Thanks to everyone who joined us this weekend...I really enjoyed getting to spend time with all of you & getting to know you better. The stuff we were talking about really matters a lot to me...I hope that you were able to learn and grow and maybe even think a little differently as a result. Even though I've learned a lot about poverty and how people live in different countries, I'm always reminded about how much I still have to learn. Things like I never realized until we were looking at the map today about how many people live in Nigeria. Or about what it must be like for someone who is homeless...even though I've had that "experience" before, every time it makes me think what it must be like for someone that it's not an "experience" for, but actually their life. Wow. And I'm also always challenged to think about how I'm going to live my life differently as a result of what I know. Even though we all appreciated my many sweatshirts/hoodies last night, it made me realize I have way more than I need and that there's other people that could use them more than me. (more than me...hey...that's our slogan : ) And I know I want to continue to look for opportunities to serve others...here where I live and also in other countries.
So what did you learn? What made you think differently? How will it affect how you live? Take a couple minutes and share a comment here. I'll post a new chapter to blog about soon...
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22 comments:
Hey every one!! I had so much fun yesterday! Well, anyway, I really learned a lot this weekend!! I thought that Lydia's station made me think about a lot!! The video showed how selfish we are. The hats were what made me think how selfish we are because if 2 people have 8 hats and 8 people only have 2 hats that isn't really fair to the 8 people! If we would give our extra stuff to people who don't have as much as us then we would all "have a hat to wear". I think that i want to go through my stuff and give away what i don't need!!
Hope to see you all soon!!
Katie B.:)
Hey everyone!
I had an awesome time this weekend. I learned so much. I guess the station that really made me think was at Jeff's station. I guess this is because, I never realized how many people die every day from starvation and how badly they need help and everyday necessities. I guess it made me mad that we have to much and yet still complain we don't have everything and we still need stuff; fact is, we have too much of everything.
Katie, I really liked that you said everyone would "have a hat to wear." I totally agree that if we give our extra stuff to people who really need it, then everyone would "have a hat to wear."
sorry, i forgot to put my name at the end of the one about this...
Brittany M.
hey ppls! I had bunches of fun friday. Well i leaned a lot about how manny people there acctualley are in the world, ive allways heard all of those numbers before but because ive never been in a big crowd before its never really been in perspective for me. Now whenever i turn on the water or sit down to eat or even when i come home i think of how much god has blessed me with, i take such simple things for granted.Like music i got grounded from it for a few weeks and i never really realized how much i listended to it, i always came in and reached for the power button to my radio and whenever i didnt touch it i got this confused look on my face lik who took my radio, then i realize my mom took it, but still reach for it everyday out of habit. Now im starting to realize a lot more of things i do like that. Now im trying to stop myself from useing so much of it. How would you think you caould live without some of the day to day things you use that 75% of others cant, i dont think i could make it for more then a few days!
i was glad that we did the training thing, it really put in perspective for me how lucky, and blessed i really am. I think jeff's station for me was the most interesting. it seemed lowering the amount of people and condensing it really helped in showing how much poverty there really is in the world. Now just sitting down tom eat, i thank God for all i have and that he gave it all to me. I am trying to live more as though everything belongs to God, which it does, but honestly i never really had before. But seeing the numbers, and realizing how much i really do have has really helped me.it also helps me be more generous in my giving, It's not like i am giving anything away that is mine, but rather i borrowed it and i am giving it back to God.
Fun chatting,
See ya!
Mellinger
Hey people I had a fun night over the weekend. I didn't really have a favorite station because I learned something new in all of them. Saturday night when I went to bed I realized how I take my bed for granted. I never think that someone else doesn't have a bed I just think o well its just a bed it is not that big a deal, but it is a big deal considering how many people don't have beds. I am also trying to not use a lot of water that I don't need like instead of filling that bath tub up all the way (I really do fill the tub all the way) I only fill it like a fourth of the way full. I realized that I can get a bath using clean water whenever I want to but some people have to use polluted water and they don't have the time to take them everyday because of all the work they have to do to survive. Katie I agree that the video we watched in Lydia's station showed how selfish we really are. Like another thing I take for granted is shoes. I have like 8 pairs of shoes and I hardly wear them. If you think about it that is being really selfish having something that barely use when other people don't even have shoes or have shoes that are to small.
See everyone Sunday
Dawn L. :)
Hey guys! Friday and Saturday was definately a good learning experience for me. I liked all the stations and stuff a lot. I probably got the most out of Jeff's station. All those statistics really made me think. A couple stats really stood out to me. 1. If you have a bed, closet, fridge, and roof over your head, then u are better off than 75% of the world! 2. 20% of the world owns 85% of the world's goods. We are truly blessed to have all we do. Sleeping outside (even though it was only for a few hours) really made me think of poverty in a new way. I was so thankful to sleep in my bed on Saturday night! Overall, I am glad that we did the World Awareness Day thing. It was really cool.
Oh yeah, and I was sore from carrying the bucket of water!!! ;)
what up peeps,
i was crazily influenced by our homeless experience. i recently had half-hearted aspirations to be homeless for a month to see what is was like. it was a relatively warm evening and my bed of grass on the green campus was probably rather cussy compared to the likes of a downtown, though i did not sleep an ounce. it really humbled me to think of the situations that others are in daily
adam speas
Hey all! I don't have much to say since I couldn't be there this weekend, but it sounds like everyone learned a lot and really appreciated what it is like to experience poverty. I enjoy listening to all you had to say on the different stations. It sounds to me like Jeff's station was pretty powerful. Just reading about how many people really do live in poverty makes me see my day to day activities in a whole new light. I can appreciate more what people have to go through living in poverty.
See you soon,
Ben D.
i always realized how much people were in poverty and stuff but what really made me understand and grasp it was the "hands-on" experiences. like sleeping outside..we were only out there till like..maybe 2 am? and i was freezing and i ended up missing school monday cuz i got sick! and that was one night! it made me really appreciate everything i have and want to help those who dont have it. also carrying the bucket of water. we went the long way on accident and i was so sore after. once again the appreciation thing comes into play there.
another thing that i learned was how to get along with people that i would probably normally get really frustrated at. i had to learn to try and control my temper..which i didnt always do..but i think it helped and i hope i get better at that
thanks to all the leaders for doing this!!! it was really fun!
The one thing that impacted me was sleeping outside. Being frozen to death (it seamed) and having to huddle together to keep warm. Even though we were out there for only a few hours, I could only think about people that sleep outside every day, in colder temps than we did. We just did it for one night. We all knew that we could get in our own beds the next night. They don’t have that. It just gives me a new appreciation for the homeless people.
I learned that we can make a difference. Jeff said that even if we just don't use as much water when we brush our teeth or take a shower it is helping over time. I never really thought about that before because I am so used to having all my needs given to me right when I need them. It really showed me how much I take for granted. I will definitely start trying to do little things like using less water to help out. I will also thank God for lucky I am to have all my needs.
~Kayli W.~
i think kialie willimison had a very good idea and i could see what she was getting to.
Global warming and all these diseases that are quite dangerous in places in Africa that we do not notice, are leaving people in helpless situations. Because of are wealth it is hard for us to give are money up.
What I learned was how selfish wealthy countries (like ours) is compared to other countries. We have those 8 frisbees while those poor countries have only 2! That moved me, now I really want to help change that. I think I want to go through all my stuff and give away everything I don't use that much (which will be a very hard move for me.)
Also I learned a lot of new info from the movie Jeff showed. It helped me understand that I need to be more frugal with basic things like water. I am going to try to follow that song that Barney sings "turn the water off" (something like that) all the time now.
~Sydney B.
I thought it was a lot of fun and i learned alot of hings i didnt no before, like i knew that poverty was bad in the world but i didnt know it was this bad. I was glad could experience everything that others do daily like walking two miles for water, i hafta admit theres no way id be able to do that twice a day.
i learned tons of things that i never new before and never really thought about.. i learned the most from the sleeping outside i think, how i couldn't even get to bed and it was freezing to me..it just made me think of a how a whole bunch of people sleep outside from all different reasons and it's really hard to do it.. it just makes me so glad for the things i have in life, but also, that i can give and help others to change the world too.. also how 8 people in the world have 20% of the worlds goods while 2 people have 80%.. and that's just pathetic how much we think we need and we want..i remember a missionary that talked once, and he said there was a guy who had very little and didn't have legs, and he was just so joyful and happy for the things he had and happy that God was with him and God was his Savior...it makes me sad that we can all be completely selfish with what WE want and have to have and aren't thankful for... I always have to remind myself to be thankful for everything i have, cause i always think everything out there is so much better then what is in front of me right now..Stephanie C
after seeing jeff's video thing, i really was thankful for things that i had and thought twice about taking things for granted and it was crazy to see that 20% of the world owns 80% of the things in the world. thats insane. wut do we need all that for?? honestly. well thats my oppinion
hey people. so yeah unfortunately, i couldnt make this but i watched the videos so here are some of my thoughts.
-Rich Young Ruler video
I thought this was kinda weird, yet had a great point to it. some people have to really work hard to FIND food. most of us have food just laying all over our house, and we can get to it whenever.
-Poverty video
One in eight people are living in poverty...thats insane to think about. sometimes we think since our country IN GENERAL is pretty well off, and ridiciously spoiled, that EVERY person in America has everything they will ever need. yeah-not even close. theres a bunch of people, just in akron, with tiny houses...and who struggle for basic necessities.
-mike
This is really late, i know. Anyways, i still remember the weekend. It was so muh fun, but i also took alot from it. Such as we have a lot of unnneccesary things and others dont even have necessary thngs. i actually went throught my house and closet and donated unused, but still useable, things to good will.
cold... very... cold...
we should buy 1, or possibly two hoodies for all the homeless people we see. and a blanket couldn't hurt, too.
I had a great time but it was freezing outside! It made me realize how that even when we are sleeping outside we are usually in a warm sleeping bag and a pillow and maybe even in a tent. We have so much more than we need.
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