Called to Action

The Joy of being Home

Michigan Wild Flowers in the Woods

I have had a wonderful variety of things to do since I arrived back in Michigan.  Each day is filled with important events and my to-do list is never done.  Connecting with friends and family is an ongoing joy.  I have had the chance to meet my new neighbors.  

I love the people in my subdivision.  So many “neighborly” people willing to help each other.

I have had the chance to host family, friends.  I even hosted a couple baseball players who were here in TC as they worked their way up in the baseball world.  That was really fun!  

Watching a Curling tournament was a new experience for me. I am still not sure what is going on!

House and Yard

Now, yard work season has started here.  Yard work is not my favorite thing to do, but seeing it done is a relief.  To be honest, I look forward to rainy days in the summer so I can stay inside and read.

TC Christ United Methodist Church

Pastor Dianne Doten Morrison continues to plan meaningful worship for us.  Vespers during Holy Week are always a significant experience.  Easter’s celebrations are a highlight for me.   I am so glad we are Easter People! 

Native American Sunday was especially interesting.  Pastor’s message was meaningful and our Tribal Blessing Ceremony was fun.  

An exchange student, Shareen, completed a school assignment by setting up a display about our Native American heritage as well as providing native food.

TC Christ is reaching out to the community in some exciting ways.  

Rod Snow, a ventriloquist and chalk artist present at Christ TC.

I worked with others doing some yard work getting the church yard ready for our Garden Party.  

This is your invitation to a Garden Party Event 

at TC Christ UMC 

I hope everyone who lives close will plan to join in the fun next Saturday!

If you are coming in from a distance, let me know.  I am answering my call to hospitality, using my extra bedrooms,  

West Michigan Conference Annual Meeting

I am reading as much as possible!  It is reading with a purpose, however.  I have been reading getting ready for West Michigan Annual Conference meeting.  Important issues for our United Methodist Church are going to be voted on during the conference in Grand Rapids.

One important item, which I hope passes, is the call for United Methodists to Divest from funds that are making money from the pain and suffering of the Palestinian People.  

www.kairosresponse.org

United Methodist Women (UMW)

My new volunteer position as Social Action Coordinator for the United Methodist Women of the Michigan Conference fills my mind and heart.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be on the leadership team.  God is building my skills in many ways through the interactions with the UMW’s of West Michigan.

I attended UMW Leadership Development Days in North Carolina.  What a joy it was to witness the dedication of my United Methodist Sisters in Christ.  Ask me about my mute and un-mute lesson.

Being a part of the UMW’s Lunch Bunch at Central United Methodist Church has been a big part of the community spirit I need.  It was fun to work together getting ready for the rummage sale; it yielded funds for missions. 

Linda, the Grand Traverse District Social Action Coordinator, facilitated a wonderful social action day in Ludington.  We were presented with information about mental health and learned ways we might be able to help.

Piccola, of the Petoskey Unit created an informational display about the Grand Traverse District of United Methodist Women.

Justice For Our Neighbors 

I took the on line training and have started volunteering for Justice for Our Neighbors.  This organization reaches out with legal help for those refugees and immigrants.  

I have answered God’s call to be involved in showing love to refugees in their need.  

I am volunteering for Justice for our Neighbors in Traverse City, Michigan.  Sue and Alline helped establish the clinic at Central UMC.

It will be interesting to see where God may use the skills provided me come next winter.  I sure hope it is in a warm area.  

My Schedule

I will be making some trips in Michigan to make presentations about my mission and Social Justice actions.  I am going out of state for the UMW National Seminar, Jesus-Justice-Joy.  I have a trip to Ethiopia planned for August. 

PRAY FOR PEACE WITH JUSTICE 

The New Arabs

I wanted you to know about this event.  Let me know if you are able to attend with me,randie.clawson@gmail.com.

The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East  with Juan Cole, Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Michigan April 16, 2015 International Affairs Forum Dennos Museum 6pm. Free for current students and educators 

The renowned blogger and Middle East expert Juan Cole illuminates the role of today’s Arab youth—who they are, what they want, and how they will affect world politics. In his stunning new book, The New Arabs: How the Millennial Generation is Changing the Middle East, Cole outlines the history that led to the dramatic changes in the region, and explores how a new generation of men and women are using innovative notions of personal rights to challenge the authoritarianism, corruption, and stagnation afflicting their societies. Can the Millennials shift from being a catalyst for rebellion to a governing force? Was the rise of the Internet as central to these social movements as reported in the western press? Are western governments prepared to engage with the Millennial Generation to promote democratic change? For three decades, Cole has sought to put the relationship of the West and the Muslim world in historical context. Don’t miss this unique opportunity!  COME PREPARED WITH QUESTIONS.

More on Juan Cole at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jrcole/jcpers.htm. 

Juan Cole's blog: http://www.juancole.com/

Florida - Saying Good Bye to Warmth

Family, Computer and Book Time

My visit in Florida gave me the opportunity to catch up on “Sister Time.”  We have thirty years to make up because my sister Donna was away as a missionary for thirty years during out adult lives.

The SIM Village where Donna lives is residential community of 90+ retired missionaries.  

It is a VERY special place! 

 Donna and I enjoyed the beauty of Butterfly World near Ft Lauderdale. 

Seeing so many butterflies struggling to leave their cocoons to become what God created them to be. caused me to wonder how our spiritual struggles and messes look to God  as we make every effort to add to our faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love, 2 Peter 1:5.

Butterflies like bananas.

I enjoyed watching the tugboat help our cruise ship into the Bahama harbor.

 It reminded me of the story and song about Little Toot.  Do you remember Little Toot?  It was stories like Little Toot that instilled a strong work ethic into our little hearts. 

Church Family in Florida:

In Sebring, Florida, I attended St. John United Methodist Church.  The Snowbirds from many states fill the services.  Coffee after church is served outside! 

My Sunday school class was wonderful. We did a series on Wesley’s three rules, Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God was studied. 

Laura, my teacher offered the book, Praying with John Wesley by David A. deSilva.  I recommend this book because it blessed my soul. 

Through class discussions, I came to love and appreciate the members.  

Together we used the book, Give It Up! A Lenten Study for Adults by Dottie Escobedo-Frank.  This book asks us to give up various things each week of lent; I was a failure the week we were to give up talking.

 

I shared about a book I was reading,Tell It Slant by Eugene Peterson.  .  A recent email let me know that the class has decided their next book series will be using this book, 

These books are available at www.coksbury.com.

You might know my teacher, Laura, and her husband Bill.  They serve at Henderson Settlement during the summer, www.hendersonsettlement.org.

UNITED METHODIST WOMEN

www.unitedmethodistwomen.org.

As I warmed up in Florida, thoughts of getting to be a part of United Methodist Women in West Michigan Conference warmed my heart.  I used computer time to expand my understanding of issues pertinent to my new volunteer position as social action coordinator.

I attended a weekend conference of the United Methodist Women at a retreat center in Florida. 

Some things are different, like moss from the trees. 

As you might expect, I found the same warm hearts and kindnesses fill the hearts of the women at this conference. I even found another snowbird from Michigan who was also there by herself.

Racial Justice

Racial justice is still needed in our communities, country and world.  In a prior blog, I reported on the Martin Luther King Junior Parade in Sebring, Florida.  I also viewed the movie Selma while I was in Sebring.  I am glad to be a part of continuing the push for racial justice. It is a United Methodist Women’s focus. 

My heart grieved when I read the report about injustice in Ferguson, Missouri. 

Please take time to read the article: Because We Believe: A Wesleyan Response to Ferguson, Missouri, www.unitedmethodistwomen.org.

St Augustine: 

The Oldest City in the United States

I was glad that my sister in law, Janet, was able to join us for a couple weeks in Florida to be a tourist with us as we visited the old sites in St Augustine.

A familiar name in Saint Augustin-Yes we bought some chocolate!

My visit to a National Monument, Castillo-De-San-Marcos caused me to ponder. 

 The brochure reads,”…symbolizes the clash between cultures… Still resonates with the struggles of an earlier time, these original walls provide tangible evidence of America’s grim but remarkable history.”

Our grim, remarkable history begs the question, “grim and remarkable” to who, in what ways and at whose expense?  Guns, violence land grabbing, displacement of indigenous people, home demolition, and colonization name just a few of the problems suffered in the process.  It caused me to think of the similar problems my friends in Palestine and Israel are experiencing.

I felt blessed to see the 1964 effort for racial equality memorializes at the park in St. Augustine. 

Florida’s Space Coast

We had the fun of visiting the John F Kennedy Space Center, NASA’s launch site. 

Getting to view the actual spacecraft helped clarify the sizes, power and amazing technology that allowed it all to happen.

 I watched to my first 3D movie, the repair of the Hubble Telescope.  Wow, I was impressed with the amazing courage of astronauts and scientists.  

My awe of God expanded exponentially as I ponder the universe and the God that created it!

We live in one of the arms of a large spiral galaxy called the Milky Way.  The sun and its planets, including earth, lie in the quiet part of the galaxy, about half way out from the center.  According to the best estimates of astronomers, there are at least one hundred billion galaxies in the observable universe.  Scientists come to this estimated number by counting the galaxies in a particular region, and multiplying to estimate the number for the whole universe.

O Lord, how great are thy works, Psalms 92:5.

My soul is singing the hymn, “How Great Thou Art.

Ah-tah-thi-ki seminole Mesuem 

After gaining some knowledge about the suffering of the indigenous people groups in St Augustine, we visited the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Seminole Museum, www.ahtahthiki.com.  The name means a place to learn, a place to remember.  It is located in Big Cypress, just north of the Everglades.  It was interesting learning about the tribal customs.  

My heart grieves over the historic injustices.

Everglades

The history of this region is intertwined with the dilemmas of the indigenous people, the extreme heat and hurricanes.

A two-hour tram ride through the everglade park was an opportunity to hear about the changes in climate.  We learned how weather conditions are affecting the animals. 

Did you know alligators have to lie around in the sun in order to have their temperature high enough to digest their food?  Some summer lying around sounds good to me.

One of the highlights was our Everglades National Park boat trip in the area of the Ten Thousand Island National Wildlife Refuge.  

Good company, many birds, and the sightings of dolphins made for a wonderful experience. 

God blessed us with the beauty of sunset as we watch the sun go down over many islands while we sped back to port. 

 

Not to be outdone, the full moon made an appearance when we were almost to shore.

The evening was finished off with a wonderful fish dinner. 

The little town of Everglade City does not have any of the usual type chain motels. 

 

How thankful I was to hear my sister-in-law say, “I’ll take the top bunk.” 

Trip Home

Praise God with me for the safety of the trip home.  What a joy it was to have Janet share the driving. 

Janet and I shared the fun of having lunch in Tennessee with Mary. We both met Mary in Sierra Leone.  Janet met her on a VIM Trip and I met her on an Ubuntu Journey. 

Circumstances-Passions

We serve a God of justice.  God uses the circumstances of our lives getting our attention and shaping us for action.  What an adventure is ours as we allow God to reign in our hearts. As we work together to bring God’s reign into our homes, church, community, nation and world.

Back Home!  Praising God for the Circumstances of My Life.

Human Trafficking Awareness

A Lot to Learn

I attended a faith- based training on human trafficking at Tampa's Salvation Army. Much of the information posted here comes from their Facebook Page.










Much of the information was hard to hear and to realize how much suffering is going on in the trafficked people's lives.

Because of Christ's call on our lives, it is VERY important that we listen and act for justice!







Julie Shematz, M.A, the facilitator of the training, indicated that the WellHouse, in four years of operation has raised 1.5 million dollars.  It has 22 full time staff, a short term shelter and three residential homes for female survivors of sexual exploitation.

She stated emphatically, that Tajuan McCarty  is MORE than on overcomer!

Check our page 72 of the March edition of Good Housekeeping Magazine.  There you will find the story of Tajuan, how she founded the Wellhouse.  Also included in the article is the story of one survivor telling how Tajuan helped her escape and overcome being trafficked.

A Lot to Do

Trafficking is not just an international problem.

It is estimated that there are 100,000 - 300,000 people in the United States being trafficked every year.   Eighty percent of those trafficked are women.

Many of the trafficked are children.  I learned during training that a runaway child will be approached by a trafficker within 48 hours.

National Human Trafficking Resource Center

1-888-373-7888  | nhtrc@polarisproject.org  |  www.traffickingresourcecenter.org

The National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year in more than 200 languages. The NHTRC is operated by Polaris, a non-profit, non-governmental organization working exclusively on the issue of human trafficking. They are not a government entity, law enforcement or an immigration authority.

One of the Important Things To Do

Train yourself on the topic of trafficking.  The websites given above are a good place to start.  Train yourself to "see" trafficked people by reviewing the signs of trafficking; click:  Recognize the Signs.  Call law enforcement if you observe any of these signs.

United Methodist Women

The organization of United Methodist Women is committed to work against trafficking.  More information may be found on their web site, www.unitedmethodistwomen.org.