Open mouth, insert foot.

Extroverts get in trouble for talking without thinking.

Introverts get in trouble for thinking by way of writing and publishing without editing. The internet only encourages this habit for introverts.

After receiving a barrage of emails, it has come to my attention that I need to explain a few things.

Why am I still blogging? The journey is over. Mission accomplished, right?

Wrong. The journey has just begun. This blog will morph throughout the rhythms of my life and will look a bit different as I continue.

It will serve to document my days adjusting back in America.
It will be a place for me to sort out the thoughts clouding my mind.
It will be a place where I strive to keep a Vertical focus in this horizontal world.

So, what is the aim of my blog?

To reflect and react.
To notify and inform.
To engage and inspire.
To open eyes and touch hearts.

The underlying purpose of this blog is to share my story with you. At times, the storybook of my life reads more like a tragedy than a fairytale.

I pray that my story bears witness to the sighting of God.

I am not held back by shame or brokenness. I know others encounter similar struggles along the way. So I hope…

to bless

and encourage

and walk alongside

until we see His glory revealed.

Disclaimer: The purpose of my blog is not to evoke shame or pass judgement on America. Having been away from the States, I can look at things with a fresh pair of eyes. That doesn’t mean that my vision is 20/20, but that I tend to see things from a different perspective. If you disagree with a statement I’ve made please comment on that to generate a broader discussion among other readers.

Reverse culture shock is a sticky swamp of emotions. Wading through the swamp is messy. And if it’s too painful for you to read about the process, I understand. But if you’re willing to watch me embrace this season of re-entry, feel free to stick around.

Is HOPE on your Christmas list?

I went over to Africa thinking that my small efforts just might change the world. Quickly I discovered that the journey was more about self-change than world-change.

Experiences along the way left frayed ends within my heart, unable to make amends with my head. And although my mind fails to reconcile the things I saw and experienced over there, I now know too much to do too little.

As I rolled paper beads with women in Congo, trained with women in Kenya, and taught sewing skills to women in Burundi, I recognized this:

Its trade, not aid, that will help bring change in Africa.

And this week, I’m spreading that message in Milwaukee.

I returned with suitcases full of handmade products from the women I worked with in East Africa. Handbags, jewelry, accessories. These items will be sold December 16-18 December 15-17 at the US Bank Center.

Come check out the products. Find some last-minute holiday gifts. By purchasing these items, you’ll be providing HOPE to women in need.

Good news: If you don’t live in Milwaukee you can still buy products online!

Bridge Over [Africa’s] Troubled Waters

Two weeks ago my journey through Africa concluded as I returned to America. Two weeks I’ve been back in the Midwest adjusting to a society of convenience, overstimulation, impersonal exchanges, and hectic living. Two weeks since I last put pen to paper in an effort to document my thoughts and feelings during this new phase of transition.

Today I muster up courage to write even though I’m still processing. Today I break the silence to tell you about some good news and bad news.

The bad news?

1. Today 1 billion people without access to water. Clean, safe water.
2. This week 38,000 children under age 5 will die from unsafe drinking water and unsanitary living conditions.
3. This year African women will walk over 40 billion hours, carrying over 40lbs of water. Water which is usually still not safe to drink.

This issue violates the basic human right to clean water and sanitation.

photo courtesy of Living Water International: http://www.water.cc

This issue hits close to home…
Because in the village I called home, I watched my neighbors drink water from the same creek in which they washed clothes, bathed children, and dumped waste.

Because most days someone I knew was hospitalized, suffering from any number of diseases spread through unsanitary water.

Because even though I was diligent about boiling and filtering water, I still contracted typhoid fever, amoebic dysentery, among other parasitic infections. May I never again take clean water for granted.

This issue has changed me. I’m trying to stop wasting water…
Before I went to Africa, I used to take long, hot showers.

Before I went to Africa, I used to leave the faucet running while brushing my teeth.

Before I went to Africa, I used to throw clothes in the washing machine even when they weren’t visibly or smellably dirty.

The good news?

This issue can be changed. And YOU can help change it…

1. Educate yourself. Learn the facts.
2. Find out how much water you use and discover ways to conserve water. Calculate your water footprint. Use the Web calculator or download the iPhone app
3. Follow San Francisco’s lead and stop drinking bottled water (1/3 of which is actually tap water).
4. Clean up our water. Dispose of hazardous products correctly.
5. Consider making a donation to a reputable water project like Charity: water or Living Water International.

FYI: Today is Blog Action Day, an annual event which unites bloggers worldwide. By focusing on the same issue, blogs are able to generate discussion and encourage social action. Its a wonderfully noble, forward-thinking concept, put forth by change.org. Today the global conversation is centered on water. Clean, safe water.

What’s Missing From Your Wrist?

One of these fabulous new wristlets from Amani Burundi (aka Amahoro)!

Wristlets created by Burundian women. Available in a variety of textiles.

Burundi products aren’t yet available online. I know, I know…I’m working on it.

In the meantime, check out some of the other items from Amani Kenya online, www.amaniafrica.org or swing by the Amani boutique in Washington DC.

From my heart to yours:

Dear Readers,

I believe an apology is necessary. Forgive me for not informing you sooner. Entering this season of transition, time evades me. Contrary to corporate america, Congo has taught this full-velocity, efficiency-focused, time-driven, multi-tasking mind to let go of the agenda and abandon the timetable. And as I stopped worrying about getting things done I began to focus on allowing relationships to happen. Being fully present is an art entirely foreign to America, but fully engrained in Africa. But somehow as I was embracing the moment, enjoying slower and simpler life, time must have slipped through my fingers. Better late than never, I’m just now informing you about major changes which are about to ensue.

Here’s the scoop…

With the end of the semester fast-approaching, I have been reassessing my position with Congo Initiative and evaluating the effectiveness of my role. The majority of expats have already returned to the States to spend time raising awareness, support, and renewing their energy. Many former Congo Initiative staff will return in October for the start of the new academic year at UCBC and the official launch of our Women’s Center.

For numerous reasons including physical safety, living conditions, and mental health, I will be leaving DR Congo on August 1st.

Rather than return to America, God has provided a unique opportunity for me to continue serving in East Africa for another two months. I have been invited to work with Amani ya Juu, a reconciliation program devoted to training marginalized women in sewing and marketing.

Amani ya Juu, whose name means “higher peace” in Swahili, is a thirteen-year-old micro-enterprise teaching that true peace and healing comes from Christ. Implementing holistic development, Amani is transforming women’s lives through economic, spiritual, emotional, and community support. Amani includes training facilities in Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi as well as a retail boutique in Washington D.C.

My role will be working with Amani in Bujumbura, Burundi, the youngest of the three centers. Specifically, I will bring my artistic western eye to assist with product design, fabric selection, quality control, and product exportation. Congo Initiative believes this program is good fit and has approved the use of remaining funds for my volunteer work with Amani.

While I’m looking forward to this new season, truthfully I’m a bit apprehensive about all the unknowns. Please pray for increased trust and continued perseverance. I know that God’s not finished with me yet…

Don’t Waste Your Life

Often people tell me that they wish they could do what I’m doing, that they long to do something significant. That by coming to East Africa, I am living out a dream. I am making a difference. And quite frankly, I’m encouraged to know that people other than my mom think I’m special.

Humbled by this affirmation, I feel an ever-increasing responsibility to make my life count. Its as if I have been given a charge, entrusted not to mess up this opportunity of being young, adventurous, and ambitious.

But here’s where that responsibility is skewed.

The opportunity to live a meaningful life is not offered solely to those who are young, adventurous, and ambitious. The opportunity—or rather, responsibility—to live a great life doesn’t discriminate by age, personality, or geographic location.

In Christ, we have ALL been called to abundant, effective lives.

So if we’ve all been called to live great lives, why aren’t we doing so?

If we all have a longing to make our lives count, what prevents us from achieving great things? Why do so many of us live with regrets? Perhaps our own desire for greatness hinders the greatness we are pursuing. Beth Moore, in her study on Esther, suggests that “seeking to be extraordinary isn’t the answer [to our regular, mundane lives] because great lives are never achieved by making greatness the goal”.

Consider people such as Abraham, Moses, Christopher Columbus, Martin Luther, William Wilburforce, or Mother Teresa. Do you think they ever thought their lives were great while they were living them? I doubt it. I think they were simply doing ordinary things for the sake of God’s glory which became extraordinary as a result of Him. Its the small acts of courage, the steady pursuit of possibility, the ordinary things done with conviction which change the course of history.

Do you want to live an effective life? Do you want your life to matter?

Don’t neglect to do something good because you’re waiting to do something great. And that which is done in Christ’s name can be transformed from unremarkable to remarkable, monotonous to monumental, ordinary to extraordinary.

That may sound idealistic and unrealistic, but I have to believe that each of us has a purpose here on earth. I want to achieve my God-given destiny.

That said, in the coming days I’m going to shelf my perfectionist, high-achiever mentality. I vow to write even if the story doesn’t seem worthwhile or life-changing. I pray that by enjoying God’s glory and finding complete satisfaction in Him, He will bring glory to Himself, changing my ordinary things into that which is extraordinary. I encourage you to do the same. Don’t let fear prevent you from pursuing a purposeful life.

“What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” – Mother Teresa

*Many of these thoughts were prompted by the book, “Don’t Waste Your Life”, by John Piper.