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Sunday, July 19, 2015

A Letter to the "Greatest Generations"..

I'll never forget that day..
Filing into the auditorium at Los Lunas High School, wearing my black shirt (I always wore black), skinny jeans, and undoubtedly flip flops with my short black died hair, cat eye makeup, and probably on my phone. Most likely texting an upperclassmen that I shouldn't have been because I knew he had a girlfriend but I (of course) thought he was the one.
That day in that Freshman assembly I realized it.. I found what I was meant to do...

An organization known as Invisible Children came to my school that day, and showed us a video about the situation of child soldiers in Central East African Countries but back then it was just Uganda. I watched the entire video, and by the time I got home, I had tears in my eyes, I raced to my parents computer, and I googled everything I could on Central East Africa, the Lord's Resistance Army, and Invisible Children.

I was hooked..
I remember in one of those classes where the teacher would put on some DVD about some kid who got on drugs, and the way that when they took that first hit of heroin, or that first line of cocaine, they were hooked. That was me. I don't know what it was, but before I'd have to say that I was like a shell of a person trying so hard to emulate what I was supposed to be. I remember my dad talking about all the girls he had dated in high school, I remember my mom talking about her first job in high school and the lessons she had learned from working so young.

And then there was me.. I was turned down from every job I applied for in high school, I was pretty, but I was never the girl every guy wanted to date, looking back now, high school really wasn't that horrible, I just didn't seem to fit into any sort of mold my parents had seemed to fit into so easily.

After that day, my life went on normally, I still had the same friends, I still texted the same boys, and I still kept along the same path that would eventually lead me to self-harm, overdosing on pills, alcohol, and leaving school.
But through that one day in the school auditorium, I found what it was that I was meant to do.. but if I had been raised in the so called "Greatest Generations" I couldn't have done what I am called to...

You see, in the "Greatest Generations," I would have been wrong...

The reason there are so many children self-harming today (along with others) is because we hear about it now. I know when I ask my mom about girls who got pregnant or had break-downs, the town didn't rally around them, or try to help, they were cast away, sent to an aunt in the country, or a relative out of state to deal with their horrible ways. Many children who just needed a little something extra were numbed with shock therapy, and never were the same again.

Beyond that, I would never have heard of Invisible Children, or the LRA, or Central East Africa, or any of that back then. That just wasn't a woman's place. By now I would have been married or at least looking for a mate, while making a home, raising a family, and doing the "woman's work."

Up until about the 1970's in most of America, if one decided to become a missionary (of course only a man could), then his family would pack his things up in a coffin because that was the belief. If you were a missionary, it was a death sentence. Not only would I have been stopped and thought of as out of my mind for wanting that death sentence, I could never make my mother pack all of my things in a coffin and assume she would never see me again.. That's cruel. So what do you do? Break your family's hearts, or break God's?

I am not against the "Greatest Generations," I just disagree that they were the greatest.. I don't believe that I could have ever lived a better, more authentic life serving God than I can right now. Today...

I thank you (old people), for your sacrifices. I thank the soldiers for defending us against the Nazi ideals. I thank those who fought in Vietnam for fighting simply for all of the things that I will miss when I leave this country behind. I thank all of the brave women before me who fought for me to be the equal to every man that stands beside me. I thank the missionaries for making a path for this very imperfect generation to serve our God with "the least of these.." I thank everyone who has had a hand in the technology revolution, so that way when I'm in the middle of nowhere Africa, or the jungles of South America, I can still talk to my family. And mostly, I thank God for seeing the value and authenticity in my generation, and for not killing us all, cause let's face it, He's God, He can do what he wants.

Thank you for reading this, and for the sacrifices you are making for the next generation.

Peace to you,
Dorothy.
7.19.15.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

To The People (Pt. 3)..

Wow..
Holy crap.. Sorry.

Today has been an amazing day of hard work and realities paying off. Today I got to go to the school and get my cap and gown with my Phi Theta Kappa regalia, AND my honors cord. I am so excited to be able to walk across a line, and have people see that I am smart enough to finish something!

Also, tonight I got an email from YWAM Perth, and I have been accepted to the January 2016 Compassion DTS.
Basically, a DTS (Discipleship Training School) is a 6 month course, 3 months in Australia, 3 in a third world country I'm hoping somewhere Central East Africa, doing mission work. The Compassion DTS is focused on serving the poorest of the poor, and dealing with things that most run from which in my brief travels, I have realized that is one of my favorite things to do. Places where people run out, I like to go in. God has drawn me to them.

But anyways, enough about me, I wanted to write this to thank people. I call these letters "To The People," and they are an open letter thanking those whom I want to thank. I feel some thanks is over due; soo.. here ya go!! (:

To Marlow and Pastor David who believed in me enough to write several recomendation letters for me to go to Haiti, Ecuador, and now Australia, Your time and words whatever they may have been are not taken lightly. Thank you for believing in me enough to tell others of it.

To my parents who love me, support me, and deal with my deciding to go, then to stay, then to go a million times over thank you.  I love you.

To my church, PMUMC; you have believed in me enough to support me, pray for me, and love me through me being me, and you have never walked away. For that, I am forever grateful, and I can never repay y'all for what you've done for me. You have seen me with scars on my wrists and barely able to stay awake, and you have seen me come back from other countries filled by God's love. The grace you guys eminate, and the love you share with anyone who will take it is nothing short of Christs love himself. Thank you. I love you.

To my entire family, who has pushed me, and loved me the entire way to where I am, and has given me the courage to take on the injustices in this world and simply love people for who they are has caused me to go, and to not be afraid. None of this would have happened without y'all. Thank you, I love you.

To Pastor Dave (Bubba) Seeing you Saturday, and having you always be an encouragement to me has meant the world to me. You were the one who allowed me to take the front of the church for a Sunday, and allow me the time and space to tell my story, and to say what God had layed on my heart meant everything to me. You were the first person I ever felt like saw potential in me for something better than just going about my life here like I'm not missing something. You are the reason I am not afraid to be bold, and to be passionate, and to stand up for what I believe. I still read the bible you gave me, and you can bet it's going with me wherever I go! Thank you, I love you.

To Loryn and Lakota; thank you for being some of the best friends I could have asked for. You girls are so sweet, and I will never forget the times we have had. I have no idea how I am going to go 6 months without you guys! I am going to loose it!

To Taylor and Jordan, thank you for being so great and understanding why I can't go to Highlands with you guys next Fall (since I am kinda writing this before I tell y'all.) You guys are amazing, and I am going to miss you so much while I am gone! Thank you, I love you.

To Schick and Dr. Melzer, Thank you guys for believing enough in me to talk to me, and to help me while in your classes. You guys rock and I hope you teach forever so everyone can have a class with you. Thank you.

I know there are tons of others I need to thank, and this is for sure not the last of these so stay tuned!!

Peace to you tonight,
Dorothy.
3.26.15.