learn to live out social justice

My sponsor child is a 3 year old boy from Trinidad. This was not a region I had requested, but when no children were immediately available from any of those areas and when I learned that some people had dropped their sponsorship commitment recent, I gladly picked up the responsibility for my little guy in Trinidad.

I also did something new this year for Christmas and ordered some “Gifts of Hope” to present to my family members. Meaning in lieu of some presents, they will be providing families with water (for life!) and children with books and toys. I’ve noticed I’m still blowing the budget on Christmas presents… it seems that God is blessing me with the desire to give and give. I enjoy it so much! :) As long as He is the motivation behind it, I don’t mind at all! :)

I joined the Make Poverty History site for Canada and sent off emails through that to some senators and my member of parliament to call for their support of Bill C-293.

Finished reading “The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical” by Shane Claiborne yesterday and was very challenged by that. Will be looking to read “Be A Hero” by Steve Court next.

I finally did it! I mailed the cheque and application for the child sponsorship program today! Hopefully soon I will hear back about that and find out about my kid!!

Doing well with clicking on the Hunger Site each day… just had to set up my web browsers (at home and at work) to open it up automatically or have the link handy where I always see it.

Very depressed about shopping for a new winter coat. 96% of the coats I looked at today (if not more!) were made in China. Since looking into human rights issues and learning about slave labour and working conditions, it’s hard to know how to proceed. Needless to say, I came home coatless from my shopping attempt today. This is going to be a difficulty now with all the clothing I need to buy…. and I have a lot of waredrobe to update. :(

So, I have been recently immersed into an “I can’t turn back” kind of way into the immense world of social justice issues. It’s too much to take in at once, and it’s something that I somehow have to learn enough about everything I can, but also be able to focus in and be directly and personally involved on issues that I find I have a special attachment to.

In spite of fear of seeming more interested in words and thoughts, I need a place to track my thoughts, plans, ideas, activities, goals, etc. without intending to be blowing my own horn. I need a place where I may be accountable, if only to myself, for what I have actually been doing and not just talking about doing.

New things I am taking on in this area (or am returning to):
> sponsoring a child, specifically in a country that is known to have child soldiers (although my child may or may not be directly a victim of that)
> returning to visitations with the elderly in homes in the city
> trying to remember to click on The Hunger Site each day
> self-education on many issues…. needing to make a plan on what to approach first and be organised about this
> needing to write to companies and organizations re: their policies on fair trade and fair labour