With Love From Honduras

Now the title might be a tad misleading, I'm not in Honduras. However, my heart has officially relocated after spending a week there before Christmas. Really. I wish I could have videotaped everything that I experienced of that week.

I've spent days trying to figure out how to put everything on to paper but it never came until recently. A lot of people ask me, "So, how was it? Did you love Honduras?" and I consistently answer with "Oh it was great, my heart is still there." I think to myself that I wish I could formulate the words to really express how my week went and how amazing these kids are, but at times I just can't do it at all.

But here's the deal, I'm going to try to get everything out this way. I guarantee that I'm tearing up as I write this down. I guarantee that I won't do these stories justice because everyone should experience something like this in their lifetime. I guarantee that some things I will say may make someone mad at the injustice or sad because these kids aren't able to grow up like we do in the US. I also guarantee that these stories will probably make you smile. That these stories will help you see God's love in the city of San Pedro Sula.

So here we go....

We got to Honduras on Saturday, 13 December (yeah I got use to doing day then month....) and spent time together as a camp community and by starting to understand the idea of being free in God.

Sunday was different, we were ALL IN. We started out at an orphanage that worked with only mental disabled children and all I wanted to do was cry. Cry for the children. Cry for the Catholic sisters who took care of these kids. Cry for the volunteers who work with the orphanage every week. I just wanted to cry. But I didn't because as soon as I got there, a girl named Carla grabbed my arm and started pulling towards a door. Unfortunately, my little Spanish knowledge was not working out for me and I was completely unsure of what she was asking me to do. Now here's the thing about sweet Carla, she's in a wheelchair and she doesn't say much, but as soon as we got outside and we figured out that she wanted me to push her around the building we were on a roll. We ended up going around the building about five times by the end of the day. While I was pushing her around all I could think was why her? Why was she made like this? I grew up with a handicap cousin and while I was thinking about Carla, I was also think about Joey and how if we grew up in a different country, would he have been left at this orphanage or an orphanage like this? I wanted to cry.

Now that was only two hours of my Sunday. The rest of the day was spent at this place called Integrar. In English that means Integrate. IT WAS AMAZING! We didn't get to meet anyone who attended the "school" but we did get to meet the founder and her story was amazing.

In Honduras, children with Down Syndrome are often looked down on and are locked away or even stoned. Which, to this preschool teacher is absolutely mind blowing. Now Lucy, the founder of Integrar, had a child with Down Syndrome and wanted a place to help her integrate into the society of Honduras and thus Integrar was formed. Everything about this place was amazing. From the way that they starting working with students at 40 days to the way they teach them everyday skills through the use of woodworking. Yeah. I was shocked too.

©Alison Strader

So what we had the opportunity to do for them was paint their walls on the inside, which this picture doesn't show the build justice. The area was about the size of an American gym with a really high ceiling. I mean "scaffolding needed to finish" ceiling. The cinderblocks were painted yellow, the beams that jutted out blue, and the smooth flat areas on the walls were a green. You wouldn't think it would match but that was probably the coolest set of colors I had ever done (including the purple room in '08 and the gray with brown trim in the shape of Tetris in '09).

We worked on the Integrar building both Sunday and Monday with the group split into two teams so that only half of us went to the special needs orphanage at a time.

On Tuesday, oh Tuesday, we went to two places. The first was a new orphanage in the mountains that would eventually house around 80-90 kids as well as a school for the orphanage and the children in the surrounding areas. I left a chunk of my heart here. Education has become so important to me and I don't doubt God for a seconding to leading me into that direction (sorry it took 4 years to finally listen). Angie has an amazing story, but it's not mine to share. But it is mine to hold on to and remember that God has a crazy plan ahead of me and I can't wait. 

After meeting with Angie and praying over the new orphanage we did something a little bit crazy, but a whole lot of fun. We went to a waterfall. I zip lined people. Talk about getting over a fear of heights. I also decided it would be fun to go into said waterfall... That was interesting. Hopefully if there's a next time the rain will not cause the waterfall to fall at an extremely high pressure.

Wednesday was my day that I left about 3/4 of my heart. I fell in love with about twenty kids from the age of 3-11 and I don't regret it a bit. 

©Alison Strader

This is my friend Rene. He's five and one of the cutest kids I've ever met. We colored pretty much all day when I wasn't pushing him on the swing. I couldn't completely communicate with him but that was okay. He was just happy to color a picture from a Cars coloring book.

©Alison Strader

This is Rene again, but this time with his friend Roger (pronounced Ro-air) and another one that I wish I could have seen again before I left. These two moved orphanages together and have been friends since they were babies. You can't tell but they are coloring/arguing over what crayons they can use. I'm telling you, I could have stayed and colored for the rest of the month.

©Alison Strader

When I said we colored all day, I wasn't kidding. I'm so thankful that the parents at the preschool I work at in the States donated coloring books and crayons. If you look you'll see that I banged up my knee earlier that morning, and unfortunately, I couldn't play soccer or run around like I had planned, so the coloring books were my saving grace the rest of the week.

Thursday, our last day working in the area, we spent at amazing orphanage in the mountains. We spent another day painting, this time two rooms that would end up being a library and a computer room as well as the outside to finish what the other half of our group started on Wednesday. We later spent time working with the kids to express how they saw Christmas through the use of pintar (paint), plumas (feathers), and pipe cleaners. Yeah that was fun. I wouldn't have described myself as a painter but to my sweet friend Jo, I was. 

©Alison Strader

Jo would later swipe our group in game of football (soccer), girl had talent. I loved getting to work with these kids even if I had little to no clue of what they were asking of me. But we got there and everything turned out great.

Friday... I would tell all of you about Friday, but that's a story for another day. However, here is the Reader's Digest. We got to the airport around 9:00-9:30 am to check-in, buy visas, and go through customs. Our flight home was supposed to leave around 1 pm. It didn't. Malfunctions (my mom jokes that I can't fly anywhere... I mean one time with snowed in flight in Rochester/Buffalo). We finally left Honduras around 9:55 pm (yep a 13 hour layover in a very small airport) and got into Atlanta around 1:30-2:00 am. We then got a free hotel stay at the Westin for about three hours. I slept for one. We left Atlanta at 8:30 am and got back to Charlotte around 9:00... I LOVE ADVENTURES.

God was amazingly alive in Honduras and I wasn't there to bring him there, but to be his hands when he couldn't do it himself. Just like a regular camp week with CCC, we had morning watch and this is what I wrote for Monday. 

"Provision - This word has so many different meanings. Food, shelter, water, warmth, etc. But how often do we think of God's love, His ability to accept us even with our faults. HIS PROVISION is so much greater than anything that we could provide for ourselves." 

I wish I could go back tomorrow to spend time with Rene, Roger, Jo, and the other amazing kids that I met. I wish I could say that I knew I would be back. I can say that I want to, and I have plans to. 

God has an amazing plan ahead of all of the children in these orphanages in Honduras. They are going to change the way Honduras is run in a few years. I can feel it. They love God so much and that was one of the ways we could connect with them. Freedom from the unknown is something that they have because they put everything out there so that they can grow and learn. I wish I was like that sometimes. 

The picture below is one that is near and dear to my heart. I can't tell you this sweet boy's name, mainly because every time I asked he would giggle and hug me instead. I hope he is well, and I hope he knows that I love him and that God's watching over him. So, if you were a partner with me this trip, thank you. Thank you for freeing me from the fear of not being able to follow God's call. Thank you for praying for me as I flew out and spent a week in country where I didn't speak the language, where I didn't know their customs. Thank you for following God's call to be apart of this experience. 

Thank you.

©Meg Emerson

"El Señor es mi espíritu, y donde el Espíritu del Señor, allí hay libertad." 2 Corinthians 3:17

In Christ's Amazing Love,

Meg

Spending My Summer in Love

Yesterday morning I woke up and I didn't put on a CCC staff shirt for the first time since May 29th.
I didn't have a group of campers and adults to think about.
I didn't have community partners to visit.
I didn't have families to talk to or worksites to visit.
I didn't have a set plan for my day.
I didn't have to be in the tool shed to greet groups at 3:00.
I didn't have to setup a worship.

I didn't have CCC.

Carolina Cross Connection has played such a major role in my life since 2006 and then being on staff the past three summers has been such an opportunity to show God's love to not only the people around me but to myself. Last summer I was transitioning from having my Grandmother's presence in my life to having to remember what it was like to tell her about my day, and that was hard, even four months after she passed in February. Summer 2013, just didn't feel complete by the end, and I wasn't sure if I was even ready to be back in ministry.

But y'all, this summer, the summer of 2014, was my redemption almost. God placed amazing people in my path. From my crazy, wonderful staff to the campers and adults we had each week to the families that we worked for in Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes, Caldwell, and Surry, I have a special place in my heart for each of them.

My 2014 CWMS Staff Family

I spent six weeks forming new relationships, building up the church, and finding myself "awake" to God's presence, love, voice, call, word, sacrifice, and passion. I've sat at my computer for the last few days trying to figure out how to put this summer on paper, well screen, but just can't be described any other way than indescribable. 2014 was most likely my last summer on staff, and getting the opportunity to grow with some of the best people who either were with me in Wilkes, or were part of my whole staff family was such a blessing from God.

I wish I had more pictures to share with you all, but I'll share what I do. There aren't enough words to describe my summer, but in my book pictures work just as well.

Ty and Matt

Fun in the Field Week 5 Style

Ya never know with our unpaid staffer Austin. 

But first, let me take a selfie.

Just your normal day for the director triad.

Celebration is over huddle.

Best friend since 2013, what I wouldn't do for this girl!

Worship with campers. This is why I do what I do.

These photos only capture a small part of my summer. I'm extremely thankful for all of the prayers and support I got this summer. I hope that I served my church well and my community well this summer working for CCC and I can't wait to see how the ministry continues to grow and shape after this summer and the first use of the new staff/camp model.

"But me? I will see your face in righteousness, when I awake, I will be filled full by seeing your image." 

Psalm 17:15

In Christ's Amazing Love,

Meg

Making My Mark on the World

Hey y'all so I decided to do something a little different today for the blog. Hope you like it!

My Staff Bio!
http://www.carolinacrossconnection.org/meganemerson

Peace and Blessings y'all!
Megan

Mission Work in the Corporate World

As graduation comes closer and closer, I have been trying to decide what I want to do with my Public Relations degree. I worked on a nonprofit concentration and have worked with different nonprofits over the last four years.

As I look through different organizations and other PR jobs, I have found that I keep gravitating to Community Affair centered jobs especially in sports. Did you know that the NFL is considered as a nonprofit organization? Crazy, right! Other professional sports teams, like the MLB, NBA, NASCAR and the NHL, are not considered to be nonprofit but many do have in-house foundations.

This lead me to think, how easy is it for a large corporation to be involved with the local community. Major League Baseball has a community website MLB Community that connects fans to different club initiatives as well as MLB initiatives.

At the April 7, 2014 Oakland-Minnesota game, both teams and the fans "Stood Up to Cancer" in support of the Minnesota Twins General Manager Terry Ryan and others affected by cancer. The video above shows one partnership between the MLB and Stand Up to Cancer. The MLB Community website also provides fans and teams other opportunities to get involved with charities such as local Habitat for Humanity organizations as well as national charities such as Make-A-Wish and Baseball Tomorrow Fund.

For more information on Stand Up to Cancer please go to standup2cancer.org.

zap2it.com

Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming such a large part of corporate day-to-day operation and as a fan of nonprofit organizations, I cannot wait to see how partnerships are formed across the world.

Life Goal: The World Race

As my time in college is winding down (faster than I really expected), I have been thinking about were I want to be in the next ten years. I have gone through the thoughts of going to grad school (not going to happen anytime soon) to finding a job in the corporate world. But I have also thought about spending a year in mission work.

One really cool mission opportunity is The World Race which takes you to 11 countries in 11 months where you work with "the least of these."




To participate in the World Race you have to be between the ages of 21 to 35 for the 11 month mission trip or 18 to 22 for the shorter WR Gap Year (three continents in nine months). Racers apply for their trips and go through an interview process. Then before and throughout the race, racers raise the cost of the trip, which can cost between $13,500 to $16,000 per trip. The funds racers raise cover all team costs once the trip begins. This includes food, lodging, and air, land & sea travel. It also covers administrative, setup, coaching, debrief, and training costs prior to and at the start of the Race (theworldrace.org).

Here is a testimonial video from WR Alumni Hollis Johnson:



Before I sign off, I want to leave this little tid bit. No matter what you may do, or what you may think you can do, there is always something more. You just have to have an open mind and an open heart to have a new experience, It could be a mission trip or it could just be a new friendship.

Good luck!

Christmas Doesn't Always Come in December

I always find it interesting when I hear about someone's mission trip or time away from home in a different country. I haven't had the opportunity to go overseas for a mission trip but I definitely have plans to do so. However, finding opportunities to volunteer and make a difference can be found right in your backyard.

One organization that I have had the opportunity to be involved with, and is close to home, is Operation Christmas Child, which is technically based in Boone, NC but has distribution centers across the Southeastern US. I have had the opportunity to work in the Charlotte, NC Distribution center and it has been an amazing experience.

(WBTV.com)

The above picture is just a small portion of the boxes that come into the Charlotte processing center. As a volunteer, I have had the opportunity to check boxes, tape boxes and make sure boxes are packaged for transport and easy access for those who are handing out the boxes to the children across the world.

Other than working in the processing/distribution center, you can also pack a box for a child. I usually do one every year and last year I had the opportunity to follow where my two boxes went. OCC sends has a barcode scanner that can keep track of where you box travels, mine happened to land in Cameroon (Fun Fact: Cameroon won the 2000 Olympic Gold Medal for Soccer) and I sincerely hope that the little boy and girl that received my boxes are doing well and are safe from anything.

There are so many different things and reason that I hold OCC so close to my heart. One of those being the idea that something so small like a shoebox full of small toys and toiletries can change a child's life. OCC is a great way for a child to experience the love of a friend without having to expect something in return other than a loving relationship with God.

(Samaritan's Purse)

I hope that you have or find an organization that you can hold close to your heart. It could be a religious based organization or it could just be a cause based one with only a focus on cause. No matter what I hope that you know that you are making a difference with any type of mission work that you do. A person, a community, or even the world can change with just a little bit of help.

World Water Day is Almost Here

I've found that it is important to know what interests you when it comes to what you want to volunteer with and what you want to take on as a someone who is involved with the world around you. In my last post I talked about the organization charity: water and a bit about the water crisis. So, I figured with World Water Day on March 22nd, which is THIS Saturday, I would focus on the water crisis and what we can do to help those who do not have easy access to water.

Water is such a necessary part of life. A person can live without water for about 3 to 5 days, but sometimes the water they end up drinking is even more damaging to their bodies than not having the water available to them. This image is a great infographic from People Water which is a for-profit, cause-based organization that sells different products to raise awareness of the water crisis. 25% of the proceeds from products goes towards water projects that the organization is supporting.

There are so many different organizations that support the water crisis around the world such as People Water, charity: water, Water Missions International, UNICEF Tap Project and water.org to just name a few. The beauty of having so many different organizations is that you can support any way you want to either through volunteering or from purchasing a product. 

The people that are being helped are so important to the cause. Every time a new well is built, or water purification tablets are available, a child is able to go to school or be safe from diseases. So take the time to investigate the water crisis and decide to take a chance on helping solve an important crisis. 

Also, on your smartphone go to UNICEFtapproject.org and go off the grid for a little bit. Every ten minutes that you do not touch your phone is ONE day of water for a child. The longer you go the more water is available to people around the world. So, if you do participate good luck and I hope you beat my 3 hours.