FashionABLE

Mocha Club has launched their newest effort in supporting the Women at Risk organization in Ethiopia. Buy a scarf; I literally brought them over to the states in my suitcase.

Also, this is a piece I wrote for my church, The Well, about my personal experience with Women at Risk.

I have just returned from a one-month stay in Ethiopia, and, to put it simply, my world has been rocked. Everything I once knew about God expanded ten-fold when I glanced upon His face in such a humble setting. In order to spare you from a long-winded epic of my journeys in Ethiopia, I will tell you of a moment where I experienced God in a completely new, huge, and beautiful way.

The team I was a part of traveled to an organization called Women at Risk. It is a program entirely devoted to rescuing women out of prostitution, and providing them rehabilitation to live independently. The program is scripturally based, and provides an avenue for God’s love to create healing in the women’s lives. Every morning begins with a devotional, and I was blessed to be present for this time of worship. The women told us their life stories of abuse, rape, and desperation. Almost every woman that shared revealed they were raped at a young age. Their stories told of a lack of education and no resources to provide for their children. One woman had a sick child and, with seemingly no other alternative, turned to prostitution rather than watch her child die. Their stories were heart-wrenching- the most dreadful tales you’ve ever heard. Next, they spoke of their rescue. During “night raids” staff of Women at Risk searched them out at local bars and invited them to a completely new life. The women accepted to the program were sitting in front of me spilling their love for God and His power to wipe away all of their shame. They spoke as if God literally came down from heaven and carried them out of their prostitution hell.

After the last word was spoken, the women stood and began to worship. They sang in their language, and they sang in complete sincerity. It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. They sang and sang. I had no idea what words there were using to praise God, but I didn’t need to know. I could see their passion for God in their uplifted faces, in their swaying hands, and the memories of their stories. I could not catch my breath; for, in that moment I was brought to my knees in realization of God’s mighty strength and His gentle care. God is huge, and God saves his people everyday, in every nation completely independent of my acknowledgment. My “small God bubble” was popped, and I will never be the same.

Although the women have endured far more suffering than I could imagine, they have sparked in me gratefulness for God’s salvation in my life. My life has meaning because of Him; I have purpose because of Him; I always have a reason to be joyful; I have every reason to praise just as beautifully as those women did; I’m no longer in darkness. He has brought me into such marvelous light. Ethiopian ex-prostitutes are shining His light; they are a reflection of His glory.

” Hear me Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord be my help. You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” Psalms 30:10-12

Cheadle and Me

My blog post is officially up on Mocha Club’s website:

http://blog.mochaclub.org/articles/2010/09/13/trip-blogger-lauren/

Check It Out

One of my team members, Melissa, wrote a blog post for Mocha Club about our trip:

http://blog.mochaclub.org/articles/category/africa-trips/

Hopefully I will have one up someday soon…!

And a little extra…

Get-to-know-ya’s

My team for Africa was recently sent a list of questions to answer in order to get to know each other a little better. It kind of reminded me of the myspace surveys back in the day (that I never did, I just read everyone else’s). It was exciting reading everyone’s answers and realizing how close I am eventually going to become to these people. So, here is my survey:

1. What one day in your life would you like to live over? A day at a camp I went to in middle school where we played soccer all day and then had worship at night. Best camp ever!

2. What is your favorite current TV show? Friday Night Lights. If you don’t watch it you should.

3. What are you most excited about for the trip? Experiencing God and people in a completely new and amazing way.

4. What are you most nervous about for the trip? The fact that we will be there for a month- that’s a long time to be in Africa, for the first time. But I’m sure I will end up not wanting to leave.

5. If you can bring any TV character on this trip, who would you bring? Chandler from FRIENDS. SInce the Ethiopians don’t get sarcastic humor, I’ll need my daily fill.

6. What is your favorite item you will be bringing on the trip? Camera and journal.

7. What are your top 3 favorite things about where you are from? Rednecks, lakes, and fried chicken

8. Would you rather have a giant hamster or a tiny rhino? tiny rhino straight up

9. What hobbies, sports, leisure time activities do you enjoy most? Running, writing, reading, soccer, finding hidden treasures (aka pretty places) in Tallahassee

10. What is your high for this week? I get to go on a vacation where I will be attending “Redneck Yacht Club,” I’m pretty stoked. Is that a future high? oh well.

11. What is your low for the week? All my friends left for the summer so I’m bored

12. What’s the kindest act you’ve ever seen done? (either by/to you or another) My friend who has beautiful, long, curly, red, hair found a little girl with cancer, visited her, and shaved her head to have a wig made for her.

13. What is your favorite way to waste time at work without getting caught? Well since I work at an after school program, I always try to get to be in charge of the movie so I can just sit and watch a movie with the kids.

14. Have you ever been out of the country before? If so, what about that experience do you think will help you on this trip? I have been to Panama, Costa Rica, and Australia. I think being exposed to extreme poverty and vastly different culture starting from a young age will help me be prepared for what I will see in Ethiopia.

15. What has surprised you most about the process of preparing for this trip? I’m surprised it hasn’t hit me yet that I’m going to Africa for a month. I’m pretty sure one day soon I’ll wake up and be like, “holy crap I’m actually going.”

16. Would you rather always have to say everything on your mind or never speak again? I’m loud so I would choose having to say everything; I just pity those within hearing distance.

17. What do you think our world’s biggest problem is? Pride; I mean, it is the root of all evil.

18. Who is the most annoying celebrity? Don’t even get me started ughhh like everyone jk but really… oh the most recent bachelor was super annoying and corny.. I would prefer if he never opened his mouth. Also, whoever sings that song “According to You” ughhhhhh so baadddd.

19. What is your favorite quality about your dad? What is your favorite quality about your mom? My Dad shows his love through sacrificing his time and efforts to invest in others. My mom is the best example of a friend I have ever seen; that woman has more love bubbling out of her than she knows what to do with.

20. What about these qualities do you think we can be or give to the kids in Africa that don’t have parents? my mother’s compassion and my father’s sacrifice are qualities that would show the kids in Africa what an unconditional, Godly love feels like and that they are in fact worth our time and care because Jesus died for them the same way he did for us.

Very interesting and revealing questions if you ask me.

We also received a tentative agenda for our trip… So Pumped…

Thursday, 7/29 -arrive in Addis 7:30.

Friday- Day in Addis. Visit an orphanage

Saturday-Wednesday- Ambo.  We will be working in the classrooms at the school as well as doing activities and games.

Thursday-Saturday- Back in Addis.  We will have a lot of free time this weekend, but will also visit an orphanage.

Sunday-Tuesday – Nazret- Time with the woman

Wednesday-Friday- Back to Ambo

Saturday-Monday- Free time

Tuesday-Sunday- Ambo

Monday- Depart Africa

Happy World Water Day!

In honor of World Water Day, I will provide the most current update of my highly anticipated Ethiopia Trip.

So much has been happening in regards to preparing for my trip, but what has gotten me most recently excited is our team’s first conference call! It was a little awkward being on the phone with six other people, but once my leaders began the conversation we dove right into the heart of going to Ethiopia and how HUGE it is truly going to be. My team leaders are Missy and Asher Wood. I love them already because of these reasons: they are both artists living in Nashville, Tennessee, they have two children, they are taking them to Africa, Missy was diagnosed with cancer and was recently pronounced cancer free, Asher seemed super hilarious, and they have southern accents. So they are pretty much the most incredible people I’ve ever had a phone conversation with. My teammates also seemed pretty awesome, mostly because they were up to  interesting things. For example, Brandon lives in New Mexico, graduated with a degree in physics and math, and works in National Laboratory Institute Thing. So, despite being unbelievably intelligent he also has a heart for missions. People are so cool, bottom line. The phone call ended with a prayer and I was just amazed at the reality of seven people on one phone call, all over the country, praying for preparation in going to Ethiopia. I can honestly say that I have never felt apart of something so momentous.

Missy wrote an all-inclusive letter detailing our trip that is so much better than my support letter; therefore, I will steal it from her and let y’all read it: http://www.mawoodart.com/newsletter/. I will work on creating a newsletter somewhere near this caliber. If you are reading this and feel the urge to help a sista out raising funds don’t hesitate to click this: https://www.mochaclub.org/africa-trips/8.

Back to World Water Day. I joined Mocha Club, and chose to sponsor the Clean Water funds for refugees in Darfur. I believe that without clean water it is hardly possible to have anything more than a struggle for life (and this fact brings me to my knees when I realize how self-indulgent my own life is). So, since today is world H2O day Mocha Club is promoting a water bottle sale to not only give 15 Africans clean water, but also to get the word out about Mocha Club and it’s mission. SO get the word out!

I can’t wait to go to Africa.

Here I Am, Send Me

These are the people I will meet. I will get to hear their stories. I am privileged enough to receive their love. I am so excited I can’t even stand It.

A blog entry on the street boys:

 

“The beauty of the Ethiopian people is found by observing their way of life. In this culture, there are no watches, nowhere special you must go next, and no one is more important than the person sitting directly in front of you. Relationships are key. This beauty is what brought me back to Ethiopia for the third time with Mocha Club this Christmas season.

One of the core goals on these trips has been working and forging relationships with the street boys of Ambo. These boisterous and sometimes unwieldy young boys have been orphaned or abandoned and are not culturally accepted by society. It would seem, at first glance, that these boys would be the last group of people with whom we could form relationships. But what we quickly discovered is that the boys were instead teaching us how to have true, meaningful relationships through their sacrificial acts of love.

What form did this take? It was Girma feeding me his injera when he probably hadn’t eaten all week. It was “Ceasar” teaching me his language, Oromic, so that I could teach English in an effective manner. It was Bronhu wiping my tears with the only tissue he owned. This is true beauty, which resembles that of Christ.

Lessons learned and remarkable experiences along the way, similar to those described above, are too numerous to count. We went with a heart to serve, but we ended up getting so much more. Their love, their faith and their hope is a beautiful treasure.”

 

 

Let’s Go!

And 1st place goes to… Mocha.

As contemplating my first official blog entry, I decided Mocha Club the winner.

Recently I have been given the opportunity to work with Matt McDonald in efforts to create awareness about this program called the Mocha Club. In short, Mocha Club is this amazing charity organization that “redefines the coffee break.”  To explain this, two Mochas from an average coffee shop costs about seven dollars; Mocha Club unveils what that seven dollars can do for countries such as those in Africa. 

Seven Dollars in Africa can…

Save 1 person from malaria

Sustain a person living with HIV/AIDS

Provide clean water to 7 Africans for 1 year.

wow.

When I first discovered this organization I was convinced this was an area for me to serve and make a difference. I am an American girl going to college spending seven dollars left and right like it’s no one’s business; these facts hit me like a train. I have been blessed with the means to help and the compassion to serve these amazing people living in dire conditions. I couldn’t ignore this mission, and the video does a fantastic job of portraying the emotion and drive behind the cause. Check it out because it’s too important not to… http://mochaclub.org/joinme/lor7071