The Girl Effect

An incredible video explaining a movement called The Girl Effect. It starts with ONE girl.

Please REBLOG and help us get the word out there! When you educate a young impoverished girl, you WILL change the world.

Don't be a passenger

"Don't be a passenger, Be part of the change"


For those of you who can't see this video click here

How we live today will continue to have an impact on our future and the future of our environment. In the 4 minutes that you will watch this video many things will change. It's up to you to make that change for the better. Share the video and join in the movement.

My 2 cents.. what a brilliant video, beautifully made, not only is this movement proudly South African, it's fresh and a new, full of hope and passion! I just love the how anyone can really make a change in the world, we all need to be reminded of that! Another thing this video reminds me of one of my favourite quotes from Helen Keller.

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

Be inspired and please let it lead to action.

You can follow them on twitter @DontBePassenger

And find out everything you need to on there website: www.dontbeapassenger.com

found this via Cherryflava

Make An Impact

"Is an instrument really an instrument if it never gets played?"

I was inspired this last Thursday at our bible study, we watched a short, sweet yet remarkable dvd called Impact by Erwin McManus. The quote above is something he said that has stuck with me. He made the point that sometimes we're so afraid of being dented, damaged or hurt that we never really live up to our full potential and make an impact in others lives! I would like to add to that if I may, in my personal experience most of the time those things we worry about denting, damaging and hurting us never really come into play, most things we're afraid of just don't happen as often as we think.

"Is there a way you can make an impact in someone else's life?"

He left us with the verse Matthew 5: 13-16

13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Go and let your light shine :)

Now

Happy Febuary - I hope you have all had a great start to the new month and week.

I was inspired by today's Seth Godin post entitled - Modern procrastination.

"...if you don't challenge the status quo, you can't be made fun of, can't fail, can't be laughed at. And so the resistance looks for ways to appear busy while not actually doing anything."

Are we trying look busy with our lives and putting the important? Today is literally all we have to make a difference in the world! Seth takes it further and says the following:

"Busy does not equal important. Measured doesn't mean mattered."

Maybe it's time to focus on the important and get that done first or maybe you can check your facebook profile again..

Love.Joy.Encouragement.Peace

It's time to act!

“It is a revolutionary world that we all live in, thus you and your young compatriots everywhere, have had thrust upon you a greater burden of responsibility than any generation that has ever lived.” - Robert F Kennedy.

The time to act is now, all we have is today and today is a gift!
Each day carved out of time just for you, lets hope you make the most of each moment!
Get inspired, get involved.

Love - it's as simple and as difficult as that.

Cycle Tour '09

Hey guys,

This year we are doing a cycle tour to Kosi Bay and back. You might remember that last year we did a ride from Jburg back to Wesley which brought in R 25,000, largely thanks to Rainbow Chickens. This year we're doing 1,100 km, almost twice the distance of last year, hoping to raise funds for commUN1TY again. We leave on the 22 November, arriving back on the 30 November. Averaging a little over 140 km per day. It's gonna be tough, but always worth it with a noble cause in mind.

frustrations and faith

the frustrations we are facing seem like mountains but
Matthew 21:21

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.

some days it seems we are getting no where other days it seems like nothing can get in our way, Lord if this is your will guide us in our decisions and the plans we make, let them be yours.

but God does send angels :) who come with wisdom and experience.
we have egg laying chickens now and optimistically look forward to providing the children with eggs..

our next mission - getting proper gas cookers and food prep stations out there.

What makes a community?

@chrisguillebeau with a brilliant relevant post on what makes a community. http://bit.ly/jqZwC

A community is a group of people united through a common struggle with the same stories.

In Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and surrounding areas our struggle is against poverty and injustice. In many places we have visited the struggle underneath the poverty line is a difficult one and that is only what we have seen on the surface. The same stories just with different faces are brought to our attention during our visits and this can get disconcerting but it makes me think of the following story...

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young girl, and that what she was doing was not dancing at all. The young girl was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young girl paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young girl, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young girl bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, she said, "It made a difference for that one."

Thnaks to Loren Eiseley

Hope & Perseverance

"As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5: 11

"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working."

We just have to keep on going, keep on moving closer towards our goals no matter what challenges we face. We must stay true to our vision, to helping the less fortunate and showing them God's love because if we don't then who will.

Storm-water Runoff

Thinking Big..
It's a big, dirty world out there. Someone is going to have to clean it up..
This guy wanted to make something that helped the environment, He has found a way to improve cities and the world.
Think big, clean up after yourself first..

http://bit.ly/T4Le1

radiohead's all i need

radiohead - all i need

this is happening as you watch//
and i bet you can relate more to the image on the left//
somethings cost more than you realise//

CommUN1TY Broadcast at Wesley Methodist Church

Hi All
May is mission month at Wesley Meth and so the sermons and services will be focused around this very important topic.
CommUN1TY will be presenting this Sunday 3 May at all three service's.
Wish us luck, that we may speak into the hearts of those attending to show how much of God's work has been done and how much more needs to be done.


May God's love be with you..always..

Aerial View of Zinakekele

I did visit Zinakekele this last week end. I was just a few hundred feet above you. I took these photys from up top. The little community looks pretty cool from here. I heard the visit was rather awesome at ground level too, so well done to everybody who went.

a shade of blue - 25/04/09

as promised via twitter here is an update of our visit to zinakekele yesterday,
a shade of blue, not necessarily a bad shade but a shade regardless,
left church around 9am or so, all 12 of us, a manageable number, not too many, not too few.. just right:) we took out blessed hearts and hopes, a guitar, groceries and about a ton of easter eggs:) ok not a ton but close:) ok not close but there were a lot of them! we shared the message of easter with all the kids and had an awesome time in the sun playing all sorts of games, was great to see MJ again! she is doing alright still battling with her leg but we have given her a mission to get it sorted our as soon as possible:)but we're going to try make it easy for her. we spoke about accountablity and food management, MJ now feeds about 30 or so kids breakfast and dinner daily and between 80 & 100 people lunch daily:) she is an angel with out wings! our next visit is going to be on the 23rd of May looking forward to it! will keep you guys updated!



everyone in a circle//why did Jesus die for us and why the easter eggs

a little princess trying to open her easter egg

what you looking at??

enjoying an egg of chocolate goodness

we are all made clean by the same cross

conversations on giving

it seems all of my conversations of late have been around the topic of giving, every aspect of it, giving time, giving money, from the reasons behind the act to its foundation in scripture to making it a practical daily action for people who have more than enough to give to the less fortunate, is it a perception that needs to be change in our minds? is it someones fault? today i met so many people in need, i drove past some i should have stopped and helped.. went to an amazing food bank and soup kitchen today, the give without question if you're in need they're there for you. made me think about how i give//about how to live//what are we giving?

paying the poor

intrigued by a recent post, if you pay people to be poor, you'll never run out of poor people by dan hannan



"this big idea is very simply stated. Poverty is not simply an absence of money. rather, it is bound up with a whole set of other circumstances: lack of qualifications, demoralisation, family break-up, substance abuse, fatherlessness. it follows that you do not end poverty by giving money to the poor.. ..only when you tackle poverty holistically will you facilitate meaningful improvement."

if we really want to help we need to make sure the money we give is being used to change a situation for a group of people and not to enable the poverty to continue, it comes down to a level of commitment.. how much are you willing to commit when you give money? does the transaction end when the money leaves your hands or do you ensure it makes a meaningful change?

i think of it like this>
what rog(return on gift) can you give to the poor person? will the gift keep them where they are or will it help them improve their situation? where does your giving start and where does it end?

Gandhi - “Poverty, is the worst form of violence.”

abundance

if you are not generous with a meager income, you will never be generous with abundance. harold nye

harold hit the nail on the head there, another great quote to get us thinking, constantly evaluating how much we give, if you are reading this post, this line right now, you have abundance/surplus.. what are you going to do with all of it?

may we never forget that feeling of giving, that internal smile of joy..

wisdom

Live Simply So That Others May Simply Live ~ Ghandi

I am 1

“I am one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do.” - Helen Keller

a perspective on giving

giving and its three stages visited..

what stops you from giving?

http://tiny.cc/givegivegive