Slavery (also, my birthday!)

Slavery.  It's always on my mind.  And I really mean always.  I can't seem to escape the idea, even if I wanted to.  But I don't want to.  I'm desperate to stay awake to this topic, to never ever become numb to the fact that people in this world are OWNED by other people.  There's a million reasons it's not right, and I hope I don't have to explain them to you.

But what I can tell you is that I don't want to go a single day without remembering that it could have been me.  As I have been blessed with freedom, it is my responsibility to do what I can to win this fight.  And maybe what I can do is almost nothing at all.

But I have known for a while that I'm looking for an opportunity to work full-time against human trafficking.  How could I do anything else?  When I was a kid, I had this persistent feeling that I should have been around during the time of slavery, that I should have been there to help in whatever small way that I could.  But I had faith in our world because the slave trade (as I knew it) had already ended, long before I was born. 

But it didn't.  It didn't end.  It didn't.  Not even close.  There are more slaves in the world today than at any other time in history.  Something like 27 million, which is unfathomable to me. 

So what then?  Was I born for such a time as this? 

Well... maybe.

And that's why I'm going to Thailand in March to see if I'd like to work with Blessing Home.  They are a human-trafficking prevention ministry in Pattaya.  Click here for more info - Thailand Methodist Mission

I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing, only that I want God to lead me wherever He wants.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what Thailand is like, and I can't wait to let you know about my experiences there!!

If you'd like to give me a birthday gift, I would love some money to help cover the cost of my plane ticket!

Love you all, and have a beautiful day!

4 assumptions you should make

Windows.  Windows are the best.  You get to see something beautiful (or perhaps something not so beautiful) from the comfort of your own space.  Your chair, your windowsill, your heater or a/c.  A way to see the world outside without being a part of it.

Living in an international community, I'm constantly reminded of my Americanisms.  Like, besides the fact that I miss chicken fingers and big grocery stores, driving and Target; the way that I relate to people is innately American. 

I think some people never leave their exact spot at the window, when it comes to culture.  They like the way they do things, and they don't question it.  Why do you approach people a certain way?  Why do you confront someone or choose not to confront someone?  Because you value honesty or because you value that relationship or because you value politeness or because you've never seen it done another way?  Two people in two different cultures can take a completely different course of action for the same reason, for the same values.  Or for different values, which they've never really considered.  Why should we?  When we live somewhere the culture is generally homogenous, there's no need to.  You can go about life without questioning every little thing you say and do because everyone around is operating with the same basic assumptions. 

For example, I'm a cleaner supervisor in the hostel, and I often (less often now than before) ask my cleaners something like "do you mind mopping in the cafe?" or "do you think you can make the beds in that room?"  Of course, if you're an American, you probably understand the unwritten code that a question from your "boss" isn't really a question at all.  I mean, it's just more polite than saying "Hey you, mop the cafe." It didn't take me too long to realize that this creates some friction.  Like when the cleaner says no and I say "Actually, you have to do it..." And then it becomes a very awkward situation where they feel manipulated, when you were just trying to be sweet.

So why is culture like a window?  Because I can look out my window from one angle my whole life, or I can choose to stand in the corner or stand on a chair to see something new.  I can choose to analyze the angles of the buildings around me and realize that there's so much that I could never see out of my window.  But, in a way, we are trapped by culture.  I can't climb out of the window, and I can't go across the building and look out of a different window.  My window is mine, the one I was born with, and the one I grew up with. 

I can never leave it.  I can travel and get to know people.  I can analyze my own actions and question why I do what I do.  I can lean out the window pretty far before falling out.  But I am American, and I will always be at least a little American, no matter what I learn, even if I travel the whole world. 

But what's the point?  What can we learn from that?  I am who I am and I can't really change so why bother? No!  (Nee! Ne, nein, no, no and no!)  Although we can never fully understand any other culture, or even any other person, we can try a lot harder than we usually do. 

 1. Assume kindness.  No, not everyone is looking out for you, but you should assume that they're not out to get you either.    It's generally true that people are really not trying to be mean or trying to hurt you.  So don't let it hurt you.  E.g. Dutch people can be extremely straight-forward.  Because they value being direct, and they don't see a point in beating around the bush.  So find the connection point.  I, as an American, value efficiency and politeness.  A Dutch person may seem impolite to me, but they're really being super efficient by getting straight to the point.  

 2. Assume unseen motives.  It's so important to be open to the fact that people are operating for motives you don't know.  Don't assume that someone is being selfish or rude or trying to get ahead.  The truth is that mean people are usually hurting people.  And people who annoy you are often insecure people.  The answer is only love.  Love covers a multitude of sins.  (1 Peter 4:8)

3. Assume that a person is worth loving.  Not because it's easy or because you understand them.  But because Jesus died for them and would leave 99 sheep just to look for them.  Don't ever let culture (or even personality differences) get in the way. 

 4. Assume humility.  In the end, you should always serve others, and treat them as if they're all better than you.  Assume that you're not always right.  But you can always love.

And even though you can never escape your own window, I hope you will lean out the window until you feel you're in danger of falling.

 

whirlygig turnarounds

When I look back at 2014, the strangest part is that I left Haiti.

If you see my blog from this time last year, you might see that I said "2014 is the year that I refuse to leave!!"

2014!

And here I am.  I've been in Amsterdam for 6 months already!

I thought I would maybe leave in Haiti forever.  I think the hardest part of following God is to trust Him and relinquish control.  We all want to be the ones who decide where we'll go, what we'll do, who we'll be.  But God has already decided what He wants for us - that we'll go with Him, do His work (which isn't so much work, as much as loving people), and that we'll be His.

From James 4:

(13) Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” (14) Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. (15) Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (16) As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. (17) If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

So I'll not make the same mistake as last year.  I can't say I understand completely why I'm here and not in Haiti, here and not in America, at a hostel and not at a restaurant.  I can only say it's what God is doing, and I hope that every day of my life I will get better and better at listening.   I've seen God at work in Haiti, and I've seen what He's doing here.  And I've been a part of it, and that's so cool.

In another year, who knows where I could be?  Instead, I'll say, that in 2015, I will go with God, love people, and be His.

P.S.  Living here is more expensive than I thought, and I really enjoy blessing guests and cleaners with a random coffee or book.  If you'd like to be a part of that, please use the paypal link to make a small donation.