This week is Thanksgiving! A great time to spend together with family eating Thanksgiving dinner with relatives we only see a few times a year (whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you), watching football, and enjoying some laughs with friends. And lets not forget Black Friday the hottest day of the year for shopping deals! But that's a Blog for another time.
This week I want to get back to what Thanksgiving is really about. Giving Thanks. A lot of times we get swept up in our lives and we don't take the time to really sit back and look at the things that we have. Thanksgiving is no exception, we are rushing to get the food all finish up and the house clean for when the company arrives. And then with a day like Black Friday right after Thanksgiving the busiest day of the year for most people, working at BestBuy it totaly is the busiest day of the year for me!
This year I challenge you to take a step back, slow things down a bit. And if you can't do that maybe while you're sitting around that dinner table with family to reflect share something you are thankful for. You might be surprised at what you or your family members are thankful for. As I look at my life I see many things that I am thankful for. Being able to share Thanksgiving with loved ones, Having a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in. All of these are things I have every day, food, shelter, and a bed. Many people may not have that this year.
And so this Thanksgiving, Give Thanks, get back to what Thanksgiving is all about. The first pilgrims to America created Thanksgiving so that they could Give Thanks for what they had, I hope that this Thanksgiving you will do the same.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Cambodia
A few weeks ago I talked about Cambodia. Now it wasn't by chance that I chose this country to write about. I chose it because this summer for about three months I will be going go this country. I am very excited for this opportunity that I have to be making this trip. About two months ago I decided that I wanted to make this trip and have been planing and working out the details through Envision Culture.
Now I'm not just making this trip because I feel like getting out of the country and such. No, I decided to make this trip because of one single purpose. Jesus. I want to tell people in Cambodia about Jesus. There are less than 2% of the population in Cambodia that have a faith in Jesus Christ. Envision Culture works with the people already in the country.
Once there I will be working hands on with the international workers already there. I will most likely be helping in English summer camps. Speaking in only English I will be teaching the kids there how to speak English so they will have a better chance at getting a job in the future. There is nothing I love more then helping children achieve their goals.
A long with being excited for this trip I am also very nervous. There is so much I will be leaving behind. My family, my girl friend, two jobs, and much more. But if I wasn't 100% sure this was something I was supposed to do. I wouldn't be doing it.
Now I'm not just making this trip because I feel like getting out of the country and such. No, I decided to make this trip because of one single purpose. Jesus. I want to tell people in Cambodia about Jesus. There are less than 2% of the population in Cambodia that have a faith in Jesus Christ. Envision Culture works with the people already in the country.
Once there I will be working hands on with the international workers already there. I will most likely be helping in English summer camps. Speaking in only English I will be teaching the kids there how to speak English so they will have a better chance at getting a job in the future. There is nothing I love more then helping children achieve their goals.
A long with being excited for this trip I am also very nervous. There is so much I will be leaving behind. My family, my girl friend, two jobs, and much more. But if I wasn't 100% sure this was something I was supposed to do. I wouldn't be doing it.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Last week I raised a different country into the view. Today I would like to talk about an issue that I don't believe many people are aware of, and yet it is a huge issue in today society. Human trafficking. Human trafficking is where people, real human beings no different than you or I are sold into slavery, for hard labor or sex. People from all over the world, men, woman, and children.
All of them are either sold by their families to get money so the family can get food for the next week. Or young woman are told they can get a job in another part of the country only to be fooled into the sex trade industry. (www.acf.hhs.gov) These woman are hooked on drugs and then given to men as sexual tools. In the year 2000 the United Nations estimated that one million people were tricked into this industry. With up to 17,500 people coming into our own country (www.pbs.org).
Don't just think that this is just a problem in other countries such as Cambodia, China, and much of Europe. ABC.com tells a story of a young girl from Phoenix AZ. This young girl was taking from her home and held at gun point and forced into a car. ABC says the FBI estmaited that over 100,000 woman are trafficked in the united states today with the average age being 11.
This is a huge problem! We need to raise more attention to this matter. Young girls all over the world and here in our own country and even the state of Wisconsin we have seen this matter. Little girls are being taken from their homes and put in to this nasty business. Remember the movie Taken that came out a few years ago? If you don't really know what the sex trade industry looks like I would recommend watching this movie. However almost all of these girls don't have a super ninja father that is going to track them down and save them. The only way we can prevent more children from falling victim is to raise awareness for this huge world wide problem.
All of them are either sold by their families to get money so the family can get food for the next week. Or young woman are told they can get a job in another part of the country only to be fooled into the sex trade industry. (www.acf.hhs.gov) These woman are hooked on drugs and then given to men as sexual tools. In the year 2000 the United Nations estimated that one million people were tricked into this industry. With up to 17,500 people coming into our own country (www.pbs.org).
Don't just think that this is just a problem in other countries such as Cambodia, China, and much of Europe. ABC.com tells a story of a young girl from Phoenix AZ. This young girl was taking from her home and held at gun point and forced into a car. ABC says the FBI estmaited that over 100,000 woman are trafficked in the united states today with the average age being 11.
This is a huge problem! We need to raise more attention to this matter. Young girls all over the world and here in our own country and even the state of Wisconsin we have seen this matter. Little girls are being taken from their homes and put in to this nasty business. Remember the movie Taken that came out a few years ago? If you don't really know what the sex trade industry looks like I would recommend watching this movie. However almost all of these girls don't have a super ninja father that is going to track them down and save them. The only way we can prevent more children from falling victim is to raise awareness for this huge world wide problem.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
The Bigger Picture
Tonight I would like to bring a foreign country into our minds, that country being Cambodia. There are a little over 13 million people in Cambodia. They won their independence in 1953, but didn't write their constitution until 1993, most likely because of the Vietnam war and the events around those events. Much like the US Cambodia has a executive, legislative, and judicial. However their president(called the King) has been in office since 2004, and the prime minster first got into office in 1985. (state.gov).
However the country of Cambodia is a third-world country. As defined by dictionary.com
However the country of Cambodia is a third-world country. As defined by dictionary.com
"The underdeveloped nations of the world, especially those with widespread poverty". Meaning that most of the people in this country live on less about 10 dollars a day. Much of the country is widespread farming communities that plant enough food to support themselves and their families.
Cambodia has several different cultures and religions. state.com says that other then the 90% of the people born in Cambodia the rest are, "Vietnamese 5%; Chinese 1%; others 4%: small numbers of hill tribes, Cham, and Lao." These people are don't speak the language and will be unable to find jobs because of this problem. Making the poverty in Cambodia worse. Along with the diversity of cultures comes religions. cambodian.info states that the majority is Buddhist with 94%, 3% Islam, 1% Christian and 1% other.
Now I'm not going to ask you to go to Cambodia and change the whole country. I'm just asking that we look beyond our own little world in Wisconsin. There are other people out there outside of the US. Again I'm not asking you to go spend the rest of your life in Cambodia, but if you do anything after reading this, think about the bigger picture.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Life
Remember the good old days back in middle school (maybe even high school), when you had all the time in the world to do what ever you want over the weekend? I remember the days of playing football in the street with my buddies on Sunday afternoons. Getting geared up for a Saturday morning soccer game, making sure my shoe lases are double knotted! However, now my weekends are much different.
Today, I spent the majority of the day writing an outline for a speech that is due tomorrow that, in all honesty, I probably didn't do right so I wont get a very good grade on it. What was left of my time I used to get a little bit of my English paper done. Now hold on just a second, I didn't finish all of the weekend yet. My Saturday was simple, work. I worked all day on Saturday at the local Culver's, and when I say all day I mean all day. I started work at 12:00 in the afternoon; I didn't leave work until around 11:30 that night.
I don't have time for anything! Between working, school, and soccer, my life is booked. I have hardly anytime to sit down and do the things that I enjoy. Like watching football on Sunday, or go out with my girl friend on Saturday. But sadly these things are pushed aside for what is now "more important" matters such as school and work. Work, school; is this all that there is in life?!
The short end of the story is; I'm no longer in middle school. I'm in my second year of college. It's time to grow up, make some sacrifices, do what needs to be done to get successful in life. But is that whats really important? Is that what life is about, getting an education so I can get that top notch job? Or is it about settling down, raising family? What is life about?
Today, I spent the majority of the day writing an outline for a speech that is due tomorrow that, in all honesty, I probably didn't do right so I wont get a very good grade on it. What was left of my time I used to get a little bit of my English paper done. Now hold on just a second, I didn't finish all of the weekend yet. My Saturday was simple, work. I worked all day on Saturday at the local Culver's, and when I say all day I mean all day. I started work at 12:00 in the afternoon; I didn't leave work until around 11:30 that night.
I don't have time for anything! Between working, school, and soccer, my life is booked. I have hardly anytime to sit down and do the things that I enjoy. Like watching football on Sunday, or go out with my girl friend on Saturday. But sadly these things are pushed aside for what is now "more important" matters such as school and work. Work, school; is this all that there is in life?!
The short end of the story is; I'm no longer in middle school. I'm in my second year of college. It's time to grow up, make some sacrifices, do what needs to be done to get successful in life. But is that whats really important? Is that what life is about, getting an education so I can get that top notch job? Or is it about settling down, raising family? What is life about?
Sunday, October 2, 2011
One Step At a Time
Today I want to talk about something that's really been weighing on my heart lately: Suicide. I'm not really sure how I'm going to go about this but I really feel like I should. This past Friday my neighbor committed suicide. His whole family was home; a wife two sons and a daughter that is the same age as my little brother, she is a sophomore in high school this year.
Now I'll be honest and say I never really knew the man that well. But it seems to me like he had a lot to live for. He had a loving wife, two strong sons that are no older then my eleven year old sister. And a daughter that is at a hard point in her life as it is. Questions race through my mind as why he did it. Who's going to teach these two young boys how to be men? Who will show them how to play football? Ride a bike? Who will help this girl with her math when she comes home from school? Who will comfort her when she gets her heart broken? All of these questions with no answer. My heart breaks for this family that no longer has a father.
Last year my uncle died. His death is unknown for sure but we believe that it was suicide. Suicide is a huge deal across the United States and the world. According to AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) over 36,000 people every in the United States alone die by suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old. (AFSP) 36,000 people!! That number is huge! And the third leading cause of death among people my age. These people are mothers, fathers, brothers, loved ones. All of them took their own life because they said that this life wasn't worth it any more.
Well let me tell you something that will blow your mind away: It is worth it. Yeah life sucks; everyday stuff happens to make your life miserable, trust me I know. Life is worth living, there are people out there that love you. Yeah so you just lost your job, or you just got a pay cut and you are having trouble paying the bills. But is that reason enough to kill yourself? NO! It means you have to kick it in gear, get the old train moving. Find a new job or work harder at the job you have now to prove to your boss that you deserve that raise. C.S Lewis once said "What saves a man is to take a step. And another one." To me this quote simply states: don't give up. All you have to do is take it one step at a time.
Now I'll be honest and say I never really knew the man that well. But it seems to me like he had a lot to live for. He had a loving wife, two strong sons that are no older then my eleven year old sister. And a daughter that is at a hard point in her life as it is. Questions race through my mind as why he did it. Who's going to teach these two young boys how to be men? Who will show them how to play football? Ride a bike? Who will help this girl with her math when she comes home from school? Who will comfort her when she gets her heart broken? All of these questions with no answer. My heart breaks for this family that no longer has a father.
Last year my uncle died. His death is unknown for sure but we believe that it was suicide. Suicide is a huge deal across the United States and the world. According to AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) over 36,000 people every in the United States alone die by suicide. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those 15-24 years old. (AFSP) 36,000 people!! That number is huge! And the third leading cause of death among people my age. These people are mothers, fathers, brothers, loved ones. All of them took their own life because they said that this life wasn't worth it any more.
Well let me tell you something that will blow your mind away: It is worth it. Yeah life sucks; everyday stuff happens to make your life miserable, trust me I know. Life is worth living, there are people out there that love you. Yeah so you just lost your job, or you just got a pay cut and you are having trouble paying the bills. But is that reason enough to kill yourself? NO! It means you have to kick it in gear, get the old train moving. Find a new job or work harder at the job you have now to prove to your boss that you deserve that raise. C.S Lewis once said "What saves a man is to take a step. And another one." To me this quote simply states: don't give up. All you have to do is take it one step at a time.
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