pause for a cause

you know the phrase, when life hands you lemons make lemonade? this is the "half-full" optimistic thinking that helps you make the most of what life hands you. the same is true for moments in life that give you a chance to "pause for a cause." it is so easy to get caught up in your own schedule, your own agenda, but there is a world of true need out there. i just received an email from my friend melanie today that cause me to do just that, pause for a great cause. the saying goes it is better to give than to receive. i love being given the chance to give and i want to extend that chance for those of you who share the same thinking. there is a place in LA called the Dream Center where 700 people who are victims of sexual trafficking, drug addicts, and homeless people. read this blog and pause to think if its a cause worth your time...i believe it is :)

tuesdays with kelly :)

i am currently sitting in one of my favorite places in the world, starbucks, listening to music, staying awake for my second week of night shift beginning tomorrow night. i realize while sitting here that it has been weeks since i last blogged. my purpose for this blog was africa, and when it ended i feel like my purpose for writing kind of ended as well, but as i was sitting here in my nice cozy chair sipping on my coffee, i got an urge to write. i am sorry to say this post will lack some of the gusto my previous posts have had, however i will try to keep your attention, but it will be mere curiosity more so than my edgy and eventful writing that will keep you reading i am afraid (have i lost you yet)?

first off, my adjustment period after arriving home was hastened due to orientation at work, which i am absolutely loving by the way. i count it as pure joy that i am able to look forward to work-not only that, but i smile and laugh and have an excuse to be goofy and excessively lovey on my little ones!  every now and then i catch myself thinking of my friends i left in africa and i stop and catch my breath and pray for them. i don't know if many of you are aware, but there is a severe drought in the horn of africa (somalia) and just recently in the news was an article on how aid is being sabotaged due to a jihadist group. doesn't this just make you stop and think, amidst our own issues-which are very real, don't get me wrong-but, i don't know about you, today i got to choose what i wanted out of my refrigerator full of food and drink the clean water that ran endlessly from my sink.  this just hit me really hard.

i am attaching a poem that the children from st. dorcas read to me. the children wrote it and i would love for you to take the time to read it.  i wish you could hear it coming from their mouths, the thick african accent makes it that much more passionate and powerful. st. dorcas is the orphanage i volunteered at while in kenya. since i left, i have been communicating with the headmistress there, as well as a few other volunteers. we are trying to begin a non-profit organization to begin providing means to help the orphanage become self-sustaining and help each child realize their potential of an education and future.  stay tuned for ways to help. i am already contacting my nursing school for medical supplies to be donated and it would be my dream to set up a healthcare fund for the children (the orphanage cannot afford the medications necessary to fight off diseases the children are afflicted with).

i recommend reading the poem when you have some time to sit in silence, taking in every word, imagining the words coming from the mouth of a child...

A POEM:

Have a Vision Have a Mission

Have a vision have a mission,

Vision is what you dream within

Mission is what stirs your mind,

It comes from person not position.

You have to sleep for you to dream,

You need to wake up, walk around, and see homeless boys and girls

Passing up and down along the street.

I wish you could approach them, and hear them talk.

They have a plea, a prayer, a wish;

Oh that men and women may be touched by God and give a hand.

They have what it takes,

To become something in this life.

What do you see in us

That isn’t but could be;

Vision realized, mission accomplished.

We had a dream that one day, we will be in a place

Where we will not be judged by what we are,

But by the content of our character hidden within us.

Birds have nests, dogs have kennels,

But where will street children lay their heads?

They have what it takes to become something in this life,

What do you see in us, that isn’t but could be?

By the mercies of God we came across St. Dorcas,

A home with a vision and a mission

To ensure that we get shelter, food and literacy classes.

Our spiritual nourishment is highly effective,

Our talents are tapped and developed,

What do you see in us, that isn’t but could be?

Vision realized, mission accomplished.

Give a hand for your blessing.

Thank you.