tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47928569615295252872024-03-19T04:46:05.594-04:00God's GalAlyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.comBlogger283125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-10668253068589486692019-08-28T23:09:00.001-04:002019-08-28T23:43:15.681-04:00New home<span style="font-size: large;">I'm moving!</span><br />
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I didn't really feel sad about this until I came on here to write this post, but here we are and I am getting a little bit sentimental about leaving this space behind. It held my very first internet words, has gone through dozens of redesigns, helped me meet some dear friends and was my space to process through some of the most heart-transforming seasons of my life thus far.<br />
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I love this space dearly... and I'm not totally leaving it behind! I've transferred some of my favourite blog posts over to <a href="https://www.alyssaesparaz.ca/" target="_blank">my new website</a>, but I'll be keeping this blog up as a home for all my previous words. So I'm sure I at least will still visit here often when I want to read back.<br />
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But enough about that! I'd love for you to visit me at my new internet home:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.alyssaesparaz.ca/">www.alyssaesparaz.ca</a></span></b><br />
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I'm excited to continue sharing my words and work with you there.<br />
Thanks for all the beautiful words and connections here.<br />
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Peace,<br />
AlyssaAlyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-70861181751165277322018-12-09T21:24:00.001-05:002018-12-09T21:42:02.990-05:00Ethiopia and Christmas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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I came home to Christmas.<br />
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There was a pretty tree on the baggage claim carousel and evergreen tinsel hanging from the ceiling.</div>
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The Western world—often unknowingly—inviting God to be with us for one month of the year, every year, with plastic decorations and a rush of capitalism.</div>
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<b>So maybe I'm cynical.</b></div>
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Or maybe it's that I haven't been able to stop thinking about—<i>something</i>—in the weeks since coming home.</div>
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I finally made it to our home church this week, after almost two full weeks of being home. The Christmas buzz has only become more intense with the start of Advent and Christmas shopping. It doesn't help that <a href="http://www.themeetinghouse.com/locations/uptown-toronto/" target="_blank">I go to church at the busiest and highest-grossing mall in Canada</a>.</div>
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And we're singing Christmas carols at church now, too.</div>
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<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aziUZa1amc" target="_blank">Emmanuel</a>, Emmanuel. </i><i>God incarnate, here to dwell. </i></div>
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Don't get me wrong—<b>Emmanuel is for all of us.</b> God is with all of us, in all of our mess, in every circumstance and context of life.</div>
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But as this Sunday's Advent reading is read, the scene of where God <i>specifically chose</i> to come to be with us, at that specific point in history all those years ago—<b>the place He chose when He could only choose one</b>—comes barrelling into my mind.</div>
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It's the thing I can't stop thinking about—<i>the thing that's been resting heavy on my heart since coming home to Christmas.</i></div>
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<b>And I'm suddenly back in the small home of <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqc_fC3AFvl/" target="_blank">a single mother in Ethiopia</a></b>, reaching across to squeeze her arm in reassurance as tears flow while she tells me her story.</div>
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<b><i>God is with us, there.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We like to invite him into our big and bright white Christmases of the West—without even a thought that <b>His choice for where He would come <i>be with us</i> and spend that first Christmas was a small, messy, quiet, humble and dim brown Christmas in the Middle East</b>.</span></div>
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I'm not saying He won't meet us where we are—<b>He <i>will</i> fight every distraction and all our excess to get our attention and capture our hearts.</b></div>
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<b>But I just can't stop thinking about how close He felt</b> as I listened to <a href="https://www.compassion.ca/shop/csp/" target="_blank">the stories of mothers</a> who were <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A29-30&version=NIV" target="_blank">afraid</a> when they first heard of their pregnancy...yet chose to say <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A38&version=NIV" target="_blank">a brave yes</a> anyways.</div>
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<i>That's all I've been thinking about, actually.</i></div>
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I came home to Christmas...but in so many ways, <b>I came home from experiencing all that Christmas was, is and should be—and no matter how many times I do it, it keeps on wrecking me, shaping me, forming me...and <i>I couldn't be more thankful</i>.</b></div>
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<i>Hi. I decided to write a thing and post it on my blog! Crazy. A little tag to it...</i></div>
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<i><br />What they don't tell you about reverse culture shock is that it's never the same twice. Each time, it's different and it doesn't necessarily get easier, but it's never quite the blinding intensity and year-long anguish of the first time...nor does it follow the same path as the last time. It's a unique story every time.</i></div>
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<i><br />What they don't tell you about reverse culture shock is that sometimes you might feel incredibly entitled, childish and privileged for experiencing it, particularly when it's <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BqN6beDgZ87/" target="_blank">part of your (dream) job</a>...and that writing about it in a public forum <a href="https://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-year-of-figuring-out-how-to-be-broken.html" target="_blank">sometimes helps</a> <a href="https://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-broken.html" target="_blank">like it did when you were fifteen</a>, and sometimes that just makes you feel crazy vulnerable in ways that you don't want to at twenty-one (or ever).</i></div>
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<i><br />But I think vulnerability is good? Or I'm just part of the narcissistic generation that puts their lives on the internet. At least I'm self-aware...or maybe I am cynical. ;)</i></div>
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<i><br />Anyways, I just wanted to pop in on this highly-neglected blog to share some reflections and give some (very small) peeks into what my experience of travelling to and back from Ethiopia was like, to add to (or in case you missed) what's <a href="http://www.instagram.com/_godsgal4ever" target="_blank">on Instagram</a>. To take the responsibility seriously of stewarding the stories of those I met—and my own story—well.</i></div>
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<i><br />And also to wish you a very Merry Christmas! ... Because apparently I really can't promise that I'll write here again within the next 6 months.</i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">May you experience Emmanuel—God with us—wherever you find yourself in this season. Wishing you and yours expectant hope, subversive peace, radical joy and boundless love throughout the holidays and in the New Year ahead. </span></b></i><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">—ae</span></b></i></div>
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Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-2766227854681767462018-06-12T18:29:00.000-04:002018-06-12T18:29:10.533-04:00My Case for Youth MinistryIt was a whirlwind month of May, and I left so inspired. And I just had to get around to telling you all about it...<br />
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First, I hit the East Coast of Canada to represent <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion</a> at the first-ever <a href="http://www.onecon.ca/" target="_blank">One Conference</a>—a gathering of ~2000 youth and youth leaders from across denominations, coming together to learn, worship, and have a ton of fun.<br />
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Then, I made my way to the prairies along with my brother to represent Compassion Canada at <a href="http://www.ycalberta.ca/" target="_blank">YC Alberta</a>—a gathering of ~5500 youth and youth leaders, again, from across denominations, coming together to learn, worship and have a lot of fun (and, as it turns out, to sponsor 157 Compassion kids! WHAT!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjAaFXoBI-N/" target="_blank">photo credits</a></td></tr>
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<br />Finally, I came home and made my way north to the Muskokas <a href="http://www.theugretreat.com/" target="_blank">to gather with my own youth group</a>... ~500 of us gathering for a weekend at camp to build our relationships with each other and with Jesus.</div>
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Then, on top of all that, I got to finally come home and in the first week of June watch 10 people from my youth group get baptized, 2 of which were girls in my Jr. High group that I got to help baptize. <b><i>It was an absolute joy.</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">video credits to <a href="http://www.instagram.com/genius4jesus" target="_blank">my super talented brother</a>!</span></div>
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There's several things I'm convinced of at the end of this mini-youth ministry marathon, but here's my biggest one. If you are not involved with a youth ministry at the moment, <b>I highly recommend it.</b></div>
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Seriously. There's just something that's good for your soul when you stand with dozens, hundreds or thousands of teenagers and declare the name of Jesus in song, word and community.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">It's a balm to cynicism. It's a reason to hope. </span></b></div>
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When teenagers have the courage to say yes to Jesus, I am confident that we are going to be okay. </div>
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When teenagers decide to sponsor dozens and dozens of children through <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion</a>, I see a generation that sees the messy brokenness of the world and is relentless in its pursuit of shalom anyways.</div>
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When teenagers lift their hands and declare the reckless love of God, the powerful name of Jesus, I know that the Spirit is going to move in mighty ways through them.</div>
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I've had the privilege of going <i>nearly</i> coast to coast this spring, hanging out with teenagers. And <b>I just want you to know that it's not bad news.</b> It's not the desolate landscape of hopelessness that we sometimes think it is. </div>
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It's a movement of kind, relentless, passionate, tenacious, bright young people who love Jesus and are committed to His peace, His shalom, His Kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>It's pretty cool, friends, and it is a joy to be a part of it.</b></span></div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-43667285362339005102018-04-26T13:14:00.000-04:002018-04-26T13:50:19.102-04:00When Dreams ChangeAs most people in my circle know, for the past 3+ years, I've been planning to go on a year-long co-op placement in the Global South as part of <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/ccds/what-international-development-studies" target="_blank">my undergrad</a>, in my 4th year. These past few months have been spent working to secure a placement and prepare to leave over the summer.<br />
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I think this has been a dream of mine since reading Kisses from Katie in grade 9. I think a part of me has wanted to spend extended time in the Global South since I first travelled to the Philippines in 2011. It's been something I've been working towards and dreaming of since I heard about this program at the University of Toronto.<br />
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A few weeks ago, I found myself with an offer to live in a beautiful country for a year, working with a local, grassroots, church-based NGO. I would be working with youth, doing communications, and using my international development degree.<br />
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<i>It was my dream placement.</i><br />
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I had every intention to accept it. "Unless God writes in the sky," I texted a friend.<br />
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But sometimes God writes in the sky even when you don't want Him to, and especially when you least expect Him to.<br />
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So, on the Thursday before Easter, I declined my dream placement.<br />
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I don't expect everyone to understand. It's hard for me to articulate <b>the intangible feeling of knowing and understanding exactly what I needed to do deep down in my soul</b>. I won't launch into the full story here... it's one that needs to be told over a coffee, not on a blog. There isn't really much of a story, other than that <b>where there should've been peace and excitement about this placement, there was instead division and uneasiness</b>.<br />
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<b>It wasn't my dream to hold onto anymore. </b>I think part of me has known that for months, but another part of me, the part that's been dreaming about this for more than five years, didn't want that to be true.<br />
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It's sad when dreams die. I cried more tears over losing this dream than I had cried in a long time. But the day after declining that placement, I entered into a weekend that was a reminder that resurrection doesn't happen without death. That full and abundant life doesn't happen without sacrifice at the cross. That something can be celebrated on one Sunday, killed on Friday, and then raised to new life the next Sunday.<br />
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Things change. Outlooks change. Sometimes very quickly. And in this case, <i>very quickly</i> is exactly what happened...<br />
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I thought I would have to drop-out of the co-op stream of my program, and graduate a year earlier (which would've been nice, honestly, but...).<br />
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<i>But don't I know that God's grace reaches infinitely farther than I can ask or imagine.</i><br />
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In the matter of a few days, a new plan was in motion, and <b>I will now be completing my co-op placement at Compassion Canada, continuing in a similar role that I have been working in for the past two years.</b> I get to stay in Toronto and continue investing in the places, spaces and people I love, while continuing in this amazing program, doing something I love, and contributing to an organization I am so proud to work with.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">It's the dream placement I never even knew to dream of.</span></b><br />
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And that's just how much the Lord desires to lavish His love on His kids.<br />
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I'll also likely be taking a bit of time to travel throughout the year to visit some of <a href="https://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/p/compassion-international.html" target="_blank">my Compassion kids</a>. And, as part of my program, I will also be conducting some primary research, based here in Toronto, for a thesis paper that I will write in 5th year.<br />
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Yeah, it does blow my mind a little, too.<br />
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I want to say thank you, to those that prayed through this process with me. You prayed me to a different outcome than I expected, but one I am fully at peace with and one that I couldn't be more delighted with.<br />
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I also want to apologize for my inconsistent updates. Things happened fast and suddenly, and it was hard to keep up with updating everyone, remembering who was updated up until what point in the process... etcetera. This post is my attempt to do a sweeping catch-up for everyone. <i>Thank you for grace in this.</i><br />
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This has definitely been a weird space to be in because over the past several years, everything in my life had been barrelling towards this placement that is no longer going to happen. Everything has been about placement, everything fit around the big block that was placement... and maybe that was part of the problem.<br />
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Throughout this process, I've been hearing God tell me to trust. To step off a cliff, even if it feels like I'm free falling, and trust that He is going to catch me.<br />
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I thought many things of this picture. I thought that stepping off the cliff meant going on placement. Or maybe that I wouldn't be offered a placement.<br />
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Turns out it meant that I would be offered what I thought was my dream placement and He would ask me to let go of it. Step off the cliff into the unknown of giving up a long-held-on-to dream.<br />
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And to know that sometimes, dreams change. And that's okay.<br />
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In fact, sometimes that changing dream is the very best He has for you.Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-51906035557130745982018-01-12T16:07:00.004-05:002018-01-13T12:17:39.571-05:00Dear 45, on behalf of children of colour...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA">Dear Mr. President,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">First thing first... I’m Canadian. You’re not my President. Yet time and time again, you’ve dragged all of us—women, people of colour, advocates, allies, global citizens, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kingdom people</i></b>—into this through your comments and your actions.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/us/politics/trump-shithole-countries.html" target="_blank">Yesterday, you called the homes of millions of people a term that I struggle to repeat on my blog.</a> You—the man that holds the most powerful political office in the world—used a vulgarity in one of the highest offices in the world that many, if not most, people rarely to never dare to use in their own offices, schools and homes. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">That alone is an abuse of your power.</b></span></div>
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But this letter isn’t to tell you to watch your language—you should probably know that. This letter isn’t even to tell you that I’ve been to Haiti and that it’s beautiful, or that <a href="https://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2011/11/dear-happyness.html" target="_blank">one of the most precious girls in my life</a> is from Africa and that she is beautiful. Plenty of people are doing that, and<i> I will let them speak on behalf of all of us who work every single day with the resilient, beautiful, incredible people of the Global South to breathe beauty and love and wonder into this messy world.</i></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">No, this letter is on behalf of children of colour who live in America.</span><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">You see, in this season, I’m trying to work on giving people the benefit of the doubt. I’m trying to work out of the overflowing grace of Jesus in the way I respond both privately and publicly to events, people and situations in my life. So even though the cynical side of me absolutely does not want to, I’m going to try and approach your comment under the assumption that you are simply ignorant. That your racist comment comes because as a white man that grew up in America, you are simply ignorant to the experience of people of colour in America / North America, and you are ignorant to the ravaging effects that your comments have on young, impressionable children of colour. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>So, I humbly ask you to hear me out for a few minutes as I explain.</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I grew up as a first-generation Asian-Canadian in a primarily white neighbourhood just outside of Toronto, Canada. I was privileged to have some exposure to cultural diversity, since Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. But my primary experience was one where whiteness was default and everything else was Other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">It starts innocently enough. Maybe it’s Remembrance Day (that’s Veteran’s Day, for you) celebrations at school. The history class that goes along with it is about the trenches in Europe and the men and women that fought those wars—for freedom, for liberty. The assignment that goes along with it is to see if your ancestors fought in those trenches. My classmates go home, and come the next day with stories of their grandparents who are war heroes. Their ancestors are celebrated for their contribution to the peace and freedom that we enjoy here in Canada today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">But my ancestors did not fight in those trenches. So these little doubts enter my mind: Are my ancestors weak? Does my family not contribute to making Canada peaceful and free?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Then maybe it’s a trip to the movies. Maybe it’s every trip to the movies I ever took throughout my childhood and youth. The main character is always white, by default. Their experience is always one that white people have, or at least “default Americans” have, so why not just cast a white actor, since, remember, whiteness is always default in the world I grew up in. It’s the same story when I turn on the T.V. or read books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">There are never people of colour in those stories. Definitely no Asians. Definitely no Asian heroes. So those little doubts are reinforced: Is the experience of people like me not worth depicting in the media? Is my experience always second to the default of whiteness?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">Then maybe it’s a few innocent enough comments I heard ever so often. “Your dad says that word funny.” “Nothing’s more Canadian than summers at the cottage and winters at the ski resort!” “I love Chinese food. You’re so lucky, your mom must make Chinese food every night for dinner.” “Can you say something in Chinese?” “There are terrorists in the Philippines, right?” “I would <i>never</i> go to China.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">But I’ve always understood my dad, even when he enunciates every syllable in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">comfortable</i> as if it’s a Filipino word. My family has never had or wanted a cottage, and we’ve never been skiing. And so on. And those little doubts start screaming: Is there something wrong with the way my family operates? Is there something so exotic or different about Chinese food and language that makes people so interested in it? Is there something wrong with the countries that my family is from?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><b>Are the places I’m from sh*tholes?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I’ve come a long way, Mr. President. I am so proud of where I’m from. I am so proud of the diversity that I and my fellow people of colour bring to this country, and the stories we can start to tell. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">But yesterday when I heard about what you said, my mind immediately went to the black, brown and yellow kids all over North America who have had those little doubts bouncing around in their minds all their life. And I was bowled over with grief at the realization that the most powerful man in the world had just validated their deepest, darkest doubt by stating that the places they're from are sh*tholes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I know it’s hard for you to understand because you’ve never experienced what I just described to you. But I hope you can try. <i><b>I hope you can start to listen to the experience of people of colour in America. </b></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">I’ll end off with this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">To my white friends... <b>This isn’t about anti-whiteness.</b> This isn't about discounting who you are, what you contribute to this world, or implying that your whiteness is wrong. I want you to know that from the deepest parts of who I am. <i><b>What this is about is recognizing that people of colour experience a wildly different America than you do, especially in times like the one we’re in now. </b></i>And we want you to hear our experience so that you can begin to link arms with us in change. It’s not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just</i> about the way we teach history, or represent in the media, or the passing comments we make... it’s much more systemic than that. But we can start to change those systems of oppression when we hear each other, hold each other, and build each other up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA">To those from Haiti, countries in Africa, Mexico, El Salvador, and other countries in the Global South, and especially first generation kids in North America... I know for many of you, it will be a long time—maybe never—before you get to see the place you’re from again or for the first time. And based on what you see in the media, sometimes it’s hard to believe that those places are beautiful. But they are. <b>They are not sh*thole countries. </b>They are even so much more than “very poor and troubled”, as <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/951813216291708928" target="_blank">the President put it</a> when he tried to rescind his vulgar comment today. They are places that were created by Creator God—just like you. And even in the midst of messiness and brokenness, that same <b>Creator God has a deep desire to reconcile and redeem and restore</b> and because of that, <b>the place you are from is home to many beautiful, wonderful, divine stories of hope and restoration—<i>stories just. like. yours.</i></b></span><br />
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<b>Stories just like the one I hope we can start writing as we move forward together.</b></div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-15158948281943951662017-08-14T21:07:00.000-04:002017-08-14T21:07:03.822-04:00On Charlottesville...I'm trying to put into words right now the range of emotions I've felt this weekend as I watched Charlottesville unfold.<br />
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And the only words that surface are: <b><i>Lord Jesus, come.</i></b></div>
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It's all I can think to say. Well, okay, I can think to say a lot, and yes, <a href="https://twitter.com/_godsgal4ever/status/896487364079611905" target="_blank">I did</a> and probably will continue to keep letting words flow, but I keep coming back to these three words. <b>Come, Lord Jesus. Come.</b><br />
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And somehow, it doesn't feel like a small and helpless cry, but as if there is power in that name. <i>Because there is.</i><br />
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And this is what I come to, after an exhausting and horrifying weekend: <b>Christ-followers, we need to be declaring the name of Jesus right now.</b> We need to be establishing His Kingdom with our words and our actions because if not, the anti-Christ of white supremacy, or Nazism, or violence, or racism, or war, or whatever evil might be coming <i>next</i> weekend will take root in far too many hearts, <i>and honestly?</i> <b>I am sick of losing souls.</b> <i>Aren't we all?</i><br />
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So look--Church, at this moment in history, we can't <i>just </i>be about justice. Or peace. Or love, <i>in general.</i><br />
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There will be a lot of voices that call for justice, peace, and love.<br />
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<b>No, right now and always, we need to be about Jesus. </b><br />
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Because <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+5%3A24&version=NLT" target="_blank">being about Jesus <i>means </i>being about justice</a>. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5:9&version=NLT" target="_blank">Being about Jesus <i>means </i>being about peace.</a> And <i>you better believe</i> that <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A7-21&version=NLT" target="_blank">being about Jesus <i>means </i>being about love</a>.<br />
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But if we believe that His Kingdom is where <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=revelation+21%3A4-6&version=NLT" target="_blank">all things are made new</a>, then we cannot just declare our own kingdoms of justice or peace or love. Because declaring their own kingdoms is exactly what those people in Charlottesville are doing and oh, did we see what a dangerous road that is to walk.<br />
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<b>No, we need to establish, <i>with our lives</i>, the Kingdom of Jesus.</b><br />
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This weekend--in the between refreshing Twitter a million times, hoping to get just one more image of Charlottesville that might finally tell me that it wasn't real--our church family was working tirelessly to prepare for the arrival of the second Syrian refugee family that we are sponsoring to come to Canada.<br />
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There have been so many miracles in this process thus far, such as mid-month occupancy at an apartment in a crazy housing market, but the miracle I'm personally holding in my heart is the way that the Lord simply knew that I would need those preparations this weekend.<br />
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If white supremacy was going to rear its ugly head this weekend, then God gave me the gift of being able to counter it with preparations to welcome this family to Canada. To respond to the shouts of "You will not replace us," with an emphatic, Jesus-centred, community effort to declare, "We welcome refugees."<br />
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Friends--now isn't the time to <i>just </i>be peaceful, or <i>just </i>be anti-Nazism, or <i>just </i>be for defending marginalized communities.<br />
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<b>Now is the time for intentionally establishing the Kingdom--<i>on earth as it is in heaven</i>.</b> All those other things--good and vitally important things--are all by-products of Christ's Kingdom. So let's be, live, declare, establish it.<br />
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There is power in the name of Jesus. If you happen to believe that, then <i>more than anything else you could do</i>,<b> the world needs you to declare that power right now.</b><br />
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<b>The world needs you to establish a space and live a life where Jesus is King.</b><br />
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Because in that Kingdom, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A28-30&version=NLT" target="_blank">the King Himself suffered under all the evil humanity had to offer and declared <i>it is finished</i>.</a><br />
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In Christ's Kingdom, it is finished. White supremacy. Racism. Nazism. <b>All evil--<i>all of it</i>--is finished. </b><br />
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All that's left is for us to deny the kingdoms of this world--<i>deny ourselves, our own kingdoms, and the evil that often lurks even in our own hearts</i>--and instead declare the Kingdom of heaven.<br />
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And <b>the Good News of this all is that <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+3:2&version=NLT" target="_blank">the Kingdom of heaven is near</a></b>--and not in the way the obnoxious street preachers mean it. No, the Kingdom of heaven, the one where all evil is finished, is so near that we could maybe even see it here--if only we choose to stop chasing our own kingdoms and seek out Christ's Kingdom.<br />
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<i><b>If only we choose to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+10:9&version=NLT" target="_blank">declare that Jesus is Lord</a>.</b></i><br />
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A related MUST READ (Please. Sit and listen to this!): <i><a href="http://annvoskamp.com/2017/08/after-charlottesville-the-question-we-absolutely-have-to-answer-who-is-willing-to-pick-up-their-cross/" target="_blank">After Charlottesville, the Question We Absolutely Have to Answer: Who Is Willing to Pick Up their Cross?</a></i> by Lisa Sharon Harper</div>
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Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-10687154860280057872017-05-22T08:00:00.000-04:002017-05-23T16:35:49.562-04:00The Story We Live By<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's funny how reading can convict you to write.<br />
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I'm taking <i>The Canadian Short Story</i> in summer school right now--a fun elective for the summer.<br />
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And it is totally convicting me to write.<br />
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<i>We live stories that either give our lives meaning or negate it with meaninglessness. If we change the stories we live by, quite possibly we change our lives. </i></blockquote>
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--Nigerian storyteller Ben Okri</blockquote>
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That quote resonated with me deep.<br />
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I hoped to be around this blog more this year. But many times I've felt word-less. <i>Why write?</i> I thought, <i>Is there really any thing left to be said in this world?</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Yes.</i> </span>That's what I hear zing through my heart as my professor reads it out: <i>We live stories. <b>Stories change lives. </b></i><br />
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The writer deep inside me always knows this, of course. But sometimes I needs a reminder.<br />
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And when the world feels like it's imploding on itself, it can be hard to comprehend the power of a simple story.<br />
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<i>But what about that story of a God who loved us so much that He refused to leave us in this imploding world all on our own?</i><br />
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So He made a plan and suddenly--<i>God with us</i>, showing us the way to live our stories. To live compassion and humility and servanthood and peace.<br />
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Then He spread his arms wide at calvary and took the brunt of the worst this imploding world had to offer... and He defeated it.<br />
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<b>What. About. <i>That</i>. Story?</b><br />
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Yeah--<i>that's the story that gives our life meaning.</i><br />
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And until every heart knows the immense, overwhelming beauty of it, we must tell it again and again and again. No matter how many times it takes--<b>because the Love in this story is relentless.</b><br />
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So yes, <i>yes</i>, <i><b>yes</b></i>. Artists and singers and filmmakers and thespians and yes - writers, too. We must tell stories, and live stories, and change lives.<br />
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Because until every life lives transformed by the Greatest Story of a Man on a cross, defeating death and inviting all to the resurrection...<br />
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<b>There are still more stories to be told of lives transformed by the Good News that <i>He is making all things new.</i></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Does this mean I'll blog more? Perhaps. I do know that words are slowly coming back, and that feels good.</i></span>Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-85472032234588038882017-01-30T06:30:00.000-05:002017-01-30T15:01:54.801-05:00There Is No NeutralI don't know about you, but I am starting this week feeling incredibly heavy. burdened. weary.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/muslimban" target="_blank">The weekend started with the Muslim ban.</a> People were detained in airports because of the passport they carry. Families who had been going through a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/01/26/trump-says-syrian-refugees-arent-vetted-we-are-heres-what-we-went-through/?tid=sm_tw&utm_term=.9b38ad91a6b4" target="_blank">gruelling application and vetting process</a> had their hopes of starting fresh in the safety of a new home totally crushed. Some had been in the pipeline for 3 years and had just a few months or weeks left before boarding the plane. Instead, they were told they had to stay where they were--in their imploding cities or nearby camps, living in extreme poverty.<br />
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And still, so many people carried on cheering for this policy.<br />
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By the time Sunday night came around and news came through of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stefoy" target="_blank">a mass shooting at a Quebec mosque</a>, I just wanted to shut it all out. <i>As if that would make it stop.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/29/trump-travel-ban-peoples-stories-from-us-and-around-the-world" target="_blank">photo source</a></td></tr>
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There is no neutral anymore. <i><b>This is the time for the Church to be the Church.</b></i><br />
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We're no longer allowed to say, "I don't do politics." Because this isn't about politics. This is about humanity. This is about the Kingdom. This is about Jesus.<br />
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<b>Church, this is not the time to disengage. </b>This is not the time to preach recycled sermons and have quiet small groups and be apathetic and have shallow fun at youth group and spend another night at family midweek getting spiritually fat.<br />
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<b>This is the time to engage like never before. </b>To not only engage but <b>shape, inform, and cultivate culture and society</b> like the Church has been known for throughout history. To <b>passionately preach subversive peace</b> and <b>radical love</b>. To roll up our sleeves and get to work <b>welcoming strangers</b> and <b>feeding the hungry</b> and <b>clothing the naked</b> and <b>visiting the sick and imprisoned</b>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BPtVryHBxYH/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ We visited this sweet little one and her family tonight... she proudly showed me this picture of ME that she drew! Isn't she adorable and the drawing the absolute cutest?!? :: "For such a time as now..." #WeWelcomeRefugees!!! :: I am saddened by the fact that America is about to close its doors shut to refugees. My hope is that Canada will continue to keep our doors wide open! :: Tonight, just quietly reading this: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/what-bible-says-about-how-treat-refugees</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2017-01-26T01:02:28+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 25, 2017 at 5:02pm PST</time></div>
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Church, if we hadn't yet, <b style="font-style: italic;">we have officially lost the ability to be neutral</b>. Either we stand up for the marginalized, or we oppress them ourselves. <i>Either we pick up our cross, or we are the Romans cracking the whip and driving the nails.</i><br />
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There is no other way around this. This goes beyond borders. This goes beyond politics.<br />
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This is what the Church is on this earth for. When governments won't protect the marginalized, when nobody else will... <i style="font-weight: bold;">the Church will. </i>That is who we are. That is who our Saviour is: One who was so often <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+9%3A36" target="_blank">moved with compassion</a>. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A13-16&version=NIV" target="_blank">One who was a refugee.</a> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A2-11&version=NIV" target="_blank">One who protects the vulnerable.</a><br />
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Perhaps, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Esther+4%3A14" target="_blank">this is the very moment for which we were created</a>. And no, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2026:40" target="_blank">we can't afford to sleep through this moment</a>. We just can't.<br />
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Pray like you have never prayed before. Be the Body of Christ in real, tangible ways. <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/" target="_blank">Contact your elected officials.</a> <a href="https://mcccanada.ca/learn/what/refugees" target="_blank">Welcome a refugee.</a> Raise awareness. Learn. <a href="http://www.mcccanada.ca/" target="_blank">Donate</a> <a href="http://www.preemptivelove.org/" target="_blank">to people</a> spreading Christ's hope on the ground.<br />
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And <b><i>love</i></b>. Love like you never have before.<br />
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<i>Because Love conquers all.</i><br />
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<b>Jesus conquers all.</b><br />
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Come, Lord Jesus. Come.<br />
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Build Your Kingdom here.<br />
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Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-22711576169338737892017-01-24T19:52:00.000-05:002017-01-24T19:52:11.587-05:00#OneWord2017: Presence<i>Better late than never?</i><br />
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One of my Christmas vacation goals was to renovate the blog and thereafter, get a post up semi-regularly again. It's taken longer than expected, but here it is.<br />
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I missed this place! Last year was sporadic at best, and I seriously missed the time of reflection that blogging brought to my life. Nothing made that more evident than my lack of a <i>one word</i> last year.<br />
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It's not that I centre my whole life around my one word. In fact, I'm not always very good at focussing on the goals the word is supposed to represent.<br />
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But God has used my various words to speak into my life, help me find some themes in certain seasons, and really just have something to anchor my journey and growth in for the year - be it spiritual, personal, professional, academic, or otherwise. <br />
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All that to say, I resolved to find a word for 2017.<br />
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I landed on <b><span style="font-size: large;">presence</span></b>.<br />
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I want to be more aware of <b>God's presence</b> this year. I want to be open to it, to be actively listening for Him, and to be aware that <b><i>He is present and working in every moment, every situation, every life.</i></b><br />
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I want to <b>be present</b> right where I am, wherever that happens to be, in whatever I happen to be doing. As a student living in 4-month bursts, it is so easy to look to next semester, to the summer, to my co-op placement next year, to <i>what's next? </i>after graduation. More than that, I am also involved in a lot of different things at school, at church, with Compassion, and personally, and it is so easy to be doing one thing while thinking about something else entirely.<br />
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But I want to recognize that God is doing something right here. Right now. In each moment, something is happening and more often than not God is orchestrating something beautiful before our eyes. And I want to be present for that. <i><b>I don't want to miss out on the incredible things He is doing in the here and now. </b></i><br />
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I don't want to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+26%3A40-45&version=NIV" target="_blank">sleep through the important moments</a>. I want to <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+3&version=NIV" target="_blank">stand in the river</a>, expecting God to do something big if I show up, be present, and expect Him to move in world-shaking ways.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">That is my #OneWord2017! </span></b>A few concrete New Year's resolutions include <b>blogging regularly</b>, <b>continuing to <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/p/speaking.html" target="_blank">build the skill of speaking</a></b> as I speak at gatherings and events, and <b>reading the entire Bible</b> this year.<br />
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I am glad to have this space refreshed and revived and I am <i>so</i> looking forward to the year ahead!<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: large;">How about you? What's your #OneWord2017?</span></i></div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-6585965525508874342016-12-14T14:39:00.003-05:002017-01-23T20:03:36.819-05:00Aleppo and AdventJust over 2000 years ago, an oppressed, forgotten people waited for a Saviour.<br />
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A Messiah. A King.<br />
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And they expected chariots and fire and revolution and war. They expected the overthrowing of their oppressors by a mighty king and ruthless warrior.<br />
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Instead they got a baby. A carpenter. A small-town boy who just so happened to be God Himself. <br />
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<b>This is what we celebrate at Christmas.</b><br />
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Today, oppressed and forgotten people wait for a saviour all over our bleeding, broken world. Today, the oppressed, forgotten people of Aleppo wait to be saved, and many wait in vain.<br />
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And we expect fire to rain from heaven. Miraculous intervention. We expect Him to move mountains and do the supernatural.<br />
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It’s the season of advent. A season of waiting. And we wait. We wait and we wait and we wait... <i><b>But what if He’s waiting for us?</b> </i>What if He’s saying: “I already came. And I left it now to you to continue.”<br />
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<b>What if this whole bleeding world is waiting for us to be the Body of Christ—broken and poured out and given? </b><br />
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We wait. And rightfully so, we wait for the day that He makes all things new.<br />
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But perhaps we can do more. <i>Perhaps He is actively making all things new and how can He do that but through His Church? Through His Body. <b>Through us.</b></i><br />
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So, as we wait in this advent season, let’s consider that maybe the world is waiting for us. Waiting for us to stand up and mean it when we say “never again”. Waiting for us to stand up and be the Church. <i>Waiting for us to stand up and be the broken-and-poured-out Body of Christ to a world that so desperately needs Him. </i><br />
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Let’s not utter <i>Come, Lord Jesus</i>, unless we’re willing to be the vessels through which He comes.<br />
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Let’s not celebrate His birth unless we’re willing to be the ones who breathe a courageous, Mary-like <i>yes</i> to birthing Love Himself into the world each and every day.<br />
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<b>Because it’s advent, and millions of people are waiting for a Saviour. </b><br />
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<i>So, come, Lord Jesus. Come.</i><br />
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<b>Here are 3 ways we can can be the Church to the people of Aleppo and Syria:</b></div>
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:: Donate to <a href="https://preemptivelove.nationbuilder.com/ann" target="_blank">the Preemptive Love Coalition</a> {Related: <a href="http://www.annvoskamp.com/2016/12/the-world-changing-art-of-not-being-a-sham-this-christmas/" target="_blank">The World-Changing Art of Not Being A Sham This Christmas: 3 Ways to Help Aleppo For Real</a> from Ann Voskamp... read this!!} or <a href="https://donate.mcccanada.ca/cause/syria-and-iraq-crisis-response?_ga=1.72566417.348994611.1441229456" target="_blank">Mennonite Central Committee's Syria Response</a>. </div>
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:: <a href="https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-609" target="_blank">Sign this petition</a>, calling on the Canadian government to protect the people of Aleppo.</div>
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:: <a href="https://mcccanada.ca/learn/what/refugees/sponsorship" target="_blank">Sponsor a refugee family</a> to come to Canada.</div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-24402603725636720952016-09-12T09:33:00.001-04:002017-01-23T20:01:25.662-05:00Lessons on Giving from the Country of Haiti<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">My reflections on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/esparaz2haiti/" target="_blank">my family's recent trip to Haiti</a> to visit our two <a href="http://www.compassion.net/" target="_blank">Compassion</a> children...</span></i><br />
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The Western World has given a lot to Haiti.<br />
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Billions of dollars in aid. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of shipments of in-kind donations and material goods. Countless missions trips, volunteer trips, foreign consultations, UN missions, humanitarian missions, long-term placements.<br />
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<i>And yet Haiti remains the most underdeveloped country in the Western Hemisphere.</i><br />
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All too often, people point to Haitians and say they must be doing something wrong with all that they've been given. <b>But the people I met this summer - they are bright, warm, vibrant, welcoming, kind, compassionate, humble, joyful, smart and hard-working.</b> They have families that they want the best for and futures that they dream of. <i>They are just like you and me.</i> They are no different, and no less capable of taking what's been given to them and creating a life in which they, their families and their neighbours can thrive.<br />
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In fact, being capable of that is part of the DNA God created us with. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+1%3A26-31&version=NIV" target="_blank">God gave to humanity all of creation and charged us with stewarding it to cultivate life, beauty, and community...</a> <b>to be human is to be capable of thriving when given something that Creator God deems <i>very good</i>.</b><br />
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And so perhaps, just maybe - <i>could I ask a hard question here? </i><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.povertyinc.org/" target="_blank">Could it be us?</a></i> <b>Could it be us in the West that is doing something wrong with all that we've been given? </b><br />
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You see, we were given all of creation and told to cultivate something beautiful for ourselves, for each other, for the glory of our Creator... <i>but that wasn't enough for us. </i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis+3&version=NIV" target="_blank">We wanted more.</a> And in this greed for more, we've gotten good at taking what we've been given to create good lives for ourselves. So good, in fact, that we've created comfortable lives. Luxurious lives. Extravagant lives.<br />
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And what started out as using our God-given gifts to fulfill our mandate to cultivate creation and thrive in community, has turned into a horrible, destructive, broken tendency to create luxury for ourselves at the expense of others.<br />
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<b>At the expense of a country like Haiti. </b><br />
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It's rare of me to make sweeping generalizations about a country. And to be sure, there are huge inequalities in Haiti. There is a middle class and a select few ultra-rich.<br />
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But generally, what I saw there was poverty like I'd never seen it before. I saw poverty not as a crippling thorn or an urgent need. <b>I saw poverty as the accepted way of life.</b><br />
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All because the West has given Haiti its leftovers. We've given our second-rate stuff. The stuff we need to get out of the way in order to make room for the next season's latest. We've given our time but not our lives. We've given haughty advice but not humble attentiveness. We've given money but not sacrifice nor love.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJmNt9WhGz4/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">This is a super common sight everywhere here in Port-au-Prince... second-hand clothes for sale everywhere you see. These are clothes donated by people from America & Canada. Yes, donated clothes ending up being for sale! We who are from the first world need to curb our appetite for excessive consumerism which results in over-stuffed closets and having to donate our clothes often. If we own less and if we wear our clothes to the threads, then this problem wouldn't exist. Yes, it is a problem... because this practice has literally killed the garment industry here in Haiti. It is now mostly just for export. Haitians get to buy the very clothes they made only when those same clothes come back into Haiti as donated second-hand garments. This is just one aspect of this problem... I could say more, but this post is long enough already! This Jesus-call to live justly has many layers and many different ways of how we can change the way we live & consume... one of which is "to live simply so others may simply live." #Esparaz2Haiti #DoJustice #LoveMercy #WalkHumbly</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2016-08-27T03:29:48+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 8:29pm PDT</time></div>
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<b>For the first time in my life, I understood why <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A41-44&version=NIV" target="_blank">Jesus condemned the rich people who gave at the temple out of their excess</a> <i>because I saw the damage that giving out of my own excess has done.</i></b><i> </i>The clothes I've bagged and sent to thrift stores without checking where those clothes actually go. The cheap toys or second-rate stuff I've sent with mission teams. I will be the first to raise my hand and say that <i>I have not always given thoughtfully, sacrificially or generously.</i><br />
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We've given to Haiti out of our excess. We've given our leftovers, our second-hand stuff, our after-thoughts. <b>What we've given has indeed <i>not</i> been what Creator God would call <i>very good</i>.</b><br />
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You see, we've given clothes, but we've taken away the business of a seamstress.<br />
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We've given rice, but we've taken away the livelihood of a farmer.<br />
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We've given houses, but we've taken away the dignity of home.<br />
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We've given stuff, but we've taken away the empowerment in choosing your possessions for yourself.<br />
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We've given aid and development programs, but we've taken away the pride in building up your own life, your own community, your own nation.<br />
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We thought we were giving so much, but <i>were we really?</i> We were giving the leftovers of our luxury so we could replace it with more luxury, and in the process<b> we've taken away the people of Haiti's ability to fulfill their God-given mandate to take His <i>very good</i> creation and cultivate beauty, life, and community</b>.<br />
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And yet.<br />
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Despite all that we've taken, the Haitian people and the country of Haiti still give.<br />
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<b>They gave to my family and me as we were their guests for 6 days.</b><br />
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</b> <b>They welcomed us warmly. </b>Like that moment when the mother of our Compassion boy Bell Bradley, Margaret, welcomed us into her home with such exuberance and joy and song that our translator could barely get a word in - but it didn't matter... <i>Welcome sounds the same in every language.</i><br />
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<i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJl2p2hBSUN/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ This is Margaret, our @CompassionCA sponsor child Bradley's mama. She gave us all big hugs as we entered her humble home. The one-room home was so small we struggled to all fit inside comfortably... but prominently displayed on the main wall is a sign that says, "Christ est le chef de ma maison." She excitedly welcomed us with a short speech that she seemingly had been preparing for a while. Then she burst into song in her native French... and sang this: Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done. Did she know that I count #1000gifts? :) #Esparaz2Haiti #TheDifferenceIsJesus #ChildSponsorshipWorks #InTheFightAgainstPoverty #JesusWins</a></i></div>
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<i>A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2016-08-27T00:08:16+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 5:08pm PDT</time></i></div>
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</i> <b>They opened their homes and their families to us. </b>Like that moment we sat in our Compassion girl, Linsey's home and shared conversation and laughter and gifts and precious time with her entire family. Or those crazy-bumpy car rides during which we shared laughter and conversation with Bell Bradley's family.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJghWXNhRs0/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts #Esparaz2Haiti ~ Here we are inside Linsey's home with her mom and her 3 siblings. I want to just take a moment and tell you about her mom. This women is the same age as me. A single mom, struggling to feed her family. Her average income is US$100 per month. The difference between her and me is merely because I was born into privilege and she wasn't. We could've easily switched places... We asked what her family's greatest need is right now because we wanted to buy them a gift and she told us... a solar lamp, so that the kids can do their homework at night because electricity is very much touch & go here in Haiti. A solar lamp. Having light. Their most pressing need. Friends, we take that for granted in Canada! Needless to say, we got them a solar lamp! Proverbs 3:27-28 says: Do not withhold what is good from those who deserve it; if it is within your power to give it, do it. Do not send your neighbor away, saying, “Get back with me tomorrow. I can give it to you then,” when what he needs is already in your hand. Friends, we hold so much power & privilege in our hands. Let's do something with it to lift up the poor and the downtrodden among us... it's the least we can do! #TheDifferenceIsJesus #ChildSponsorshipWorks #InTheFightAgainstPoverty #JesusWins</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2016-08-24T22:25:54+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 24, 2016 at 3:25pm PDT</time></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJgS3QSAT1r/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Selfies with these beautiful girls - Linsey, our @CompassionCA girl (right), and her adorable little sister, Scarlett (middle). What a beautiful day of fellowship, learning & inspiration with this family. 💙💙💙 #esparaz2haiti</a></b></div>
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<b>A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2016-08-24T20:19:19+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 24, 2016 at 1:19pm PDT</time></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJl1IYmB1g-/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ This is our @CompassionCA son Bradley. He & @genius4jesus are birthday buddies! Next week, Jon will turn 16 and Bradley will turn 10! Two boys whose lives could not be any more different. One born into privilege in Canada, one born into extreme poverty in Haiti. We are grateful that God has used the ministry of @Compassion and invited us to be a part of bridging this gap. Bradley is a budding trumpet player and attends Holy Trinity Music School, home of the Holy Trinity Philharmonic Orchestra, the country’s best! Bradley is part of a program specifically aimed at youths living in the most disadvantaged areas of Port-au-Prince. This school provides training in music for Haitians of all ages and from all social strata. With Compassion's help in paying for school uniforms and extra school fees, Bradley is able to attend this prestigious school & has a head-start for the future! #Esparaz2Haiti #TheDifferenceIsJesus #ChildSponsorshipWorks #InTheFightAgainstPoverty #JesusWins</a></b></div>
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<b>A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2016-08-26T23:54:57+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 4:54pm PDT</time></b></div>
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</b> <b>They shared their talents with us. </b>Like that moment Linsey burst into song and shared her beautiful voice with us as we sat with her in the Compassion Centre's library. Or that moment Bell Bradley did the same the next day!<i> (Singing was a theme of our visit days.) </i>Or like those vendors who shared their beautiful crafts with us to take home as memories of our time in Haiti.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJoLDJIBgEA/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">This is George whom @papa2greatkids is talking to. We met George & a few of his friends, Remy & Arnold among others, right when we arrived at the beach. They paddle along the beach selling souvenirs that they've made. Occasionally, the guards from the resort come by to shoo them away. At one point, we saw armed military personnel come to "scare" them away from the shore. My first inkling of what they do came from a local, a Haitian man who, like us, is also enjoying the resort. He said to me, "If you are looking to buy souvenirs, you should buy from them. They're just looking to make a living." We ended up buying about US$35 worth of souvenirs from three of them... a painting, a couple bracelets, a fridge magnet. They said we could haggle, we didn't. All day we were at the beach. They were too and I didn't see them have much more sales all day. Wow! If you buy into the stereotype that the poor are poor because they are lazy, this story should make you rethink that. All day long, these men paddle along the beach in the scorching heat. We saw them again the next day. That's hard work. Very hard work for probably less than $15 of sales. Sales, not profit. My point in sharing this story is this... the poor are hardworking people. They just lack opportunity. When it is in our power to give them a hand up, we should! One way that I know works is through child sponsorship with @CompassionCA/@Compassion. Friends, it works! I've seen it firsthand. Also, next time you're vacationing in one of these countries, make sure you engage with the locals and buy your souvenirs from them & not from the resorts' boutiques! Oh, and please don't haggle. ;) #Esparaz2Haiti #TheDifferenceIsJesus #ChildSponsorshipWorks #InTheFightAgainstPoverty #JesusWins</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2016-08-27T21:44:58+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 27, 2016 at 2:44pm PDT</time></div>
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<b>Haiti gave me rest and rejuvenation before the beginning of this new school year. </b>Like those days at the beach resort where ocean waves and sandy beaches were the perfect company to rest and reflect and prepare my soul for the year ahead.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJkx06dhE4y/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids)</a> on <time datetime="2016-08-26T14:06:51+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 7:06am PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJsOO_cg-fW/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">deeply thankful for time spent in this absolutely stunning country. saying goodbye to Haiti this morning feeling rested, rejuvenated, energized and newly motivated for the year ahead and all the joy, laughter, tears, heartache, hope, learning, life and heaven-meets-earth moments that it will bring. #esparaz2haiti</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2016-08-29T11:29:45+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 29, 2016 at 4:29am PDT</time></div>
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<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script><b>Haiti taught me lessons that a classroom would never be able to teach me. </b>Like lessons about the power of a faithful organization such as Compassion, faithfully reflecting Christ to their own communities as the local church and gaining the trust and respect of even the most feared gangs in Haiti.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJmNVgogWRs/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Sweet times hanging out with this kiddo and his family yesterday, having been his sponsors for more than 5 years. :) We are continually praying for God's best in Bell Bradley's life and yesterday we got to meet the people and community walking with him in that journey. The local church journeying alongside children and their families to lift them out of poverty in Jesus' name... it is SUCH a powerful thing, friends, and it is happening all.over.the.world. through the work of @compassion. Humbled and so blessed to be a part of it... and you can be too: www.compassion.ca. #TheDifferenceIsJesus #esparaz2haiti</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2016-08-27T03:26:28+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 26, 2016 at 8:26pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJgema_Bgij/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts #Esparaz2Haiti ~ Here we are with our @CompassionCA daughter Linsey! Isn't she beautiful?!? Though we just started sponsoring her this year, this young lady was registered in the @Compassion program when she was just 5 years old. She is now 12 and tells us that she wants to be a doctor one day! This is what Compassion's ministry does... it literally helps fulfill Jeremiah 29:11 in the lives of children who would otherwise not have a reason to see a hope and a future. #TheDifferenceIsJesus #ChildSponsorshipWorks #InTheFightAgainstPoverty #JesusWins</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2016-08-24T22:01:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 24, 2016 at 3:01pm PDT</time></div>
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<b>Daily, they give to so many other guests who I can only suspect had their lives changed or their faith renewed or their souls touched while in Haiti. </b>Like the countless other Westerners I saw also travelling to, from, or within Haiti.<br />
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<b>And they give to each other.</b><br />
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</b> When given something <i>very good</i>, the people of Haiti, like any people, build something beautiful for themselves, for each other, for the glory of God. Yes, they're broken; yes, it's messy; yes, the make mistakes... <i>just like you and me.</i><br />
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But just like you and I try to do each day, they cling to Jesus, put forward their lives to invest in their communities and invest in the Kingdom, and trust that Christ will do something beautiful in and through them.<br />
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I visited two local churches, just two examples of many, who are building something beautiful in their communities through the ministry of <a href="http://www.compassion.net/" target="_blank">Compassion</a>. <b>In Jesus' name, they are raising up children out of poverty and into leaders who dream of becoming doctors and lawyers and engineers and everyday people who steward what God's given them to cultivate beauty, life, community, for themselves, for each other, for the glory of God. </b><br />
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</b> And after all they've given us, despite all we've taken, isn't time we gave something real? Something sacrificial? Something <i>very good</i>?<br />
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Like the rich in the temple, we've proudly given out of our excess, given our leftovers for long enough.<br />
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Might we start giving our best, our <i>very good</i>? <i>Might we start giving with a posture of sacrifice rather than from a place of excess? </i><br />
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</i> <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">Becoming a Compassion sponsor</a> is one of the most tangible places to start. <a href="https://youtu.be/xMrjCX5gX4o" target="_blank">What they do is </a><i><a href="https://youtu.be/xMrjCX5gX4o" target="_blank">very good</a> </i>- I've seen it. Compassion isn't perfect, they don't have all the answers - nor would they ever claim to. <b>But they are committed to faithfully putting what they know is <i>very good </i>- the influence and support of a strong local church, and most importantly, the gospel of Jesus Christ - into the lives of children in poverty, and watching those children begin to thrive. </b><br />
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How can you give beyond your excess, your leftovers? <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">Perhaps it's sponsoring one child.</a> <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">Perhaps it's three.</a> <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">Perhaps it's three hundred.</a><br />
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But <strike>I dare you</strike> <i>I dare us</i> to start giving better than our leftovers. To start giving what our Creator God would call <i>very good</i>.<i> </i><br />
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<b><i>I dare us</i> to start giving of our money, our time, our influence, our power, our privilege, our talents, our love, <i>our very lives</i> in radical, Kingdom-shaped ways... <i>Because I believe that the beauty, the life, the community that God intended for us way back in Eden is waiting on the other side of that radical generosity. </i></b><br />
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</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">additional resources:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.chalmers.org/when-helping-hurts" target="_blank">When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.craiggreenfield.com/subversive-jesus/" target="_blank">Subversive Jesus by Craig Greenfield</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.povertyinc.org/" target="_blank">Poverty Inc. documentary</a></span><br />
<i></i>Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-5429106102765928912016-05-02T23:01:00.001-04:002017-01-23T20:01:25.708-05:00When Grace Comes Full CircleThere once was a twelve-year-old girl, who grew up in church and strived to follow Jesus with her all. She did all the right things, and checked them off a list... Morning devotionals, bedtime prayers, midweek church and Sunday school.<br />
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<i>Little did she know all that she was missing by simply going through the motions.</i><br />
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<b>Thankfully, God's got an abundance of amazing grace.</b><br />
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And so, one day, that girl stumbled upon a series of articles about the ministry of <a href="http://www.compassion.net/" target="_blank">Compassion International</a> in a magazine. They featured youth not much different from her, <b>telling their stories about how they've partnered with local churches in the developing world to release children from poverty in Jesus' name... all because <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">they had become Compassion sponsors</a>.</b><br />
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Of course, she didn't know or understand all of that great stuff right away. She just thought this sounded like a cool idea. Sponsor a child. Write some letters. It'll be fun. It would be a good thing to do, right?<br />
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So she begged <i>and begged <b>and begged</b></i> her parents to sponsor a Compassion child on her behalf. After a bit of skepticism, they finally relented. Fine, they said, we'll try it out<i>.</i><br />
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<i>Probably hoping she would just forget about it in a few months so they could cancel. ;)</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BEzkhE-KRcN/" style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Reading this & can't help but get teary-eyed... because this is how our journey into loving "the least of these" started --- "Dad & Mom, can I have a little sister from @CompassionCA for my Christmas gift?" Little did we know just how much that YES would change our lives! God's grace truly overwhelms. He relentlessly pursues us & gently leads us into that place where our hearts break for the things that break His! @compassion #TheDifferenceIsJesus</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2016-04-30T01:22:11+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 29, 2016 at 6:22pm PDT</time></div>
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Regardless, they became Compassion sponsors and eventually sponsored a little girl named Florianlyn from the Philippines.<br />
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And that girl who had begged and begged and begged? <i>She was stoked.</i><br />
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<b>Little did she know, this would literally change the trajectory of her life.</b> In fact, it would change the trajectory of her entire family's story.<br />
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They would go on to all become volunteers with Compassion.<br />
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<a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.ca/p/our-sponsor-children.html" target="_blank">Their Compassion family</a> would grow to include 10 children and 2 graduates.<br />
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They would visit the field not once, not twice, not thrice, but 4 times in just over 6 years of being Compassion sponsors.<br />
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She would go on to host Compassion Canada's youth curriculum, <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty</a>.<br />
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Her mama would even end up working for Compassion Canada as their Ministry Relations Rep in the Greater Toronto Area... and she would relentlessly tease her mama - from skeptic to employee! ;)<br />
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<b>Her family would begin to understand God's heart for the poor... and start to embrace the beautiful, messy, frustrating, and fulfilling journey He calls us to in the margins, serving society's "least of these". </b><br />
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Today, that girl is 19. And she's pausing here in the journey to write this post and reflect on how far He's taken her from just going through the motions in her faith. <i>And she is incredibly thankful for His abundance of amazing grace.</i><br />
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And sitting here, on the eve of starting as an intern with Compassion Canada as part of the <a href="http://www.flowinternship.com/" target="_blank">Flow Internship</a> program (!!!), she's smiling at His latest installment of grace...<br />
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Because you see, little did she know all those years ago when reading about Compassion in a magazine, that almost seven years later, <a href="http://digital.faithtoday.ca/faithtoday/20160506?pg=84#pg84" target="_blank">a column of her own</a> would appear in <a href="http://www.lovemovement.org/lia-magazine" target="_blank">a similar youth magazine called LoveIsMoving</a>, telling the story of how she's partnered with local churches in the developing world to release children from poverty in Jesus' name... all because <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">she and her family had become Compassion sponsors</a>. :)<br />
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And when she held that magazine in her hands for the first time, she couldn't help but be incredibly, incredibly in awe of how grace comes full circle, as our Father continues to shower more and more of His amazing grace.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theefc.ca/lia" target="_blank">Check out LoveIsMoving Magazine</a>... <a href="http://digital.faithtoday.ca/faithtoday/20160506?pg=84#pg84" target="_blank">You might just see a familiar face</a>! :)Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-8562866568489649032016-01-10T20:34:00.001-05:002017-01-23T20:03:36.844-05:00Welcome HomeWhen the day was over, all I could think about was what a shame it is that anyone could ever say no to this... <i><b>and miss out on all <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2016/01/dear-sweet-little-girl.html" target="_blank">this beauty</a>.</b></i>
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Because <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/09/dear-aylan-part-2.html" target="_blank">all of this</a> - <i>yes, it's about this beautiful family being welcomed home. </i>It's about their tears and relief and safety and joy. It's about giving them the opportunity to safely and freely grow and learn and laugh and love.<b> It's about exemplifying a radical Love to them until all the hate they've ever known melts away.</b><br />
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But at the end of what was quite possibly one of my favourite days ever, <i>I realized that this might be more about us, than them</i>.<br />
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Because you know what? <i>Without us, this family would've still been welcomed to Canada.</i> The Canadian government would've still accepted their application. Another sponsoring group would've been in our place. This family would've still had loving sponsors who would've been committed to moving them into an apartment, helping them register for school and ESL, sourcing furniture and household items and <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/SyriaResponse" target="_blank">raising funds to support them for a year</a>... all of it.<br />
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<b><i>The only ones who would've missed out is us. </i></b><br />
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We would've missed this beauty. We would've missed this joy. <b>We would've missed the opportunity to get to know the Jesus we follow in one of the most real ways there is</b>, because <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:35&version=NLT" target="_blank">when we welcome the stranger, we welcome Him</a>.<br />
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<i>We would've missed out on experiencing the Body of Christ come together in one of the most beautiful ways I have ever witnessed, <b>to declare with our lives that Love is greater than fear, apathy, intolerance or hate.</b></i><br />
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Because yesterday, I saw 35+ people - <i>and not to mention the <b>hundreds</b> more that have generously given money, time, donations, prayers and love to get us to yesterday's move-day</i> - come together as the Body of Christ to move a <i>formerly </i>displaced Syrian family into their new home, filling it with furniture, household items, laughter, life, and love.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsGZgo5Fq1cXYq8zk29Zgt4vqBqV0K7Xli8eua5ypURiKHwjA4XfK4GiS6R5FnL0y9OUT0AN5MXw2-rlMo57D1k2iI3c4dji48WT35TdWLuZdSZLqV9JXFr6zhen79ddIqFHDPQH0BV0/s1600/Photo+2016-01-09-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsGZgo5Fq1cXYq8zk29Zgt4vqBqV0K7Xli8eua5ypURiKHwjA4XfK4GiS6R5FnL0y9OUT0AN5MXw2-rlMo57D1k2iI3c4dji48WT35TdWLuZdSZLqV9JXFr6zhen79ddIqFHDPQH0BV0/s400/Photo+2016-01-09-4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From empty apartment...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBaKicKlCkePIj6Gjt4nCYnMv5Z5GKwmhFDGsLVqCMKwWmzzfHkwl0ne93lvmDfQMeSlQ-C1fA-j_ibvfmadUeaJoB4EEaud95XWrZ5JOOwfZTUcac74_92-Q5bpdocNblIUYRPWZ5G8/s1600/20160109_160111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBaKicKlCkePIj6Gjt4nCYnMv5Z5GKwmhFDGsLVqCMKwWmzzfHkwl0ne93lvmDfQMeSlQ-C1fA-j_ibvfmadUeaJoB4EEaud95XWrZ5JOOwfZTUcac74_92-Q5bpdocNblIUYRPWZ5G8/s400/20160109_160111.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...to warm, home sweet home. </td></tr>
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<i>And this family... they've been through far too much brokenness and pain.</i> The displaced, broken parts of every human heart - those parts that choose fear and violence and apathy and hate because our human hearts war and rage against Love Himself until we displace ourselves from the Love that created us - <b>that brokenness left this family without a home or a safe place to grow, live, and love. </b><br />
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<b><i>In fact, those displaced, broken parts of our hearts have left millions without a safe place to call home. </i></b><br />
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My mama read it to us just today, on the way home from visiting our family... "There are 60 million displaced persons in the world," she reads, "12 million in Syria alone."<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BAX53Y9GyIx/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">There are 60million displaced persons in the world. 12million in Syria alone. This must break the heart of heaven - Bill Hybels @willowcreekcc #wewelcomerefugees</a></div>
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A photo posted by We Welcome Refugees (@wewelcomerefugees) on <time datetime="2016-01-10T21:24:25+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jan 10, 2016 at 1:24pm PST</time></div>
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It's a staggering, overwhelming number... One that grows each day as war continues unfazed.<br />
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"But you know what?" I responded to my mama's stat, <b>"Four of those 60 million people aren't displaced anymore."</b><br />
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No, they certainly are not. They are laying their heads down tonight in their very own home - safe, warm, together.<br />
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And as I quietly smiled at that fact, I thought -<br />
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<i><b>Perhaps those displaced, broken parts of our own hearts might just have a chance as well.</b></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Definitely one of my favourite days ever. It's hard to express the fullness that we all felt at the end of the day. Please continue keeping this family in your prayers as the settle in - that in the midst of what is surely going to be a tough next few months that they might find peace and hope in the Love we will try our hardest to continuously share with them. </i></span>Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-89641835912586444372016-01-01T13:16:00.000-05:002017-01-23T20:03:36.856-05:00Dear Sweet Little Girl*,<i>This all started with <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/09/dear-nameless-boy.html" target="_blank">a little boy just a little younger than you and your brother</a>.</i><br />
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This entire day, it happened because of <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/09/dear-nameless-boy.html" target="_blank">Aylan</a>'s tiny, lifeless body washed up on the shore of the Mediterranean.<br />
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<i>And quite honestly, sweet girl?</i> <b>I was discouraged for once. </b>This optimist wasn't so hopeful this time around. I didn't let my heart hope for even a second... <i>I thought I knew that Aylan's photo would cause a lot of retweets but not a lot of actual action.</i><br />
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I had accepted that all that would come across the air to Canada from Syria would be more stories of despair.<br />
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<b>Yet here you are.</b><br />
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I suppose I forgot that <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/09/dear-aylan-part-2.html" target="_blank">there are good people in the world</a>. I forgot that there are many, many people <b>just waiting for an opportunity to <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/12/christmas-reflections.html" target="_blank">birth Love</a> into this world.</b><br />
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Because yesterday, sweet girl, I saw Love birthed into the world like I've never seen before. <b>I saw the Body of Christ come together and come alive and <i>bear His image to you and your family in one of the most beautiful ways I have ever seen. </i></b><br />
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<i>I can only imagine how confused you must feel right now...</i> They told you that you were coming to Canada, and then you got on a plane, travelled 16+ hours and were put up in a strange hotel in a strange city for the night. Then in the morning, you were shuffled out of that room and told to wait in the lobby.<br />
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Your poor parents were told nothing of a sponsoring group... Nothing of the God-sent apartment that had been rented for you or the sweet family with beds made in their spare room just waiting to host you for the week while the aforementioned apartment's paperwork goes through. Nothing of the team of people who have sourced furniture and found Arabic-speaking doctors and researched schools... none of it.<br />
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<b>I can just imagine how disorienting this must feel. <i>Like maybe this was all a bad idea after all.</i></b><br />
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<i>And when I saw the tears and relief in your parents' kind, weary, and courageous eyes as our translator told them that we had been preparing to welcome them for months, <b>my heart could've just about burst.</b></i><br />
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When the whole lot of us huddled into that conference room of that hotel - the whole mismatched group of us, beautifully brought together because of a desire to welcome you - and your papa said that thing about feeling like we are your new Canadian family?<i> </i><i>Oh, little girl, I think even the toughest of us were tearing up.</i><br />
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<i>Because this is it!</i> <b>This is the Love we <i>get to</i> share in the midst of a broken world.</b> And how could we ever say no to this? <i>How could we dare to miss this?</i><br />
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And then we went to that restaurant serving up meals from your homeland and okay, the whole party of us? <i>We were hard to miss.</i><br />
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So a regular at that restaurant leans to the waitress and asks <i>What on earth is going on over there? </i>and the waitress tells her the bits of our story that she's gathered in all of five minutes of us being there and soon after that regular customer leaves, that waitress is over at our table letting us know that <i>our entire tab had been picked up by that stranger.</i><br />
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<b>But it didn't stop there.</b> That waitress herself picked up the tab for our coffee afterwards, and the owner sent you home with a box full of meals on the house for your first week in Canada... <i>A taste of home to help with the homesickness.</i><br />
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And <i><b>I'm realizing that we live in an ocean of grace.</b></i> We live in a world where people are ready and waiting to birth Love into this world, and <b>we can believe in the hatred we see on the news, or we can believe in Love. </b><br />
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Dear sweet little girl, it is just all too fitting that your family is ringing in the new year in a new country with a fresh start lying ahead. Yet I can only imagine how tough this coming year will be for you. It will be a long process of getting accustomed to life here - one that will at times be messy and frustrating, yet also, we hope, fulfilling and incredibly beautiful.<br />
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Know that we, your new Canadian family, will be there with you every step of the way.<br />
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<b><i>Because sweet girl - we believe in Love and we pray that you and your beautiful family will come to believe in Love, too.</i></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yes, the first of two Syrian refugee families that <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/SyriaResponse" target="_blank">our church family is sponsoring</a> landed in Canada this week! We met them yesterday, New Year's Eve - and how fitting is that?! Your prayers are mightily appreciated as we step into this year-long journey together. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23wewelcomerefugees" target="_blank">#WeWelcomeRefugees</a></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*As of now, our family prefers not to be named publicly on the internet.</span></i>Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-2040833532321789092015-12-31T08:00:00.000-05:002015-12-31T08:00:11.032-05:002015 Year in Review<b>This year feels like it flew by, but when I think back to January, it feels like a lifetime ago.</b><br />
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It was just that kind of year.</div>
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This year in review has become one of my absolute favourite things to do as I look back on the many things God accomplished and the many places I encountered Jesus throughout the year...</div>
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My hope was to <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/01/oneword2015-embrace.html" target="_blank">embrace</a> this year... <i>to rest in His embrace, to embrace Him, to embrace others and to embrace the changing communities around me.</i> It was a beautiful word that I loved having as the centrepiece of my year. <i>(And as for my Bible-reading goal, I did end up reading the entire New Testament + the Psalms this year!)</i><br />
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In <span style="font-size: large;">January</span>, <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/01/meet-johnrel.html">I sponsored Johnrel</a>, an adorable little boy from the community <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2014/10/when-oceans-rise.html">where oceans rise</a>. It has been a joy getting to know Johnrel and his family this year... I've since learned that he hopes to meet Manny Pacquiao and wants to be a doctor when he grows up. Plus, doesn't he have the most adorable hand-writing (see below right)? Yeah.</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/0vp0Uew8kQ/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">not many things in life are sweeter than a multiple @compassion letter day!😄💙</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-03-27T20:29:14+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 27, 2015 at 1:29pm PDT</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">February</span> was a crazy whirlwind in which <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-world-in-which-i-get-to-be-adult.html" target="_blank">I turned adult-age</a> and got accepted into <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/ccds/what-international-development-studies" target="_blank">my dream program</a> at the top university in Canada. So, like, <i>no big deal. </i>(!!!!!!!!!!!!!)<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/zPox-SqRej/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ 18 today!!! Not sure how 18 years flew by so quickly... time sure flows like a relentless river. Happy Birthday, @_godsgal4ever!!! {Thanks @trish_bradley for the pancake birthday cake idea. Love it!}</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-02-18T13:33:05+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 18, 2015 at 5:33am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/zL-U7MQ8t9/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">every good and perfect gift is from above ;</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-02-17T03:24:23+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 16, 2015 at 7:24pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/zEDQpBKRbz/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#Frozen birthday cake! Happy 18th Birthday, @_godsgal4ever!</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-02-14T01:33:34+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Feb 13, 2015 at 5:33pm PST</time></div>
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In <span style="font-size: large;">March</span>, <a href="http://theunderground.ws/2015/03/18/sledgehammering-springtime-speeches-compassion-trip-update/" target="_blank">I went back to Wilmington</a> and <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/04/wilmington-take-3.html" target="_blank">discovered the same inspiring group of Jesus-lovers</a> that I encountered back in grade nine, <i>faithfully building the Kingdom-come each and every day.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting to serve in Wilmington with these beautiful people was one of the highlights of my year!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/0blEolw8ht/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">My girl.💕 So thankful for the ways we connected this week & so proud of her for getting up and delivering an amazing speech at UrbanPromise Wilmington's speech contest tonight! 😊</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-03-20T01:22:57+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Mar 19, 2015 at 6:22pm PDT</time> </div>
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March also brought <a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.ca/2015/03/more-thoughts-on-lent-on-fear-on-babies.html" target="_blank">two unforgettably adorable little Mongolian boys</a> into our lives, as they came to Canada for life-saving heart surgery. <a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/2015/04/that-wild-joy.html" target="_blank">Our journey with them unfolded with them in incredibly beautiful ways.</a> Both are back home now... <i>but we miss them ever so dearly!</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/1I5NLmw8k1/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">look who's doing so awesome, just one and a half weeks after heart surgery! some post-op appointments today. thanks for your continued prayers for undrakh and his buddy ochro (who is still waiting for a surgery date), everyone! :)</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-04-06T15:44:42+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 6, 2015 at 8:44am PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/1tI03cw8tg/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">praying hard for this little guy as he gears up for open heart surgery tomorrow! please be praying for ochro... he has quite a complex surgery ahead of him tomorrow, plus he's been getting increasingly low on energy and quite homesick. thanks everyone! ❤️</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-04-20T17:33:51+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Apr 20, 2015 at 10:33am PDT</time></div>
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In <span style="font-size: large;">April</span>, <a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/2015/04/one-proud-compassion-mama.html" target="_blank">my family celebrated from across the ocean with my Compassion sister Rechelle, who graduated the LDP program.</a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicv8k6idEKunK76S9tNkM-Tf4zF09NReXQDLqGNGD292brrfC6b6c4Xce6wos8jKH0i4NUL8CQzegQKNrFm_a_WAqZyF52dZFq8_6IE1SLmFdV_ifAZnIhyphenhyphen5tguCdWTyLTgeTXmgYcm2k/s1600/11174784_10152914515452862_7114600036852912360_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicv8k6idEKunK76S9tNkM-Tf4zF09NReXQDLqGNGD292brrfC6b6c4Xce6wos8jKH0i4NUL8CQzegQKNrFm_a_WAqZyF52dZFq8_6IE1SLmFdV_ifAZnIhyphenhyphen5tguCdWTyLTgeTXmgYcm2k/s400/11174784_10152914515452862_7114600036852912360_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So thankful that my grandparents, who live in the Philippines, we able to make it to the ceremony and celebrate with Rechelle at her graduation!</td></tr>
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April also brought a teachers' strike in my last semester of high school, putting me and thousands of other students out of class for 5+ weeks... I wasn't complaining too much - I redid my bedroom for the first time in 15 years, accompanied those two boys to the hospital, and practiced my chauffeuring skills by driving myself and my brother to hang out at <a href="http://www.urbanpromise.com/" target="_blank">UrbanPromise Toronto</a> Camp Hope's Rubik's Cube Club.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/2KIhV1qRX0/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Good progress with @_godsgal4ever's bedroom makeover. We are accomplishing much during this teachers' strike! ;)</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-05-01T23:49:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 1, 2015 at 4:49pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/2tCHKvKRah/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Surreal... at the hospital for, hopefully, this little man's LAST appointment! Praying that he will get the green light to fly today so that he can head home to Mongolia as he's been away from home for 3 months now. #SamaritansPurse #ChildrensHeartProject</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-05-15T13:06:35+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 15, 2015 at 6:06am PDT</time></div>
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The Rubik's Cube is a powerful thing!Yesterday, one of Canada's fastest speed cubers, Jonathan Esparaz, did a cubing...<br />
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In <span style="font-size: large;">May</span>, I got to speak about and represent <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion Canada</a> at three youth events. I also got to hold <i><a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty</a></i> in my hands <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.ca/2015/05/true-story.html" target="_blank">for the first time</a>!!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/21lNgcw8mn/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">it was an absolute pleasure to represent @compassionCA at #pitch2015, #aoyc & #oflo15 this weekend! so thankful for all the lives that were changed - we serve a pretty awesome Jesus. :) Thanks to everyone who was praying over this weekend... those prayers were much needed, appreciated & felt! :)</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-05-18T20:47:12+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 18, 2015 at 1:47pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5cMsE0mSuJWIXaW6pUbbMxe7SFNioLTWb7s3RvbkStgJMwM3M4eXHAkrvrZVSV_LWiBoZGIakA7rBCvmM5gbyd9sDLms_fPEDFUXNsM5S-fMmfwyarppLw4uPXMic9JJeDLr7d7CQ0A/s1600/Overflow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5cMsE0mSuJWIXaW6pUbbMxe7SFNioLTWb7s3RvbkStgJMwM3M4eXHAkrvrZVSV_LWiBoZGIakA7rBCvmM5gbyd9sDLms_fPEDFUXNsM5S-fMmfwyarppLw4uPXMic9JJeDLr7d7CQ0A/s400/Overflow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/2esBRIqRYZ/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ So excited to finally have copies of this in our hands... @compassion's #TrueStorySeries! Check it out online: www.compassion.ca/truestory #proudmama</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-05-09T23:24:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 9, 2015 at 4:24pm PDT</time></div>
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Then... school came back! Just in time for me to go to these two things called prom and graduation in <span style="font-size: large;">June</span>.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/3L16ULKRX4/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Rise & shine! Back to school after 5.5 weeks off with the teachers' strike. These two are trying hard to wake up... and trying hard to remember their locker lock combinations. LOL!</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-05-27T12:16:26+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 27, 2015 at 5:16am PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/3XVSKnQ8t6/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">this is only just my first prom pic. #areyouproudofme #plentymorewherethiscamefrom</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-05-31T23:22:13+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 31, 2015 at 4:22pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/3XZ_82w8m_/" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever)</a> on <time datetime="2015-06-01T00:03:25+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 31, 2015 at 5:03pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/4VcVUuKRZZ/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ A full day of celebrating this girl as she graduated from high school! #DreamBig #TimeFlies #GrowingUpTooFast #proudmama</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-06-25T02:16:43+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 24, 2015 at 7:16pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/4U7DNtw8rU/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">we are graduates, ladies! 🎓 I wouldn't have wanted to do the past four years of my life with anyone else except you beautiful women! I love you all to the moon and back - go make your vast and beautiful marks on this world & don't forget that we still have to sneak some adventures in together along the way! 💕😘💫</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-06-24T21:25:53+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 24, 2015 at 2:25pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/4PnRJlqRVv/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Her yearbook came today. Just like that, she's graduating from high school! I am so incredibly proud to call this amazing young woman my daughter. God's grace is breathtakingly beautiful! #proudmama #grateful Dear parents of younger children... trust me, don't blink... because time flows like a relentless river. Cherish every moment!</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-06-22T19:56:50+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 22, 2015 at 12:56pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.ca/2015/07/15-ways.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Summer</span> rolled around</a>, and that brought the PanAm games to our city, a lot of "not doing much", and <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/07/when-god-gives-you-both.html" target="_blank">a trip to Guatemala</a> smack in the middle... where we met our <a href="http://www.compassion.net/" target="_blank">Compassion</a> girl, Esperanza. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/esparaz2gua/" target="_blank">Our visit</a> turned out to be a goodbye in person, which was incredibly bittersweet and <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/08/why-difference-truly-is-jesus.html" target="_blank"><b>I was reminded yet again that the difference is truly Jesus.</b></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/5bEY6rqRcx/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Finally checked out some #PANAM2015 landmarks today! #fun #TO2015 #Toronto</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-07-22T03:14:20+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 21, 2015 at 8:14pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/6JAzpXw8hc/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">women's canada vs guatemala wheelchair basketball at #TO2015... so very impressed by this! :)</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-08-08T23:28:06+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 8, 2015 at 4:28pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/5me9nbw8o2/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">arrived safe & sound!✈️ #esparaz2GUA</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-07-26T13:38:11+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jul 26, 2015 at 6:38am PDT</time></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Qxy3Cj_HuhScLTmmqLdpxQH6vhgtFq1PmP7JjCno5hemPN8B70qRsg_Wesqwm9_I-9E8KX8XFY0zwIeDFboH5C2pUqLSAqgiykzYYgtjovSl03IAttmpnmhJEn2c_Xe8RMhgMMY297E/s1600/with+esperanza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Qxy3Cj_HuhScLTmmqLdpxQH6vhgtFq1PmP7JjCno5hemPN8B70qRsg_Wesqwm9_I-9E8KX8XFY0zwIeDFboH5C2pUqLSAqgiykzYYgtjovSl03IAttmpnmhJEn2c_Xe8RMhgMMY297E/s400/with+esperanza.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I had to choose one photo to keep from this year, it's this one, of this beautiful embrace I shared with this beautiful sister of mine.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZh-eHpTF4o0AbYCy6LTE0xUaHB-EfF3RnbxIwwP1X5rOM16IsWBXjfnBU5xnNzlBQkGbeeOWAMGBsnEFV8jXv_lRBCsfY2eY6MydsicMDpWGKwZXrcoc0T32StS6NRHasZWTDzmhODec/s1600/DSC_8281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZh-eHpTF4o0AbYCy6LTE0xUaHB-EfF3RnbxIwwP1X5rOM16IsWBXjfnBU5xnNzlBQkGbeeOWAMGBsnEFV8jXv_lRBCsfY2eY6MydsicMDpWGKwZXrcoc0T32StS6NRHasZWTDzmhODec/s400/DSC_8281.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously the most photogenic country ever. Good thing I went with an amazing photographer a.k.a. brother who I can steal photos from. :)</td></tr>
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When summer came to a close and <span style="font-size: large;">September</span> started, I got to start university, but not without <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.ca/2015/09/dear-nameless-boy.html" target="_blank">being ravaged by a photo of a Syrian toddler's lifeless body washed up on the shores of the Mediterranean</a>. I feared the worst - <i>that we would forget this little boy</i> - but instead, <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.ca/2015/09/dear-aylan-part-2.html" target="_blank">he has inspired thousands to come together and welcome Syrian refugee families into safety and liberty.</a> In fact, the first of two families that our church is sponsoring to come to Canada has just landed... they will ring in the new year with a fresh start in a new country ahead of them, and we are simply praying that we may help to make this new place feel like home.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/4iRNXWw8vh/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">it doesn't get much more real than this. @utsc</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-06-30T01:49:39+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Jun 29, 2015 at 6:49pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/7V3pa6w8v2/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#WeWelcomeRefugees now is the church's moment. join the movement & say yes to taking action in the Syrian refugee crisis: www.wewelcomerefugees.com "...so we can turn to our grandkids - and say: 'It was unfolding on our watch - and God Himself moved... through our willing yes.' He will turn & say: 'I was a stranger and you welcomed Me in.' and we will nod & say: 'Yes, yes we did - we welcomed the refugees in.'" - @annvoskamp</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-09-07T19:49:35+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 7, 2015 at 12:49pm PDT</time></div>
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In <span style="font-size: large;">October</span>, <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/10/when-writer-goes-to-taylor-swift-concert.html" target="_blank">I got to go to a Taylor Swift concert</a>, vote for the first time, speak about <a href="http://www.compassion.net/" target="_blank">Compassion</a> and encourage my peers to <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">sponsor a child</a> at <a href="http://www.changeconference.com/" target="_blank">one of my favourite youth conferences in Toronto</a>, and spend lots of time with my grandparents, who spent all of the summer and fall here in Canada with us.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/8XUWcBQ8oh/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">breathe the same air as taylor - check. ✔️ THIS WAS SO FUN even though I'm a horrible scream-singer (no seriously), and yeah, @taylorswift is sort of really cool. she can put on a pretty good show. ;) thanks mom&dad for an amazing grad gift!!</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-10-03T05:51:02+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 2, 2015 at 10:51pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/9B7_1dQ8mw/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">all done! your turn! 😁🇨🇦 #firsttimevoter #elxn42</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-10-19T19:05:34+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Oct 19, 2015 at 12:05pm PDT</time></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeCMsH-dMOS3Lc62rLideIyqiFe4SlGV7w6sgsSBw2ykghUdLCGhVWdTgcUiWk5RYjxJW5DMgYp9b6qnZib3eN3GtWmYAPKmyhyphenhyphenHv5kip_snKurPoRTy01UccLKUT5IWPeGbrgID3-XU/s1600/IMG_4711.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOeCMsH-dMOS3Lc62rLideIyqiFe4SlGV7w6sgsSBw2ykghUdLCGhVWdTgcUiWk5RYjxJW5DMgYp9b6qnZib3eN3GtWmYAPKmyhyphenhyphenHv5kip_snKurPoRTy01UccLKUT5IWPeGbrgID3-XU/s400/IMG_4711.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This speaking-in-front-of-large-crowds thing was new for me this year... and I was inspired by how many of my peers resonated with this message of embracing our role in God's story of redemption for our broken world.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/9mHtcWw8in/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">at least someone's doing my readings. #grandpa #unilife #multigenerationalliving</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-11-02T20:20:34+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 2, 2015 at 12:20pm PST</time></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">November</span> brought more <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion Canada</a> events, and <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/12/02/rubiks-cube-is-no-puzzle-for-speedcubers.html" target="_blank">the largest one-day speed cubing competition</a> in the history of the <a href="https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/" target="_blank">World Cube Association</a> - and we just so happened to get to be a part of it. Fun fact? 270 cubers in one place is a lot. Trust me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/9yEguzw8tM/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">Very few things get me up at 6:30AM. @compassionvolunteers is one of them.😊 #riseandshine #LProof15 #VolunteerWithCompassion</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-11-07T11:43:31+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 7, 2015 at 3:43am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/9yzkw5qRUm/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Awesome two days representing @Compassion Canada at #LProof15 with my girl @_godsgal4ever and seeing 90 children released from poverty in Jesus' name! #TheDifferenceIsJesus Photo Creds: my sister @airanlee</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-11-07T18:34:45+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 7, 2015 at 10:34am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-puEOTqRUR/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">#1000gifts ~ Awesome day at Canadian Cubing's #TOF2015... on record as the largest ever one-day speed-cubing competition in the history of the World Cube Association. Jon did awesomely with two third place finishes!!! I, on the other hand, will probably dream about seconds and milliseconds tonight after entering data today for hundreds and hundreds of score cards! Lots of fun! #proudmama</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-11-29T02:24:51+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Nov 28, 2015 at 6:24pm PST</time></div>
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Results from yesterday's competition are now up on the World Cube Association website, here:...<br />
Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/canadiancubing/">canadianCUBING</a> on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/canadiancubing/posts/10153797860399846:0">Sunday, November 29, 2015</a></blockquote>
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And as the year comes to a close with <span style="font-size: large;">December</span>, it has been filled with finishing my first semester of university, preparing to welcome our refugee family onto Canadian soil, <a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/2015/12/nodding-yes.html" target="_blank">cheering my mama on as she prepares to start a new job as Compassion Canada's Representative in the Greater Toronto Area</a>, and, of course... Star Wars. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_XWttIQ8iK/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">here's one way to look at it... #oneeighththere #woot #survivedsem1ofuni</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-12-16T19:45:52+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 16, 2015 at 11:45am PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/-6mBEUQ8rh/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">this is a creeper photo at its finest but I just felt that I needed to capture this moment. you see, these are my parents. up way-too-early on a saturday morning (sleep-in day!), up to their ears in emails and to-dos and paperwork... all because in a few weeks, our church family will be at the airport to welcome one, then two, refugee families into our city and our lives. but when those instagrams of happy new beginnings get posted on airport day, I wanted this one to exist. the one of these two people up on a Saturday morning, working tirelessly together in the PJs, so that that airport day can happen. this is the example that I am so thankful has been set before me for my entire life. also, this is what #refugeeswelcome looks like in the everyday - it's not a retweet or a fb post or lobbying our gov't. it is stinkin' hard work - work that I've seen not only my parents, but so many people in our church community put in already and I know I will only see increase after airport day. literally countless individuals giving up Saturday mornings, Tuesday evenings, Sunday afternoons or even their own vacation days from work to apartment search, make budgets, source furniture, meet translators, and so.much.more. this is what all those news reports and big numbers like 25000 look like in real life - it's not always glamorous and super warm and fuzzy. sometimes it's Saturday morning paperwork in your PJs. if you're still reading this, I'm wrapping up - promise. I'll just say this: the advocate in me wrote this post to give a small snapshot into what refugee sponsorship looks like in the everyday. but the daughter in me wrote it to say this: I captured this photo because I am so incredibly blessed.thankful.proud to call these two people my parents. #realrelationshipgoals #prouddaughter #wewelcomerefugees</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-12-05T15:41:36+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 5, 2015 at 7:41am PST</time></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-12-19T23:11:08+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 19, 2015 at 3:11pm PST</time></div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_hM8Nmw8qQ/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">This is us still losing our minds at how amazing #StarWars #TheForceAwakens is... So we decided to welcome everyone to @themeetinghouse #UptownTO in these tees. It's #StarWarsSunday, after all. #ChurchInAMovieTheatre</a></div>
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A photo posted by alyssa (@_godsgal4ever) on <time datetime="2015-12-20T15:32:52+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Dec 20, 2015 at 7:32am PST</time></div>
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As I look back on this year, there was a lot of despair in this world. But when I read back on this year in review, <b><a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/12/christmas-reflections.html" target="_blank">I see our God showing me again and again that He has overcome.</a></b> We can choose to wallow in despair, or <b><i>we can choose to birth Love into this world everywhere we go... until the despair melts away in the light of His redemption.</i></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Happy New Year, friends!</span> Thank you for being you. </b><br />
<i>Wishing you all the opportunity and the strength to birth Love into the world each day in the coming new year.</i></div>
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Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-39209313983415112802015-12-24T11:47:00.001-05:002017-01-23T20:03:36.809-05:00Christmas ReflectionsMy draft box is full of the real good-intention to post something. <i>Promise.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The world has been a hurting place this fall. Even a bit more than normal, it seems. There was terror and intolerance and yet still, the First World I call home went about life and Christmas and shopping - unfazed. And words started, but they never ended, as evidenced by my draft box. Maybe they'll come in the New Year, <i>but we all know how the "blog more" resolution always turns out... ;)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The ending to those words didn't get written not because I didn't know the ending, but because I think I got far too excited about the ending before I got to write it, and I would spring up to join the <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/09/dear-aylan-part-2.html" target="_blank">awesome people taking action</a> on this great hope before I remembered to hit "post" on those words.<br />
<br />
And so I think I'll write a collective ending to all those hurting beginnings here, as the fall comes to a close and I spend some time reflecting at Christmas...<br />
<br />
The conclusion and the response to a world of hurt is this:<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>Oh, how He loves us. </i></b><br />
<br />
Even now. <i>Especially now. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>He hurts for His hurting creation more than any of us ever could or would. </b><br />
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He hurts so much that he came down in the midst of it all <i>to bear the hurt for us</i>. He came down from glory and became a helpless baby and a human-just-like-you-and-me.<br />
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He spent His life demonstrating a Love that would heal all the hurt of this world, and our role? <i>Simply believe this Gift to be real. <b>Accept this Gift of Love with thanks.</b></i><b> </b><br />
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Then He culminates this life of Love with His arms stretched across a tree... Bearing every last hurt, pain and brokenness this world had and would ever see, declaring <i>It is finished.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Dear hurting world<i>... </i><b>All our hurt and brokenness - He has already carried it for us.</b> He longs to continue to carry it, and simply invites us to love with that same Love He showed us all those years ago.<br />
<br />
<i>To make room to birth Love into this world again and again and again...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><b>...so that this Love might bear every hurt until it is all healed away.</b></i><br />
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<b>That is what we celebrate this, and every Christmas.</b><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Merry, Merry Christmas, to you and yours.</span></b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Year-end family updates from <a href="http://www.mamaof2greatkids.ca/" target="_blank">my Mama</a> can be found on her blog... <a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/2015/12/christmas2015.html" target="_blank">Check it out!</a></span>Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-43250964217277219642015-10-24T17:03:00.001-04:002017-01-23T20:01:25.684-05:00Compassion Birthday LoveOctober is birthday month for my two Compassion kiddos.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_T-_4G2NkeVyDs6U4-JFMjanqsYoxUThBkPXk6fgITlKW4Eq_tIUgl0DOH1OhCPiC78C9PADg6iQQ0hFsBv6uNYqzr0i7YjL5BRhEIJ20L69U6FNaG7XVbCHn-KG6ohWIriONGWdVZU/s1600/Johnrel+and+Happyness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_T-_4G2NkeVyDs6U4-JFMjanqsYoxUThBkPXk6fgITlKW4Eq_tIUgl0DOH1OhCPiC78C9PADg6iQQ0hFsBv6uNYqzr0i7YjL5BRhEIJ20L69U6FNaG7XVbCHn-KG6ohWIriONGWdVZU/s400/Johnrel+and+Happyness.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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By total coincidence, these two kids' birthdays are 6 days apart.</div>
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This is the 4th time I'm celebrating Happyness' birthday as her sponsor and I really can't believe it. <i>Yeah, I had a little nostalgic Compassion big sister moment last week.</i></div>
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But seriously guys, <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2011/10/happyness.html" target="_blank">remember</a> when she was this adorable little 4-year-old with the cutest pink outfit and beads in her hair? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUkS8KPUqv2eRc2wdBoluUdzY1JB9DeT2r2upuBffK1Wpn3fFJNHI4Acdw2DniozMMy4TmRhyKicvFQilLX74mNQkKESch_xU_svsyLXe-Svgq_6tsO_jKHd8vaxvTgYml5AnE4XJ5mA/s1600/happyness+original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUkS8KPUqv2eRc2wdBoluUdzY1JB9DeT2r2upuBffK1Wpn3fFJNHI4Acdw2DniozMMy4TmRhyKicvFQilLX74mNQkKESch_xU_svsyLXe-Svgq_6tsO_jKHd8vaxvTgYml5AnE4XJ5mA/s400/happyness+original.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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We've both come a long way. </div>
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<i>For reference, here's what my Facebook profile picture looked like around the same time. <b>Braces and all.</b></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR81rw9Yki9lHQ_BM2r7qEriULt0xVtYVjZe0kw9ocBRpbu6AFrG9EPHR-cIl_uVZXLwRefC27QErh7OCbtQBz1j9n2kw5veQkNsYdDSfYOlGlDjCW0BK58ztI5aywAXnu9bleL2ovso/s1600/IMG_0639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR81rw9Yki9lHQ_BM2r7qEriULt0xVtYVjZe0kw9ocBRpbu6AFrG9EPHR-cIl_uVZXLwRefC27QErh7OCbtQBz1j9n2kw5veQkNsYdDSfYOlGlDjCW0BK58ztI5aywAXnu9bleL2ovso/s400/IMG_0639.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">circa summer 2011</span></td></tr>
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As for Johnrel, it's been just under a year since <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/01/meet-johnrel.html" target="_blank">I sponsored this adorable little guy</a> from the community <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2014/10/when-oceans-rise.html" target="_blank">where oceans rise</a>. My sponsorship of Johnrel has been instrumental over the past year in <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">learning more about my role in God's story of redemption for our broken world</a>. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Happy, happy birthday to these two precious kids. </b></span></div>
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<i>They have impacted my life and strengthened my faith in incredible ways.</i></div>
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And on that note... <b>Birthdays are a <i>GREAT</i> way to connect with or choose a Compassion child.</b> </div>
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Both my little bro and my mama share birthdays with two of our kids... Jon shares a birthday with <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-is-sponsorship.html" target="_blank">Bell Bradley from Haiti</a>, and my mama shares a birthday with her <a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/2015/05/merely-his-vessel.html" target="_blank">long-searched-for birthday buddy, Maria from Ecuador</a>.</div>
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<i>Would you consider sponsoring a child?</i> You can <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">search for a child based on their birthday</a> and see if a child somewhere on the other side of the globe shares your special day. Or <a href="https://www.compassion.ca/sponsor-a-child/?projects=&country=&gender=&minAge=3&maxAge=17&startYear=1997&endYear=2012&months%5B%5D=10&months%5B%5D=11&dayOfMonth=" target="_blank">choose a child who is celebrating a birthday over the next couple months</a>... <i>and be the greatest birthday gift ever.</i></div>
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Compassion's sponsorship model is about so much more than giving $41/month. <i>Sponsoring a child with Compassion pulls us out of our comfortable worlds to reach across the globe to a child who becomes a part of our family... <b>A child who you pray for and care for, a child whose letters you can't wait to receive and whose birthday you celebrate with joy. </b></i></div>
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This is some amazing stuff, and <b>I can't wait for you to <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">discover what joy sponsoring a Compassion child can bring.</a></b></div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-83839627597902995982015-10-10T04:39:00.000-04:002017-01-23T20:05:37.543-05:00When A Writer Goes To A Taylor Swift ConcertI have many respectable and ambitious things on my bucket list.<br />
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And then there's the thing I got to cross off last Friday night.<br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/8XUWcBQ8oh/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">breathe the same air as taylor - check. ✔️ THIS WAS SO FUN even though I'm a horrible scream-singer (no seriously), and yeah, @taylorswift is sort of really cool. she can put on a pretty good show. ;) thanks mom&dad for an amazing grad gift!!</a></div>
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Yeah, I went to see Taylor.<br />
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<i>And guys, it was a lot of fun. </i><br />
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I write about a lot of heavy stuff around here, but what you might not know from a random peruse of my blog is that I know pretty much every TSwift lyric there is to know. <i>Just keeping it real.</i><br />
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But of course the writer in me almost always sees a blog post or at least some sort of analogy coming together before my eyes, even at the 1989 World Tour.<br />
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You see, every concert-goer had a wristband taped to their seat and waiting for them upon arrival. And these wristbands were, by some technological innovation, somehow connected to Taylor's every move. Coordinated with every beat and lyric, these wristbands turned the entire stadium and each individual concert-goer into a twinkling and colourful part of the ambience and lighting of the show.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g8ejLy-ktJW3GltOJkoQTk-ZiKEM58Y32k7npSG14HWkFJRML_A_d4o5W-8XevTRO83tOzut45Dlb23QOHovc0tdRGM5bKiPzB3wOw2BhwElWYLp1-mHXMyrWURMBBXyVpvD54SfYxc/s1600/Photo+2015-10-02.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2g8ejLy-ktJW3GltOJkoQTk-ZiKEM58Y32k7npSG14HWkFJRML_A_d4o5W-8XevTRO83tOzut45Dlb23QOHovc0tdRGM5bKiPzB3wOw2BhwElWYLp1-mHXMyrWURMBBXyVpvD54SfYxc/s400/Photo+2015-10-02.jpeg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<i>It was pretty cool.</i><br />
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And you know, if you just looked down on your own individual wristband, you would find it just randomly turning on and off and changing colours. <i>Not making much sense at all.</i><br />
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You might think it was broken, or be curious as to why it wasn't shining for longer than it did.<br />
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But then, you look up and realize this little wristband of yours is part of this bigger picture, blinking and shining at seemingly random times along with fifty thousand others to create a sparkling show of wonder.<br />
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And so this is my cheesy little analogy from going to my first Taylor Swift concert...<br />
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You might not be sure why life is the way it is right now. You wonder why the light is shut off and why it has been for what seems like forever.<br />
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But the reality and hope is this: <b>We are part of this bigger picture called the Body of Christ.</b><br />
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And <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">our story is just one part of God's story of redemption for this world.</a><br />
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So if you're in the dark, wondering what's next, <i>take heart and know and <b>trust that He has got this covered.</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i>And yeah, when it comes time to shine?</i><br />
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<b><i>Shine, and shine brightly.</i></b><br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-12776050394960631852015-09-26T20:30:00.003-04:002017-01-23T20:03:36.780-05:00Dear Aylan (Part 2) -You, little angel - <i><b>I think you changed the world.</b></i><br />
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<a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/09/dear-nameless-boy.html">The last time I wrote to you</a> we were all still reeling. We were just learning your name and your story and how we could have saved you and <i>we were all shocked numb</i>. <br />
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And I told you that all I could pray is that you did not die in vain. <i>"That your death would, if not convict us, then embarrass us to action."</i><br />
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If I'm honest with you, Aylan? I wasn't feeling very hopeful when I signed off on that letter. <i>I was angry. </i></div>
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I was angry that we would forget you. </div>
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<i>But you know what? <b>We haven't yet.</b></i> </div>
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There are people all over the world <a href="https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork" target="_blank">telling the story of your people</a>, hearing the story of your people, and most importantly, <a href="http://www.wewelcomerefugees.com/" target="_blank">welcoming the stories of your people</a> into their own stories by opening their borders, their homes, their lives. </div>
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<i>It became real this week, Aylan.</i> <a href="http://www.mcccanada.ca/" target="_blank">Mennonite Central Committee</a> matched our church family with the first of <a href="http://tinyurl.com/syriaresponse" target="_blank">two refugee families that we will be welcoming into Canada and into our lives</a> in a few short months.</div>
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And yeah, we have zero clue what we're doing. </div>
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Because there are fears and doubts and worries and just <i>the straight-up inability to speak Arabic, you know? </i></div>
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And wow, there's those nasty things people say on the internet about you and your people, little Aylan. <i>How come we blame you for wanting a share of the security, the laughter, and simply the breath in our lungs that we take for granted every single day?</i></div>
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And then there's this huge task ahead of us of finding an apartment and doctors and people to show our new friends how to ride a Canadian bus and shop at a Canadian grocery store. And then there's preparing for the stories and the trauma that this family might carry on their shoulders after their long, long journey out of a war zone and into our lives. </div>
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<b><i>But here's the best part:</i> we serve a Jesus who has filled our community with hearts to serve and gifts to share</b> - doctors and teachers and expert-apartment hunters and people who know Arabic-speakers. And the most awesome people who are willing to spend their days finding and sorting furniture and household items to fill our families' not-yet-found apartments and others who are willing to clear their garages for a free place to hold it all in the meantime.</div>
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<b>This is community.</b> </div>
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This is how we come together as the Body of Christ to respond to the worst refugee crisis since World War II. </div>
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We're smack in the middle of history and when it's all said and done <i>we want to be remembered as the generation who welcomed the strangers as if they were Christ himself, running into Egypt, fleeing Herod's slaughter as a refugee.</i></div>
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I remember reading an article back in Grade 10 while writing a history essay. It told the story of a boat filled to the brim with Jewish refugees and bobbing on the shores of Canada. </div>
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And I remember being so angry, Aylan, because do you know what happened next? <b>We turned them away. </b>We listened to our fear of the other and we told them straight-up to turn around and <i>they sailed straight back to their deaths in those horrific concentration camps.</i> </div>
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I remember thinking it - <i>if I had the chance I would have let them in.</i></div>
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And here's that chance. Our chance to respond with love and open arms, so that a student much like me, writing her own history essay many, many years from now, will be able to say - </div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.wewelcomerefugees.com/" target="_blank">We Welcome Refugees.</a></b></i></div>
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<i>I was a stranger and you welcomed Me.</i></div>
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<i>Matthew 25:35</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">As we prepare to welcome two refugee families, our church community would so deeply value and appreciate first and foremost, your prayers, because yeah, for something like this? <i>You can never have enough prayer.</i> Secondly, we would be so thankful for your financial support and (for those in the Toronto, ON area) your tangible contributions. Learn more at <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/SyriaResponse">www.tinyurl.com/SyriaResponse</a>. All donations made between now and Thanksgiving Monday will be matched by a generous donor. <i>Thank you. </i></span></div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-45059843753433857702015-09-03T08:13:00.000-04:002017-01-23T20:03:36.813-05:00Dear Nameless Boy -<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Edit: The boy has since been identified as 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/02/europe/migration-crisis-boy-washed-ashore-in-turkey/index.html" target="_blank">This picture of you ravaged the world yesterday.</a> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Link includes a graphic image that I decided to keep off my blog in order to give you the choice whether or not to click and view it. I strongly encourage you to choose to view it, because the world needs to see - <i>really see</i> - this photo.)</span><br />
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You stopped me dead in my tracks and yeah, the world isn't sure how to go on.<br />
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<b>But then we will.</b><br />
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And I'm sorry, sweet little boy.<br />
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<b><i>I am so. angrily. horribly. sorry.</i></b><br />
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And that sounds pretty pathetic and oh how worthless it is to you now, but <i>I somehow have to say this anyway, <b>for the sake of those that will come after you.</b></i><br />
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I'm sorry that we will solemnly shake our heads at that photo of you - <i>today's top story</i> - at six o'clock and then enjoy laughter and family time at the dinner table at seven.<br />
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I'm sorry that this week we're ready to cry an ocean of tears, and next week you'll be but a distant memory as we, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, embrace the first week of school and the flurry of activity that comes with it - <i>things you'll never have the opportunity to know.</i><br />
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I'm sorry that as my country's leaders campaign to become the most powerful person in this country, we are more concerned with scandals and with pensions and with daycares and with rich guys and a squandered 90k<i> </i>than we are with you. <b>I'm sorry that you and your people aren't a big-ticket campaign issue and <i>I'm sorry that my people don't care enough to demand that you are.</i></b><br />
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I'm sorry that we think you're the government's problem.<br />
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<b>I'm sorry that being sorry just simply isn't enough.</b><br />
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Because sweet boy, I'm <i>downright embarrassed</i> to tell you that <b>as more than 2500 men, women and children just like you have perished on the Mediterranean this year</b>, here in my homeland <i>- a place of luxury that you could probably only dream of - </i>we've been "fleeing" our own homes <i>to go on vacation.</i> We've been up in arms about a lion. We've been seeing who can make and try the craziest foods at my city's annual exhibition. <b>We've been arguing with each other over the saddest, most pathetic things.</b><br />
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Oh, I squirm while saying this to you - we've been living mindless lives instead of loving you until you're <i>simply able to live</i>.<br />
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We've filled churches on Sundays while you and your people filled boats and sailed straight to death - <i>and are we really <b>being</b> the Church or just filling steepled buildings hollow?</i><br />
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<b>Because we're full of empty good intentions and real-sounding excuses when we should be full of the love of Christ. </b><br />
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And sweet boy, this is my apology, this is my outcry, but mostly <b>this is my confession. </b><br />
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Because while <b>that mortifying picture of you should anger me and convict me until I'm nothing short of doing a radical thing like boarding a plane and personally escorting a family like yours to safety*</b>, the embarassing truth is that I'm probably going to tap out this blog post, retweet a few links, maybe make a donation, and then forget while I go to university to learn how to save the world when <b><i>what really needs saving is you.</i></b><br />
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Here is the truth, tiny little nameless boy: <b>I don't have the answers.</b><br />
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My soul aches a thousand aches to say that. I don't have the answers. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to save you and I don't know how to end a war that is continually pushing more and more of your people into the same situation as yours.<br />
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<b>And I will never understand any of this while I am on this side of heaven.</b><br />
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Here is where I would usually write something to the effect of <i>What I do know is that I serve and cling to a Jesus who has already overcome all the brokenness in this world.</i><br />
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And yes. Yes, I do. I certainly, most definitely do. <b>That is always and enternally humanity's blessed hope.</b><br />
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But for your people that are still bobbing on the Mediterranean, I'm not sure those words are enough - <b><i>unless my people act on those words like they are true.</i></b><br />
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And for my people that are still mindlessly bobbing around our luxurious world, I think those words might be too much - <i><b>we take them as a licence for inaction when we actually have a role to play in overcoming the brokenness of this world.</b></i><br />
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Nameless boy, I feel like weeping as I say this all to you.<br />
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And I simply hope and pray that you did not die in vain. <b>That your death would, if not convict us, then embarrass us to action.</b><br />
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<i>*So maybe that get-on-a-plane plan is not the smartest or most sustainable. But if you are feeling a little radical, <a href="http://mcccanada.ca/stories/sponsor-syrian-refugees" target="_blank">this link</a> is for you. Or, you can <a href="http://mcccanada.ca/learn/what/relief/syria" target="_blank">donate here</a> to help <a href="http://www.mcccanada.ca/" target="_blank">Mennonite Central Committee</a> bring the hope and love of Christ to refugee camps in the Middle East. Or, you can get involved with an organization in your city like <a href="http://www.matthewhouse.ca/" target="_blank">Matthew House Toronto</a>, people who are welcoming and supporting new refugees to the city. Or, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlyansDreams?fref=ts" target="_blank">there's this letter that Ann Voskamp wrote</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AlyansDreams?fref=ts" target="_blank">this community that she's started over on Facebook</a>… a whole bunch of people coming together to say that we will welcome refugees with the love of Christ, now let's figure out how.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Man, was this ever heart-wrenching to write. I think I'm a bit of a bad writer today for not having a better point at the end, but I just needed to get something out to shine a light on this. </i><i>Yeah, it can seem bleak and hopeless, but I meant what I said: We serve a Jesus who has already overcome... now let's start acting on those words like they're true. At the end of this blog post, I still don't have the answers and I still don't know what to do. But we can start by doing what we can and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25%3A40&version=NLT" target="_blank">doing it as though it were for Christ himself</a>. Let's start there, and maybe - just maybe - we'll save some nameless boys and let them know that <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+43%3A1&version=NLT" target="_blank">He knows their name</a>.</i><br />
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<i>Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;</i></div>
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<i>I have called you by name; you are Mine!</i></div>
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<i>Isaiah 43:1</i></div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-21694770970350784942015-08-27T12:09:00.000-04:002015-08-27T12:45:19.221-04:008 Reasons Why Youth Workers Should Use True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty<div style="text-align: center;">
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It's late August, and if you work at a church or school, you're gearing up for what you know is the <i>real</i> New Year. So, first off... <i>Happy New (ministry/school) Year!</i></div>
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Now, if you're a youth worker looking for a curriculum to use at your youth group or school this ministry year, you're in luck, because you've stumbled upon the blog of a girl who happens to know of a great resource that was <i>created just for you</i>.</div>
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Last summer, I had the absolute privilege of working with a fantastic team from <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion Canada</a> to develop <i><a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty</a>, </i>a youth curriculum video series about poverty, injustice and our part to play in God's story of redemption in the midst of it all.</div>
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It's pretty fantastic, and I think <i>True Story</i> would make a great addition to your curriculum line-up this year.</div>
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So, I give to you... </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>8 Reasons Why You Should Use <i>True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Let's get this out of the way: It's FREE.</span> </b>Like for reals, no-hidden-fees-and-no-strings-attached, <i>zero-dollars free.</i> Why? Because at the very core of who they are, Compassion is <i>passionate</i> about reaching youth through the local church, and that passion isn't limited to the youth and the Church of the developing world. So, <b><i>True Story</i> is Compassion's gift to the Church, because we know that today's youth, no matter where they're from, will accomplish great things for the Kingdom.</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2.<b> <i>True Story</i> is easy-to-use, adaptable and <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">all available online</a>. </b></span><i>True Story</i> comes with an incredible Leader's Guide that is designed to support you and your small group leaders every step of the way as you make this conversation about poverty and justice <b>fun, personal, engaging and real</b>. It's also super adaptable to fit the needs and structure of your group. Finally, <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">it's all available online</a>. <b>We are so excited about <i>True Story</i> that we don't want anything to stand in the way of your group getting started!</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Youth groups urgently and desperately need to have this conversation</span> - because young adults are leaving the Church because of the lack of compassion- and justice-related conversations. </b>I think most youth workers in the church can recall <i><a href="http://www.hemorrhagingfaith.com/" target="_blank">Hemorrhaging Faith</a>. </i>One of the biggest reasons youth left the church? The lack of compassion- and justice-related conversations and action. Christian youth (myself included) want to believe in a gospel that is about bringing hope to the darkest places of this world with both words and deed... <i>so let's start talking about and acting upon the Gospel that is just that!</i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Is your group headed on a missions trip?</span> This is a great prep course to do together as a team. </b>Prepare your group to serve in the most broken places in this world by looking at God's heart and story of redemption behind it all... The story in which we <i>get to</i> play a part. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. <b>Is your group of young Christians looking for "What's Next?" </b></span>Maybe you just finished <a href="http://www.alphacanada.org/run-alpha/resources/youth-alpha/" target="_blank">Youth Alpha</a> or a similar course, and now that your youth are excited about Jesus, they're wondering what it looks like to follow Him in practical ways. <i>What kinds of things is Jesus all about? Why is our world broken? What can we do as the Church?</i> <i>True Story</i> is a natural next step in discovering some answers to those questions.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">6.</span><b><span style="font-size: large;"> Week 5 is a serving-together opportunity, and it's gold.</span> </b>A whole bunch of head knowledge is useless if it's not put into practice, which is why on Week 5 of this 6-week journey, you and your group will roll up your sleeves and serve the poor, marginalized and oppressed in your community. Whether this is something you do together all the time, or you're terrified by this foreign concept, from my humble experience <b>I personally think there aren't many things that strengthen faith, unite groups and deepen relationships with Jesus and each other more than serving together. </b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">7. </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">You get to listen to my voice for 6 weeks!</span> </b>Just kidding. But seriously, I got to work with the most talented (and awesome) creative team on <i>True Story</i>'s video segments, which are pretty sweet and are <b>sure to engage your group with footage from all over the world. </b></div>
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<i>Want a taste?</i> Check out our promo video:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">8. </span><b><span style="font-size: large;">Compassion and Justice issues are central to the Christian faith and <i>they mean a lot to Jesus</i>.</span> </b>And that's the bottom line here. Justice, compassion, serving the poor... This stuff is <a href="http://www.povertyandjusticebible.org/" target="_blank">some of the most-mentioned stuff in the Bible</a>, and stuff that Jesus preached and lived and simply assumed to be a part of every Christian's life. And I mean, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%204:17-21" target="_blank">if it means a lot to Jesus</a>, I wanna take a good hard look at it, you know?</div>
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So now that I've convinced you, you're left wondering, <i>How can I get my hands on </i>True Story<i>? </i>Remember that "available online" bit (see: Reason #2)? You can get your copy of <i>True Story</i> at <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">www.compassion.ca/truestory</a>, where you'll find the entire leader's guide and 6 video segments available for download, plus a whole bunch of extra resources designed to make <i>True Story</i> the best possible experience for you and your youth group.</div>
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I will be praying lots for you as you start this conversation about poverty, injustice and God's invitation to the Church in the middle of this messy world, and <b>I hope that <i>True Story</i> is just the beginning of a conversation, and eventually, a lifestyle of compassionate living.</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Questions?</span></div>
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There's a nifty little <i>Contact Us</i> button at the bottom of <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">the<i> True Story </i>website</a>.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Connect.</span> </div>
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Personally, <a href="http://www.twitter.com/_godsgal4ever" target="_blank">I would love to connect with you on Twitter</a> and hear all about your <i>True Story</i> experience!</div>
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I would also love it if you would hashtag all your <i>True Story</i> photos and experiences as <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TrueStorySeries&src=typd" target="_blank">#TrueStorySeries</a>.</div>
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Plus, don't forget to connect with Compassion Canada <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CompassionCA?fref=ts" target="_blank">on Facebook</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/compassionca" target="_blank">on Twitter.</a></div>
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Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-86859530525705447772015-08-09T17:19:00.001-04:002017-01-23T20:01:25.807-05:00Why The Difference Truly Is Jesus<div class="tr_bq">
The last thing I expected to be knitting for our Guatemalan Compassion girl, Esperanza, in <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/07/when-god-gives-you-both.html" target="_blank">the week before we got on a plane to meet her</a> was a baby beanie for her soon-to-be-born child.</div>
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But there I was, pulling the tiny soft-yellow loops through one another to make a little cap to keep tiny little ears warm in the mountainous Guatemalan countryside.<br />
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Just a week and one day before we stepped on that plane to Guatemala, the office of <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion Canada</a> called with the news... <i>Esperanza is pregnant and married, and would be leaving the Compassion program effective immediately.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>Our reactions moved and ranged from shock to confusion to worry.<br />
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Yet both we and Esperanza were still very much looking forward to our visit, and we stepped on the plane with expectant and hopeful hearts... knowing that we were headed into a very different culture, <i>one our First World minds would struggle to understand, <b>yet we were determined to try our very best. </b></i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GyhBYSzpvLiXnDbjJ_QvohkYf2bAXPzmW_UGnxuIbWblSmSby8aMhf9U_ei8b0EhIH2oky6GMHbGuOw-heFtpATUJp8Kqa4nCFNAPTAWoF5D025zxynMif2lEvo6OUYj3lRUbfVjy6c/s1600/IMG_6058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GyhBYSzpvLiXnDbjJ_QvohkYf2bAXPzmW_UGnxuIbWblSmSby8aMhf9U_ei8b0EhIH2oky6GMHbGuOw-heFtpATUJp8Kqa4nCFNAPTAWoF5D025zxynMif2lEvo6OUYj3lRUbfVjy6c/s400/IMG_6058.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun Fact: I LOVE flying.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9pfHnbKsdYPkJ465rmoL1bQK2sYdXpZG8mmQi1cf5Tg8EU1fO-_npyS2-xuYTFVgyOhIjBN2Td2SCTyZsThXtmvU2jhBWxKWBKmoG8EDbXedZPSakG4l2Qr5O9EvGeutxLdB40NvR-4/s1600/IMG_6061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9pfHnbKsdYPkJ465rmoL1bQK2sYdXpZG8mmQi1cf5Tg8EU1fO-_npyS2-xuYTFVgyOhIjBN2Td2SCTyZsThXtmvU2jhBWxKWBKmoG8EDbXedZPSakG4l2Qr5O9EvGeutxLdB40NvR-4/s400/IMG_6061.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Guatemala! :)</td></tr>
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The length of the drive from Guatemala City to Esperanza's community should have prepared me for how truly far removed her home is from anything I've ever known.<br />
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But it didn't really.<br />
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Her home sits in a community that is 8 long hours away from Guatemala City.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJTLEVXPA4ktY2Iux8leClX0ZQVz-sSm42v6M84YCdkkvjVR0NqiJKr6oRYq4cL3gqoJdDHePhRBdrbykoXtAmtAlWqhkfeYPVWtWkWOywSjDCc0GmiJcJGTRCACbsC1QmzAIdRlTv3c/s1600/DSC_8680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJTLEVXPA4ktY2Iux8leClX0ZQVz-sSm42v6M84YCdkkvjVR0NqiJKr6oRYq4cL3gqoJdDHePhRBdrbykoXtAmtAlWqhkfeYPVWtWkWOywSjDCc0GmiJcJGTRCACbsC1QmzAIdRlTv3c/s400/DSC_8680.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the road.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSirJAfOxcROtZi9hS8pa0FXtWMQZLbXhxLsvBkvvnASX3hNGPiyHWTBB3Eh6Xuia_aVrupijVRp5sBOwQD7qy3M7VbgV8U1HGVAf6iIvUy-U8H6SROA77OArN3dp09LL1KbSOmBT9JaE/s1600/DSC_8703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSirJAfOxcROtZi9hS8pa0FXtWMQZLbXhxLsvBkvvnASX3hNGPiyHWTBB3Eh6Xuia_aVrupijVRp5sBOwQD7qy3M7VbgV8U1HGVAf6iIvUy-U8H6SROA77OArN3dp09LL1KbSOmBT9JaE/s400/DSC_8703.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driving into Cobán, Alta Varapaz, the closest city to Esperanza, a 2.5 hour, $10 bus ride away and where she has been only 3 times in her life (including once during our visit).<br />
P.S. Take note of the election posters lining the road... Those would soon be nowhere to be found in Esperanza's forgotten community.</td></tr>
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It is a community where the water pipes are only turned on once a week and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cob%C3%A1n" target="_blank">the nearest city</a>, shopping mall and McDonald's sits 2.5 hours away.<br />
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Even the country's presidential campaign does not reach Esperanza's community. With a fall election looming in Guatemala, we were bombarded with election posters everywhere we went... except for in Esperanza's community. <i>Even the vote-hungry presidential candidates can't or won't be bothered with the people living in this remote region.</i><br />
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Our guide from Compassion Guatemala's head office, Ruth, would later express shock at how low both Esperanza and her husband, Hernan's proficiency in Spanish is. At their level of schooling, she said, they should be far more fluent in the country's national language.<br />
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<b>But they weren't...</b> not even the church's pastor, Javier, spoke Spanish; only their project director, Martin, did. So this led us to gather the story of Esperanza and her community through triple translation - English to Spanish to Q'eqchi' (the local Mayan language) and back again. It was quite the game of broken telephone! ;)<br />
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And as we sat in the church that is home to Compassion project GU996, with the centre's countless children peering through the window to stare at the Canadians, we gathered what we could of our Esperanza's story...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xfabdLI-GfB3a3N1c9uIshy9a7pgAwo7fPqGNa8dzt45vlUSaWdNdMqKCMwEXvlIhgOwmhvb9MQLnN_SfMbPqHdOhOyVBoQJCpte78J0vhw4aJllkOUOphSOJEgGHJ0x-YcqrsPpfVM/s1600/DSC_8724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xfabdLI-GfB3a3N1c9uIshy9a7pgAwo7fPqGNa8dzt45vlUSaWdNdMqKCMwEXvlIhgOwmhvb9MQLnN_SfMbPqHdOhOyVBoQJCpte78J0vhw4aJllkOUOphSOJEgGHJ0x-YcqrsPpfVM/s400/DSC_8724.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Within minutes of being face-to-face with this sweet girl for the first time!<br />
P.S. #InGuatemalaIAmTall<br />
P.P.S. Notice the kids in the window behind us? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpikaIJTpBWtEWzysxvXmAQBsPxwI7vxfIVescqriTXiIwA3Q2XaXu64ZItFz39PqsWf2uFi4tqTX-6_y8sDsTWCFGoOs08yRMqskRewenvcB2q8BGVhrN4c9QQ2VPMsmQpmp8iYimvY/s1600/DSC_8725.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpikaIJTpBWtEWzysxvXmAQBsPxwI7vxfIVescqriTXiIwA3Q2XaXu64ZItFz39PqsWf2uFi4tqTX-6_y8sDsTWCFGoOs08yRMqskRewenvcB2q8BGVhrN4c9QQ2VPMsmQpmp8iYimvY/s400/DSC_8725.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay, maybe not that tall. #NotSoLittleBrother</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCeJ4ScxeP7B96w_sGQOg0I0Mv_XFIlpw-TSuCWo-Tgy00sNPE-3lfE0aFowmj54cOEsO36o9eJkimgD7dnCLUmnbeeWz3mA-UYDtv0zoH_hBohedY7HkSAwuRaVpQK6tgf-Jb9EAki0/s1600/DSC_8728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaCeJ4ScxeP7B96w_sGQOg0I0Mv_XFIlpw-TSuCWo-Tgy00sNPE-3lfE0aFowmj54cOEsO36o9eJkimgD7dnCLUmnbeeWz3mA-UYDtv0zoH_hBohedY7HkSAwuRaVpQK6tgf-Jb9EAki0/s400/DSC_8728.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My parents with Esperanza, her husband, Hernan, and her mom, Doña Maria.</td></tr>
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A mutual friend introduced her and Hernan, who is just a year older than Esperanza, at 18. The two, nearing the end of their primary schooling (the highest level of education available to them in their community), with him finishing Grade 6 and her, Grade 4, soon found themselves pregnant and married at 17 and 18 years old... The next "normal" life stage in their community, if you will.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeyO-QCj4ZIC8MPkIr5Ynr1kocysTN3Qhbz8A77W-uR_EELH8kaK6rSOuhnF965aTv7n9XBDpIaq_6E6fzVpU5m5tuqKCQ4In1MjccoJVDZhUI3mZka88hWsnGLnefN5tdXRr0yFpZzA/s1600/DSC_8768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeeyO-QCj4ZIC8MPkIr5Ynr1kocysTN3Qhbz8A77W-uR_EELH8kaK6rSOuhnF965aTv7n9XBDpIaq_6E6fzVpU5m5tuqKCQ4In1MjccoJVDZhUI3mZka88hWsnGLnefN5tdXRr0yFpZzA/s400/DSC_8768.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the precious kids of Esperanza's community...</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBZiFWLRD-Lg53eGbNxKlJPElbYxhfUhDztS7xgq6BBF2lH4bnLtUjVS3Sh1kAOVTf0f0gX772cjPhnBVxw1LGoi9wV876wxQ7Ivzb6MJn8iOdzo-C-Wdq5XcjSnHFVFyiAMY-EMFpyg/s1600/DSC_8760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBZiFWLRD-Lg53eGbNxKlJPElbYxhfUhDztS7xgq6BBF2lH4bnLtUjVS3Sh1kAOVTf0f0gX772cjPhnBVxw1LGoi9wV876wxQ7Ivzb6MJn8iOdzo-C-Wdq5XcjSnHFVFyiAMY-EMFpyg/s400/DSC_8760.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1W4WoAB9rEUjgEG-6445aoJNyoSJh1-GniRvTmquHDvRr10o2TB7MxF-36SC319vMFu4ldoTxdqTdXlntTV6IPKJhn6J0pdbzJooW0O4N0I_O3hik00w60kBrQLcghPZO5-m_3K6GK0/s1600/DSC_8742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1W4WoAB9rEUjgEG-6445aoJNyoSJh1-GniRvTmquHDvRr10o2TB7MxF-36SC319vMFu4ldoTxdqTdXlntTV6IPKJhn6J0pdbzJooW0O4N0I_O3hik00w60kBrQLcghPZO5-m_3K6GK0/s400/DSC_8742.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Their story, under the lens of First World culture, calls for major edits. And while most people can agree, when presented with theoretical questions, that development and poverty eradication is best carried out in a grassroots, by-the-people-for-the-people manner, <i>I think most of us are still quick to reach for our Western "values" when we hear a story like Esperanza's.</i><br />
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I know I am.</b><br />
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The first question in my long list of questions is <i>Will she be able to finish her education?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
And her community will look back at me with this: <i>Will she be able to finish her subpar, 6th grade education? <b>For what?</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i>Well, even a 6th grade education can make all the difference</i>, I'll say.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Because I'm a soon-to-be International Development student and I've read United Nations stats, you know. Duh.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
And I'll be met with <i>are-you-an-alien </i>looks because why would a farmer's daughter, and now, a farmer's wife ever need a 6th Grade education to raise her baby and feed her family? Her mother and grandmother certainly did without one.<br />
<br />
<i>Well</i>, I'll say, <i>what if she one day has hopes to move to the city and pursue higher opportunities?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
But you see, my projection of First World culture is fast crumbling because she can't even speak Spanish and finishing 6th Grade certainly won't help that, as evidenced by Hernan, so how would she be expected to survive in a city that has barely even heard of her native Q'eqchi' language?<br />
<br />
I think you see where I'm going here.<br />
<br />
<i>All of this is so far removed from anything I've ever known.</i> And in the world I grew up in, anything removed from what I've always known is wrong.<br />
<br />
<b>But that is simply not true. </b><br />
<br />
Yes, there are deeply ingrained, systematic issues and problems that are running rampant in Esperanza's community.<br />
<br />
But so often we mix up what is inequality and what is culture. What is holding a people group back, and what is simply their way of life, something they can't afford to lose.<br />
<br />
It is truly a fine line, one humanity will always be walking.<br />
<br />
But when it simply comes down to it, <b>what I believe and <i>what I saw</i> makes all the difference is always Jesus.</b><br />
<br />
This overwhelming picture I've painted for you above... <i><b>Man, there is overwhelming hope in it because of Jesus. </b></i><br />
<br />
There's Esperanza's father, who we met when we later visited her home, who asked us to join him in prayer for his family... Because sure, his daughter's story might look different from what he and his wife had hoped when Esperanza registered in the Compassion program, but because of how Compassion and the local church has touched his family, he knows that there is a God who loves his family more than anything. <i>So he prays, and invites us to pray with him. </i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsQvpr-fAygzNVOb2U-Rfv9XkE9q1y90dHCQJMzo7dCPz_DnbzNZ_py8El-GrpOdO-Re4fAY_0bwpDq2EHBNBO5lyZB51o8Z5cpzwb6d_JiEkf1dwlKgxDF4tivZke2dN5V0AtkNKu4I/s1600/DSC_8818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsQvpr-fAygzNVOb2U-Rfv9XkE9q1y90dHCQJMzo7dCPz_DnbzNZ_py8El-GrpOdO-Re4fAY_0bwpDq2EHBNBO5lyZB51o8Z5cpzwb6d_JiEkf1dwlKgxDF4tivZke2dN5V0AtkNKu4I/s400/DSC_8818.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Esperanza's father, Don Juan, Hernan, and my papa. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
And while Esperanza will be leaving the Compassion program, the local church that has been journeying with her all along will not be leaving Esperanza. That is the beauty of Compassion's program: It works exclusively and closely with the local church so that once a child leaves the Compassion program, they are already a part of a thriving and supportive church community that will journey alongside them for life.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Uc-qkkizY-FsskoG80naChJJ83LCYVwyuQG6humb5tIZ9Y4n2XZv25xXou6dCKpoJN4dkFJaahGqZCdjMb27iHFtjiY6WR5dMhCSS2Qqnq-2Y1bn3-fkUu5TtwazjV7589i9SNUF96Y/s1600/DSC_8791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Uc-qkkizY-FsskoG80naChJJ83LCYVwyuQG6humb5tIZ9Y4n2XZv25xXou6dCKpoJN4dkFJaahGqZCdjMb27iHFtjiY6WR5dMhCSS2Qqnq-2Y1bn3-fkUu5TtwazjV7589i9SNUF96Y/s400/DSC_8791.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing some gifts... including the aforementioned baby beanie. :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYwdIMgG6i4AJpXTewT57OC16472ykWku1O_lBSiZ83Lc1WUrpQX0m-dmBq85cgDLM3NkpKBSwmQad2qVrTVY2EwnWVR3WQp36g2yOwKQBYCqXwwMXAmRxRXlgv9Yot9MUGM3gna8MQ0/s1600/DSC_8800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYwdIMgG6i4AJpXTewT57OC16472ykWku1O_lBSiZ83Lc1WUrpQX0m-dmBq85cgDLM3NkpKBSwmQad2qVrTVY2EwnWVR3WQp36g2yOwKQBYCqXwwMXAmRxRXlgv9Yot9MUGM3gna8MQ0/s400/DSC_8800.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ziblhkY2qN87brNQ3TQCAOox04LbEqMzB7ER6c4xHGVwPm5La-zUsgmc6GMmfXHLEw9IQm4WpmT_jTxVjPIO0Ob2pCPPRyfgEVRRmjuFKiVvh61XJz0Dvetn6-f20O07bjLWj_nJaPA/s1600/DSC_8821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ziblhkY2qN87brNQ3TQCAOox04LbEqMzB7ER6c4xHGVwPm5La-zUsgmc6GMmfXHLEw9IQm4WpmT_jTxVjPIO0Ob2pCPPRyfgEVRRmjuFKiVvh61XJz0Dvetn6-f20O07bjLWj_nJaPA/s400/DSC_8821.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Because the reality is that it could take years and years and perhaps even a lifetime before Esperanza's community gains things like quality education and uninterrupted access to clean water.<br />
<br />
And yes, <i><b>we will work towards those things with tenacity</b>, because they are basic human rights. </i>But the hope we can offer now - as in right now, <i>at this very instant</i> - is Jesus.<br />
<br />
Because...<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote>
<i>The difference between hope and hopelessness is more than education, healthcare and social programs. </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>The difference is Jesus.</i></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGvRWUiqRy5dfaC7-VWBC3GLYr7wh4nLZf_RmQKe8OnRfJ-BD6rABe-k_crr9bmiFwJCOJTTtVJwZJtQsk9bBi4YownnT97AznBmNYpgR1iA_PHSw1hJ_NE9TS0OMqJjupk5Y712dGFM/s1600/with+esperanza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSGvRWUiqRy5dfaC7-VWBC3GLYr7wh4nLZf_RmQKe8OnRfJ-BD6rABe-k_crr9bmiFwJCOJTTtVJwZJtQsk9bBi4YownnT97AznBmNYpgR1iA_PHSw1hJ_NE9TS0OMqJjupk5Y712dGFM/s400/with+esperanza.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just two girls from opposite ends of the world who have the Cross, the Kingdom and the Love of Christ as our greatest hope.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
***<br />
<br />
This blog post would seriously have no hopeful conclusion without the hope of Christ. <b>And that is why the difference truly is Jesus.</b> That's not a line or a slogan. It is the essence of <a href="http://www.compassion.com/" target="_blank">Compassion International</a>'s ministry.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">Sponsor a Child with Compassion.</a> No, it doesn't make everything "perfect", by any standard, including in our First World minds. But<i><b> it inserts hope into the most broken places on this earth in the form of not only education, healthcare, and social programs, but most importantly, Jesus Christ.</b></i>
<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">ps <a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/2015/08/when-story-unfolds-differently-still.html" target="_blank">Check out my mama's reflections on this day!</a></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">pps More photos from our trip to Guatemala can be found <a href="https://instagram.com/explore/tags/esparaz2gua/" target="_blank">on Instagram</a>. Man, that country is so beautiful!</span></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sponsor a Child in Jesus Name with Compassion" border="0" src="http://banners.compassion.com/banners/Hope728x90.anim.gif" height="60" title="Sponsor a Child in Jesus Name with Compassion" width="500" /></a></div>
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Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-71079739922077965292015-07-25T05:00:00.000-04:002017-01-23T20:04:50.700-05:0015 Ways To Live Compassionately As A Family... From A Kid Who Was Just There<div>
</div>
<div>
I turned 18 this year, and that makes it official: My parents have successfully raised me through my childhood. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I, <i>of course</i>, appreciate every single sacrifice they made for me, but what I am most thankful to my parents for is that <b><a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/p/truly-great-kids.html" target="_blank">they have raised me and my brother in a home where <i>living compassionately</i> is part of <i>who our family is</i> and <i>how we do life</i>. </a></b></div>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
It is messy, yes. But it is also full to the brim with joy, redemption and hope.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I was thinking, through these lazy summer days, <i>how do I best share our story of living compassionately as a family and encourage families like ours? </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvSckx9b44cIrZOTiAoWrP_QaEbrK0MV1vAbuuI2l2IrdeS_UbyZbcjODGt6rKUOgV4uqq1cuMsFar2f3c15hfftwfIqJ92MvN5CLjkMt6Lot9vYdw0-FHKPra1nijTswkHVAQfTBtl8/s1600/15+Ways.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSvSckx9b44cIrZOTiAoWrP_QaEbrK0MV1vAbuuI2l2IrdeS_UbyZbcjODGt6rKUOgV4uqq1cuMsFar2f3c15hfftwfIqJ92MvN5CLjkMt6Lot9vYdw0-FHKPra1nijTswkHVAQfTBtl8/s400/15+Ways.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And so here is my list of </div>
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">15 Ways To Live Compassionately As A Family</span></b></div>
<div>
from a kid <i>just</i> on the other side of 18 who knows first-hand what it's like to be raised in a home where living compassionately is part of our DNA.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This list is split into 3 parts: <b>Awareness</b>, <b>Action</b> and <b>Lifestyle</b>. <i>I'll explain along the way.</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Ready?</i> Here it goes:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b><u>Awareness</u></b><br />
<div>
Understanding <i>why</i> compassionate living is important to us, our world, and our walk with Jesus was so important to me and who I've become. </div>
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. <b>Do <i><a href="http://stepintomyshoes.ca/" target="_blank">Step Into My Shoes</a></i> together!</b> Designed by <a href="http://www.compassion.com/" target="_blank">Compassion International</a> for families, <i>Step Into My Shoes</i> is a curriculum full of resources to help your family understand poverty & what God wants us to do about it. <i>Check it out:</i> <a href="http://www.stepintomyshoes.ca/">www.stepintomyshoes.ca</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2. <b>Pray for the World.</b> Here's a good place to start: <a href="http://www.operationworld.org/">www.operationworld.org</a>. We did this for a while when my brother and I were younger. Learning about the struggles of people all over the world and <i>learning how to pray for something other than my own little world was an eye-opening, worldview-shaping experience. </i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
3. <b>Devo Together. </b>Do justice- and compassion-centred Bible time together. </div>
<div>
Here are a few suggestions: </div>
<div>
:: <a href="http://blog.compassion.com/one-in-spirit/" target="_blank"><i>One In Spirit</i> - Compassion International</a></div>
<div>
:: <a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/thegreatestchristmas/" target="_blank"><i>Unwrapping The Greatest Gift</i> - Ann Voskamp</a></div>
<div>
:: <a href="http://www.povertyandjusticebible.org/Home.php" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">The Poverty and Justice Bible</a></div>
<div>
:: <a href="http://chrisseay.net/ecclesia/book/place-table-2012" target="_blank"><i>A Place At The Table</i> - Chris Seay</a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhaUmWsE86WtfBmM8UOMilOzKf03RmxP0Vz8cj9Yf64Vct-rMrI21iiU24W7bDVmjFI0BYewWcJ-cgB5_qz1j7duQ6YuyCOcI84-7FE8zosU1DYqmvw1UOKCqep_wpEpW6VIslZqmAHE/s1600/Photo+2014-12-08%252C+6+29+52+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnhaUmWsE86WtfBmM8UOMilOzKf03RmxP0Vz8cj9Yf64Vct-rMrI21iiU24W7bDVmjFI0BYewWcJ-cgB5_qz1j7duQ6YuyCOcI84-7FE8zosU1DYqmvw1UOKCqep_wpEpW6VIslZqmAHE/s400/Photo+2014-12-08%252C+6+29+52+PM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas 2014 - Reading from <a href="http://www.annvoskamp.com/" target="_blank">Ann Voskamp</a>'s Advent Devotional, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
4. <b>Read Compassion-Centred Books.</b> As a family or individually.</div>
<div>
Here are a few suggestions:</div>
<div>
:: <i>Kisses from Katie</i> - Katie Davis</div>
<div>
::<i> Rhinestone Jesus</i> - Kristin Welch</div>
<div>
:: <i>Overrated</i> - Eugene Cho</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
5. <b>Watch Compassion-Centred Movies. </b>Documentaries that tackle a certain issue or ones you'd find in your local movie theatre that simply carry a compassion-centred message.</div>
<div>
Here are a few suggestions:</div>
<div>
:: <i><a href="http://www.livingonone.org/" target="_blank">Living On One</a></i></div>
<div>
:: <i><a href="http://www.live58.org/watch-the-film" target="_blank">The Live 58: Film</a></i></div>
<div>
:: <i>The Blind Side</i></div>
<div>
::<i> The Help</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><u>Action</u></b></div>
<div>
Pretty self-explanatory - <i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A14-26&version=NKJV" target="_blank">Faith without works is dead</a>... <b>Engage your family in a living, breathing, moving faith.</b></i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
6. <b>Stop For Panhandlers More Often Than Not. </b>This is probably the thing that my parents exemplified to us growing up that had the <i>biggest impact</i> on me as a child, because without thinking twice, they would interrupt our everyday life to buy a panhandler a meal. This is so normal to my brother and I that we eventually started doing it on our own. <i>This gesture, however small, can have a big impact...</i> both on the panhandler and your family. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
7. <b><a href="http://www.compassion.ca/advocate/alyssaesparaz" target="_blank">Sponsor A Child.</a></b> This is where our family's story in compassionate living really started getting intense. It opened our eyes to this huge world of need and hopelessness, as well as the redemption and hope that is truly within grasp. <i>We could no longer turn a blind eye.</i> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Big side note I'll add to this: <b>WRITE to your child!!! </b>It's a fantastic family activity and it means the world to your little one on the other side of the globe.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oDAUUyJjqAwM4DNZsTeOKIAiCtpzKRpB-xme73xxAf9xBQCLp4E9fwKloks5-rA5dbJX8pF80EkPf-CHyAG791z11BXXzTs4hpNjZPc9y5jxDfMzm_FOZyuO2hMB5KSrmHt9e48oInU/s1600/DSC_5788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6oDAUUyJjqAwM4DNZsTeOKIAiCtpzKRpB-xme73xxAf9xBQCLp4E9fwKloks5-rA5dbJX8pF80EkPf-CHyAG791z11BXXzTs4hpNjZPc9y5jxDfMzm_FOZyuO2hMB5KSrmHt9e48oInU/s400/DSC_5788.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 2012 - Writing letters to our Compassion children as a family. <br />
[How many laptops does it take...? ;)]</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
8. <b><a href="http://www.kiva.org/" target="_blank">Kiva.</a></b> Kiva <i>rocks</i>. Basically: You make $25 loans to impoverished small business owners to help pull them from poverty. Choosing a borrower and reading their stories = Another <i>great</i> family activity. This two-sentence crash course definitely does not suffice, so check out <a href="http://www.kiva.org/">www.kiva.org</a> to see just how awesome Kiva truly is.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
9. <b>Seek Out Opportunities to Serve Together. </b>It will be hard to find places where kids are allowed or where you all have a role in which you thrive. <i>Don't give up.</i> Keep trying and searching for a place where you all can serve together because it is so. important. to serve as a family. It was invaluable for me to, from a very young age, serve and engage with people from all walks of life.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Here are a few places/ways our family has served together:</div>
<div>
:: <a href="https://www.compassion.ca/advocate-network/" target="_blank">Compassion Advocate Network</a></div>
<div>
:: <a href="http://www.ootc.ca/" target="_blank"><i>Out of the Cold</i> Homeless Dinners</a></div>
<div>
:: Self-Organized Sandwich Runs (Head downtown with bagged lunches or care packages and offer them to the homeless, along with a smile and some conversation.)</div>
<div>
:: Local Food Bank(s)</div>
<div>
:: <a href="http://urbanpromiseinternational.com/" target="_blank">UrbanPromise</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lUg59HoFI-efFFiLdM-0YvwSW1KzsUWlLPO3OuotSocIcok5IRV3SSMLvYZ9INoBxVOIm_D2cbSjVG9tztbBm_yR1_l-CLXjNkt8VHDYZlYbi9HVS29dDGVU8D7NSv_C2q_vQBvu8cI/s1600/10410648_10154763154940710_5736019107639131193_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lUg59HoFI-efFFiLdM-0YvwSW1KzsUWlLPO3OuotSocIcok5IRV3SSMLvYZ9INoBxVOIm_D2cbSjVG9tztbBm_yR1_l-CLXjNkt8VHDYZlYbi9HVS29dDGVU8D7NSv_C2q_vQBvu8cI/s400/10410648_10154763154940710_5736019107639131193_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall 2014 - Volunteering at a Compassion booth at a local event - one of our favourite family activities! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS69ChVTEOEkuZa_5A8aZVCQwMQjLuXltvQ1wkFYUzJ2xtl1sYyVUCkoUeZZCw_gWxk2oH48PLZu9q6HS925F6zxEoTE_B0WpneZXqTJH5i8Xczcknj4MHbZN2fStbRULBpF4jLbktOs/s1600/DSC_0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUS69ChVTEOEkuZa_5A8aZVCQwMQjLuXltvQ1wkFYUzJ2xtl1sYyVUCkoUeZZCw_gWxk2oH48PLZu9q6HS925F6zxEoTE_B0WpneZXqTJH5i8Xczcknj4MHbZN2fStbRULBpF4jLbktOs/s400/DSC_0037.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October 2012 - My dad and brother bring a bagged lunch to a homeless man on one of our sandwich runs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
10. <b>Give & Make Opportunities to Give. </b>Ever since I can remember, we've had what we call a "Shoebox Bin"... When my brother or I brought home a small toy or trinket from a loot bag, happy meal, etc., we were to choose whether to keep it or place it in the "Shoebox Bin" - our year-round collection of toys to place in <a href="http://www.samaritanspurse.ca/operation-christmas-child/" target="_blank">Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes</a> come Christmastime. <b>This instilled in me, at a very young age, the concept of sacrificial giving.</b> </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This can happen in your home in a variety of ways... A change jar placed in the foyer [If your family is a little too old for loot bags and happy meals.], emptying piggy banks to contribute to relief efforts after natural disasters, or making a rule of setting aside a portion of weekly allowance to be given away. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc8hOahqTZHTlIEix279VGTuBzLhUGfjX2nHWfP5RwpVfe9WfXhCRIqwEIKVV7txOxAusJehG-PTPwGGFeFSTXK7JCGpUsB0YIIFOcNjMCB25kQup_LQKnA-fZnx9k5rJ1T1Yhp6DYRM/s1600/Photo+2014-11-08%252C+2+21+12+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJc8hOahqTZHTlIEix279VGTuBzLhUGfjX2nHWfP5RwpVfe9WfXhCRIqwEIKVV7txOxAusJehG-PTPwGGFeFSTXK7JCGpUsB0YIIFOcNjMCB25kQup_LQKnA-fZnx9k5rJ1T1Yhp6DYRM/s400/Photo+2014-11-08%252C+2+21+12+PM.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas 2014 - Packing Christmas Shoeboxes is still a well-loved tradition in our family... <br />
One we've come to share with many other families!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
<u><b>Lifestyle</b></u></div>
<div>
Intentional changes to regular things you do as a family helps distinguish between <i>doing compassionate things</i> and <i>living compassionately</i>...</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
11. <b>Give Up Birthday Parties/Presents.</b> For my brother's 10th birthday, he asked that instead of presents, people bring backpacks filled with school supplies for underprivileged kids in our city. For my Dad's 45th, everyone was invited to the local food bank to sort food together. <i>These have been some of our most memorable birthday celebrations. </i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3FiCOMr63ujwlPiZtBN7iuqhiUMA4AR-PLhyphenhyphenI73Eww1mawevW2ZCxn3hz3YLzHvnVbeeqmTxavSWPDaenyCvIA0bMP5MiPs3TpWMdnrUQ4uiZtTNcXz0kT7BubaT-Ws7uOR71K36XRA/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3FiCOMr63ujwlPiZtBN7iuqhiUMA4AR-PLhyphenhyphenI73Eww1mawevW2ZCxn3hz3YLzHvnVbeeqmTxavSWPDaenyCvIA0bMP5MiPs3TpWMdnrUQ4uiZtTNcXz0kT7BubaT-Ws7uOR71K36XRA/s400/IMG_0045.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September 2010 - My papa having a blast at his 45th Birthday Party at the Food Bank!</td></tr>
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<div>
<i></i><br />
<i></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnp0HS3CUVvkOb3-NrFa9vCOmJimi3v7gx0bdCA5Mb4mGSAqlrcg6cYgSYe1V6eNM3BP2RptjYzM5J3CmdV873TOvpMpaWc3QBPxAL1Vfa5MlkP_iGzORiObZfHABB7GkfdUVc3iwg1I/s1600/IMG_5737.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnp0HS3CUVvkOb3-NrFa9vCOmJimi3v7gx0bdCA5Mb4mGSAqlrcg6cYgSYe1V6eNM3BP2RptjYzM5J3CmdV873TOvpMpaWc3QBPxAL1Vfa5MlkP_iGzORiObZfHABB7GkfdUVc3iwg1I/s400/IMG_5737.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September 2010 - My brother, Jon, and his birthday backpacks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<div>
12. <b>Vacation Intentionally.</b> If you can vacation internationally, go <a href="https://www.compassion.ca/visiting-your-child/" target="_blank">visit your sponsored child</a>. If you vacation locally or do road trips, find places to serve. Dedicate even just one day of your trip or vacation time to visiting a local ministry to learn more about their work and how you can support them or pray for them.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FcMCwbMsOQms5qL-v9PuTsV-dxap3knQXW41Dnyk70RhrsM6nAUFCQX5cyCD4fVFlRaPWdzTwNlmtyS7Nvw3LlACsVSn81wrzlmWg8nFQytKTAnel6zNbAQXH6au-QuVdGDxXjVB76c/s1600/IMG_2762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FcMCwbMsOQms5qL-v9PuTsV-dxap3knQXW41Dnyk70RhrsM6nAUFCQX5cyCD4fVFlRaPWdzTwNlmtyS7Nvw3LlACsVSn81wrzlmWg8nFQytKTAnel6zNbAQXH6au-QuVdGDxXjVB76c/s400/IMG_2762.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2014 - Flying into Masbate, Philippines to meet our Compassion girl, Florianlyn.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XFdPhwzZBif2ma-PAOgSYP6uzrrRSlTHodiA-HucwYT0QkiPEWEeCwZZ6nlGzQuxJPGvyiPpDzAjg7iRI_VDWPKanDCWMrUs2OCeSiw-2fYPbBpu8dnKR2wlieW_FbtQa-v2IoH6QAk/s1600/Florianlyn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_XFdPhwzZBif2ma-PAOgSYP6uzrrRSlTHodiA-HucwYT0QkiPEWEeCwZZ6nlGzQuxJPGvyiPpDzAjg7iRI_VDWPKanDCWMrUs2OCeSiw-2fYPbBpu8dnKR2wlieW_FbtQa-v2IoH6QAk/s400/Florianlyn.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2014 - Meeting Florianlyn!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznup84WC56nbvMQHJhcDSnQYYzLTCoJC9AoRehhybdGLOIX73VYI9IeQbWpuW78dSdae_A373v3SghMXJ37c7rP-MSPVblr0auitANRkxay2m-4VDyEVSvaV4KlZwp35rc3uDGh40hMg/s1600/model+hfh+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznup84WC56nbvMQHJhcDSnQYYzLTCoJC9AoRehhybdGLOIX73VYI9IeQbWpuW78dSdae_A373v3SghMXJ37c7rP-MSPVblr0auitANRkxay2m-4VDyEVSvaV4KlZwp35rc3uDGh40hMg/s400/model+hfh+house.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2014 - Visiting a Habitat for Humanity build site where homes are being built for Typhoon Haiyan victims in Daanbantayan, Philippines.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZF7VxV0Mpci3Tv6I_5DFU-4ZAZScOIK1HDStAkEyRBCHtAKS8Frajgdlgvl-F2S3OI9WeW9dbAhlkzDSjUlxP1oiseJzby3G1VXSZxOp63-RKem1eitBjzblLcU0vw16inJgroOqlfY/s1600/089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZF7VxV0Mpci3Tv6I_5DFU-4ZAZScOIK1HDStAkEyRBCHtAKS8Frajgdlgvl-F2S3OI9WeW9dbAhlkzDSjUlxP1oiseJzby3G1VXSZxOp63-RKem1eitBjzblLcU0vw16inJgroOqlfY/s400/089.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2014 - Meeting our Compassion boy, JD, and a friend's Compassion boy, Jamson, in Cebu City, Philippines.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtlQSnAnRxLQtSMIPB21Mhxpz2Th4dprB5L0UFo5ztPG3BR-tcylvTffY2Vc522owYrwzfC-7NGh9Os2ZY42UYoYOZlVjghs7B5NMmmOXWQVWUpQYokKkfeQQK3jfzUcjprTXHNsBYUE/s1600/596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtlQSnAnRxLQtSMIPB21Mhxpz2Th4dprB5L0UFo5ztPG3BR-tcylvTffY2Vc522owYrwzfC-7NGh9Os2ZY42UYoYOZlVjghs7B5NMmmOXWQVWUpQYokKkfeQQK3jfzUcjprTXHNsBYUE/s400/596.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2013 - Visiting a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ7g_iwOB4Rwv9RF1Y5Leo_eSDjYCX9vDo36hFwa5wvUdYnDoPv-aGwdflYEYIqrMu54iSamOgzbv64-1creAIp_IO2zhpPtI1y8Fd2eqyzmA3qrHPgABJsYzXx36bg_NkHqBQ9Rblcs/s1600/015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ7g_iwOB4Rwv9RF1Y5Leo_eSDjYCX9vDo36hFwa5wvUdYnDoPv-aGwdflYEYIqrMu54iSamOgzbv64-1creAIp_IO2zhpPtI1y8Fd2eqyzmA3qrHPgABJsYzXx36bg_NkHqBQ9Rblcs/s400/015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2013 - Visiting UrbanPromise in Wilmington, Delaware.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLy1033kWMKBXJ3VZmJvckezf-mCmt3Ajdy105Q-J77DDM-dXuKz0QAQGxkq29GEBYYUm1NX3THmLpOHWildKr_u6qLusmkVJZIg420EOnPi4aZAIKD9Z6lqQhNInpkYOtOnw2ziCKteA/s1600/TaalVolcano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLy1033kWMKBXJ3VZmJvckezf-mCmt3Ajdy105Q-J77DDM-dXuKz0QAQGxkq29GEBYYUm1NX3THmLpOHWildKr_u6qLusmkVJZIg420EOnPi4aZAIKD9Z6lqQhNInpkYOtOnw2ziCKteA/s400/TaalVolcano.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer 2011 - Our first trip to the Philippines to meet our Compassion child, Florianlyn, and our then-future LDP student, Rechelle.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div>
13. <b>Buy Fair Trade. </b>Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar are the biggest culprits for being produced with bonded labour, child labour, and slavery. Next up is clothing.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
Here are a few places to start shopping:</div>
<div>
:: <a href="https://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/" target="_blank">Ten Thousand Villages</a></div>
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:: <a href="http://www.lasiembra.com/camino/" target="_blank">Camino products</a></div>
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:: <a href="http://shop.mercyhousekenya.org/" target="_blank">The Mercy Shop</a></div>
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:: <a href="http://www.freesetglobal.com/" target="_blank">Freeset</a></div>
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<div>
And if you can't buy it fair trade, then buy less. Wear your clothes to the threads, use your iPhone to its bitter end [and get it fixed rather than throwing it out and buying a new one!], eat/drink less coffee, chocolate and sugar [pssst... it's bad for you anyways, sorry to break it to you. ;)]. And this brings me to #14...</div>
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<div>
14. <b>Live Simply. </b>One of the biggest things that my parents exemplified that allowed us to pursue compassionate living is saying no. I know, it's not really an exciting tip. But sometimes, we have to say no to buying the latest doodad or joining the latest extra curricular activity in order to say yes to God's call to serve and love the least of these. We had a rule in our house: We were each allowed one type of lesson or sport outside of school at a time. I believe that rule kept me [<i>and definitely my mom</i>] sane as a kid and it surely gave us time to say yes to various serving opportunities placed in our lives.</div>
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15. <b>Make Compassionate Living Something You Can't Live Without. </b>It'll get messy. You'll hate it sometimes. There will be many days where you wish you could simply go back to turning a blind eye to all the suffering in the world. Most days, it'll be easier to stay home and have family movie night or game night. But <b style="font-style: italic;">allow compassionate living to permeate your life. </b>Allow pictures of/from your sponsored child to cover your walls, and compassion-centred events to fill your calendar, and social justice issues to fill your conversations.<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>You'll soon find that, <b>while there are still hard days, this lifestyle and the joy, hope and redemption it brings is something you can't imagine your family going on without. </b></div>
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The bottom line here is this - <b>Families and kids <i>can</i> make a difference together for their communities' and the world's most vulnerable and oppressed people.</b></div>
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I hope this list and our family's journey inspire you and encourage you even just a little... <i>to let compassionate living permeate your family's life and bring you closer to each other, to the world's vibrant people and places, and most importantly, to Jesus.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: large;">In what ways is your family engaging in compassionate living?</span></i></div>
Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-30388686202525295462015-07-02T07:21:00.000-04:002015-07-02T07:21:00.329-04:00When God Gives You Both<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I was this. close. to meeting [Esperanza] in the summer of 2014, but <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-blog-post-i-never-ever-thought-id.html" target="_blank">God had other plans</a>. However, I'm convinced that travelling to Guatemala was postponed, not cancelled. </i></blockquote>
<br />
That is what I have written next to the picture of my Guatemalan Compassion sister, Esperanza, on <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/p/compassion-international.html" target="_blank">the Compassion International page</a> that lives up there on the pages bar of this blog.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2014/10/well-there-goes-september.html" target="_blank">I had an <i>amazing</i> summer last year.</a> It was something only God could orchestrate, and that is evident by the fact that my summer 2014 looked very different in Spring 2014 than it ended up turning out.<br />
<br />
I had planned to spend a month in Guatemala with Mennonite Central Committee. And when God took that away (in favour of <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2015/05/true-story.html" target="_blank">something I never could've imagined</a> at the time) with a phone call from the team leader stating not enough people had signed up for the trip for us to be able to go, well... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't devastated.<br />
<br />
But you know, God is good and he gives good gifts, and it turns out He wasn't saying <i>no</i> to Guatemala, just simply - <i>wait</i>.<br />
<br />
Wait one year, to be exact.<br />
<br />
And a year later, the entire family will be on an airplane to Guatemala in late July, off to meet Esperanza.<br />
<br />
Stoked? Uh,<i> yes.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
So there it is... <b>We're going on an adventure to Guatemala. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Pray for us - mainly that I don't say anything super stupid in my (extremely) limited Spanish... <i>I'm not as good as I think I am. </i>;)Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4792856961529525287.post-23673863722760795532015-05-14T14:50:00.003-04:002015-05-14T15:00:47.424-04:00Introducing... True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/2esBRIqRYZ/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">#1000gifts ~ So excited to finally have copies of this in our hands... @compassion's #TrueStorySeries! Check it out online: www.compassion.ca/truestory #proudmama</a></div>
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A photo posted by Aimee Esparaz (@mama2greatkids) on <time datetime="2015-05-09T23:24:10+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 9, 2015 at 4:24pm PDT</time></div>
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</blockquote>
<b> </b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">It's for real <i>for real</i> in my hands!</span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I joke that at one moment, a wonderful member of <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion Canada</a>'s creative team was emailing me about getting my feedback on a youth curriculum they were producing, and the next moment, <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-blog-post-i-never-ever-thought-id.html" target="_blank">I was on a plane to film it.</a><br />
<br />
<i>But this whirlwind has kind of felt like that.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
"Did that happen? <i>Did we really produce a youth curriculum?</i>" That's the question the team leader and I laugh over last Saturday.<br />
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It happened... <i>and by no fault of our own, really. </i><br />
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<i><b>Only God could do something like this.</b></i><br />
<i><b><br /></b></i><b><span style="font-size: large;">
It is with great joy that I blog-introduce you to...</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank"><i>True Story: What God Wants Us To Do About Poverty</i></a>.</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Here are 7 quick facts about <i>True Story</i>:</b></span><br />
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1. It is <b>six sessions</b>, including a serving-together opportunity for Week 5.<br />
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2. <a href="http://godsgal4ever.blogspot.com/2014/10/well-there-goes-september.html" target="_blank">It was filmed over <b>11 days in 2 countries </b>- Canada and the Philippines.</a><br />
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/tJqMxTMWl5/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Shooting a standup with @_godsgal4ever. #toronto #ontario #canada @toronto_insta</a></div>
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A photo posted by Allan Spiers (@allanspiers) on <time datetime="2014-09-20T02:41:40+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 19, 2014 at 7:41pm PDT</time></div>
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/sCYvresWvA/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">Shooting the standup with @_godsgal4ever #standup #cebu #philippines #poverty #hope</a></div>
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A photo posted by Allan Spiers (@allanspiers) on <time datetime="2014-08-23T10:23:04+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Aug 23, 2014 at 3:23am PDT</time></div>
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3. Over that period, I delivered <b>6 scripts</b>.<br />
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4. The Week 5 script was done in partnership with <b><a href="http://mamaof2greatkids.blogspot.com/2015/04/one-proud-compassion-mama.html" target="_blank">our recently-graduated LDP student - Rechelle</a>!</b><br />
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A photo posted by @iamcurtanderson on <time datetime="2015-05-04T15:31:46+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">May 4, 2015 at 8:31am PDT</time></div>
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5. <b style="font-style: italic;">True Story</b><b> is way, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">way</i><b>, </b><i style="font-weight: bold;">WAY</i><b> more than just videos</b> - that leaders' guide pictured above includes activity ideas, teaching notes, Bible readings, small group questions, <i>Identify with Poverty</i> challenges for students and leaders to engage in at home each week, prayer guides, and lots of tips and support for youth pastors, facilitators, and leaders.<br />
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6. <i style="font-weight: bold;">True Story</i><b> is entirely FREE. </b>Compassion truly has a heart for reaching youth through the local church, both in the developing world and here at home, which is why <i>True Story</i> is Compassion's gift to the Church.<br />
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7. <b><i>True Story</i> is <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">all available online</a></b>, and hard copies can be requested off <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory" target="_blank">the website</a>, too... <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/truestory">www.compassion.ca/truestory</a>.<br />
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I personally learned so much about poverty from hosting this curriculum, and <b>my prayer is that youth across the country and across the globe will be impacted by the message of <i>True Story</i>. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Thinking about poverty and seeing it through God's eyes changes your perspective.</i><i><br /></i><br />
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<i><i>- True Story - Week 6</i></i></div>
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</i></blockquote>
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<b>My generation is one that is going to deeply impact this world - <i>I have no doubt about that.</i></b><i> </i>But it's so easy for us to start with a burning passion that quickly goes out when we realize how overwhelming the brokenness of this world is.<br />
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<i>True Story</i>'s<i> </i>message speaks to that superhero tendency of my generation and reminds us that <b>our Saviour has already overcome</b> this world... <i>It is a blessing that we <b>get to</b> be a part of that. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Brokenness seems a lot less overwhelming when we realize that we serve a God that has had a redeeming restoration plan going long before we were ever involved - <b><i>and that is the Gospel.</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Our world is broken... Things are not the way they should be. But we have a God that loves us. One who made a way to fix this mess and make things right again.</i><br />
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<i><i>- True Story - Promo</i></i></div>
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</i>
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<div>
<i><i><br /></i></i></div>
<i>
</i></blockquote>
When you address poverty from that perspective, it becomes a lot easier to join in and partner with this loving God who simply <b>invites us to trust him enough to say yes to our part in this bigger story of redemption. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>How can we use what God has given us to serve our communities?</i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><i>- True Story - Week 4</i></i></div>
<i>
</i></blockquote>
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As a Canadian teen, I am so excited about <i>True Story</i>. I hope you'll join me in praying as this curriculum begins to land in youth groups - that the Holy Spirit would move in powerful ways, and that youth everywhere would begin to say yes to God's invitation to serve the least of these...<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<b><i>...until all those daily </i>yeses<i> become a lifestyle of compassion and justice. </i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23TrueStorySeries" target="_blank">#TrueStorySeries</a></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.compassion.ca/TrueStory">www.compassion.ca/TrueStory</a></span></b><br />
<script async="" defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Alyssa Esparazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328278100059104559noreply@blogger.com6