'Happy' the Orange Snowman says 

Today, January 11th 2013, is Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Human trafficking is described as the illegal trade of human beings mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. Other purposes can be extraction of organs, or tissues etc.

There are many websites with tonnes of imformation about the plague that human trafficking is on humanity. Here are a few links for you.

www.ijm.org

www.un.org

 

Also check YouTube.

There are an estimated 27 million people affected by this problem.

Campaign Orange has been about using the colour ORANGE to bring attention to the subject.
People have been asked to wear ORANGE, today.
A few of us from work searched through our closets and took up that challenge.

 












This is my first week back in the office, after moving to another apartment last week. I am still in the process of unpacking, which is always 'fun' but rewarding.
Why is it so difficult to wake up in the mornings when it is dark outside? I think that it is more difficult than before Christmas.

When my alarm rings, I have to turn the energy saving bulb by my bed on... then when I am awake enough, I turn the second alarm off and then i get up and turn some other lights on. Eventually I figure out that I need to shower and get dressed and then find myself rushing around to get out the door.

This morning before showering, I looked outside at the depressing darkness (it was 07:30) and I longed for snow to bring some brightness to the place. At around 08:30 when I was leaving the buidling I was shocked to see the strangest looking snow on the ground... and it has been snowing steadily for a little while now as well :)
I am soooooooo very happy that the snow is back, if only for a short while.

Christmas day 2012 has passed by so quickly and 2013 is almost upon us.
So much has happened in this last year and so much more will happen in the coming year as far as I can see.
Sweden is so beautiful when there is snow on the ground, that you find yourself wishing that it would be cold. It isn't so nice when the temperature is just above 0 C but so nice when it is around 5 C and the trees are covered with snow.

I was able to go skiing for the first time a few days ago which was fantastic! However on my second day of skiing, although it went well for the most part, it ended with my twisting my ankle which is NEVER a good idea.

Snow, Julbord, sliding down hills in the snow and falling in the snow, time with friends and time with God. That is how I spent my Christmas!

Dear Friends,

One day someone told me that I should ask God what He wants me to do in the time that I am still here in Barbados.

Sometimes figuring out what God wants can be interesting because it doesn't look anything like what we think it should.

I have not worked in the traditional sense, which is a bit upsetting in a way. It feels like if I have been here this long maybe I should do the normal thing and get a regular job for a while. However, though it would make me feel more productive as a person, I am not sure this is what should happen. Why? Well this time of decreased responsibility has been difficult to accept in some ways but I believe that it has been important as well. 

This has been a good time of healing both physically and emotionally as well as a good time of rest.

(If you would like to hear more about this time of healing, and the reasons for rest drop me a _____).

Music

They say that music heals the savage beast. Well I am not sure about savage beast, but I do enjoy music, so I have invested some time in becoming a more proficient musician. This has been slow going for various reasons but has been a source of great joy.

I have enjoyed being involved with the worship team at the living room which I have been able to play twice with at church recently. I also enjoy visiting a band which practices on Friday nights when I can.

I also had the opportunity to spend a little time at YWAM's King's Kids camp during the Easter Holidays. I was asked to help with the worship 2 early mornings and one evening. I think it did me more good than it did the kids. It was awesome seeing God moving in the lives of the kids and leaders as well... not to mention much fun.

Progress

At this point I only need $100USD more a month to be given persmission to leave for Sweden. God has shown His goodness in many ways, including providing possible accomodation until September, and lowering the required support amount. I will still need to raise a bit more than this $100USD in order to deal with a few needs here in Barbados I.e life insurance etc.

Thank you all for your support in prayers, finances and care. 

It has been a blessing to have so many people who want to get involved in what ever way they can, whether it be praying, or giving large amounts or giving smaller amounts (ie $20 BBD a month). Every contribution, great or small is appreciated.

At this point, I need to arrive in Sweden before Mid May, in order to be welcomed by the office. If I do not arrive then, I will have to wait until September.

Communication

I have already asked some people this question, so please bare with me.

Would you prefer to receive newsletters by email, by post, to read it online (blog) or not receive at all? Please let me know your preference if it makes a difference how you receive the newsletter.

Thank you all again for your support through the years and months.

Blessings,

Jackie

Fearless

True courage is not the absence of fear. It is going forward even in the presence of fear. In the same way, a truly courageous person is not the one who does not feel fear, it is indeed the one who continues with a course of action even though their knees are knocking together.

True inner strength is not the ability to appear strong. It is not the ability to deal well with something with which you are accustomed dealing. Really it isn't.

For instance, a person who is a good communicator with good oration (speaks well) doesn't need to put much effort into speaking before a group of people. They may need to calm their nerves a bit but for them the act of speaking is probably a joyous one. Think now to what happens to a person with a stammer. I was so inspired watching the movie 'The King's Speech'. I was so inspired when a young man in church who speaks with a stammer, spoke on behalf of the young people the other day. Man what courage that must have taken for him to do that!

I think some of the most courageous people that I have met or heard of have been people who seemed weak at the time.

How often do we laugh at the person who speaks with a stammer, or been impatient with the person who isn't as quick or capable as we are?

It might not take you and I much courage to walk down the street, but what courage does it take the blind person who has to walk with a cane or a seeing eye dog down a street that they cannot see.

The trouble is, how many of us don't see them as brave? How many of us see them as inconvenient, or even stupid? 

Often, us human beings, think that because we have good things going for us (we are good looking, smart, physically sound, have good jobs, even have good morals, maybe we even give money to the poor) we are special or superior to others.

Honestly... how many times have we looked down our noses at those who are not as smart, not as beautiful, not as weathly, not as moral as we are?

Honestly... how much more courage does one need to wake up each morning and live life when you know that there is something real that makes life more difficult for you to do simple things? Probably a lot!

I had friends who struggle with something serious. The kinds of thing that people look down their noses at others for (sometimes). I have to confess that I think those friends are brave people. Why? They chose to look their 'problem' in the face and to tackle it... regardless of what others think. 

It may be time that I learn from my own fears. Learn what God is working on in my life, learn more about myself. Perhaps in doing this, I will find the courage to face the fears, and then to look at the God that is bigger than my fear. Maybe then I will find the courage, to embrace my destiny. 

J