All too often people go on mission trips expecting to be taking Jesus to another country, another part of the world.
While there are areas of the world who have never been told the name of Jesus, short-term missionaries often arrive and realized He is already there.
The Lord is working worldwide, and we are oblivious.
I want to offer all of what I have and to tell His story.
In 2012 we're going to take a blog-series journey around the world. We're going to see God working worldwide through the eyes of our brothers and sisters abroad.
Every Monday for the next fifty-two weeks we're going to be headed to places like the Philippines, Zimbabwe, Guatemala, the Congo, India, Haiti, etc.
These worldwide journeys are coming in the form of guest posts, interviews, and photo diaries from people in a variety of stages of life. And I'm "sups excite" (that's "super excited") about it!
Are you willing to get on the plane with me?
Bon voyage y Dios le bendiga,
<>< Katie
PS: I can't do this without your help. I don't have fifty-two weeks worth of international contacts, so if you have ideas, I'd love to chat. Shoot me an email at KatieAxelson[at]gmail[dot]com. Thanks!
PPS: This blog series needs a title. Any suggestions?
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2011
Friday, December 10, 2010
Peruvian Christmas Gifts
In my science class this semester, we've spent at least three lab periods watching awareness documentaries on global environmental problems. Sure, some days the professor feeds us popcorn or nutella and oranges but let's be honest: bor-ing.
On Monday the video we watched showed a shanty town in Peru. A mother and her three children, all wearing white, walked away from the camera and towards the town.
They didn’t carry water. They weren’t hauling belongings. They were just walking. The four of them strolled together as a family.
The youngest, a toddler, held her mother’s hand. A daughter a year older walked in front of them. A five year old ran around the slowly moving trio. He grabbed his youngest sister’s hand; she hesitated. Like a good mother, the woman noticed the change in speed. She looked down at her children and missed a step.
As she recovered her balance, I lost mine. It was as if God whispered, “Katie, they’re no different than you are.” They live in a shanty town with no water. They speak I language I don’t understand. But they are no different than us.
They are a mother, doing the best she can to provide for her children. They are children with big dreams just like mine. They are cherished by God just like I am.
Take them out of their Peruvian shanty town and one wouldn’t know they were poor. Except they are. That’s the difference between them and me.
I worry about whether or not I’ll have time to run to the grocery store to buy more gallons of water or if I’ll have to drink the metallic tap water. They worry about whether or not they’ll have any water. I worry about whether or not I’ll have to go to the TYME machine this week rather than whether or not money will cover what I need. I worry about whether or not the Christmas gifts I ordered will come on time. Not whether or not Christmas will be any different than any other day of the year.
My heart went out to this Peruvian family, and immediately I thought of Compassion and the impact they have had on these kinds of families worldwide.
My family sponsors a little girl in Columbia, Maria Jose. With our help she has access to education, medication, and the gospel.
If you can’t sponsor a child year round, maybe you can buy a Christmas gift for a child like my Peruvian children from the video. It’s a one-time gift that’s a lot more feasible for students on a tight budget.
Have $10 to buy a mosquito netting so a child does not have to worry about getting malaria?
Have $13 to spend on a soccer ball to child? Let me tell you, the kids I met in Guatemala were passionate about their futbol.
Have $16 to buy a chicken? Really, how often do you get to buy chickens?
Let some impoverished kids make Christmas cookies with baking supplies for $20.
Or $25 for vaccinations… you know, the ones that made us all scream as babies?
Educational supplies… I like books… only $30.
The list goes on and on. Prices range from $10 to $5,000... just in case you have that kind of money laying around, you know. Check out the catalogue!
Really everything helps. Every gift is cherished. Every life is touched. In the name of Jesus.
I can pray for the Peruvian family I saw in the documentary. I can thank God for them. And I can make a difference in the lives of similar families. Maybe I’ll even choose to believe my vaccines are keeping those children alive. My baking supplies are giving them family bonding time. My soccer ball is keeping that boy on the field playing rather than in the streets playing with drugs. Maybe my simple sacrifice will make more difference than I can even comprehend. With God’s hand, it does.
<>< Katie
On Monday the video we watched showed a shanty town in Peru. A mother and her three children, all wearing white, walked away from the camera and towards the town.
They didn’t carry water. They weren’t hauling belongings. They were just walking. The four of them strolled together as a family.
The youngest, a toddler, held her mother’s hand. A daughter a year older walked in front of them. A five year old ran around the slowly moving trio. He grabbed his youngest sister’s hand; she hesitated. Like a good mother, the woman noticed the change in speed. She looked down at her children and missed a step.
As she recovered her balance, I lost mine. It was as if God whispered, “Katie, they’re no different than you are.” They live in a shanty town with no water. They speak I language I don’t understand. But they are no different than us.
They are a mother, doing the best she can to provide for her children. They are children with big dreams just like mine. They are cherished by God just like I am.
Take them out of their Peruvian shanty town and one wouldn’t know they were poor. Except they are. That’s the difference between them and me.
I worry about whether or not I’ll have time to run to the grocery store to buy more gallons of water or if I’ll have to drink the metallic tap water. They worry about whether or not they’ll have any water. I worry about whether or not I’ll have to go to the TYME machine this week rather than whether or not money will cover what I need. I worry about whether or not the Christmas gifts I ordered will come on time. Not whether or not Christmas will be any different than any other day of the year.
My heart went out to this Peruvian family, and immediately I thought of Compassion and the impact they have had on these kinds of families worldwide.
My family sponsors a little girl in Columbia, Maria Jose. With our help she has access to education, medication, and the gospel.
If you can’t sponsor a child year round, maybe you can buy a Christmas gift for a child like my Peruvian children from the video. It’s a one-time gift that’s a lot more feasible for students on a tight budget.
Have $10 to buy a mosquito netting so a child does not have to worry about getting malaria?
Have $13 to spend on a soccer ball to child? Let me tell you, the kids I met in Guatemala were passionate about their futbol.
Have $16 to buy a chicken? Really, how often do you get to buy chickens?
Let some impoverished kids make Christmas cookies with baking supplies for $20.
Or $25 for vaccinations… you know, the ones that made us all scream as babies?
Educational supplies… I like books… only $30.
The list goes on and on. Prices range from $10 to $5,000... just in case you have that kind of money laying around, you know. Check out the catalogue!
Really everything helps. Every gift is cherished. Every life is touched. In the name of Jesus.
I can pray for the Peruvian family I saw in the documentary. I can thank God for them. And I can make a difference in the lives of similar families. Maybe I’ll even choose to believe my vaccines are keeping those children alive. My baking supplies are giving them family bonding time. My soccer ball is keeping that boy on the field playing rather than in the streets playing with drugs. Maybe my simple sacrifice will make more difference than I can even comprehend. With God’s hand, it does.
<>< Katie
Monday, August 30, 2010
My Friends Hate Me
Today words are not my friends. They've been really mean to me lately. They're tripping over each other as they fall from my mouth. They clog like an ink blot as they're scratched from my pen. They hate me. And I hate it.
When technology and I don't get along, when my suitemates pick on me, when the world seems to be against me, I still have my word-friends to back me up. Except now.
Who am I if I cannot cooperate with the English language?
I am still a daughter of God, a friend, a roommate. I'm still a role model, a team leader, and a big sister. But I am not me. I am a writer. This is what I do. What do you do when you can't do what you do?
You blog about it. But then you remember what Sherman Alexie said, "Every word on your blog is a word not in your book." I guess I'm nostalgic for my book. I reread and tweek scenes, but it isn't the same. Sure, I still have some of the excitement about someday finishing it but that someday apparently isn't today.
I. Am. Frustrated.
<>< Katie
When technology and I don't get along, when my suitemates pick on me, when the world seems to be against me, I still have my word-friends to back me up. Except now.
Who am I if I cannot cooperate with the English language?
I am still a daughter of God, a friend, a roommate. I'm still a role model, a team leader, and a big sister. But I am not me. I am a writer. This is what I do. What do you do when you can't do what you do?
You blog about it. But then you remember what Sherman Alexie said, "Every word on your blog is a word not in your book." I guess I'm nostalgic for my book. I reread and tweek scenes, but it isn't the same. Sure, I still have some of the excitement about someday finishing it but that someday apparently isn't today.
I. Am. Frustrated.
<>< Katie
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
I spent about twenty-four hours with my friend Laura and her family. I had a lot of fun and I thought I'd share some thoughts with you all (although, I'm not really sure who "you all" are... LURKERS: IDENTIFY THINESELVES!)
A museum is nothing more than a zoo with dead animals. Ok, I did learn some fun stuff, and we took some fun photos. But really: think about it. Did you know giraffes have the longest intestines of any animal? Did you know kruos is the Greek word for "icy cold"? (Don't lie to me, even Natalie didn't know that!) I also learned about some lions that terrorized workers attempting to build a railroad in Africa in the 1800s.
A pregnant woman came up to us today asking for money. She said she was trying to get to a domestic violence shelter but was four dollars short. I always hate it when people come up asking for money because it's so hard to tell if they're telling the truth or if they just want to buy some crack... Even though her speech sounded rehearsed, this woman spoke quietly and did seem scared. We gave her five dollars, and she asked God to bless us. Laura's mom reminded us that $5 isn't the end of the world for us but $5 could mean the world to her. How she uses the money isn't up to us, but we can pray she was indeed seeking help.
Train and Trolley life is not for my family. Other than the germs, I didn't mind it too much. My dad, on the other hand, would have been going nuts today, and it made me laugh. It was fun to watch people run and mosey through the train station. It was kind of like an airport. Given my choice, however, I prefer airplanes to trains.
Little kids are adorable! Ok, I knew that, but still. I saw some kids today refuse an Oreo cookie from their aunt! I wanted eat their cookies for them! Some little American kid was using like the German word for "mischief" but I forgot it already, sorry!
If you're ever bored or want to see some interesting folk: ride the trolley around a big city for an hour and you will see a mass of people! There are people going every which way (and sometimes even loose). All with different things on their minds, different deadlines to meet, and different destinations. Yet their paths cross momentarily on the sidewalk and it's really fun to watch. In the words of Kutless, "I see the city lights all around me. Everyone's obscure. Ten million people each with their problems. Whys should anyone? and in Your eyes I can see I'm not just a man that is lost in this world. Lost in a sea of faces." Yup. That just about sums it up.
I overheard some guy telling someone else on the phone that he'd have to keep an ID on him at all times just in case he violated his parole. The man sitting near me remembered this (after hearing it from the judge? from experiencing it himself? strange), and he would take the man on the other end of the phone to get a wallet. Interesting conversation to overhear...
Happy travels!
<>< Katie
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
A museum is nothing more than a zoo with dead animals. Ok, I did learn some fun stuff, and we took some fun photos. But really: think about it. Did you know giraffes have the longest intestines of any animal? Did you know kruos is the Greek word for "icy cold"? (Don't lie to me, even Natalie didn't know that!) I also learned about some lions that terrorized workers attempting to build a railroad in Africa in the 1800s.
A pregnant woman came up to us today asking for money. She said she was trying to get to a domestic violence shelter but was four dollars short. I always hate it when people come up asking for money because it's so hard to tell if they're telling the truth or if they just want to buy some crack... Even though her speech sounded rehearsed, this woman spoke quietly and did seem scared. We gave her five dollars, and she asked God to bless us. Laura's mom reminded us that $5 isn't the end of the world for us but $5 could mean the world to her. How she uses the money isn't up to us, but we can pray she was indeed seeking help.
Train and Trolley life is not for my family. Other than the germs, I didn't mind it too much. My dad, on the other hand, would have been going nuts today, and it made me laugh. It was fun to watch people run and mosey through the train station. It was kind of like an airport. Given my choice, however, I prefer airplanes to trains.
Little kids are adorable! Ok, I knew that, but still. I saw some kids today refuse an Oreo cookie from their aunt! I wanted eat their cookies for them! Some little American kid was using like the German word for "mischief" but I forgot it already, sorry!
If you're ever bored or want to see some interesting folk: ride the trolley around a big city for an hour and you will see a mass of people! There are people going every which way (and sometimes even loose). All with different things on their minds, different deadlines to meet, and different destinations. Yet their paths cross momentarily on the sidewalk and it's really fun to watch. In the words of Kutless, "I see the city lights all around me. Everyone's obscure. Ten million people each with their problems. Whys should anyone? and in Your eyes I can see I'm not just a man that is lost in this world. Lost in a sea of faces." Yup. That just about sums it up.
I overheard some guy telling someone else on the phone that he'd have to keep an ID on him at all times just in case he violated his parole. The man sitting near me remembered this (after hearing it from the judge? from experiencing it himself? strange), and he would take the man on the other end of the phone to get a wallet. Interesting conversation to overhear...
Happy travels!
<>< Katie
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
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