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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)