Banishing the 'f' word

Why? 

That's the question that is haunting me lately. I can't shake it. Because deep down I think I'm scared I already know the answer. 

The issue prompting my why is the self-loathing. This place where the female persuasion finds herself going when she's bloated, has a pimple, gained a few pounds, noticed a gray hair, found her first wrinkle or sadly, as the case is for so many of our teen girls, without any understandable provocation whatsoever. 

My daughter couldn't even walk yet when my husband told me there would be no more "f-words" in our house. The "f-word" he was referring too was "fat." I couldn't believe he would insult me that way. I NEVER say that. 

Then I realized I didn't have to say it. It might as well have been written across my face when I looked in the mirror some mornings, put on a certain pair of pants or ate something I regretted. The constant self-critical voice was so deeply ingrained, I didn't even hear myself on those occasions when I did in fact actually mutter, "Ugh. I look so fat." 

Two years later, my toddler daughter would do the same -- the first time. 

And I wonder...how many times will she have to look at herself in the mirror before she loves the reflection entirely, without judgement and even in spite of the differences in her image and the ridiculously unrealistic and often sexualized images of women and girls that surround us? Will she ever? 

Because the truth is...I don't always feel that way about myself. And so why should she? Or any girl? The truth is self loathing in itself isn't a mental disorder. But if we're honest, we realize it is a reality...a shocking 93 percent of girls and young women report feeling anxiety or stress about some aspect of their looks when getting ready in the morning. 

Should it really be that way? Something about that seems....sad and wrong. 

But the world we live in has evolved. It's much, much more visual, considering a couple hundred years ago society was mirror-less and purity (not half-naked women dancing on television commercials) equated beauty.  By her 12th birthday, today's girl will have seen more than 75,000 television commercials. That's on top of billboards, magazines and Internet images that project a more-or-less flawless, thin and "sexy" version of who she is "supposed to be."

Our world tells her over and over and over that she's not good enough. She needs this product or that to look better. She needs to shed pounds -- a lot and often an unattainable amount -- to be pretty enough. She can't have pimples, a flat chest, glasses, thin lips, thick eyebrows, cellulite, wrinkles or a big ole booty. None of those are desirable. Throw in the pressure to act a certain way, wear specific brands of clothing, be seen with "cool" people and use the latest and greatest gadgets. You can be rest assured that when she finally achieves one of these, there will be another and another she must overcome if she ever wants to reach society's narrow definition of beauty. 

We, my fine female friend, fall for this trap. So may I introduce you to the contrived, self-absorbed, unhappy but beautiful like a Barbie doll woman our world would have us all be. I hope you like living a lie. 

According to "Five Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter,  more than three-quarters of girls and young women admit to partaking in unhealthy activities when they feel badly about their bodies and 58 percent describe themselves as disgusting and ugly. Almost 40 percent engage in unhealthy eating behaviors, such as anorexia or bulimia. I am further concerned that most of these girls may be suffering in silence.

Despite the evolving roles and prominence of successful women in our culture, we are no less likely to be objectified. In fact, we are more likely to be viewed as sex objects than ever before. Is it perhaps because we've convinced ourselves that we can "have it all?" And in the midst of following our own dreams we have blindly let marketers tell us what "all" is? You know, this "all" is never enough. It will never be enough. And that's the trap. 

There's no hiding from these facts, and as much as I would like to, I can't rear my daughter in a bubble.  I can't stop negative advertising in its entirety, but there IS a lot I CAN do. 

Will you help me? 

* Stop buying it. Stop buying into the lie and stop shopping with retailers who objectify girls and women. (After watching a disgusting advertising by Hardee's during a football game this weekend, I will NEVER patronize this restaurant again. Ever.)

* Stop living in shame. Talk about it. Get a dialogue going. Be honest. Someone wants to hug you, let you know it will be OK and help you through the pain. 

* Be supportive. Encourage and lift one another up. Girls can be their own worst enemy, and many of us carry this over into adulthood. We can end a lot of the negative carryover simply by telling each other the truth: You're beautiful. You're gorgeous. You are worthy. You make the world a better place. 

* Love each other right where you are. Extend grace. A lot. We don't do this enough!

* Quit gossiping and quit listening to the gossip -- most of which revolves around the way someone looks or a jealousy we have for someone we "think" looks better than we do. (Girls, this only makes us look ugly from the inside out!) 

* Support projects that lift up and encourage girls and women. Like Mighty Strong Girls. Sorry, there HAD to be a shameless "plug." 

God has a destiny planned for all of us -- an unraveling story that is so great and amazing. It will let us use our special gifts and talents and impact the world for Christ. It will inspire us and motivate us and make us so happy we could just dance!

That's the revolution I've had. I'm in my happy place where I'm getting clarity, and He's filling me up. It's a work in progress, but I'm so happy to finally be here. And I want to help other girls and women find this place, too. It takes a team effort, for I didn't come to this on my own but through the work of God and some amazing, beautiful women. 

Now I have a question for you. Will you be part of the team helping girls and women be revolutionized? I want you on my team!!

My little rant about girls and boys

What’s So Bad About a Boy Who Wants to Wear a Dress?

This headline in the New York Times today caught my attention. Eight pages of terminology like "gender continuum," "gender fluid" and  "gender expression." My take in the end: it was exhaustingly rife with stereotypes and did nothing to promote individualism or debunk ridiculous cultural standards on gender. 

Nearly everyone is either female or male. It's a fact, kinda like I am a United States citizen. Being American sets me up for all kinds of stereotypes when I cross onto another country's soil. Just like being a boy -- or a girl -- sets us up for cultural expectations. And this, I believe, is really the problem.

Society evolves. When I was a wee one, there were hardly tiaras, frilly Disney princess dresses for make-believe, or a trove of hour-glass figure dolls to play with. I had legos, blocks and toys with primary colors that were more-or-less gender-less. Go back even farther, and pink was a boy color. Even farther, men wore wigs of long hair and dresses. Some men in other societies still wear dresses. So while I may or may not have purchased a few (dozen) Disney items, it seems to me our societal accumulation of "stuff," bloated toy aisles exploding with pink and general societal infatuation with materialism seems to have injected us with discrimination based on paranoia and fear. It's not enough to keep up with the Joneses, but we must also be accepted by them.

What happens when you leave children to just be themselves -- wearing, playing with and enjoying the things they want? No wonder so many struggle with identity crises in our country; our cultural norms and expectations are so perverted, pervasive and rigidly enforced that few people really get to be who they are destined to be. 

Right now, I embrace my children with their independent and carefree disregard for what's considered by the masses to be acceptable. 

My daughter has gone in and out of the "pink" phase. Today, she might wear a little pink, though she previously rejected it entirely. But she despises princesses. However, she also spends a great deal of time picking out the right ensemble -- for bed even! She wears mostly skirts, likes her toenails painted and wears an occasion girly hairdo. Then she goes outside, climbs trees, makes mud pies, picks up any and all moving creatures, and attempts daring stunts on her scooter. She also likes theater, singing and dancing. She enjoys scary movies and books, climbs to the top of the rock wall at the state fair every year and rode the water ride where the floor drops out from under your feet three times this summer. But like her mom, her athletic abilities are less certain, though she does, on occasion, play sports (and spit sunflower seeds that she sets on the infield dirt).

On the flip side, her brother is very athletic. He excels at team and individual sports. But he doesn't dig in the dirt or climb trees. When he discovered an empty turtle shell at his grandparents' house, he fetched his sister to pick it up. He's scared -- of everything and anything. He tears up at the thought of a scary movie. He walked up to ride the scary water ride twice and chickened out, even though he's a great swimmer. His favorite color is pink. He wore pink socks to every baseball game, wore a pink shirt for his birthday celebration and picked a pink ruler and pencil sharpener when we shopped for school supplies. He won't touch most animals, and we have to BEG him to play outside. He has, in fact, tried on my high heels and clip-clopped through the house with them on. He likes having his toenails painted, and he's currently growing out his hair. He's been mistaken for a girl many, many times. He also screams louder and more high pitched than any girl he knows. 

My point is, my children could not be more individual, unique, one-of-a-kind. And the fact that we debate these PERSONALITY traits in the context of "normal" and with a psychological "ruler" means only one thing: WE LIVE IN AN INTOLERANT WORLD. We judge and then beyond that we categorize, bully and label anyone who doesn't fit within our societal definition of "normal." It's time for all parents to let our children be who they are and express themselves in the context of a safe, loving, disciplined home where morals rule -- not tutus and superhero capes.

Want to read the whole NYTimes article? Click below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/magazine/whats-so-bad-about-a-boy-who-wants-to-wear-a-dress.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&hp

Introducing Mighty Strong Girls

Not long after I returned to the workforce after having my daughter, I couldn't bear the separation. And a part-time, work-from-home some of the time opportunity became available at the newspaper in Decatur where I was working. I had to cross to the "dark" side and work in advertising.

It didn't work out long, as many part-time opportunities don't, because it was a demanding full-time job crammed into a part-time position. But one of the most fun things I did was a large, beautiful, glossy magazine. I LOVED the magazine!

It was all I could think about, and I deeply desired to start one in Springfield because at the time, they didn't have one. But I would need start-up money, and I was pregnant with my second. We were trying to move closer to Springfield. The timing was bad.

I began freelancing for the State Journal-Register, which led to a job there in their special publications division in advertising. In no time at all, I brought my idea of a magazine to my supervisor. And we launched Springfield's Own magazine -- and I'm still doing some freelance writing for it today.

So having previously conceived and launched a magazine, I had the idea of starting a local magazine for girls ages 13-19. A place that is: 

* authentic and honest

* gives girls a voice

* portrays girls and women in a non-sexual way

* gives businesses and other ministries a place to reach these girls without compromising their values

* builds a community centered on faith and encouragement

* connects girls in central Illinois with not only each other but also with girls and girl struggles across the globe (ie. child labor, sex trade, etc.)

* promotes mission work

* and above all, helps girls discover their own calling in Christ -- free from the distractions of our sexualised and materialistic culture.

Instead of jumping right in, I prayed. And day after day for a week (God knows I need LOTS of assurance!), my devotions, church sermon and even world events (a national petition to get magazines to stop Photoshopping images!) were confirming my vision. 

I want to share a couple of ways he affirmed this calling, because I never believed that God worked this way (until I had faith), so I didn't know how it worked.

That week, the regular devotion I get via email opened to this sentence: "I think one of the greatest needs in the Christian community is for individual laymen and laywomen to dream some dreams about how they can use their talents to impact people's lives for Christ."

The next day, another devotion ends like this: "And I urge you to demand righteousness of yourself, because societal change always begins with one person, one home, one man or woman, one boy or girl, willing to make a difference.

"DISCUSS. Be specific: What could you, your church or your neighborhood do to reclaim this nation for righteousness?"

And then, this national campaign to magazines to "Keep It Real" and stop Photoshopping images to create realistic standards of beauty.  Part of the message: "Yet instead of taking up the media-constructed 'challenge' of fitting into a bikini, we’re empowering you to put the pressure back on the magazines that perpetuate such unrealistic standards of beauty for women everywhere. We want print magazines to pledge to use at least one non-photoshopped image of beauty per issue."

My thoughts were something like, "That's it? One non-Photoshopped image? That's all? It's not enough. It won't go far enough. They need total transformation, not just on images but articles. Our world, these girls, they need better alternatives in magazines."

 

GULP. 

It became clear that God wants me to use my talents to reach girls in order to help give them a healthy perspective of body image and to learn that Christ calls each of us to use our unique skills for kingdom work! Our beauty lies within!

And so, for me to not do exactly what he's calling me to do  would be kind of hypocritical.  

At first I thought I couldn't afford to do this, and then I discovered an awesome online publishing company with a beautiful system for creating e-publications. Then I remembered I could apply to become a ministry with this great organization called Ripe for Harvest. So I did, and the idea was approved. And apparently that makes me a missionary, which means I have to raise support from churches, people, businesses and other ministries. That's the scary, pushing me outside my comfort zone part. But that's OK. Because I believe in this, I have seen the need exists and I truly believe others will, too!

Because I envision Mighty Strong Girls as more than just a magazine, it's part of a MOVEMENT. My ultimate vision is that sponsorships would also allow for an annual conference in Springfield further creating a safe community for girls to get even more encouragement and education about how to listen to God,  a revolving business loan program for girls coming out of the Bible Telling School and/or Children's Redemption Orphanage Home in Sierra Leone, a mission trip for girls to see for themselves the challenges girls in other countries face, and scholarships for girls attending the local Lincoln Christian University.

I am so excited about this ministry, because while there are a small number of national projects, there's nothing that brings these girls together day after day so that they don't feel isolated, so that they get daily encouragement and so they can connect with other girls locally to keep them motivated. The magazine content will be written by experienced writers (likely college age and above), but it will be driven by an editorial board comprised of local girls ages 13-19 from various churches and schools in Central Illinois. 

Topics will include fashion, art, relationships, faith, finances,  upcoming Christian events, devotions, Biblical challenges aimed at growth in faith, entertainment, profiles of local girls and women and profiles of other women in the world (using missionaries to help gather content). Further, we will have seven bloggers from this age group to write on various topics, with a new post every day that will be promoted online. And there will be a section for parents, to give them the tools and encouragement to be supportive of their teen girls. 

So, if you stuck with me so far, THANK YOU! Thanks to the many, many women and teen girls who have already thrown their support behind Mighty Strong Girls. If you are passionate about this cause, please join us. There is a place for anyone who desires to be part of this movement! We have many needs, and you can see a few below or go online and read about what your role may be (writer and photographer volunteers, teens for the board and bloggers are needed!) at www.mightystronggirls.com. If you know a girl who may need this kind of encouragement, please share with her. That's huge and appreciated. 

So...what's next anyway?

A couple of years ago, I began working with high school girls at my church. I am not entirely sure why, as teenage girls make me uncomfortable. OK, that's a lie. Teenage girls TERRIFY me!


They always have. Even when I was one. I might have even scared myself -- the things teenage girls do, say and think....wow. There are no words. 


But I have a girl. A fired-up, strong-willed and emotional one. Who will someday (too soon) be a teenager. I suppose deep down that's what motivated me to serve -- to get to know the teenage girl. 


I discovered in the last few years that -- thankfully -- teenage girls are NOT entirely scary. But the story doesn't end there. In fact, it's just the beginning. They are a bit of a mystery, and when you start to unravel it, that's where the little bit of scary comes in. But it's not her fault. Spend just a little bit of time analyzing the messages society, media and peer groups are sending her. Not to mention the messages we are personally or partially responsible for. Is it a wonder if today's teenage girl could be emotionally stable? 


The pressures to fit the mold of the "ideal girl" are sucking the life out of our girls, creating robots with personality disorders and completely robbing them of knowing God's greater plan for them. It makes me angry and sad. 

I have gotten to know several girls quite well, and through one Bible study, learned their testimonies. Whatever they have overcome, almost always its roots were in a comment, visual imagery or pressures to "be a certain girl." You know the girl. She's the one in every teenage advertisement, clothing billboard, Disney show. Essentially, she's not every girl. She's the unattainable girl. Add to that the expectations of parents, teachers, peer groups -- it's emotionally exhausting and confusing.


One girl from my group. Her battles with body image were real (eating disorders and self harming) and intense. But she was finally making significant progress. And the hope she saw was that her voice could make a difference to other girls who were in that same "stuck" spot she was in.  But what to do with it? She asked me. I said, "Write it out, your whole story with all the details." 


I don't know why I said that. Except that I'm a writer, and I find it therapeutic. But she wanted more. She wanted to help other girls. So we both prayed about what to do. I started observing and listening. 


At first it was frightening to take stock of the television shows, slick advertising, magazine fashion layouts and even the nightly news. Girls portrayed in such a cookie cutter way -- thin, caked in makeup, a perfect smile. Even sexualized -- long hair, accentuated breasts, long legs, pouty lips, sexy poses way too grown up for girls. Then the mean, vicious reactions to any girl who wasn't ideal. But I KNEW this much. Taking senior photos for five years has shown me this is really what girls want -- they want to model, or they want this "look." What I think they really want: to be known, seen and recognized. And the world they live in predominantly shows them only one path: their physical appearance. 


Consider that 80 percent of 10-year-old American girls say they have been on a diet. The number one magic wish for young girls age 11-17 is to be thinner. 


And what makes me most sad about it is that they are being spoon-fed SUCH A LIE about what gives life significance! 

"Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments," says author Lisa Bloom, who wrote Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World.

Beyond that, God warns us that the world will look at these things (the physical appearance) but he doesn't (he sees what's on the inside). Pretty amazing, isn't it, that the Bible is this relevant today! And THIS is the message girls NEED to get. 


So I did find some positive movements and programs aimed at boosting girls' self esteem, but nothing with the muscle I was looking for -- FAITH.

As far as I could find, nothing available has the lasting power to impact girls because it leaves out the God-breathed truth of the matter: that he created us all unique, with a purpose and plan. When that plan unfolds, the beauty from within shines so great. And even when we stumble, He loves us and will never leave us even if we fall short of someone else's definition of "desirable."

It's no wonder my young friend doesn't know what to do with her testimony. We could not find the right outlet for her story. The world, it seems, wants to stifle such voices. In the midst of that, I felt God pushing me to make a way to lift up her voice for others to hear. Not just her voice, but where are the authentic teenage girl voices anyway? Where are the resources to help girls discover who they are in Christ? Where can the teenage girl be herself and yet also feel part of a tribe?

I was out of options. I prayed that God would show me another way. Any way. I begged, because honestly if I were designing a ministry for myself, it would be aimed at grown-up and much-less-scary women. But he didn't show another way or have something else in mind. The answer came in the form of daily devotions, sermons and Bible readings -- I should use my gifts and talents and create the way. God gave me: time; a fiery passion for my daughter and all girls to gain self-confidence and know how God views them; all the skills necessary; many of the contacts to launch such a ministry; a venue to form a non-profit; and the resume of having already done this sort of thing that was part of my vision. 


Dang! God: 6, Me: 0. 


And so a new ministry for teen girls was born. Read more about what it is and how you can be a part of this movement for our girls on my blog tomorrow!!

Jehovah-jireh

This is like one of Dan's favorite things to say. It means "the Lord will provide." He picked it up after our first mission trip to Mexico, after noticing how all situations -- no matter how seemingly hopeless -- seemed to be worked out in God's favor and for his glory. 


And so it seems fitting and appropriate that days after I asked for prayers for Dan's passport and for our personal finances as both relate to his upcoming mission trip to the Ukraine, God heard our prayers. By several "venues," we realized we will have EXACTLY what we will need to replace Dan's income for the 15-day trip. We learned that and then discovered two days later that his passport is in the mail on the way to us. Praise God! Jehovah-jireh! (As a side note, we finally got the payment plan we were seeking with a healthcare provider, too, which helped further put us at ease!)


I cannot thank you enough for blanketing these issues in prayer! I was so elated at how God blessed us and showed us so quickly that he was working things out -- not for our benefit, but for his. We serve a mighty God! A God who is revealing and unraveling his calling on my life right now -- plans I will share later this week! Please be sure to check back and see the awesome plans he has in store for me next. And no, I'm not going back to Africa....yet anyway! 

Praise God for my husband and his heart for missions!

One of the "things" that was holding me back when God called me to Africa this spring was that Dan had JUST decided to go to the Ukraine on a summer mission trip with Athens Christian Church.


He went to the informational meeting. And what my heart (selfishly) desired was that he would come back and announce that we were both going to the Ukraine. We were eager to get back into short-term missions! 


However, the trip would be very task-oriented. Very manual labor task-oriented. I am a weak assistant for my project-loving husband when it comes to moving simple furniture. This was NOT the trip for me! They would be digging a cellar, moving or building (I'm fuzzy on the boring construction-related details!) a wall and putting in a ceramic tile floor. All very appropriate and fitting tasks for Dan. It was like the trip description was written with him in mind. No orphans to photograph. No stories to collect. Not even a VBS to plan. 


And so when I was called to Africa and then finally admitted to myself that the trip was a good fit for me and would definitely fulfill a need for Rick and Paula, I still hesitated. Because of finances. Because Dan already committed to this trip; he was emotionally tied in and eager to go! I didn't want to destroy that, and two big, expensive trips for each of us in one year seemed unlikely. Especially since I'd just left my job and we were -- for the first time ever -- a one-income family. 


But God indeed provided the first time around, and I have complete and total faith that he will again. Despite Dan not getting "paid time off" with his job. Despite the frustratingly slow trickle of work I'm getting. Despite the fact that we're still waiting on his passport (a long story I PRAY I won't have to blog about!)


Just today, a family member handed us a check for $175 to "feed the kids" while he's gone. How awesome is that?!? 


Dan will go to the Ukraine with a pastor from ACC and two other construction worker types. They have a long list to accomplish, not a lot of resources where they're going and a small crew. 


Will you pray that God will provide in mighty ways for them? That he would allow them to complete projects in a way and pace they hadn't imagined? And that they would all grow in a brotherhood of faith with a spiritual renewal that fills them up? 


These short-term commitments are scary for us -- not because we're afraid of the work or the place we're going or the things we're doing. Financially they have ALWAYS been hard to plan for because we don't get "paid days off." So even if we raise enough money to cover the cost of the trip itself, the bills still come even though the paycheck doesn't! Will you also pray that Dan's trip doesn't financially set us back? Pray his employer would see the good in it and pay for his time off, or even better that he would reach someone back home for Christ through his actions! 


In the past, we've always planned ahead for trips like this. Lately, we're living on faith and it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do! 


But it's a choice we made when we agreed to be obedient to God's will for our lives. After we noticed this one disturbing trend: In the six months I was working full time, making more money than ever, we weren't doing ANYTHING at all mission related. We weren't even financially contributing to any causes, despite all that extra income. Then Dan got sick. And I became miserable in my job. God made us aware that we'd turned our back on something that used to be our passion. 


If we want to take a vacation (we've taken three week-long vacations in our 12 years of marriage), we have to work more or save more. Or, we can work more or save more for a LIFE-CHANGING experience. 


Dan has never complained. Never grumbled that he doesn't get to relax on the beach or jet set somewhere exotic. If it comes down to a choice, he WANTS the mission trip. Spiritually, emotionally, mentally (maybe not physically!), he comes back more refreshed and renewed. So it's a no-brainer for him. And, while I'm more likely than he is to want an exotic vacation, I must admit if I had to choose one or the other for the remainder of my life, I would go on mission trips. They really are that great!


Today I want to praise God for Dan. For the awesome servant I married who is such a courageous husband and dad. For a man, who despite major physical pain and challenges in the last two years, isn't afraid to push forward, to travel halfway around the world to a remote village in the Ukraine and be the hands and feet and mouth of God! 





I almost forgot...praise God (I think!) for a husband who isn't too proud to buck cultural norms and put on a skirt when the mountains are colder than he expected on our first mission trip to Mexico. Yes, he really did this, and the Mexicans asked that he never return. No, I'm kidding. We have no idea what they said. We don't speak Spanish. But I'm thinking one of those beautiful African patterns would look lovely on him. I wonder what the Africans would say! 

How can you live a life that matters?

God undoubtedly called me to a trip to Africa. It was eerie, because it was so clear and distinct. And it caused me to fear God, as we all should in a healthy sort of way. Not obeying suddenly was more scary to me than obeying -- despite the fact that I would operate outside my comfort zone to further his will for me. 


The comment I heard most often was "You're faith is so strong." Or, "I don't think I could do that."


Oddly enough, those are similar to words I said the first several times I met and talked to Paula Miller, the very missionary I visited and assisted in Africa this past April. Her response resonates so deeply with me now, and was confirmed at a recent sermon at my church preached from Deuteronomy 28. A summary -- obedience is blessed; disobedience is cursed. 


Another comment I got was, "God's never spoken to me like that." 


I believe God talks to all of us; sometimes we simply aren't actively listening. His word itself gives us the directions we need to be obedient. 


Still, it's clear that everyone can't obey every single command of Jesus' in the same way. Not everyone is called to do the SAME thing, or to sell everything they own, but we are ALL called. I love this video and what it reminds me about obedience and how being obedient doesn't always necessarily mean an audible voice of God. Sometimes it's just doing what we know in our heart to be right because he told us it is.


You can check out the video HERE.


Is his written word (instruction manual) enough for us? Or is this where we create "holes" in the Gospel? I have absolutely cut out holes in my Gospel. I've repented, and now I crave the opportunities and abilities to fulfill his word. 


If you're interested in EXACTLY how God wants to use us to help around the world or in our own backyards, check out these specific scriptures at World Vision's Web site HERE. Read them, meditate on them, pray about them, incorporate them in your life in a way that makes sense and has an impact! I can't wait to get started! Can you?