Welcome to “activism”. Demanding justice for the poor and oppressed is central to the nature of God. As so, a very necessary expression of our faith should involve caring for those with specific needs, raising awareness for the marginalized, tangibly loving the unloved, speaking out for those with no voice and most importantly steping outside the roll of “helper” and into authentic friendship. As we walk through our daily life and perhaps beyond that which is comfortable and convenient and opportunities of aid emerge, please share your story below, not so as to applaud our own mini achievments, but so that people can become inspired and galvanized into action to care for those around us. My hope is that this space will be a LARGE anthology, telling the stories of “activism”. Below are some movements that embody this sense of “activism”. Browse, learn, get involved, and share.
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Saturday, December 17th @ 6:45 p.m. - As I was getting ready to share at aqueous, I felt it necessary to give people the opportunity to share in response to “project care”. For this Christmas season, “project care” is focused on meeting the needs of the children in the Isla Vista community. Most of the children in the Isla Vista community were in need of socks, umbrellas, jackets, underwear, sweatpants, and other very basic necessities. I gave everyone the opportunity to leave aqueous and go to Kmart to pick up some of these items so that these children would not go without their basic needs this season. The entire community got up, and went to Kmart. The entire community! About 20 minutes later, everyone returned and dropped their gifts into the “care can”. There were so many items that after the can was full to the overflowing, the ground around the can quickly became a pile of Kmart bags too. I was amazed at the community who, together began to take action for those around them.
Today I took part in a cigarett butt pick up at Oak Park. There were about twenty students from La Cumbre Junior High who took part in this social event. The students must have picked up about 1500 butts, it was so nasty trying to count them. I dont know if this was an act of activism all I know is that the students fricken lit up when they saw me. Miss. Wallace the head of this project was very thankfull that I showed up. She said it is very difficult trying to get staff/teachers showing up and participating in activities like this. I just told her that I wanted to do my part,get to know some parents and just serve. We also had a water balloon contest and a trash pick up contest. The winners recieved gift certificates from Target and the Warehouse. I asked kids what they thought of this project and they were so pumped that they wanted to do it again. One kid said that he want’s to make the community a better place but he finds that some people are just not carrying enough. My hope was not to just to put a smile on someones face I just wanted to physically serve the westside community.
So I had had this idea for the past couple of years so I decided to act on it today. I was up by 5am and my heart and soul where pumping. I knew I should have gotten up but I fell asleep. You see if we don’t do something when the Holy Spirit is moving we will continue to live life in a slumber. So I got up at 7 and made about 10 chorizo and juevo burritos. I decide to go to IV and hang out with peolpe that slept in a bush or in a park. I met two guys, there names were Damian and Dakari, two black men from NY. Damian lives with other brothers in shared housing, and Dakari said he slept in a bush lastnight. We must of had a dialouge for 15-20 minustes, about liberation,crack,church,ignorance and fellowship.They asked if I could come back and hang out next Saturday and I told them I was to busy to hang out with them! Just joking, I told them that I would see them at 9 same time same place. This small act of faith on my part was very difficult, I was nervouse and it was hard work making the burritos, but I just wanted to be Like Jesus and hang out with the poor, lost and dirty.
So last week Dakari asked me if I could score him some scissors so he could work on his spinning wool. I told him that I could take him to the Big K and he started to trip and he started to ask me why I would offer to take him to the Big K. I told him that him that I did not mind and he said next time we can go. So today was next time and I asked him if he wanted to go and Dominick asked what K-mart was. I told him it was a store where you could by shoes and other good stuff. I asked Dominick if he needed anything and he said some sherbert ice cream, I think Dom was strung out. So I asked Dom again what hw was in need of and he said shoes and socks. As Dakari got in the car he was so fricken thrilled to be in a car “Mark you don’t know how long it has beed since I was in a car”. The other thing that gripped me was that he said as we were driving to k-Mart he said “I FEEL HUMAN AGAIN” man I almost lost it. We stroled around the store and we got Dom some hygiene products and some shoes, Bakari got some scissors,film and some socks. As we were leaving I asked Bakari if he wanted to come over to get showered up and he paused again and said “Next Time”.
Tom Ritchey, on the reason Project Rwanda exists:
“To me, the bicycle is just a freedom tool to a bigger vision for Rwanda. As one of the smallest countries in Africa, Rwanda is working its way back to acceptance and legitimacy in the world’s eyes following the genocide of 1994. Project Rwanda aims to help those who are persevering under their circumstances to rebuild their lives; reconciliation, healing, redemtion and the chance for a healthy recovery is somethineveryone needs. It’s because of their stories of hope and commitment to reconciliation that that Project Rwanda exists. Rwanda’s underdog status makes this story something inspiring for all to hear.” Read full story @ http://WWW.PROJECTRWANDA.ORG
People gathered today at Goleta Beach to raise some money for Project Rwanda, they gathered and by ten o’clock they all got on their mountain bikes and went for a 9 mile ride. My mt. bike is sick so I could not participate but I was able to gather with people and have some conversation. I usually don’t like to donate money but I put some hope into the project.
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