love of a parent or grandparent. They will grow up wonder why they weren't good enough, or what was wrong with them that no one wanted them. And that reality breaks my heart.
And as a mother, it broke my sister's heart in a different way, a way that I don't yet understand and don't feel qualified to write about. But her heart was broken, too.
So the next time that we are quick to complain about our parents rules or the 32nd time trying to explain your job to your well-meaning grandma, stop and give yourself this much-needed reality check.
I am struggling to put words on the page to describe the work that God is already doing in my heart, the way he gave me a strong dose of His reality, so I will just end this post by saying...
May our hearts be broken for the things that break His.
My sister and I both had moments like that this weekend, at different times and in different ways.
She had been going through a bunch of baby clothes to donate to Romania. I was looking through the clearance section of Sears on my break trying to find great bargains. And we both struggled. Both of us, as we looked through the clothes and saw things such as "My Mommy Loves Me" or "Daddy's Little Girl" or "Grandma's no. 1 Guy" we were both given that reality check. These kids don't have mommies, or grandmas, or daddy's to rely on.
How many times do we complain about our families? How many times do we roll our eyes at our parents who "just don't understand"? How many times are we annoyed by our aging grandparents who sometimes get confused even though you told them the same story 6 times in the last 20 minutes?
But these kids don't have that. They will grow up, for many of them, never experiencing the love of a parent or grandparent. They will grow up wonder why they weren't good enough, or what was wrong with them that no one wanted them. And that reality breaks my heart.
And as a mother, it broke my sister's heart in a different way, a way that I don't yet understand and don't feel qualified to write about. But her heart was broken, too.
So the next time that we are quick to complain about our parents rules or the 32nd time trying to explain your job to your well-meaning grandma, stop and give yourself this much-needed reality check.
I am struggling to put words on the page to describe the work that God is already doing in my heart, the way he gave me a strong dose of His reality, so I will just end this post by saying...
May our hearts be broken for the things that break His.
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