Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 5/17/2012
Twas a couple of nights before training camp
and all through the G-squad
not a soul was asleep (okay i'm stretching it..)
because we were prepping..
our packs were empty, and they were oh so bare
but when we filled them, there was no more air
we looked through lists upon lists and went over the info....
Ahh, who am I kidding?!
This is not the time for Christmas melodies!
It's time for TRAINING CAMP!
Months upon months of preparing,
making lists, buying countless amounts of items off of Amazon, REI, and in stores..
Praying to God that this was the right thing,
that He would provide and prepare the way for us..
And now it's time.
Training camp check in starts at 4pm this Saturday, the 19th and we are on the campgrounds in White, GA until the 26th, so that will be one whole week of training for this thing called the World Race.
Please be in prayer for this time we have as a team! This is going to be the first opportunity for us to really get to know one another and see how we work together.
Pray that the Lord would:
prepare the way for us,
that we all have safe travels to/from training camp,
that He would continue to provide funds for everyone to be able to go AND to stay!,
that he would link us together so we would be unified so that nothing may separate us,
and that we would just enjoy this time together!
It's going to be so good.
Boom.
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 5/2/2012
Well, first of all, I'll start with the fact that I'm in Wilmington, for now.
These next 2 months look like a whirlwind for me and I'll be traveling all over God's green and beautiful creation, but just in case you are wondering the schedule:
May 8 - Last exam
May 12 - Graduation!
May 19 - Training camp starts!
June 23 - My best friend gets married..
Sometime around July 1 - I launch to my first stop: Bulgaria.
Life looks a little crazy, but all this craziness is totally worth it.
With all this scheduling stuff being said, I'd also like to chat about a few other plans in my schedule that YOU can be a part of! It's coming down to the grind now, and I have a few fundraisers planned before I head out! With the generosity of so many people and the Lord doing an incredible work, I now have enough funds to launch, $6500! God is so incredible and I am so thankful for such an opportunity.
Over the next 2 months, my goal is to get fully funded. I really don't want to spend any wasted time concerned at whether or not I am meeting deadlines, so if we all band together this is totally and completely possible.
So here's what's coming up:
In Wilmington, NC ---
May 4 - Yard sale
from 8-2 at 3114 Randall Parkway
It's where Randall Parkway and Independence intersect basically. You won't be able to miss it!
There, I will be selling many things and some baked goods provided by a good friend of mine, Lindsey!
In Bailey, NC ---
June 2 - Another yard sale!
Will update where when I figure that out. But it will be all day!
There will be baked goods there as well!
June 9 - Pig Pickin' fundraiser!
This is the end all, be all fundraiser and the last one that I will be able to have before I leave. Not sure of all the details yet, but I know there will be some incredible food and opportunities for donating.
Location: 6525 Schooner Road (aka Oasis of Love Tabernacle)
Nottttt to mention, my $30 for 30 minutes photo shoot fundraiser, which is available any time that's convenient for the both of us. What is included is my time, your pictures, and 15 proofs. :)
Or you could just simply donate by clicking "support me" on the left hand side of this page and entering in your information....or by sending a check to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
**Write the check out to Adventures in Missions and put in the memo line For: dentonerica
Have I told you lately that I love you?
I can't do this without you all. Please help in any way you can. We are so close!
xo, Erica
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 4/2/2012
As I sit here procrastinating doing my school work, I can't help but be reminded of what the Lord has been teaching me lately.
I hate to burst some of your bubbles, but following Jesus is not easy.
And that's what I have been realizing lately.
It's not easy standing up for Jesus when people choose to rebuke Him, or speak to the person that God is tugging on your heart to speak to, or giving more money than you want to give to someone you know needs it because you felt the Lord ask you to do so.
It's not easy.
Another thing that I have realized is that when Jesus asked me to give up everything and follow Him, that's EXACTLY what he meant.
Come on, Erica, you knew that..
Yeah, you're right, I knew it. But I guess it was one of those things that had been engrained in my head so long that I got comfortable...again. I didn't realize the depth of it and I had lost sight of what it actually meant.
Give up everything? Sure, Jesus, I can do that.
Wait, what?
Four months later, a friendship blossoms into something a little bit more than a friendship.
Or you get this awesome opportunity to do something here in the US that only comes once in a lifetime.
Or you realize that not everyday on the World Race is going to be peas and carrots and loving on little orphan children who smile at you?
Oh, you mean I have to give up all that too?
I mean, I'm just being honest.
Comfort? Out the door...
Pride? Goodbye.
My own personal desires? It's not time.
These are the things that He has been showing me.
But partnering with that, He's letting me know that:
This is where I give Him everything I have, yes. I give Him my heart, yes.
And it won't be easy, no, it won't.
But it will be worth it.
Playing with those beautiful orphan children.
Hanging out with gypsies and ministering to them.
Fighting human trafficking.
Spending time in community.
Relinquishing myself and igniting God in me.
Preaching to hundreds on the spot.
Laying hands on the sick.
These are the things that God has called me to do for the sake of the Gospel.
And it won't be easy.
Going without showers,
Going without AC,
Without a comfortable bed,
Without knowledge of where I'm going to be or what I'm going to day to day.
These are the things that God has called me to give up for the sake of the Gospel.
And it won't be easy.
I said once before, "I don't want to JUST follow God. I want God to surmount all my Earthly desires and remain the reason why all those desires mean nothing in lieu of His worthiness."
I meant it when I said it. God is absolutely everything to me and I will give up all those comforts to share with others the things that He has done in me, for me, and through me!
It won't be easy, and it hasn't been easy, but I know it will be worth it.
Matthew 16:25 - For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 3/14/2012
It's coming down to the wire now.
I have 9 weeks until training camp,
and about 3 and a half months until launch.
Time is passing (a little too quickly if you ask me) and it's actually time to talk seriously about it and get everything together.
It's amazing that back in August of 2011, I started this journey of support raising and preparing for such a huge mission.
I told one of my friends, Megan, the other day that I felt like we were getting ready for deployment.
Truth be told though, as excited as I am to leave
and as much as I know that this is going to be an experience of a lifetime,
I am going to miss it here.
God has blessed me with such a great tight-knit group of friends that I really just don't know how I'm going to say goodbye to them, other than by just giving everyone a big hug and saying "see ya in 11 months" while quickly walking away without crying :)
I'm going to miss working where I work (although I'm sick of it right now)..
I'm going to miss my family..
salsa dancing on Fridays..
going to the beach whenever I please...
going to the church I've been at for over 3 years now..
bike rides with special friends..
unlimited amounts of coffee..
hanging out with friends who have become family to me and are so dear and special..
But when I think about this completely awesome, radical, freeing opportunity to just live a simple lifestyle and not worry about rising gas prices, bills, having to work at a normal job, etc., it makes me so excited inside.
God is going to do some awesome things through this mission, on the mission field and on the homefront.
I'm excited for the next three and a half months.
I'm excited for the 11 months of World Race craziness.
and
I'm excited for the future to ensue after I get back.
Life is so crazy.
Please please please consider supporting me in this. I can't do this without you!
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 2/29/2012
Jesus? Yes.
So for the past couple of weeks I have felt a bit distant from God. I have a saying where I say that when I feel distant from God, it's like Him and I are on the same bed, not mad at each other, but not talking to each other either. It's like we face different directions, but we are close enough to still be aware of the other. --I realize I'm talking about God like He's my natural husband or something...He is after all the Prince of Peace ;)--
Well, yesterday was a struggle. But...the Lord had a different plan for its ending.
My roommate spent the whole weekend in Florida, because she ran the Disney princess half-marathon on Sunday. She came back on Monday night wobbling around like an old grandma and this continued throughout the day yesterday as well. It's normal for a person to feel quite sore after such a hefty race, but she told me last night that her hip was hurting and that the pain wasn't just in her legs. She asked me to pray over her hip, before she left to go out, for healing.
Not thinking much of it, I did. I laid my hand on her hip and I said "Dear Lord, Sarah's hip is hurting. Will you please bless it? In Jesus name, Amen." (or something along those lines)
Next thing you know Sarah's eyes are shocked. She said as soon as I prayed over her leg, she felt like her legs were renewed. And as soon as she said that, I felt the hand that I had laid on her hip heat up.
She was totally serious...
So this morning I asked her how her leg was, and she said she felt totally fine, minus some minor soreness, but her hip was completely okay.
I heard the Lord tell me: Ask Sarah to pray over your foot.
(My foot had been hurting the past few days very badly)
And, so I did. She looked at me like...are you serious right now? Yes, Sarah, I'm serious. I need you to pray over my foot, it really hurts. (It really did hurt) So, she prayed.
And ever since, my foot hasn't hurt. It creeps back up in pain, but I continue repeating that I am healed in Jesus name and the pain goes away immediately.
But here's what Sarah learned: Sarah learned that there was nothing special about me. I had no special power that she didn't have.
John 14:12-14 says, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."
And here's what I learned: Regardless of the things that I go through, regardless of how I feel in my walk with God, regardless of what I do, the Lord STILL can use me. Because it's not me doing those things, it's Christ in me. I don't do any of it, I'm just the empty vessel waiting to be used for His glory, and His glory alone.
2 Timothy 2:13 says, "If we are faithless, He remains faithful,for He cannot deny Himself."
Tell me that's coincidence, and I'll tell you it's Jesus.
Support Update: I still need $11,029! Please consider supporting me if you haven't already, and maybe even if you have. Click the "Support me!" link at the top if you wish to do so online! Even a small donation of $20 would help so much! xoxo
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 2/20/2012
A fellow squadmate challenged us to write 100 facts about ourselves, so I figured I would participate. Here you go! Enjoy :)
1. An obvious is that I follow Jesus.
2. I took dance classes from age 9 to age 18.
3. I have taken ballet, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, modern, and tap.
4. I stopped taking dance until this past August of 2011, when I started back hip hop.
5. I also do latin dance - salsa, merengue, and bachata.
6. Bachata is my favorite.
7. Bachata is also what I am best at when it comes to latin dancing.
8. I am working to one day be able to teach latin dancing, as it is one of my passions, after my return from the World Race.
9. If I were to have a superhero power, I'd want to be able to read minds...at least more clearly than I do now. ;)
10. I consider myself a hippie, yet I have never done drugs, I don't recycle, and although I try to be healthy, I don't place a lot of emphasis on it.
11. Yet, I love hippie clothes - tie dye, long skirts, long hair, bands around the head, etc.
12. My first pup was a black lab named "Princess," but when she bit me at one point, we gave her away because I was too scared.
13. My second dog was my favorite. His name was Simba, because when he was a puppy he looked like Simba off the Lion King. :)
14. My third dog was an Alaskan Husky named Sam, who chewed up a small dog and so my dad gave him back to the original breeder.
15. The dog that is at my parents' house now is named Reggie. He is awesome, but very wild so they have to keep him on the leash at all times or he'll go visit his lady friends.
16. I played soccer when I was in eighth and ninth grade. My number was 19.
17. I ran track when I was in 11th grade and I was the most fit I have ever been in my life.
18. I ran the 500m and the 1000m.
19. I participated in a spelling bee when I was in elementary school, but I purposely misspelled a word in order to not go in the next round and be considered a "dork."
20. I told my whole kindergarten class to "shut up" one day when my teacher had told me that I was in charge of the class.
21. I was in drama class for 3 years in middle school.
22. I wrote a play for Grandparents Day one year in middle school that was performed in front of family and friends of people in my drama class.
23. I participated in a few plays myself.
24. I took piano lessons for 3 years.
25. After piano lessons, I took voice lessons for 2 or 3 years (can't remember).
26. Instead of a band geek, I was a chorus geek. I was in chorus all 4 years of high school.
27. I'm still good friends with my chorus teacher from high school. (Wuddup, Wheeler!)
28. My first concert was Shania Twain. Thanks go to my sister, Dana, for buying those tickets.
29. I have seen several Broadway productions live in both Raleigh, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC.
30. Those productions are: Beauty and The Beast, Lion King, Spirit of the Dance, River Dance, and probably some others that I can't remember.
31. I saw Lion King on my 16th birthday. It was my favorite.
32. My first boyfriend from back in 2004 gave me a cross necklace that I still wear to this day.
33. When I was a kid, my family and I went on family vacations every summer.
34. Our top destinations were: Myrtle Beach, SC and Gatlinburg, TN.
35. My hair has been every shade of blonde, brown, and red.
36. For my 10th birthday, we went to Chuckie Cheese.
37. For one of my birthdays, my mom had an N*Sync cake made.
38. The piece of the cake I ate was Justin Timberlake. Holla.
39. I went to Warped Tour my junior year of high school with my best friends at the time. Best concert experience ever.
40. I went on a cruise in 2000 to the Bahamas.
41. I really don't remember much other than I went snorkeling while my parents lay in the hammock asleep.
42. I love horseback riding and wish I could do it more often.
43. I was the dance team leader at my church when I was in high school.
44. I have seen Sugarland, Skillet, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, and Kelly Clarkson in concert.
45. For one of my birthdays we played tag outside in the dark. We couldn't find someone for like an hour...nerve wrecking.
46. A man-of-war jellyfish stung me on my wrist the summer before eighth grade. I had to wear a sock over it to keep from scratching.
47. I cried for about two hours after the sting, fell asleep, woke up in pain but still went to Calabash seafood!
48. I still have the scar.
49. I got my first tattoo when I turned 18 - a star on my ankle. I know, so daring.
50. The next tattoo I got was an infinity sign with faith, hope, and love etched around it.
51. I have met Nicholas Sparks before.
52. I have also met several actors from One Tree Hill before - Chad Michael Murray (Lucas), Sophia Bush (Brooke), James Lafferty (Nathan), and Paul Johannson (Dan).
53. I also saw Bethany Galeotti (Haley) and Chase (Steven Colletti) coming out of their trailers.
54. My favorite time of day is the time when the sun sets, because I get to look at the sky and see all the pretty colors.
55. Cliché as it sounds, I absolutely love walking in the rain.
56. My favorite pro football team is the Steelers.
57. When I was a freshman and sophomore in college, the weekly routine would be to go to Hooters to watch the games.
58. My favorite college basketball team is the Tarheels, but I never make time to watch them, because I'm always doing something else.
59. I am a photographer.
60. For my senior project in high school, I collaborated with a local photographer who showed me all the ropes.
61. I was on the yearbook team in high school.
62. I hung out with the same group of people for 3 years of my high school career.
63. Every weekend, we would go to the Luna Bean to watch local bands play.
64. My first favorite local band was Scarlet Undercover. They are no longer together
65. My favorite Disney movie is Lion King.
66. My second favorite is Aladdin.
67. My third favorite is Beauty and the Beast.
68. I moved out of my parents' house when I was 17.
69. My sister and I are 11 years apart.
70. I never went to summer camp when I was a kid. I missed out, I know.
71. I have seen the Steelers woop the Panthers butt in Charlotte, NC for a preseason game.
72. When I was younger, the thing during the summer would be to go see our minor league baseball team play, the Mudcats.
73. For one spring break in college, I went to Ohio. Everybody always teases me for that.
74. I lived with my uncle my freshman year of college.
75. Since then, I have had 3 different roommate situations.
76. I now live with more people than I can handle sometimes.
77. My favorite food is breakfast food, and I love meeting people for breakfast.
78. I don't like the cinnamon flavor, but will eat cinnamon rolls.
79. My favorite seasoning is Thyme.
80. I love to cook for other people and receive tremendous joy when people like what I cook.
81. I prefer to be in community all the time.
82. But I LOVE being alone, too.
83. My first missions experience was when I went to Kenya.
84. My second and most recent was when I went to Guatemala.
85. After visiting Guatemala, I said I'd never go back...and if you know my route, you know that Guatemala is on there. God's so funny.
86. God has healed people through me. Such a joyous experience.
87. I have 3 bracelets on my wrists that I haven't taken off since I got them. One's from Africa, the other from Guatemala, and the last one is a piece of cloth from the bandana for my team in Africa.
88. I have a goal to hopefully meet Louie Giglio before I die.
89. If I could go on a date with any man in Hollywood, I'd probably date Johnny Depp. I don't care about his age.
90. I would love to be a translator for the US Embassy, or something of the sort.
91. I don't want a big house when I grow up, unless it's there to fill up lots of kids.
92. If there was anything big about my house, it would be the living room, which would have hardwood floors so I could invite people over for dancing.
93. I have always wanted to own either a coffee shop or my own dance studio.
94. I enjoy flying (in airplanes).
95. My straight teeth are courtesy of my orthodontist, my braces, and my mom and dads' wallet. Thank you, mother and father.
96. I am flat-footed.
97. I love the summer, but hate sweating. I hate the winter, but love the snow.
98. I write music/lyrics, but very few people have heard any of it.
99. I want to write a book before I die.
100. I am so excited to leave the country for 11 months and discover even more of who I am as a person made in the image of Christ!
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Posted in General Posts by Erica Denton on 2/8/2012
I want you guys to entertain a notion that I have,
A notion that the Lord has placed on my heart.
It's a notion of trust.
So, when we think of trust and God and we put those two words together
They usually come out like this:
I trust God.
I don't trust God.
I don't know if I can trust God.
Well, here's the part that I ask you to entertain,
because people don't think of it this way really.
And I don't want you to take it the wrong way, because when I ask this next question,
I don't want you to think that I'm suggesting that,
a. God needs us -- because He doesn't.
or
b. God has placed all of His dependency on us -- because He hasn't.
God is PERFECTLY capable of doing everything on His own, but he chooses to USE us.
But, the question regarding trust that I have been thinking about is,
What about GOD trusting US?
I mean, think about it.
If God is essentially our Heavenly Father, then isn't that correlated with how our parents are towards us in just a heightened shape or fashion? I mean He is God so obviously there's a difference there. ;)
Putting it in a scenario,
You and your parents. Your parents ask you to go run an errand for them (assuming you can drive). Your parents TRUST you enough to get that errand done. If you don't get that errand done and instead you go do something else, then obviously you have broken that trust, but its not that the trust there is not able to be restored.
God is not some angry spirit giving us an opportunity and then if we break it and break the trust, He revokes our chances for the rest of our lives.
No, it's actually quite different.
Because He is God, and because He loves us, and because we are His children,
He allows us to grow. He allows us to "be kids." He allows us to make mistakes.
Because when we make mistakes, we
Grow..
We
Learn to trust Him more..
We
Respond to His voice better..
And essentially, we
Learn from those mistakes..
Because we don't know any better and even if we do, we really don't although we try to pretend like we know everything. (make sense?)
So, this is how I see peoples' callings.
God has equipped us, prepared us, and enTRUSTed us with the callings He has placed on our lives.
And sometimes we fail. It's just a fact of life.
We don't say the things we should have said.
We don't do what He asks us to do.
We say the opposite of what we know.
We don't believe what He's told us.
But in those moments of weakness, He moves. He shows His power.
And he reveals Himself so much more than He would have been able to if we did everything perfectly all the time.
So, with all that being said..
The God of the universe trusts you.
Do you trust Him?
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 1/20/2012
I have been in a weird place lately to be really honest.
I have felt like I have lost my heart.
I have felt like I have lost my focus,
my concentration,
my dedication.
And it has really brought me down to a point where I didn't really know what was going on.
But I took on a stance of trust.
I trusted that whatever I was going through, the Lord was showing me something about my heart.
He was showing me stuff about my insecurities, and I have been trusting that whatever I was/am going through, the Lord would bring me out of it.
And only in the past week or two have I felt like my normal self again.
So, with all that being said, I am back to the real Erica.
So whoever you were talking to a month ago, it wasn't me. It was another version ;) haha
I am back where I need to be.
And the Lord HAS been revealing to me some issues of the heart that I have.
And I am working through them with Him, and not by myself.
He is showing me who I really am.
But what I realized today once again is that going on such a mission as this is my dream.
This is my dream, people.
If there was any mission in the world that would be the exact replica of who I am
and the things that I want to see God do
and the places where I want to be at,
The World Race would definitely be it.
And I am so thankful, so honored, so humbled, and so blessed
knowing that the Lord has allowed me to be a part of such a mission.
A mission where I can just go,
where I can make an impact,
where I can see God moving in other parts of the country,
where I can help,
where I can be there for others,
where I can grow,
where I can be a disciple to the nations,
where I can be exactly who God created me to be.
I wasn't designed for a normal lifestyle.
I was designed to get out there and just go.
I was designed to leave everything behind and just follow Jesus.
So I need to remember that when I get caught up with other things that are thrown at me.
I need to remember that when I get discouraged.
And maybe you do too.
But with all that being said,
I
cannot
do
this mission without you.
I really can't.
So, if in your heart, you feel led to give in some way, shape or form,
please message me on how you can do so.
I would love to talk to you about it,
meet with you about it,
and share the biggest chunk of my heart with you.
This is my dream.
This is God's dream.
Join me in making it happen! :)
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 12/28/2011
I find myself constantly putting my heart out
For the whole world to see all my emotions these days on this blog.
If you knew me last year or even two or three years ago,
You'd understand why this is a big deal for me.
It's funny, because I always joke with my best friend about how I used to be
So cold, I never cried, I didn't get hurt, I was a soldier
And now I find myself crying when I see children reaching for their daddies,
When God touches my heart in a special way,
When the girl doesn't get the guy at the end and instead the producers kill him off,
When I see the Lord heal someone,
I cry a lot now, and I actually let myself.
So, it would only be appropriate to mention what hurt my heart and teared me up today.
I got home tonight not even thinking about writing a blog
Until I saw a few typical statuses on Facebook.
You've got the people that tell their day to day occurrences.
I'm going to the mall today to shop.
Today, I am headed to the doctor. Wah.
I love my oh so sweet boyfriend. < That one gets me every time.
And then I see some teenagers posting their statuses.
Don't get me wrong, most of them are fairly teenager-like. (See list above)
And then I notice those who are upset, they think nobody wants to listen, they are hurt because some teenager boy just really did them dirty, and they think they have no worth.
And it just breaks my heart.
Adolescence is hard. High school is hard. It's awkward, it's cliquey. It's a time where you don't understand your parents and your parents don't understand you. You want to be independent, but you can't because you are a teenager and there are restrictions. You want to fit in.
And I'm not saying high school is all bad. There are good things about that time too. I mean some of your biggest moments happen in high school. You get your license, first job, first kiss (for some who didn't already snag one in middle school - it keeps getting younger!), first prom, graduation! I mean all this is good, but I'm talking to the hurting right now.
So I'm here to tell you people (teenagers or not)...any of you reading who is hurting. This applies to anyone, not just teenagers.
Any of you who feels unloved,
Unworthy,
Unappreciated,
Misunderstood,
Unaccepted,
Any of you who feel like you don't know where you belong,
Like you're stuck,
Like you don't know what to do with yourself,
Where do you go from here?
What school do you go to? Will people like you at that school?
Etc.
I am here to tell you that
You are LOVED.
You are WORTHY. Don't give up!
You are APPRECIATED.
You are ACCEPTED.
You BELONG.
You are where you are SUPPOSED TO BE,
You will FIND THE ANSWER.
You are a child of God and he longs for you to understand His unfailing love for you.
And you have your whole life ahead of you. Focus on what's right in front of you, and keep the future in mind. Use this time to take what's seemingly negative and turn it into positive. It's hard when all you want to be is negative, but it's possible!
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you," (1 Peter 5:7).
And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here.
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Posted in Pre-Race by Erica Denton on 11/30/2011
So about two weeks ago I had a normal day just like any other.
I
got up,
went to work,
ate breakfast,
went to class,
and found myself in my Spanish-American civilization class listening to a lecture on drug trafficking in Colombia (in South America, not South Carolina).
And I reacted like I normally do, until he showed us a video that his friend made. It was about the prevalence of drug trafficking in Colombia, and on the war against it (or for it, in some perspectives) and how damaging it has been to the families there. I didn't even realize the effect it had.
One of the women who was filmed said that she lost all her family due to this. She was an elderly woman living in a small cement building, basically. And she had absolutely no family. Living in the poorest streets of Bogota, Colombia.
Another interview was of a woman who had 3 kids, one being a physically and mentally disabled young girl. She applied for welfare, but didn't receive it, because she didn't give them enough photo i.d. She couldn't go back, because the place where you apply is an hour downhill from her "house." She is being evicted from her house, and they gave her property that is the equivalent to an American kitchen, but she can't build, because she barely has enough money for food. And she has no money to provide for her 3 kids and nobody to help her take care of her child with a disability.
And here I am, not even thinking about Colombia. Here I am, sitting in an air-conditioned classroom not even aware of the poverty in Colombia. And it broke my heart to pieces to the fact that I had no idea.
So what do we do when you don't hear about all these world issues? What do we do when we learn that:
---Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.Source
---Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn't happen.
---There are 2.2 billion children in the world and 1 million of them are living in poverty.
---Approximately half the world’s population now live in cities and towns. In 2005, one out of three urban dwellers (approximately 1 billion people) was living in slum conditions.
(These statistics come from www.globalissues.org)
Do we just sit around drinking our $5 Starbucks coffee? Do we continue complaining when we haven't had food for 4 hours when there are children who probably haven't had a decent meal in 4 days...maybe longer? How do we react to these situations? Do we mull it over like we do most other things? Do we pray?
Is it even enough to just pray?
What would happen if we didn't have any idea what was going on? How much different would the world be..or would it be the same?
I have no solid answers to all the problems in this world and how to "fix" them, but it does make me realize a few things and also reminds me that:
1. I am blessed beyond my imagination.
2. I can make a difference, even if it's a small one.
3. The Word says "Do."
4. The world is waiting for someone to tell them something good, to tell them that there is hope, to tell them that although they live in such conditions they are chosen by a King who just can't stop loving them.
So rather than sitting and doing nothing while this world is sitting around longing for a change even if it's a tiny one, I choose to remember and do all four. I choose to be a part of the World Race.
"If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday." Isaiah 58:10
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