Category: volunteering

My 4th of July Kibbutz Volunteer Experience

by standinlovejen, posted in Adventure, Passion, volunteering

I don’t know what it is about the 4th of July that scratches my insatiable travel itch but I have my suspicions.

Perhaps a dose of nostalgia?

Or the undeniable truth that I have a deep-seated passion for global adventures.

I long to explore untraveled parts of the world in order to connect with locals,  to communicate in unfamiliar languages,  to discover new sights, sounds, smells, tastes,  and to collect incredible stories along the way to share with friends and family.

One of my favorite 4th of July travel memories dates back to the summer of 2000.   I willingly agreed to join my dear friend Jesica in Israel en route to a volunteer job on a small kibbutz in the beautiful Negev desert.

Our assignment:  Harvesting the world’s most plump, succulent, mouthwatering dates.

Journey

We connected at Ben Gurion airport in the wee hours of the night, completely jet lagged, yet buzzing with anticipation of the mysterious adventure that lie ahead of us.   Our unairconditioned room was sparsely decorated and I specifically recall sleeping with the overhead light on to deter the scurrying cockroaches in search of a cooler oasis.  Little did I know this wouldn’t be the last time I’d be sleeping with the lights on;  The volunteer housing I would call home for the next 3 months had similarly sparse and buggy decor!  Yikes!

The following morning, volunteer assignment in hand and typical overpacked backpack & acoustic guitar in tow, we traveled 4.5 hours south to our home away from home,  a charming hilltop kibbutz named Grofit.   Located in the Aravah valley of the Negev desert, this place would serve as a classroom of sorts, rewarding us with the kind of life lessons that only stepping out of your comfort zone provides.

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Kibbutz Grofit with date fields in the distance (left).

 

Kibbutz Life

A kibbutz is essentially a commune of people sharing land, resources, and the desire to enjoy a family friendly, relaxed lifestyle.  Today, kibbutz residents represent only 2.5% of Israel’s total population and while current modes of operation are far from the pioneering days, they continue to attract tourists as well as locals seeking a peaceful getaway from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

What I cherished most from my experience was the daily community fellowship, the meals enjoyed together prepared by loving hands, and above all, the opportunity to experience multiple cultures, languages, and rich conversations daily.    It was a chance to serve the needs of the kibbutz and in exchange we received the freedom to embark on once-in-a -lifetime adventures including an overnight hike up Mt. Sinai, lead by a team of Bedouins and camels,  snorkeling in the Red Sea in Dahab, and the thrill of meeting a local Jordanian family thanks to our taxi driver who insisted we stop in for a visit at 11:45pm to meet his relatives!   I will never forget that night!

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Each day, I shared 10 hours with migrant workers from India & Thailand,  as well as volunteers from Belgium, Poland, France, Denmark, and South Africa!  Talk about the learning opportunities!

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At dawn, our team drove into the date fields, feeling the coolness of night before the sun rose to the east over the Jordanian mountains.

The work was physical, the heat oppressive.

At times,  I  pondered the social injustices of the world as I placed nets around the unripened date fruits high in the sky.   I marveled at the agility and fearlessness of my Thai and Indian teammates, and admired their fortitude despite the dire circumstances which brought them thousands of miles away from loved ones in order to make a living.

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Lessons

Freedom to travel is a gift.

Service to others is a gift.

Relationships are a gift.

Learning is a gift.

Curiosity is a gift.

and gifts….. well……

Gifts are meant to be shared with the world.   Thank you for allowing me the gift and freedom of sharing this story with you!

What is your favorite 4th of July memory?  I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Until next time friends,

Stand In Love,  Jen xo

Jennifer Miller is a Las Vegas-based dōTERRA Wellness Advocate and  Community Partner volunteer  for global nonprofit BeadforLife and Street Business School whose mission is to provide entrepreneurial training to 1 million impoverished people globally by 2027.   Click here for a listing of upcoming events, or Follow her on Instagram or Facebook @standinlovejen .  To begin your natural health and wellness journey today with essential oils, click here .

 

 

 

 

 

Why I am A BeadforLife Volunteer

by standinlovejen, posted in Beadforlife, Female Entrepreneurship, Passion, Purpose, volunteering

My love and passion for BeadforLife began in the summer of 2009.   I vividly recall the overwhelming emotion swelling inside my heart as I carefully unpacked my first sample collection of beautifully colored, handmade Ugandan jewelry in my first-floor office at local, family owned fine jeweler in Las Vegas, MJ Christensen Diamonds.

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The intense afternoon sun beamed like a laser on the recycled-paper beads the way light strikes the table of a diamond and disperses an extraordinary display of rainbow colors .   Many years came to pass before I understood how this journey would unfold, but I knew one thing for certain: we were destined to be together.

BeadforLife’s mission is to create sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of poverty by connecting people worldwide in a circle of exchange that enriches everyone. 

Benefits of BeadforLife.

B.   A breakthrough in finding BALANCE in life.

Serving as a voice for the 1.7 billion people surviving on less than $1.95 a day undoubtedly introduces a more balanced perspective.

E.  The gift of EXPLORATION.

Find hidden talents as you learn to advocate for the eradication of poverty by speaking to community groups, sharing the vision of entrepreneurial freedom, and creating marketplaces for their incredible handmade jewelry.

A.  Go on an ADVENTURE of a lifetime.

As a Community Partner volunteer, every step of the way is an absolute adventure complete with new friendships, new ideas, and new awareness!  Your journey will be unique, and your story unlike any other.

D.  DISCOVER yourself, the women in the programs, and your true potential in life.

F.  It’s FUN and FULFILLING to volunteer and join hands with like-minded changemakers around the world!

O.  Receive and give the gift of OPPORTUNITY.

Not only will you be providing hope and inspiration to deeply impoverished women across the globe living on less than $1.95 a day, you will receive unlimited personal growth opportunities in exchange.

R.  The RECOGNITION that we are all connected as global citizens.

L.  Surround yourself in LOVE.

This is an organization oozing with love.  From the moment I first met co-founder Torkin Wakefield, to the time I spent with her daughter, Devin, on the ground in Uganda, it was apparent:  LOVE fills every space of the work they do.  Love for serving others, love and honest appreciation for the volunteers and Ugandan staff,  love for the bold mission that drives their work everyday.  Love is rolled into each and every bead, and love is rolled into the hearts and minds of the women who are served by the numerous life-changing programs.

I.  Realize the IMPACT your contribution makes.

Friends and family of the generous Las Vegas community have raised nearly $200,000 to date for BeadforLife, directly impacting over 40,000 women and families in Uganda and East Africa.  This brings them closer to reaching their ambitious goal of providing           1 million deeply impoverished women worldwide with entrepreneurial training by 2017 via a 6-month mobile classroom called Street Business School.  

F.  Practice your FAITH, and FACE your FEARS.

Traveling to Uganda as a volunteer communications correspondent was the result of ground-breaking, fear-busting intention!  After grappling with the inherent anxieties of a lengthy overseas journey, coupled with my personal struggle with anxiety disorder, I learned there was no way around it, only through it.  I just had to do it and “do it afraid”.   It took 6 years for me to take that step, and I am so glad I did.

E.  EMBRACE your inner truth.

We cannot deny that to which we feel called.  Are you longing to serve in a particular capacity, using your unique gifts and talents? What would you do? With whom would you like to share these gifts to serve a higher purpose? I invite you to ask yourself these questions and when you discover the initial answers, ask “why?” to each layer and you may just discover a little bit about your inner voice waiting patiently to be released to the world!

Stand In Love,

xo, Jen

Jennifer Miller is a Las Vegas-based dōTERRA Wellness Advocate, Speaker, and Marketing Consultant.  She volunteers as a Community Partner for global nonprofit BeadforLife, whose mission is to provide entrepreneurial training to 1 million impoverished people globally by 2027.   Click here for a listing of upcoming events, or Follow her on instagram or Facebook @standinlovejen .  To host your own BeadforLife fundraiser or dōTERRA Essential Oil party, please email: deboughjl@gmail.com .  

 

Strength in Surrender

by standinlovejen, posted in Connection, volunteering

What comes to your mind when you hear the word surrender?  Do you equate surrender with weakness, giving up, capitulation, or renunciation?  Maybe you envision white flags raised high by weary arms calling for peace.  Perhaps you recall a historic surrender like that fateful day,  April 9th, 1865,   Robert E. Lee met face to face with opposing leader General Grant accepting his call for surrender ending the bloodshed of the Civil War.  Or maybe you see surrender as a tender notion, expressed below by the gentle words of author Marianne Williamson,

“Something amazing happens when we surrender and just love.  We melt into another world, a realm of power already with us.  The world changes when we change, the world softens when we soften.  The world loves us when we choose to love the world.”

There is beauty in surrender.   In a world that urges us to believe we control every outcome,  convinces us to try harder to accomplish every goal, I surrender to the belief that what we need most is to lay our burdens down.  What relief is found when we give up control, willingly, and lay our troubles, our uncertainties, our pain and grief, and our quest for clarity at the foot of the Cross.

Spiritual Surrender

When I think of surrender, I think of an inimitable spiritual warrior named Dennis Robinson, with whom I shared a cup of coffee and conversation in the small Crossroads Church kitchen one Sunday morning while serving on a Samaritan’s Purse deployment last month.  Imagine a remarkably tall, lean and mean Santa Claus type machine in his 60’s riding a Harley instead of driving a sleigh, donning a black, sleeveless t-shirt with a Harley Davidson logo that reads live to serve in lieu of live to ride.  Snow-white beard and mustache hiding his broad smile, eyes that draw you inside the depths of his soul, arms outstretched wide, Dennis is an undeniable master of embrace.

Now a 9-year Samaritan’s Purse volunteer veteran serving as team leader, Dennis’s journey to surrender didn’t come without a fight.  As record-breaking hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene hit the East Coast in September 1999 causing unprecedented damage, Dennis was enduring an inundation of a mental kind.    Struggling with an 8-year depression, a time period that included daily alcohol and substance abuse, withdrawal, and stonewalling, Dennis recalled what he described as, “being completely checked out emotionally. ”  

In 2006, four years after leaving his full-time contracting career and well into the depths of his depression, he recalled receiving a postcard invitation to a local church in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina, a place he called home since 1989.  Struggling in his marriage with all the turmoil at the time, they decided to give it a try.

  “Going to church made me feel worse.” Dennis said, ” I felt I didn’t belong at all and didn’t want to go back.”  Dennis told me he was far from God and reminisced about his parochial school upbringing in the Bronx.    I asked Dennis what kind of work he was involved in from 2002-2007 for work, to which he replied:

“Beer drinker, pot smoker, and occasional handyman.“

On August 1st of 2007, after hitting rock bottom, Dennis unloaded his personal items from his pick-up truck and headed towards a tree he had premeditated would end his seemingly purposeless life of pain and suffering.

“I knew I could get up to 100 mph before hitting that tree head on.“

As he drove down that familiar North Carolinian road prepared to end his life, a voice broke through the antagonizing noise of his disempowered, completely discouraged mind prompting him, “Go past the tree! Go past the tree!”

Dennis drove past the tree, past the luring temptation to end his life,  and steered his pick-up truck by the grace of God into a nearby rehabilitation center.  On the second night of a six-day stay in the psych ward, Dennis  wandered the hallways at 2 am while others were sedated into deep sleep.

“What are you doing here?… what are you doing here?”

……. questioned a voice he said he could hear clearly.  That night after hours of tiresome contemplation, Dennis  enjoyed what he called, “ the best night of sleep in years”.  The following morning, the 3rd day, he woke up and called pastor Benji Kelly of New Hope Church in Durham, North Carolina and asked him to come with his Bible and pray with him.   It was time to surrender, or in Dennis’ words, “When you are that low, where do you have to go but to your knees?”   

On the other side of surrender

Dennis celebrates his surrender annually, on August 3rd, or  ,”Call Day”, as he refers to it, commemorating his call to his pastor, his call to a Higher Power begging for a new beginning.  Approximately 4 months later on November 17th, 2007,  Dennis decided it was time to surrender a life of brokenness and uncertainty, a life of mistakes, and a life that deserved a second chance, by inviting Christ into his life forever.    By  August 10, 2010,   nearly 3 years after accepting God into his life, Dennis deepened his surrender, accepting a calling to full-time volunteer ministry with Samaritan’s Purse .  This work takes his gift of surrender, combines it with his spiritual gifts of encouragement and service and impacts the lives of those suffering from the devastating effects of natural disasters around the US.

I asked Dennis how surrender impacted his life. His response,

“The greatest thing in my life about TOTAL surrender is the overwhelming sense of freedom! Knowing that God is in total control of my life, as long as I listen to and submit to His will, what more can one ask for in this life?”

Like this gorgeous song from Casting Crowns reminds us, Dennis traded in his old chains and took up his new name.

I am so thankful he did, because I cannot imagine a world without Dennis’ formidable helping hands or that incredible embrace.  Dennis has survived personal turmoil and disaster, making him a compassionate servant in his relief work, connecting easily to the broken hearted vicitims.   “I DO understand your pain,” he says to the broken-hearted upon arriving at their homes in complete disarray.

Disasters into designs.  Like Dennis, we are created on purpose, with a purpose, for a purpose.  Surrender to that call.  What beauty is found in a new identity. You don’t have to be your old self. There is power and redemption in a new name.  I received mine in 1999.

Are there areas in your life you think you may need to surrender, counter-intuitively trusting the notion that letting go is better than holding on?

Please enjoy some photos of my friend Dennis and please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

Thank you Dennis, for Standing in Love daily as Ephesians 6:10-20 reminds us! What a blessing you are to so many!  

Jennifer

 

 

 

Many parts, one body.

by standinlovejen, posted in Connection, volunteering

 “To love is to be vulnerable.  Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will become untreatable, impenetrable, irredeemable.  To love is to be vulnerable.”                      – C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves 

At 7:40 am on Tuesday morning, I felt my own heart’s vulnerability as I clasped hands for the last pray out time with Suzanne, a Billy Graham chaplain from California, and Julietta, a beautiful, young, traveling nurse turned full-time office manager volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse, in a tightly knit circle of prayer.  Tears streamed down my face as I encountered the heartbreak that comes with leaving new friends behind and the joy of new beginnings unfolding amidst times of uncertainty.  I have never been great at goodbyes. Goodbyes are like litmus tests gauging the quality of an experience.  The deeper the connections and the more profound the interaction with others,  the harder the goodbye.  This was no easy goodbye.

I landed overwhelmed with gratitude, quieted by exhaustion, and spiritually renewed as I returned to life back home, life before witnessing the daily routines in an ongoing disaster area affecting over 100,000 southern Louisiana residents.  Undoubtedly, the experience varies from person to person; however, I believe one thing remains the same for each of us involved, and it is best summarized by the concise, poignant words of C.S. Lewis:

“You have not chosen one another, but I have chosen you for one another.”

Wow, let that marinate for a minute.

After several hours in my favorite local coffee shop this morning unpacking my thoughts and fond memories, I returned home and retreated to the comfort and safety of my bedroom, shades pulled, bulldog and pug snoring on the dry floor beside me, with spiral notebooks, hard covered journals, colored index cards, an open student Bible given to me during a spiritually life-changing experience in France 17 years ago, highlighters, and all sorts of writing tools with which I attempt to catch passing thoughts and release to paper,  I paused to give praise, by way of tears of gladness, to the One who authored this experience.   I humbly realized that I did not decide to go to Louisiana, rather, God chose Louisiana to be a healing ground for me and for all the others who joined in the relief efforts.  God’s plans are immensely wider and His love runs profoundly deeper than our human minds will ever comprehend.  He chose this experience for each of us, knowing how to satisfy the longings of our souls.  This distinction keeps me in awe and wonder of our Maker.

Spiritual Gifts

Having spent several days a passenger in the backseat of Drew and Pat Alexander’s Subaru Outback to and from work sites each day, I gained a unique vantage point for witnessing their genuine love for each other as well as their deeply rooted passion for serving people in disaster situations.  Drew currently serves as pastor of Folcroft Union Church in addition to his volunteer work as chaplain of the local police and fire departments in Folcroft, Pennsylvania.  He and Pat, his amazingly strong and inspiring wife of 26 years, respond to both Red Cross and Samaritan’s Purse deployments, and in the late nineties, they spent two years overseeing boarding school children of missionaries in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.  I asked them both what drives their volunteerism on a ride home from Abbeville, La. that Saturday afternoon.

“I believe we were given the gift of service“, he replied from behind the steering wheel in a low-toned voice likened to Tony Dungee’s by one fellow SP volunteer.   Drew went on to share the importance of using spiritual gifts, and emphasized the distinction between spiritual gifts and talents.  “Talents can frustrate“, said Drew, “but [using] gifts is refilling.  When we are not using our gifts, we feel stifled, stuck, and tend to stagnate.” 

As we returned back to our home-away-from- home, Crossroads Church– the welcoming  lighthouse location providing long-term shelter and much appreciated provisions for several dozens of overnight volunteers, I contemplated the masterful design of this Samaritan’s Purse (SP) team and all the gifts it had to offer to the residents of Louisiana, and to each other.

There were no coincidences on this trip.

God masterfully and purposefully painted the smallest details into this Lafayette team canvas with variegated brush strokes, each volunteer a vivid prism of color combined to form a rainbow palette of spiritual gifts to share.  As the apostle Paul states in his analogy of the church to a human body in 1 Corinthians 12:12 :

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.” 

I likened the rest of this passage (vv 12-27) to the joint effort of volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse and Crossroads Church.   Today I jotted down a list of all the extraordinarily talented volunteers who made the experience possible, as well as the number of things that happened behind the scenes to keep such a large, long-term disaster relief operation running  smoothly.  I cannot say enough about the incredible stories of those with whom I had the privilege of serving.

While this list isn’t exhaustive, it allows the formation of a mental picture to accompany the “many parts, all one body” illustration.  Furthermore, it is intended to thank all of those who shared, knowingly or unknowingly, their spiritual gifts for the benefit the entire group.

Number of blessings

There’s a sales adage that goes, “the proof’s in the numbers“.

Let us, therefore, consider the numbers:

# of miles flown, # of miles driven , # of prayers lifted, # of circles gathered.  # of Bibles signed and gifted, # meals prepared, served, and shared, # of dishes washed, trips to the grocery store, and # of alarms going off at 3am.

# smiles, hugs, greetings to one another and to homeowners, # tools used, # hands hammering, pulling, lifting, # of sweat beads and tears shed, # dirty orange t-shirts washed each day, # devotions, chaplain prayers, and nightly debriefings. # of welcome visits, new orientation videos, and facilities tours, # squeegeed shower stall walls, lights out at 10, and after hours conversations in the hallways outside the sleeping quarters.

The # of times your body wanted you to rest, but your heart begged you to join one more conversation, stay up just one more hour.

# soaked drywall fragments removed, corners meticulously brushed and scraped, mold infested areas sprayed, and the # of personal effects carried to the curb.  # of lives intersected, laughs shared,  and songs sung.  # of stories told, pasts untold, hurts brought into the light, lives redeemed.  # false beliefs shattered, emotional and physical walls surrendered, # times mere strangers became close friends, and the # of encouragements that helped you make it through another day after difficult night of sleep. # of opportunities to share, to help, to give, and to learn, # of times we had to love our neighbor as ourselves and stand as living testimonies, and the # of times we had the chance to respond to the Gospel’s call to action.

Above all this, the # of times we humbly, without merit, received God’s grace and mercy, and felt his unending love fill our lungs with every breath. 

Thank you God, for providing this gift to us all.

Click here for serving opportunities in Lafayette, Baton Rouge, or Gonzales, Louisiana.  Samaritan’s Purse will be on the ground through the end of October at the earliest, serving the flood victims and their families until the need no longer remains.

Please enjoy this video tribute of my experience with this highly organized, thoughtful, and incredibly nurturing group of volunteers, leaders, and staff of Samaritan’s Purse.  I look forward to the next deployment, and throwing on my favorite orange t-shirt.

Stand in Love,

Jen

 

 

 

 

Chick-Fil-A-Eight

by standinlovejen, posted in Connection, People, Purpose, volunteering

Lafayette welcomed the “Chick-Fil-A Eight” as they have been nicknamed, two days ago from Dayton, Ohio.

A franchise owner of two Dayton suburban locations took Chick- Fil-A’s official corporate mission statement to an entirely new level.

“To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us.  To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-Fil-A.”

As her Miamisberg location, the nations top performing location in 2015, undergoes expansion renovation, her employees were given the opportunity to earn their normal wages while serving flood diaster victims here in Lafayette.

A team of 8 workers, including Dayton training director Samantha drove 14 hours Wednesday to serve while their shop’s reopening date was pushed back.  Ranging in age from 18-23 years old, the team of 8 joined leader Bob for the most difficult job assignment in this area to date.

The homeowner is a recently widowed man living with his pregnant daughter and son as well as his granddaughter age 3.  Next  to his home is his machine shop where he makes his living.  This property is still under water and the devastation has compounded leaving homeowner utterly hopeless.

Enter Samaritan’s  Purse team of 17, including the “Chick-Fil-A Eight”. 


Amidst the debris, festering mold spores, and dampened memories rested an American flag, soaked in standing flood water.

Dylan, a recently injured U.S. Marine now working full time for the Chick- Fil-A franchise outside of Dayton, respectfully folded the flag with  coworker Brittin and  presented it to the broken-hearted homeowner’s son, Trey, in a solemn moment at the end of the day.


Not only had Trey recently lost his mother, now his home and life as he knew it had been washed away in the flood.

The team will return to the site again today to continue the work as well as bring light, hope, and the message of the Gospel to this family hurting from life’s tumultuous storms.

This morning’s group devotional called us to ponder the reason for our volunteerism.  To consider the states of our hearts. Are we here for our own plans, or are we woven  into the tapestry of Lafayette for a purpose much larger than our current understanding?

The longer I stay here, the clearer that bigger purpose has become. It is in these moments of deep connection with humanity that we contemplate our true, meaningful existence on Earth.  These times of trials are Faith’s most glorious chance for refinement and reinvigoration.

I have fallen in love with the people of Louisiana, and Lafayette in particular is making what will soon become an indelible mark on my heart.


These are the moments I live for and I am on my knees in humble gratitude for God stirring my heart to come.

He always knows just what we need, right when we need it.

 

“For I know the plans I have for You declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ” – Jermiah 29:11

 

May the floods in your life remind you of what needed to be washed away, so that new beginnings may take root.

Share your thoughts in the comments if Louisiana has touched you in any way.  We learn from each other and take comfort knowing we are not alone in this life.

Stand in love, ❤️

Jen

@standinlovejen

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Jennifer DeBough Miller

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Love that goes the distance. 

by standinlovejen, posted in Love, volunteering

The rains in southern Lousiana descended on Friday, August 12th beginning around 7am according to homeowner Elizabeth Wedlake as we sat under a shade tree in her front yard on Pilgrimage Drive, soaked in sweat from the southern summer heat, the air thick with post flood humidity. The coolies just behind her backyard fence still full to the brim with the city’s backed up sewage, and the grass damp from continuous rainfall over the past two weeks.

Facing a heap of ruined home furnishings, torn dry wall fragments, and bags of trash, Elizabeth graciously shared her story with me.

Elizabeth and Sean Wedlake’s front lawn when we arrived

“My biggest concern is for my two children and my folks’ home that flooded about 1/2 mile up the road. “

That’s what Elizabeth shared with me when asked what troubles her most about the recent devastation.

As our 10-person Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief team, lead by kind hearted veteran volunteer Lenny Carr, began tearing apart her kitchen one cabinet at a time in search for mold spores, homeowners Sean and Elizabeth Wedlake looked on to see everything they have built up in the past couple of years ripped to shreds by crowbars and a variety of commonly used demolition tools.

Recently married and parents of two children, a 10-year old girl named Maria with autism and a baby boy of two years named Joseph, the couple had settled in this home four years ago.  Joseph lost his job last summer in the oil field business and the couple has been struggling to make ends meet.

Looking out her back window Friday morning around 8:30 am she saw this:


By 12:45 pm the same day, the water levels looked like this:


The water from the coolie, a type of drainage canal, located directly behind their home had backed up forcing them to hastily dig up bricks from their front lawn flower garden to form a makeshift barricade.

Worried about staying or attempting to evacuate in the midst of quickly rising flood waters they decided to wait it out hoping the rain would soon relent.

“Maria went to stay with my mom and dad down the way the night before the storm” Elizabeth told me, “because she is really afraid of thunder and storms. She has a great connection to my parents.”

By early morning on Saturday the 13th, the water had risen to this level:


Elizabeth, a high school art teacher at Nish New Iberia Senior High School in Lafayette, a town of just over 120,000 in the heart of “Cajun country” returned back to work in her school a couple of weeks prior.

Calling 911 for help that morning, she received confirmation that someone would be there to help evacuate her home.

City Marshalls as well as the local Cajun Navy dispatched boats for search and rescue.  Locals took out their own boats and started patrolling the area looking for stranded homeowners and pets.

Within an hour, members of the National Guard arrived to pick up Elizabeth and her husband, with 2 year old baby Joseph in tow.


8 days later Samaritan’s Purse arrived to help gut her flooded kitchen and pick up where her colleagues and friends left off.

“It’s been incredible to see everyone come together in Lafayette.  We have been so blessed to receive an outpouring of support from both Samaritan’s Purse as well as friends and family of friends from work. “

Elizabeth started a “Go Fund Me” campaign on Facebook to drive support for her parents home – as they lack flood insurance like so many in this area.

Field Updates.

To date there have been over 1100 volunteer hours logged at the Lafayette location with Samaritan’s  Purse with over 100 volunteers checking in to serve on day shifts or take part of extended stay trips.

Volunteers arrived from New York, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Texas, California, and Indiana.

Today I heard a story from the field about a family who drove from Alabama to a flood affected area and set up a tent to grill and serve freshly cooked meals for dozens of locals.

It’s been one day on the ground here so far and I am reminded why I came here: the joys and blessings in service always outweigh the giving.  The people serving from this home base at Crossroad’s Church are united and committed to staying in the area until the work orders are completed.  The people of Louisiana are committed to each other and to their faith, supporting each other every step of the way.

With over 140 open requests for disaster help in the Lafayette area, and 6 job sites completed so far, the need for volunteers is great.

If you would like to help, or have a faith- based or community group willing to get involved , please Click here.  Please pray for all those affected, that God would bring restoration and healing for all those hurting.

Jen

Volunteers Dressing Women For Success

by standinlovejen, posted in Purpose, volunteering

“Lena, what are your favorite colors? What makes you feel comfortable.. pants or skirts?”, asked lead volunteer and suiting stylist Joanne Steffen, a confident and poised woman, in the most welcoming, hospitable tone of voice this morning when introduced to her 10 am client.

“Purple and black.”, Lena replied.  “And I prefer pants.”

“Perfect!” , Joanne continued, “This is simply a style conversation so we understand your preferences, what works for you and will make you feel good at work!..”, she said smiling with an air of warmth and friendship, connecting her to the determined, yet consciously uncomfortable woman standing in front of her dressed in a pink tank top, black workout shorts and jogging shoes with her long, thick black hair tied loosely in a bun atop her 5’4″ frame.

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Joanne whisked Lena away to her private dressing room inviting her to settle in and make herself comfortable with the same enthusiasm as a Saks Fifth Avenue personal shopper wardrobing a high-end client.    The goal was simple.  Personal transformation and powerful self-esteem building.

Please allow me to introduce you to Dress for Success Southern Nevada.

“Founded in 2009,  Dress for Success Southern Nevada (DFSSN) is the local affiliate of the international nonprofit that empowers women to achieve economic independence by enabling them to build a career and become self sufficient.   The organization assists local women in the Las Vegas valley looking to get back on their feet by providing professional attire, a network of support, and career development tools to help them thrive in work and life.”

Lena, a native New Mexican, arrived in Las Vegas via Colorado only four months ago and is beginning a new journey of rebuilding her life by kick starting her career.  Transition.  The in-between.  Her new job assignment?  A full-time position as an auditor for a small, local casino.   A single mother of two grown children, Lena spent the past twenty-four years as a school bus driver to make ends meet.  “I was able to take my kids with me to work when they were growing up”, she said as she popped out from behind the dressing room curtain in her first pair of black trousers and flat black shoes.  “I grew up on a ranch, we don’t wear skirts and heels..”, she chuckled at the sight of a brightly colored turquoise maxi skirt I thought would compliment her lush, golden skin tone, which at this point was glistening with perspiration.  “I’d be afraid the wind would blow and my skirt will be up next to my face!”, she laughed candidly as I placed the skirt on the go back rack outside her room.

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Joanne’s skills as a retired nurse and President/CEO of a large, national managed health care practice emerged as she handed Lena a few moist wet wipes to clear her brow and cool her neck.   Plugging in a fan outside the two dressing rooms, Joanne continued to focus on Lena’s comfort first,  assuring her sense of enjoyment during the somewhat daunting, albeit highly rewarding process of selecting 15-16 different flattering and professional outfits for two week’s worth of employment.

We zoomed back and forth into a large area of generously donated clothing at the rear of the commercially located office space on W. Desert Inn,  all meticulously sorted by volunteers and thoughtfully merchandised by size, style, and sleeve length.  Racks of clean, patterned and solid colored dresses, linen, cotton, and wool suit jackets, camisoles, skirts, and trousers hung neatly separated by size rounders beside shelves of shoes of varying heel heights.  “15-16 different outfits in 90 minutes?” , I kept thinking to myself in astonishment.  “These stylists are practicing an art form!  And they are volunteers!”

Yes.  You read that correctly.  Volunteers.

*(BIG HUGS to all the volunteers in the world.  YOU ARE AWESOME!  Each life is worthy and you ARE making a difference!)*

Best part of being a personal stylist at Dress For Success Southern Nevada…  no previous experience in fashion industry required!  If you know how to put an outfit together that is polished and professional, mixing your creativity  with the available, donated resources, and have a passion in your heart for lifting a woman’s confidence and self-worth you can join this amazing team!  They have volunteer openings to help style clients, sort donations, file paperwork,  and even help by sewing or letting out seams!

Dress for Success Southern Nevada hosts several annual events like the “Power Walk”, which is how volunteer stylist leader Joanne Steffen first became involved.  “I saw Paula Lawrence, executive director, on Fox 5 talking about the upcoming event and  having just retired, realized I could donate my entire professional wardrobe.” she stated.  ” I believe women need to improve their self-esteem.  They often feel beaten down, and it’s our job to lift them up”, she replied passionately when asked what she loves most about her volunteer work over the past three years with the organization.

We wrapped up the styling session in the accessories room, where Lena was encouraged to pick out a couple of necklaces to coordinate with her new suit jackets.  “I haven’t worn jewelry in such a long time”, she said  while slipping a sterling silver fashion necklace with brightly colored purple gemstones in the shape of a cross around her neck.  “I really like this one!”,  she smiled.  “Great! It’s going home with you along with all your new outfits, your new purse,  2 pairs of shoes, shapewear, and professional tote bag for work!”, peeped Joanne from around the corner as she loaded up her treasures in fresh garment bags organized by outfit on hangers, including labeled tags inside items to help Lena distinguish colors for those she couldn’t decipher due to her color blindness.

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Gorgeous transformation! 

How to Get Involved

Simple.

Donate: Take a look through your closet… Any articles of clothing lingering that no longer fit you?  Lost weight or gained weight and need to clear some space in your home and your mind for that matter?  Perhaps you’ve graduated into a new decade of life and would like to let go of old age-inappropriate items?  Or maybe you just want to detach from a former identity… and recreate a new persona.   Through this giving, you will be both a blessing to another, and to yourself.

“Really small sizes like 0-2 as well as larger sizes 16+ are the greatest needs by our clients”, mentioned Joanne at the end of our visit together.   “We can suit up to 10 women a day, based on our volunteer schedule, and often the women we serve show up wearing the only pair of underwear they have,  if any at all.”

Volunteer:  It takes a village of compassionate hearts to create ripples in the world.  Have a couple of hours to invest to impact the lives of women directly in your area?

Lena, inspired by her new wardrobe which will impact her confidence as she heads into her new job next week, knowing she has a full two week’s worth of new clothing.

Joanne, inspired by Lena’s change in attitude after their two-hour transformation session.

How to Make Last Changes.

Reminds me of a concept Tony Robbins refers to as the  Six Steps For Creating Lasting Change taken from his bestselling book, “Awaken The Giant Within“:

1. Decide What You Really Want and What’s Preventing You From Having It.

2. Get Leverage:  Associate Massive Pain to Not Changing Now and Massive Pleasure to the Experience of Changing Now.

3. Interrupt the Limiting Pattern.

4. Create a New Empowering Alternative.

5. Condition the Pattern Until It’s Consistent.

6. Test It!

“We do not care where you have been, we only care where you are going”, is the guiding principle in this organization.

Jen

 

The Face of Micro Enterprise: Becka Babwairani

by standinlovejen, posted in Beadforlife, volunteering
Becka Babwairani in front of produce stand
Becka Babwairani in front of produce stand

Have you ever wondered what it looks like to have a small business in a developing nation?  Please allow me to introduce you to Becka Babwairani, a 45 year old mother of 5 girls in Uganda.  Her husband left her 3 years ago because she was unable to produce a boy for him.  Left to her own devices to support a growing and needy family, she worked as a digger on a nearby farm.    After attending BeadforLife’s Street Business School training in Bulogo with the Bulogo Women’s Group, Becka learned she had the potential to be one savvy entrepreneur!  Pictured above with her sweet snacking bananas, eggs from chickens she rears, as well as cooking oil she sells for as little as a tablespoons at a time (100-200 UGS about .05$).   Becka started her business selling cooking oil, a Ugandan staple, bit by bit.  Gradually, she reinvested profits to grow and expand her businesses that also include a small retail shop in the front room of her home, where she sells g-nuts (local nut similar to a peanut, used to make a delicious sauce poured over cooked beans)  biscuits, laundry soap, sugar, and other small commodities.   While we were talking, a young boy stopped to buy some bananas and she instructed one of her beautiful daughters to “be sure to put that money in the banana business compartment”.   Becka keeps track of her businesses separately, a result of the bookkeeping training session.  She understands the fundamental business principles of ROI, and is now empowered to monitor the individual successes of her small businesses.   Seated on a simple hand hewn wooden bench with 3 of her girls, Left to right: Lovinsa 18, Sylvia 15, Gloria 7, and her grandson Jeffrey on her lap, she shared with us ripple effect her training is having on her community, in particular her faith community.  According to Becka, she has started a “hunger” for education and business training in her church community, and feels fortunate to be a testimony of change and access to training and opportunity.

“Faith plays a very important role in business,”  shared Becka, ” you do not cheat your business, you must be honest and fair about pricing, and you will reap the benefits.”

It didn’t stop there, Becka later on shared in her story that her goal is to move to the larger town of Nmendwa in order to further expand her businesses.   As the leader in her home, and a leader in her church, Becka seeks to provide the best for her families, modeling a hard work ethic for her 4 girls whom she hopes to keep in school and continue to provide for their school fees- a right reserved for those with income capacity.

I am drawing near the end of Maya Angelou’s autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings“, and have been contemplating the power of education.   Through her incredibly descriptive account of her life’s hardships, I have been afforded a glimpse into the history of racial discrimination, been exposed to a wealth of rich vocabulary, and have pondered the transformational impacts of educating women.   Each causing me to reflect, research, and mull them over in my relentlessly analytical mind.  Maya, like Becka, displayed a level of determination in life that is driven from within, from a place of deep-rooted injustices caused to her, and makes the choice to overcome.

” Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently”- Maya Angelou

Becka holding grandson Jeffrey, with daughters Lovinsa, Sylvia, and Gloria
Becka holding grandson Jeffrey, with daughters Lovinsa, Sylvia, and Gloria
Becka's small retail shop
Becka’s small retail shop
selling to neighborhood client
selling to neighborhood client

Never underestimate your own or another’s potential.

For more information on how you can help deliver the promise of opportunity to a woman living in extreme poverty in Uganda, please click the link below!

Tomorrow the “Ignite One Million” campaign will go public!

http://vegas.ignite1million.org

http://www.beadforlife.org

Discovering Uganda For the First Time

by standinlovejen, posted in Adventure, Beadforlife, Passion, Purpose, volunteering

Mujjebale!

“Hello! ”

And greetings from Kampala!

Today I’m headed downtown and will take my first boda- boda (motorcycle taxi) ride around the area with Steven- a designated and trusted boda driver.

I enjoyed an exploratory walk yesterday evening into a neighboring village called Mbuya to find a church to attend tomorrow, as well as practice a few Luganda phrases with passerby that I studied with Joann earlier in the day.   Perched on a hilltop with views of Kampala’s rolling hills and lush tropical valley I discovered “Our Lady of Africa” Catholic Church.  Services are held in both Luganda and English- with traditional and charismatic services offered.   The church is 200 meters from a UNICEF office and adjacent to a couple of outreach ministries serving locally infected HIV- AIDS community members.   As is customary in Uganda, I was given the warmest welcome by a staff member and thanked for coming to Uganda to serve with BeadforLife.  Greetings are an essential part of any conversation here- and to skip over them is considered impolite.  I will fit in just fine – a native mid- westerner…. When asked how we are doing, think of the old Beer  commercials and the exchange at the bar— you will often get more info than you planned!

A Luganda word I love:  “Bambi” (pronounced like the Disney film) Means Please…    How sweet!

Attached is a photo of a precious group of children I encountered while leaving Bugolobi hill where I stay.  They approached me with wonder and curiosity and greeted me with the most proper of British English accents  ” hello ma’am, how are you today?” My heart melted and we stopped to visit and take a photo together.  These moments are pure joy and pure bliss!