Victory Over Death

Recently, our high school youth participated in World Vision's 30 Hour Famine. I was asked to do a write-up for the church newsletter about the event, and today when I saw the newsletter my article was the front cover. I was very surprised to say the least.
So instead of coming up with something new to write here about my experience with and hope for the Famine, I thought I'd share what I wrote for the newsletter.

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High School Students Fast During 30-Hour Famine

During Holy Week, the High School student's of First Presbyterian Church of Kingwood participated in World Vision’s 30 Hour Famine, an international youth movement to fight hunger.

Starting Thursday, April 9 at 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. Friday, April 10, thirty-two students and leaders chose not to eat in order to experience what is estimated 153 million children around the world feel everyday -- hunger pangs. According to World Vision, each day, over 29,000 children under the age of five die from malnutrition or preventable disease. This is equivalent to one child dying every three seconds. That is an overwhelming statistic! Every time we count to three a child dies unnecessarily.

The purpose of the 30 Hour Famine, though, was not to make us feel guilty or hopeless or even to count our blessings. The hope is that as our community becomes more aware about the issues facing others in the world, we will seek to know how God wants us to respond. We worship a Loving, Active, and Just God who through Jesus’ death and resurrection is bringing about redemption throughout all of creation, and He invites us to partner with Him in this process through the Holy Spirit. This is one reason why we decided to hold the Famine over Easter weekend. At Easter we celebrate God’s victory over death. It is necessary to remember that God has already won, and one day His Kingdom will be fully revealed and everything will be made new.

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create, no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old… They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox... They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD. - Isaiah 65:17-25

Until that day, as people who love God it is necessary for the Church to trust that God’s “Kingdom can come and His Will can be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10), and to respond accordingly.

Soles for a better world

The last few years, I’ve realized I am very picky about my shoes. I used to be a shoe fanatic buying new shoes all the time, but then I realized I wouldn’t wear them. I’ve always seemed to have one pair that I prefer to all the rest and solely wear those. I’m a one-shoe kind of person. It seems once a year or every couple of years I will find a pair of shoes I love and wear them all of the time. I think I first started doing this in college when I discovered Chacos. They were very similar to the ones pictured below, but the straps had a green and blue design. I believe I wore my Chacos for 2 years straight. You can wear sandals during the winter in Texas.

Those Chacos lasted me at least 5 years until I recently gave them up, because I haven’t worn them in the last 2 years. They gave me shin splints or at least I blame them for the shin splints. After my Chacos, my next shoe was a slip-on green canvas shoe by BC. Oh how I loved those shoes. I wore those for at least a year and a half, and they were great for winter or summer. It was difficult for me to leave them behind when I left for the World Race. I feared they would get thrown away or worse claimed by my sister along with the other apparel I left behind.

Sidenote: While on the World Race my shoe of choice for the year was Crocs.

I started in these:

4 months later switched to these:














Crocs are a great shoe to travel the world in if you are wondering... lightweight, waterproof, and comfortable.

I remember on the World Race sometimes the girls would start talking about clothing we missed from home, and I would always think about those green canvas BC shoes I left at home. I honestly don't know why looking back I was so attached to those shoes, but when I came home in August, I was ecstatic to find them waiting for me. Here's a side view from one of the last times I wore them. The edges were supposed to be fringed, but probably not that much.


Of course I remember my mother’s reaction when she saw me wearing them again. One of, “Seriously? I think you might want to invest in some new shoes.” They were pretty worn out, I’ll admit, but they were so comfy and green (well actually they had faded to more of a yellow-green).

I began a search for a new pair of shoes. I wanted something similar to the BC shoe, but from an organization socially and environmentally aware. After a few weeks of searching, I found the organization Simple. An organization dedicated to making sustainable, eco-friendly shoes made from recycled materials. Searching their site I found the shoe that I was hoping to wear for at least the next year. A "green" slip-on, and I mean green in color, of course, as well as by environmental standards. By the way my favorite color is green, hence, all the green-colored shoes, so far.

Those shoes have served me well these last 8 months, but for the last few weeks. I have realized the shoes do not fit me anymore. I keep walking out of them. I guess I have worn them out or stretched them out, and now sometimes I will be walking down a street only to have to back up and put on my shoe again. It’s pretty embarrassing. Especially, when cars are waiting for you to cross the street or people are walking close behind you.

The last few weeks I have been on the search again for a new pair of shoes. This time still wanting to buy from a socially conscious organization I went with TOMS. If you don’t know about TOMS for every pair of shoes you buy, a pair of shoes is donated to a child who can’t afford shoes. It is such a wonderful mission, and the shoes though simple, are comfy and come in fun, unique colors and designs. I have actually been debating on getting TOMS for the last 8 months. There are so many different designs I was having a difficult time deciding on which ones to buy, but as of Friday I settled on these. I know they aren't green, but maybe it's time for a change.
So this is my shoe for the next while. I'm still getting used to them. They are definitely the brightest shoes I have owned, but they are fun and support a wonderful cause.