Trust in the midst of Doubt

"Trusting God does not mean that we will never have questions, doubts, or fears. We cannot simply turn off the natural thoughts and feelings that arise when we face difficult circumstances. Trusting God means that in spite of our questions, doubts, and fears we draw on his grace and continue to believe that he is loving, that he is in control, and that he is always working for our good. Such trust helps us to continue doing what is good and right, even in difficult circumstances."

Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict
by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) p. 65

I love this quote because my natural response when I am afraid or have doubts is to beat myself up for lack of faith and to feel shame in approching God because of my perceived lack of faith. But to be afraid, to still have doubts, and to plunge forward on the path that is right, staking my life on the trust that God will come through on his promises, is another kind of response entirely.

A Different Beat

One of my fellow interns in Servant Partners was featured in a promotional video for the Urbana conference!

Living among the Stars

The benefit (?) of living in LA--you run into entertainment stars in the course of every day life. I met Danny Roebuck, shook his hand, and chatted with him for a few minutes one day while working at my job. He was very nice, and he said at the end of our conversation that he sees his daughter growing up to be like me. (!) Of course, being me, I didn't even know he was famous! :P

HPV required?

Today I learned that the HPV vaccine has been made mandatory for immigrant women and girls between 11-26 applying for a visa to enter the USA. This disturbs me. The medical community thinks that this vaccine is safe, but really it hasn't been around long enough to know its long-term effects. It's not mandatory for American women to receive the vaccine, although from all my recent doctor's visits I can tell you that they are sure pushing it. Basically, to me the HPV vaccine seems different than the other infectious disease vaccines that immigrants are required to get, and it doesn't seem like it should be one of the required vaccines. What if France decided that US female citizens couldn't apply to come to France unless they'd been vaccinated for HPV?
If you follow this link, you can learn more about the objections to this newly created requirement and sign the petition if you so desire.
Here's what Angry Asian Man's blog says about it: "Many groups, including NAPAWF [National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum], believe the HPV vaccine should not be required of immigrants because it isn't currently required of U.S. citizens in any jurisdiction, and it's one of the most expensive vaccines on the market, basically making the already huge financial burden that much harder for immigrant women and their families. Shouldn't immigrant women, like all women, have the right to weigh the risks and benefits involved with making a medical decision, such as the HPV vaccine, and make an informed decision for themselves?"
Your thoughts?

Fair Trade Flowers?

I had no idea that issues of fair trade affected the flower market, but it makes sense. With Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow, check this out...http://fairtrade.change.org/blog/view/fairness_in_flowers
It may be too late to plan for this year, but not for the next time you buy flowers. Hmm. I wonder if I can even find fair trade flowers in Pasadena?

Next Quest: Sustainability

Last night at my church small group, I was chatting with a friend when we started comparing strategies for staying awake while driving. Both of us work full time jobs and then come home to invest in relationships with at-risk kids and youth in our low-income neighborhoods. I also spend many evening hours at Servant Partners trainings whereas she doesn't, but she has kids over at her place almost daily until very late at night. Suffice to say, we are both pretty tired! So we laughed and joked about blasting music on the commute to work, turning on the A/C full blast, and sometimes resorting to slapping ourselves in the face to keep focused.

It struck me today, however, as I thought back to our conversation, that this is not a very good thing that we are so tired we have trouble concentrating while driving. I joined the Servant Partners internship because I wanted to learn how to incorporate loving the poor into my life, as Jesus did, and I wanted it to become part of me, part of who I am and how I operate. In many ways, that's taken place. I've received some experience and practical training, and as I consider my future, I am compelled to take into account how to include living out Jesus' call to care for the poor and the oppressed. But I think the next step for my life is to figure out how to do this sustainably, without exhaustion and burnout, and to find a balance that can last--for one's own sake and for modeling a healthy example for the kids and neighborhood. Figuring out a balance that doesn't involve hitting oneself in order to avoid a traffic accident.

It's worse when you don't have a home

I realized this week that I should complain less about having been sick for nearly seven weeks straight. Two homeless women that came into our access center this week were sick, one with a cold and one with the flu. How awful to feel terrible--exhausted, full of snot, feverish--and have to sit for hours, fill out paperwork, and talk to various people to apply for help. How awful to not have a place of one's own to stay home in and a bed of one's own to curl up in. :(

Beautiful Feet

When I hear songs like this one, it reminds me of why I am in L.A. Why I signed on for two years with Servant Partners to live in the city and why I spend my Monday nights with at-risk junior high Latinas. Why learning about Jesus's passion for the poor and oppressed has permanently warped the direction of my life.

Myths about Giving

After working in financial development at the American Red Cross and as an intake case manager at a homeless access center, I have discovered that there are several common myths about giving to nonprofits that may seem true, but are actually quite unhelpful. These come up SO frequently that I felt compelled to address them!

Myth #1: If I give $5, $1, or 50 cents to a nonprofit, it's all good because it doesn't cost me much and it still adds up to benefit them.
False! If you give that little to an agency, it will cost them MORE to process the donation, cross-check the information, and send you a thank you than your donation is actually worth. Think about it: the stamp alone is 42 cents! You are actually causing your beloved nonprofit to LOSE money processing your donation. The bigger chunks of $ you give, the more money actually goes to the cause that you believe in, because each donation takes relatively the same amount of time (and therefore money) to process. Since working in the donations section of the Red Cross, I no longer give less than $20 at a time. My coworker, who has been working there longer, doesn't give in smaller increments than $50. Can't afford to give that much? Pool your money with friends or family members, do the work of combining the money on your end, and send the donation with one check or credit card. Holding a penny drive for an organization? Do the work of taking all those pennies to the bank yourself to get a cashier's check that you can take to the agency, instead of wasting some staff member's time making them count ridiculous numbers of pennies (oh yes, I have had to do this). If you give tiny amounts of money, the only one that will benefit is you, because you will feel good but nothing will actually be accomplished with your gift.

Myth #2: I hate to throw away my stained & ripped clothes or my broken appliances, so if I donate them, someone can make use of them.
False! Homeless shelters are NOT your local trash removal service! If your clothes are stained or ripped, throw them away or use them as rags around your house. I also used to hate to throw anything away that could possibly be useful, but honestly, staff at homeless shelters do not have time to mend your stuff. Same goes for broken TVs, breadmakers, computer monitors, etc. Trash those items yourself, because if you donate them, they are going to go into the trash anyway. Or find businesses that specialize in rebuilding old computers, for example, and take your applicable items directly to them. Give away your nice clothes, your homemade scarves, your coats, and remember to make sure they are CLEAN. Remember, homeless men and women need to go to job interviews and such too, and wearing your ripped tshirt is not going to help them out.

Myth #3: But I LOVE your organization! Why are you rejecting my [clothes, broken TV, insert whatever item you like]? I don't want to give to any other organization; I want to support YOU!
False! Umm, allow me to point out that if you truly want to support an organization, you will find out what is actually helpful to them instead of imposing what you think is helpful. A particular homeless shelter may not happen to accept clothing donations, but perhaps they need help with a new sock drive for their clients, or they need a new microwave, or they could use sugar for their shelter, or they have homeless children that could use tutoring or a game night. Ask what needs they have, and then try to address those needs. Of course it is worth trying to find a second home for the items that you have and no longer need--that's practicing sustainability and generousity--but if a place turns you down, stop harassing them to accept your stuff and find someone or someplace that it will actually be useful for! Or call various agencies to find out what kind of donations they accept so that when something does come along that you want to give away, you know who it will actually benefit.

Anyone have more myths about giving that they want to address?

Many nonprofits could not survive without the kindness and generousity of their doners, but if you really want to be a giver who makes a difference--who TRULY makes a difference instead of just making yourself feel good--try to remember the truth about these three myths. And good luck with your giving!! :)