:: come on ::

earlier today i was talking to a friend about a friend.  i won't say his name, because if i do, i have to say his first and last name (we don't know why you do, but you do), and i don't want to embarrass him.  he's a confident guy, but bursting with humility.  he also shoots a sick 3 pointer.

and he has inspired me.  not because he traveled to 11 countries in 11 months, serving others and spreading the Gospel.  and not because he then returned to one of those countries and works tirelessly there to serve, love, and disciple the youth in his community.  i greatly admire and respect and love him for those things.

but he inspires me because he says things like "God will heal me" when he's really, seriously sick.  or "as soon as i get back to Kenya, God is going to send someone who likes that stuff" when talking about the budgeting and business-y stuff that takes up so much of his time, brainpower, and heart when he could be serving in other ways.

he doesn't say, "i hope that..." or "i think that God might..." or "i know God is able, but..."  it's not the slightly-dubious-yet-hopeful, maybe-one-day kind of "faith" i tend to have.  it's FAITH.  like, it's going to happen.  period.  God says and does and is.  end.of.story.

it's so inspiring.  i want to be like that.  all the time.

i won't say his name, but here's a link to his blog. highly recommend checking it out.
www.mattpatch.com

then head over to the 61project facebook page for updates on how God is moving in Kenya.  www.facebook.com/61project

end of story.

:: my heart is beeping...still ::

i just had a major cry fest (of the good kind) over the response and attention to kony 2012. it's amazing. it's encouraging.

i remember a day many, many years ago when i was watching oprah and saw these three young guys sitting on her sofa, talking about a trip they'd taken to sudan. which led them to uganda. which led them to creating a movie about the war in northern uganda that this american girl knew nothing about. i was moved.

i ordered invisible children: rough cut and watched it and cried. like i'd never cried before. (or since, most likely.) i had no idea what change was about to happen in my life. what a long and amazing journey was starting. what beautiful and passionate people i was going to meet along the way.

oddly, i'd had a heart for africa for as long as i could remember. but it never made sense. how can someone have a heart for a continent? what does that even mean? what does that look like? what does one do with that? jason, bobby, laren and the rough cut made it make sense. finally, it made sense. i knew what i wanted to do. i knew what i needed to do. i knew the reason for the desire that God had placed on my heart many years before.

i watched jolly lead jason, laren and bobby to the bus park full of thousands of children in fear of being abducted in the middle of the night. i saw her passion, in that very first meeting, for ther community. an almost desperation in her desire for their story to be seen and heard and told.

i heard boni talking about his best friend, ojok, who had been kidnapped by the LRA and forced to fight in the war. boni didn't know if his friend was dead or alive. boni couldn't even cry for his best friend any more but his "heart was beeping." mine, too.

and then there was jacob. sweet, strong, tenacious jacob. he'd escaped from the LRA and they were looking for him. he spoke of his brother who had been killed. he cried, even though the LRA had conditioned them to never cry. cry and be killed. children. children killing and being killed.

heartbreaking.

i was moved and then i moved.

there was the global night commute.
and displace me.
and the rescue.

and then there came the obama administration's announcement to send advisors to central africa.

and we rejoiced.

and now, kony 2012. over 58 million views on youtube alone. astonishing. i think of all the links and videos that have been posted over the years. all the emails and letters sent. the phone calls to congressmen made. (the form letters received in response.) all the pleas for people to read, watch, listen. to see, hear, respond. and it's happened. little by little, it's happened. but now? now the response is huge. it's universal. it's happening. i am overwhelmed with hope and faith that it's happening. i pray that the end is near. that these children who are now adults will finally see justice for their tormenters. that these children who are still children will know peace before they're adults. that the beautiful, loving, vibrant, tortured Children of God in central africa will know peace.



peace.

:: kony2012 info and actions ::

i'm so excited about the response to the kony2012 video over the past few days. the number of views, likes, shares and comments on facebook alone has been great and i can only hope and assume that the off-line conversations and awareness are growing, too.

is it important to know that your efforts - from the smallest to the largest - do and will make a difference.

if you're new to the Invisible Children world and would like more information on what the organization does and plans to do, please visit www.invisiblechildren.com and/or take a look at the following links for much more information.

Hear from those directly affected by the LRA:
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/94226
IC response to critiques of financials & efforts:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/www.invisiblechildren.com/critiques.html
IC / Resolve / Enough Project policy manifesto & letter to President Obama:
http://www.theresolve.org/blog/archives/3071032348
IC's Jason Russell interview:
http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/invisible-childrens-jason-russell-kony-2012

What next? Call on Washington:
http://www.theresolve.org/blog/archives/3071032361
What next? Donate to IC:
https://www.stayclassy.org/checkout/donation?eid=14711
What next? Or donate to Resolve:
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2241/t/11194/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=6602
What next? Purchase an Action Kit and get involved on April 20: http://invisiblechildrenstore.myshopify.com/

And, of course, continue to share the video and spread the word:

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

:: tuscaloosa needs update ::

Word from UA Greek Relief is that they do not currently need more adult clothing.

However, baby food, formula and diapers are in high demand. Check out this great way to donate those things (and more).

BABY NEEDS
two friends-of-a-friend have made donating baby needs super easy through diapers.com. just click here to choose what you'd like to donate. shipping is free and there is a 10% coupon code. (will be shipped to Catherine Larkin in Gadsen AL - Catherine will deliver to various drop-off sites.)

GENERAL SUPPLIES
update [may 5]! just got word that Trinity Baptist on Hwy 20 in Piedmont is collecting supplies (toiletries, baby supplies, water, paper products, etc). their trailer will be on-site at the church, open this saturday from 9am-1pm. or you can drop off donations for Judy Root at the Better Business Bureau by monday, may 16 (408 north church street greenville, sc - by the bilo center).

i am still looking into a large-scale donation drop-off site, but if you have things to send, please let me know, and i will set you up with a friend who is delivering supplies to Toomers for Tuscaloosa next week.

MONETARY DONATIONS
Monetary donations can be made by sending checks made payable to "Tuscaloosa Disaster Relief Fund” to

West Alabama Chamber Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 020410
Tuscaloosa, AL 35402
(205) 758‐7588

http://www.tuscaloosa.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2353

or text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to the American Red Cross

SUPPLIES NEEDED
water

baby supplies: food, formula, diapers, clothing
pop-top canned goods (shortage of can openers for the canned goods being donated)

children's shoes

extension ladders
aluminum pans for cooking (lots of bbq/open flame cooking being done)

tarps

grip-tight fastener nails

to-go boxes & utensils
toiletries

feminine hygiene products

diapers

hand sanitizer/alcohol wipes

:: tuscaloosa relief efforts ::

Dear readers,

I am working to collect to-go boxes and pre-packaged utensil packs for relief efforts in Tuscaloosa. UA Greek Relief (website, Twitter) is distributing hot meals and while they definitely need water/food/etc donations, the to-go boxes are not something that people think to donate, so I am reaching out to all of my restaurant connections and asking for help.

In addition to reaching out to the restaurants directly, I am asking that all of my friends help collect these when you go out to eat in the coming days. If you can get just 5-10 (or 1-2, even!) containers or utensil packs from your server/the manager at the end of your meal, it'll all add up and be a big help.

I'm happy to pick up or I can let you know where to drop off.

Please forward this along.

I am in touch with a couple of upstate SC groups to discuss setting up larger scale donation drop-off point(s) for a donations drive. Hoping to get something together or (at the very least) gather information about local efforts. I will let you all know when I have more information!

Other needs include (but are not limited to):

water

pop-top canned goods (shortage of can openers for the canned goods being donated)

aluminum pans for cooking (lots of bbq/open flame cooking being done)

children's shoes

clothing

extension ladders

tarps

grip-tight fastener nails

toiletries

feminine hygiene products

diapers

hand sanitizer/alcohol wipes

Monetary donations can be made by sending checks made payable to "Tuscaloosa Disaster Relief Fund” to

West Alabama Chamber Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 020410
Tuscaloosa, AL 35402
(205) 758‐7588

http://www.tuscaloosa.com/DocumentView.aspx?DID=2353

or text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to the American Red Cross

:: my sister ::

...is a pretty awesome person for many reasons, but the latest is this.

:: my weekend in photos ::

[click to enlarge]

took a little trip downtown with my sister and nephew for greenville's st baldrick's festivities on sunday. 122 people had their heads shaved and raised nearly $57,000 for childhood cancer research. one 7-year old girl raised $15,000 when she took over the fund-raising that her dad -- a deployed marine -- had begun! she and her mom sat bravely on stage, getting their locks trimmed together. when she pulled her daddy doll from under her apron and sat him in her lap, there was hardly a dry eye in the place.

:: breast cancer ::

we're halfway through breast cancer awareness month. i could try to find another way to pay tribute to that, but why would i when this video does it so incredibly well?

please consider making a donation to the american cancer society and make strides against breast cancer. they provide counseling, services - including wigs for those who have lost their hair due to chemo treatments - and so much more. you can even donate directly to your local office.

:: a pillow for good ::

bought this peacock pillow last week with a gift card i received for Christmas. a percentage of the purchase benefits creativity explored. can't wait to see it in person!

cb2.com

Exclusive new CB2 pillow represents a very special friendship with San Francisco's Creativity Explored, a nonprofit visual arts center where artists with developmental disabilities create, exhibit and sell art (learn more at creativityexplored.org). Our "Peacock Pillow" features Creativity Explored artist Valerie Long's graphite, ink and marker peacock in vibrant blues and green on a washed eucalyptus background. 100% cotton with printed artist's signature. A percentage of each sale will go directly to Creativity Explored.

:: two for one for good ::

if you're in the market for some canvas wedges for the summer, get more bang for your buck and pick up a pair of the new TOMS wedges. for every pair you purchase (of any TOMS shoe) another pair of shoes is sent to a child in need in a developing country. it's buy one, get one for someone else. keep that in mind when considering the $69 price tag - which isn't really bad for 1 pair, but is great for 2 plus a good deed!

while TOMS have a reputation for comfort and compassion, this new style combines the TOMS mission with a cute summer trend.

www.toms.com

:: and He has ::

"may God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. may God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace. may God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy. and may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done. Amen."

- a franciscan benediction

invisiblechildren.com
IC blog post on the signing of the bill
statement from the President
video after the signing of the bill