We Did It! Coldest Night of The Year 2015!

Sweet toque selfie!

I must admit I feel a little guilty that our Coldest Night of the Year walk in Kamloops was like 7C and I read that Brampton Ontario was -18C.  I guess it's a perk of living in the balmy dessert?  I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of our team, but I will vouch that they were there... Thank you for joining me Sarah, Wyatt, Corene, Dad, Shar and Meadow (and Julie L who was cheering us on from home with a sore foot).

Meadow Pre-walk sporting her touque

I am so proud of my Meadow girl!  She raised $85 and walked the whole 5km... refusing grandpa John's offers of shoulder rides the whole way.  When we got home she promptly had a hot bath and I rubbed her tired feet (she giggled and wiggled because she's so ticklish) and she went to sleep for 13+ hours.

Dad and Shar ready to go!

As a team we raised $555.00 for our local New Life Mission and the entire event brought in more that $40,000.00.  Kamloops is a generous place!

It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces in the crowd.  Neighbors and friends and folks I haven't seen in ages!
We're planning to have more people on our team next year so keep that in mind!

My brilliant niece Abby rocking out to the tunes.

Dear People In Line Ahead of Me...

We were both in line last week to buy tickets for a movie... the line wound out into the street and while we were out there... where it was cold and snowy... a woman came walking along and asked for some spare change.  You seemed quite oblivious to the situation... until I handed the woman a loonie.

That's when I heard the tone of your conversation change.  Your voices got lower and your eyes quickly glanced back and forth between me and the person you were whispering to... now not that I meant to eavesdrop, but really I was right behind you and could hear what you were saying... phrases like:
"You should never give them money."
"I gave them some fries once at the restaurant I worked at.  They just kept coming back for more."

This made my heart hurt...

I obviously don't have the solution to remedy the plight of hungry, hurting people.  I'm not here to debate whether you should give a panhandler the change in your pocket or have a stack of Tim Cards ready for such a situation.  Really that's up to the individual giver.

What hurt me was the way you talked about fellow human beings, you talked about helping street people like it was a "don't feed the bears" situation at a national park.  "Don't feed those people... they'll be hungry again tomorrow and come back for more.  They'll become nuisance humans and we'll have to try relocating them."

I want to gently point out some things you might not have considered:

You probably knew where you were going to sleep that night, and every night.  I'm betting it's a nice warm safe place.  That woman probably didn't have such a luxury.

Since you were standing in a line to pay $9.00 for a movie ticket, I can only assume you were not worried where your next meal was coming from. She might be worried about that very thing.

It's cold outside.  And I might be a bit naive but I hope that dollar was used to pay for a cup of coffee... or maybe another generous person gave her a toonie down the way and she was able to buy some soup or chili and warm up a little.

Human beings are our tribe... they are our people... and if we don't help them out when the opportunity presents itself... who will?  Certainly not the bears.

Sincerely and Kindly


photo credit: final gather via photopin cc

Coldest Night Of The Year 2015

I often feel limited in how to serve those who are homeless or hungry... and I believe a lot of mommies with small kids feel this way as well.  
With young offspring in tow I can manage eye contact and a smile at a man huddled by the library doors.  Sometimes I can offer the change in my pocket if I can organize my little people not to run into traffic.  On occasion, when I am out and about kidless, I have been known to hand out hot chocolates with my friends.  

So I'm doing what I can... but am I doing all I can?  Probably not... and I hope to grow in this area to live up to more of my potential.

One way I'm doing this is by walking in The Coldest Night of The Year on February 21, 2015.  I have 2 feet, a pair of boots, and warm clothes to wear... I am fully capable of walking with a group of people to raise money for our local New Life Mission.

I took a tour of the New Life Mission last fall and was very impressed by the variety of ways they are able to give a hand up.  There is a health clinic and  dentist office.  They have their own catering company, a room for refurbishing computers and a safe place for people to come in out of the cold.  Just to name some of their services.  It is a place worth supporting.

How You Can Help

Be a part of the walk... You are welcome to join my team Night Owls and walk alongside my dad, my friends Sarah and Corene  and I.  Or join a team in your community if we're far away friends. 

You can sponsor us. You've heard the cliche... Every little bit helps! It's true!  Please donate what you can to help those less fortunate.  

Pray.  Pray that we have good attitudes walking in the cold, pray that the money we raise is spent with wisdom, pray for those who are cold and hungry to be warm and fed. 

  

Carry a Flashlight and Don't Play the Trumpet...

Writing this post is a daunting task... I am not looking for a battle.. battles cause wounds and wounds create bitterness and bitterness fights against love... and I really want to be a spreader of love... maybe that's why these two scripture passages stood out to me.

Matthew 5:14-16
14“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 6:2-4
2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

These are red letter verses here people... Jesus said both of these things in the same sermon on the mount!  I have heard each of these two points used against each other in arguments.  So which is it?  Let your light shine so that people can see your good deeds or keep it a secret, private, between only you and God?

I'm not a scholar and I tend to do a lot of interpreting scripture with my gut.  Relying on the Holy Spirit whispers that remind me that the word is living and can be relevant to me in different ways as my life evolves and changes.  The advice I take can be different than my brother or sister.  And the lessons I learn may or may not be a hill to die on.  There are few things I hold tight to with a closed fist...

Here's my humble take on maybe why there are two passages of scripture so close together that express very different methods to love your neighbor.  Your eye.  "The Hebrew language uses 'eye' in many idioms that describe a person's attitude toward others." (Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus by Lois Tverberg)

It seems a little too simple to be the be all that ends all answer to this old debate... and maybe it is.  Keeping in mind though that love seems to be really important to Jesus according to quite a few bible verses,  I'd be willing to guess that He cares about your attitude toward those that we give to.  Do we turn up our noses at the guy shivering on the street corner because he obviously doesn't know how to manage money very well, honestly he is smoking a cigarette, does he even know what those things cost?  Then puff out our chests, find the perfect Instagram filter and post all over Facebook and Twitter that photo we took as we tossed a loonie into his paper cup?  The problem, as I see it, is not posting that photo, it's the intention behind it.  

Social media is powerful, but just like money it is neutral until we determine how we will use the tool before us.  Our status updates and the pics we post can be used to so a lot of good.   They can shine light so inviting that people want to join you.  We can encourage others to add to the light, whether it's by joining us on our next "hand out hot chocolate on the street" night, or just tweaking an attitude closer to grace and love for those in need. 

If you get nothing else out of this...take away this lesson... always carry a flashlight and don't play the trumpet!

Chime in here... What are your thoughts?  

Note: This post contains an affiliate link.

Ethical Shopping... Where?

I realize you might be sick of hearing about Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne... and really that's ok.  You don't have to stick around and read this for my sake... but if you think you can deal with a little more... click on the photo above and read just this page.

A few years ago we stopped buying chocolate that was not fair trade... It was a small step... but a candy bar was no longer a treat knowing that someone had suffered to get it into my hands.

Recently more information has become available to me about ethical shopping... mostly about clothes.  I really love clothes... (which is not so great for my blossoming devotion to a more minimalist life.)  So I have been Googling ethical clothing choices in Canada... since I'm not aware of where to purchase a lot of these brands in my area (still searching)... and honestly I just don't have the clothing budget for many of the items that are branded ethical... for our family thrift stores and hand me downs will probably be the decision we make for a majority of our clothing purchases.  (Plus I love a good treasure hunt!!)

The Art of Simple has the best list for ethical shopping that I have found online... It's mostly U.S. shopping, but there are a few companies that have Canadian branches.

Fill me in... where do you know of that sells ethically manufactured clothing?

Get Your Toe Wet... Or Jump In?

Last night... just on the edge of falling asleep... a thought started buzzing around in my head... kind of like the mosquito in your tent... you do not fall asleep until you deal with it.
So I grabbed my phone... made a note of said thought and then plunked my head back on to the pillow.

Is it better to ease yourself into something... or just jump in with both feet?

Let me give you a little context.  You may know already that I have been reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.  It's making me very uncomfortable... in a very stretching and growing way.  Even though I am still in the middle of it (it's taking me quite a long time to finish this book)... I've been making attempts at creating my brotherly (And sisterly) love strategy... You know all while praying for God to open my eyes to loving opportunities. *insert eye roll here.*

It looks like this...
Me: God... please show me the places you would have me go and serve.
Me (again): Ooh I know... I could do this that and the other thing.
Phone Rings: It's a part of the Body of Christ calling... and it says... "I have a meeting at the New Life Mission (local homeless shelter) on October 1 and you're coming with me."
Me: Well God... you certainly heard my prayers... and now I feel like I'm jumping in...
(God knows that I am a sucker for outings with my favorite people.)

But maybe this is still just me working my way into the water... and I barely have my toes wet.


photo credit: librariantiff via photopin cc