GIVE TO SAVE

Give blood to save a life.

Number 71 on my list of 101 things to do is to give blood. I attempted to donate blood when I was 17 or so, but had a bad experience. After a little piercing in high school, the lost wandering years of college, and my trip to Ecuador, I hadn't been able to donate in a while.

I put donating blood on my list, because I feel it is so important for so many reasons. I've donated 3 times so far this year- all without any problems. I actually use it as an excuse to skip my workouts for a few days and have a nice big ice-cream to get my blood sugar back up after I donate. I was actually rejected twice for having low iron, but I started taking some great multi-vitamins and have great iron levels now.

I'm B+ if anybody cares ;)

The actual worst part of the process for me is having to fill out the obnoxious 40 questions or so on the computer, and also give a rundown of my travel history over the past 3 years. I admit I don't like the actual putting the needle in part, but it only lasts for a second. The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Bank has a great online website that tracks all my donations, my blood pressure & cholesterol, and lets me schedule my next appointment.

From 56 Facts about Donating:

• Someone needs blood every two seconds.
• If only one more percent of all Americans would give blood, blood shortages would disappear for the foreseeable future.
• One pint of blood can save up to three lives.
• About 1 in 7 people entering a hospital need blood.
• There is no substitute for human blood.
  

I'm sure we all know people who have been in the hospital and have needed blood. It's an act of generosity that costs you nothing but is priceless to the receiver.

Learn more about donating blood and find a local donation center through the American Red Cross, with their GIVE LIFE.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY:

BACK TO CLASS

I guess it's just that time of year. Last week, I started back to two different classes, and I think I'm going to enjoy both quite a bit!

First, I'm switching my volunteer work from sorting through donated clothes and groceries to working with the center's GED program. I did some tutoring for hire while I was in college in Austin. That however, was basically babysitting rich kids who wanted to score well on the SAT tests. This couldn't be anymore different.

There were about 8 returning students and 24 who registered for the 2 days/week class. Many were 16-18 year old kids who had left school for a variety of reasons. We had to process extra paperwork on them and obtain a parent's permission to attend the course. Many were older adults seeking to improve their job opportunities by getting a GED. Some scored well on the placement tests and will hopefully be on their way to earning a GED soon, but some will require lots of tutoring and teaching before they are prepared to tackle the test.

The other class I started last week was Wednesday nights at my church. H & I wanted to learn more about the Bible and both decided to take a short course. H decided to join the men's group, which studies and discusses things relevant to men's issues. I decided to take a class on spiritual warfare, which I find extremely interesting. Since the first class was mostly an introduction and overview of the course, I'll share one of the few things I have learned so far.

spiritual warfare- the constant battle of wills between God and his followers and Satan and his followers

Based on that definition, we will study the Bible to learn why God allows spiritual warfare, what tactics Satan uses, how to prepare for it and defend against it, how to pray effectively against it, how to discern when it is and is not spiritual warfare. I'm really excited about the class.

I'll just share a little insight that I've already learned. I so often get frustrated with people about things- angry or upset that something happened or somebody treated me (what I perceive) unfairly. When I struggle as a Christian, I have to remind myself that I'm frequently misdirecting my emotions and need to remember the source of conflict.

I'm almost done going through our camping photos and I'll have a full report soon!

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

VOLUNTEER

This is where you will find me most Monday afternoons. For the past several months, I have been volunteering at an Assistance Ministry around the corner from my house. They do amazing work and do so much of it for so many people that have very urgent needs. They will take donations and they have a full re-sale store. You can find many great, affordable items in good condition. The clients who they serve get vouchers for clothes or other items they can use in the store.

This is the other end of their building. The bar that was there is gone, and now they have the entire shopping center. This part of the ministry is the food pantry, which takes donations and distributes them to the needy. They also have a career and education center, which helps clients with job placement and interviews or getting GED/ESL/tutoring.

This room is their sorting room. All clothes end up in large bins and this past week, I spent my time hanging jeans and tagging other clothes to get ready for sale in the shop. Since Monday was also the first day of school here, this was the emptiest I'd seen the parking lot and store since I started volunteering.

Volunteering is an amazing experience, and I am humbled every week when I work there and see others in need. Most of us in this country have SOOOO MUCH! We rarely appreciate it, spend all our time trying to acquire more and then quickly get bored with it.

Do some spring cleaning and find a local assistance ministry near you to donate your gently used items. There are many people out there who would be very blessed to have things that have sat in your closet for months or even years.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: To instantly brighten your day, just start counting your blessings.

ECUADOR MISSION TRIP

Quito from the Airplane

Our first Tuesday Travel Edition takes us South of the Equator for my first (of many hopefully!) trips. In the summer of 2004, I joined two dozen other singles from my church at Camp Chacauco near Ambato, Ecuador. If you've never been on a mission trip or a volunteer vacation, I encourage you to do it- it WILL change your life. I can look back at my 10 days in Ecuador and clearly see that short span as a turning point for my Faith.

On our way to and from the Patate Valley, we were lucky enough to see some of the great sights around Ecuador. Near the city of Banos, we drove through the breath-taking valleys and saw numerous waterfalls, including this one nick-named Devil's Falls. We were able to visit a traditional catholic church, where an interesting mix of Catholicism mixed with indigenous folklore was being practiced.

There is a great monument and area marking the equator. This was our entire group and the yellow line is the equator. We also hit up the thermal hot springs at Papallacta, which were amazing! The drive to the springs alone was worth it, before jumping from the volcano-heated water into the frigid River.

Another highlight was visiting Crater lake- a nearly 2 mile wide lake formed when a caldera (volcano) collapsed. The villagers that lived at over 10,000 feet were an amazing people, and we learned so much as drove by numerous goat farms and self-sustaining areas.

The camp was located in the Patate River Valley, a few short miles from the Tungurahua Volcano. It was rumbling and periodically spewing ash our entire trip. At night, you could sometimes see a faint red glow of the lava or hear the low rumble. Absolutely amazing. There are no words to describe what it was like to be that near an active volcano for a week.

During our week at the camp, our group worked on various building projects in the morning and taught VBS (Vacation Bible School) at a local village in the afternoon. I helped put up a fence, while others built an outhouse, constructed bathrooms, worked in the garden and hung paneling in the closet.

Here I am surround by some of the amazing children at VBS. They loved all the attention. We would sing songs in Spanish, do skits, play games, create a craft and share a Bible story. They were *fascinated* by things like bubbles or sidewalk chalk. These children have so little, but yet they are happy and so appreciative of anything we did for them.

I was overwhelmed with the sheer beauty of the landscape and the incredibly tenacious people who lived in Ecuador. If you ever get a chance to go to Ecuador- don't miss this fabulous opportunity to see all these thing and more, including the Galapagos Islands, the Andes Mountains and the Amazon Rainforest. For more on volunteering on vacation, check out the International Missions Board, Global Volunteers, or Habitat for Humanity.

GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY: YOU CAN make a difference by volunteering your time, energy and love in so many ways.