You know that feeling when you are crying, and you are broken hearted or devastated
at the pain another individual caused in your life. I know that feeling all too well
~yeah, not that.
This is an emotion almost exactly the opposite. These are tears because of the joy
that people have brought int o my life, because of the good of humanity,
the good of friends and the good of people I barely know and of people I have never
even met...
If you have a few minutes, I need you to hear this...
Exciting news!! I just recorded it this morning..
The majority of my support and cheerleading has been through people I have never met,
or only have met online, have only met once or twice in real life, some who I have never
met at all, and people I haven't seen in 15-20 years. I've had complete strangers walk up to me and hand me cash when they heard about what I was doing
That is both awesome and crazy...the good of people that connect with you...
If you know me or have read my blog at all for any length of time,
you know that my heart is deep for helping the broken, the hurting, the destitute...
and those stuck and bound in lifestyles and addictions they so desperately need rescue from.
Whether it be depression or drug addiction, whether it be poverty or human trafficking..
I have always wanted to see people through God's eyes.
When I was nineteen years old, after coming home from a missions trip to Albania,
I remember coming arcross a man walking along the street who wreaked of alcohol,
who looked skinny and lost in his world of addiction and he looked hopeless,
even though he may have not even realized it.
My heart broke that day. I start sobbing to my mom. And it was then that I cried out
and asked God to give me His heart, a heart of compassion.
Today that heart has brought me to do something I have never done before.
I have started a project of my own for the month of February called
Suburbia to the Streets Project.
If you would take a few minutes to watch my video, I will explain a little more about my
personal project and how one day I came across an organization called Mocha Club and
decided I wanted to help.
Between my personal facebook account, my blog readers, email contacts, twitter followers...
I have well over 2500 people. If only 80 of those people could give
at least $10 to help rehabilitate one precious woman and give her a fresh start,
that would cover my goal for the month of February, the $800
I need to help TWO women off the streets.
This is my birthday wish this year.
or
160 people give $5
80 people give $10
40 people give $20
20 people give $40
I have confidence that together we can help two women and give her & her family a new
chance at life and love and caring for her family.
Things I want you to know about Ethiopia:
Understanding the Sex Industry in Ethiopia:
In Ethiopia, the sex industry is often linked with deep levels of generational poverty and
financial hopelessness. Lacking meaningful resources and a sense of hope, many young women
and ever girls, resort to becoming sex workers as a means of supporting themselves and their
families. These women are often desperate to leave the sex industry but remain trapped by a
lack of opportunity and rehabilitative support.
*ONE of NINE women are trapped in the sex industry in the capital city of Addis Adaba
*THREE of FOUR contract HIV/AIDS
*Children are endangered and left home alone at night
Here are the details of the care they will receive:
*Individual and group counseling
*A twelve step addiction recovery program
*Pre- & Post HIV Counseling and testing
*Daily Devotions and Bible Studies
*Skills training and job placement services
*Day Care Services
*Tuition & schooling for children's education & many more programs that
address the unique needs of rehabilitating the women.
I will be running this campaign, the Suburbia To The Streets Campaign though the
month of February as 'My Birthday Wish.' Anyone who wishes to help me make a
difference in the life of TWO WOMEN, can do so by clicking on the donate
button any time this month. This will take you to the MOCHA CLUB where
all funds raised through me will be totaled!
When I reach MY GOAL of $800 at the end of February, I will join a Milwaukee organization called The Inner Beauty Center that promotes value and love in our own streets with our own women.
***If you can help spread the word by tweeting about it, blogging about it, grabbing a button or allowing me to guest post THIS post on your blog, let me know! TWEET HERE
Oh, and by the way. I mentioned yesterday that next week is my birthday!
And I want to do a fun question/answer session...
so stop by the post below and comment, email me, tweet, instagram, facebook,
whatever...and ask me what you want to know!
Ok, here we go!! (Sorry, I went a little long. Again. But I didn't edit a single thing out,so that's a good thing.)
Hello Everyone! Welcome to the 2012 Year in Review Link Up!
My co-hosts & I are excited to have you all here at the Covered in Grace YIR Link Up! We pour our hearts into our blogs. Our time, our energies, our creativity...they are all the tools that build our unique places on the web. Why not highlight our blogging gems from the past twelve months?
Let our communities know what we're really proud of putting out there this year.
The Prompt:This year in blog posts…choose a favorite post from each month of 2012 and share.
The Linkup: What are you proud of writing this year? Link up your posts below! Linky will be open for two weeks!
The Rules: Please be a follower of Covered in Grace via either GFC or Feedburner.
Link up only specific blog posts, not your blog's main page.
From Awkward To Art's first year of Blogging! And Guess what?! Tuesday is My Blogiversary!
January- Stuck In A Rut
After years of depression, and even more years of not realizing who I was, I am finally
realizing that God has placed unique gifts inside of me and I simply want to be ME,
the ME who He had created me to be, not who people think I should be.
February- Coffee Talk: Joy Vs Depression
After having gone through severe depression, I now learn to catch myself when I feel those feelings
coming back. I've learned that even though it can still be a struggle some days, there is only one
way to gain true peace in my mind.
March- Mommy Blues
Leila had to have surgery earlier this year and it was one of the most heartbreaking
days of my life. Actually seasons of my life, because it was dental surgery, due to Carries
Disease ( rapid decay of a childs teeth). As a mother, I blamed myself. I still do.
April- Being A Preachers Kid
There are some things you can be born into, that you simply don't learn until you have the chance to
experience life yourself. Just because I am a preachers kid and mentally knew scripture in my
head doesn't mean it was reality to me. It wasn't a reality until that day I really needed help.
May- Dear Chicago Part II
Living an hour outside of Chicago, makes road trips or train trips really easy and fun.
Two of my favorite have been the two times we went there to see my favorite band,
The Cranberries. Just sharing some photos from our latest trip.
June- Your Garbage, Your Heart
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who share negative, complainy, gossipy garbage and propaganda on the internet and on facebook. Anything of a negative or gossipy nature tend to drive me crazy. What we fill our eyes & ears with will eventually become a part of who we are
and what we say.
July- I Thought Thats What Bloggers Did
My most popular & most commented post all year! A sorta sassy, semi humorous look at all the things we do to get people to like us. Namely, things that I have done to fit in the "blog world."
August- Wish You Were Here
Taking a break from my 6 week blog break to share some photos from a simple Wisconsin
vacation with my family.
September- One Girl. Two Vlogs
Emotional and slightly embarrassing, I pour my heart out with two separate vlogs this month.
Tears and all, I share my story, where I have come from, hoping to be an inspiration to those that
have walked in my shoes.
October- A New Chapter
Starting a new chapter in my blog as I watch it to go from something I had no clue about to
something with more intentional purpose. A new name, design & purpose.
November- The Things We Cannot Change
Sometimes we simply need strength to accept those things about life or the people in our lives that
we cannot change. There are things we can change that can better our lives, but when it comes
to other people, or particular situations we have no control over, we simply have to learn to
accept it is what it is and pray for strength to move on and be happy.
December- When Words Are Just Words
Some words are just words. Some quotes are just quotes by mere humanity.
And while they may be inspiring, there are other words that we are meant to live by.
These are the only words that have the power to change lives & bring healing.
My turn to co-host Girl Behind The Blog with 5ohWifey!
My favorite blog link up on the planet.
I'm so excited.
You will notice this by the amount I laugh and smile in my video.
Perhaps we should have went with a different topic,
because I am way too happy & excited telling my stories.
You know how I always say, I used to be a really happy smiley girl..
Yes, well here is a good example of that.
I apologize for the crappy quality. Of course the week that I would co-host , my camera would break and I would have to use my phone to record.. For the prompt this month, you can click HERE or read below!
Hope you have fun watching, listening, chuckling at my embarrassing stories.
Today... we invite YOU
to get silly and real and share a funny story about yourself. And maybe make a few new friends. All you have to do is follow
both of our blogs, post a button anywhere on your blog, and post a
short vlog answering the following questions. You'll only have to link
up on one of the host's blogs because our links will be interlinked. We
really hope you join us. You can grab a button below to put up on your
blog. Spread the word and lets get to know each other a little better!
Here are the deets... feel free to make your video your own but please
try to stick to these prompts and the time limit.
The Girl Behind The Blog- This One Time...
Time limit: Vlogs should be 2-3 minutes long
Introduce yourself and your blog
Tell us a funny or embarrassing story about yourself
P.S. I'm going to be, and my scheduler doesn't work, so I am posting this now... Sorry, but the link up wont go live until 12:01 PST 11/28/12 Stop back and link up!
I haven't made it a secret that my first few months in blog world were disheartening.
I had no clue what was going on. I had no idea so many people blogged.
I had no clue that I could make friends blogging.
Honestly, I just thought all my family and friends would love to hear what amazing wordsof humor and wisdom I could manage to drum up.
Sadly, that didn't happen. I am ever so thankful for those of my family & friends
that have mentioned, "Hey just so you know, I do read your blog, I just never say anything."
That has made me feel a lot better over time, knowing I had their support.
However, when I first started blogging and didn't know about this great big blog world,
I was in tears, thinking no one cared.
Then one day I discovered Girl Behind the Blog somehow.
It was my first round of Girl Behind The Blog, acutally THEE first round I believe...
And ever since then, I've been addicted. I think I missed only 2 because I was on a blog
break at one point and out of town once. I love the entire idea behind it, getting to know people just a
little better as you hear and see people in animated form =) And not just in pictures.
So, anyways, I guess you know what I'm about to say. Last month I had the fabulous
And I love how encouraging she has been to me in subtle ways.
I was so excited to not only take this picture with her...
but, naturally, I was the lame one who embarrassed myself and told her "I love you"
because she was standing behind me talking to either 5ohHubby or 5ohBaby or someone she loved on the phone and she said "I love you." And what else would I say when 5ohWifey tells 5ohHubby
"I love you." Uhhhh... duh.... I tell 5ohWifey..."I love you too."
And those are the kind of cool, super amazing, awesome and embarrassing momentsthat brings us to today! If you know anything about me and my blog, you know that I like to tell funny stories about my life! I have no shame.
And guess what? I get to co-host The Girl Behind the Blog ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! Woot! I am pretty sure it's because of my spoken love. Yes?
So,
Wednesday, November 28, 2012... one week from today... we invite YOU
to get silly and real and share a funny story about yourself. And maybe make a few new friends. All you have to do is follow
both of our blogs, post a button anywhere on your blog, and post a
short vlog answering the following questions. You'll only have to link
up on one of the host's blogs because our links will be interlinked. We
really hope you join us. You can grab a button below to put up on your
blog. Spread the word and lets get to know each other a little better!
Here are the deets... feel free to make your video your own but please
try to stick to these prompts and the time limit.
The Girl Behind The Blog- This One Time...
Time limit: Vlogs should be 2-3 minutes long
Introduce yourself and your blog
Tell us a funny or embarrassing story about yourself
of how knowing God has changed our lives in under 5 minutes...
As scary as this can be, I was all for it. So those of you here today for
Represent: Take One, welcome to the first vlog in this series...
I am so honored and glad that you have chosen to join us.
Us being Myself, Allison, AND ALSO the lovely Sarah from The Fontenot Four.
And I am so excited to watch your videos throughout the week!
But then I saw that Ashley from 5ohWifey announced her monthly Girl Behind the Blog to go live the same day, with her co-host being one of my favorite bloggers, Erin from Sweetness Itself.
So, how could I miss out on that? It's easy. I couldn't. I never do. So I did two vlogs =)
Disclaimer:
1) I did the Girl Behind the Vlog video like 12 times and I couldn't NOT cry for
some reason. Finally I made it through this one with no tears.
2) However, in both videos, I sound weird. I have a lisp. I mean, I really don't,
but something is wrong with my camera, so I sound like I do... Sorry.
3) If you are still looking for tears, you may want to stick around to hear a little more into
my story ON my Represent vlog, because you may or may not see me get all choked up.
4) I never stick to the time limit as much as I try and as much as I edit. Ugh. Sorry.
Just sayin.
If you are here to link up with Represent, grab a button, follow each of the girls Allison and Sarah if you
