The kissy-face reality



Ok, so this post is not weight related. SHOCKER! But it is, however, heart-related. And to me, all of those things are the same.

This morning before church, I checked out Facebook. (Come on, those are your priorities, too.) As much as I wish I didn't stalk people on Facebook, I do. It never makes me feel better, but it's this awkward thing you can't help but watch.

It seems like today, more than usual, there was an abundance of girls in the following types of pictures:

1. Skinny arm, leg pop
2. Tight black dresses that leave nothing to the imagination
3. Next to bottles of alcohol or shot glasses
4. Kissy face/duck face/peace sign/bathroom mirror



For more examples, visit antiduckface.com
(watch out for inappropriate language)



I won't go on, because I will clearly become a judgmental jerk. I made this my facebook status this morning and quickly removed it:

"I wish that every single girl I know would realize their worth and that they were created in the image of God."

I still want this to happen, more than anything. But I didn't want that to be my fb status. Does it cast judgment and will someone take it the wrong way? Probably. But I have to be honest to all of my lady friends...can we PLEASE stop taking the same picture 10,000 ways? Can we go back to the days where we made ridiculous faces and didn't care about our double chin or our saggy underarm or the angle of our photo? Can we dress comfortably and protect our guy friends by not showing our boobs to the world? Can we wear baggy t-shirts and not cut them up to show our shoulders or our stomachs?

Imagine what a GREAT world that would be. (If you're as old as me, you remember that high school was JUST LIKE THAT and it was GLORIOUS. I miss the 90s.)

Girls, I have to tell you...what we are putting out on Facebook and Twitter these days, it's not cute. It's not portraying us as who we really are: beautiful, perfect daughters of God Himself, created in His image to show His creativity and beauty to the world. You are not an object, you are not a thing, you should not be drawing lines on your bodies telling guys that they can have this or that. You are better than that.

We are BETTER than that! If Facebook is supposed to represent who we really are, than we have some serious renovations to do. Who's with me?

-Liz

One week to see God?

It’s amazing how one week can change you. I left the US on December 26^th skeptical of religion and faith.  While I am no stranger to philanthropy and service trips, a mission trip was a completely different story.  When Dee asked me to come on the trip to Jamaica I was excited at the opportunity. She told me that it was a mission’s trip, so I should expect to pray. I was nervous but eventually decided that just because everyone else was praying didn’t mean I had to.

To say I was out of my comfort zone in the first two days of the trip would be a huge understatement.  I was an agnostic on a missions trip in a foreign country with a bunch of strangers…yeah that sounds about right.  The second night when Dee asked me how I was feeling I said I was on “Jesus overload”.  Even in the first two days I had been exposed to more prayer than I had in years.  I was skeptical of faith, and felt uncomfortable praying to a God I wasn’t sure existed with people who were so sure He did.

After hearing Jim and Penie’s passionate stories about how God had come through for them when they needed it most. After talking with other members of the team and the staff about faith and how drastically different their faith was to how I perceived faith.  After interacting with the children of Petersville and Gully Bank and seeing the joy in their faces as the pickup and van pulled up, or how proud they were when they got a math problem right. And after visiting the infirmary and hospital where patients asked me to pray for them, something was changing.  By the middle of the week I began to have a curiosity about God and Faith and by the end of the week caught myself praying with the group.

Something happened during that week that I cannot explain, so I won’t even attempt to.  I can’t claim that I am now a great Christian with an unwavering faith in God, because that would be a lie.  I can claim that, in all likelihood, I wouldn’t have any curiosity about faith if I hadn’t gone to Jamaica.  Maybe I’ve been feeling my life being pulled towards philanthropy and helping others because God’s at the other end of the rope. Who knows?

All I do know is that the week I spent in Jamaica was one of the most eye-opening and happiest weeks in my life.  The people of Jamaica stole my heart, and they impacted my life just as much as I hope in impacted theirs.  I hope I can keep my mind and my heart open to the possibility of God and faith back at home.

Until next time Jamaica, I know I’ll be back.

- Nicole (Nickels)

“What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” – Mother Theresa

Coming Soon...

Flew in from Jamaica last night. I have so many thoughts, it's ridiculous. My biggest thought right now is that we have a project this month to ship a container to the families in Jamaica that need clothes, mattresses, and bibles. Here is a little teaser video I did for that project. PLEASE pray about donating $50 towards a family that needs it. Each family has a container that you can shop for. Watch this awesomeness from our week in Whitehouse, Jamaica: