Glimpse Of What’s Next
As I am sure you have been able to notice from previous blogs and my Facebook albums that I really enjoy taking photos. If you’ve travelled with me or been on a team with me overseas, you know it’s quite common for me to just wander with my camera. I am super passionate about people in ministry and missions having photo memories of them in action, doing the things that they do. (It is rarely a priority for them as they are to busy ‘doing’ what they are called to do to get photos and videos of themselves in action to send to friends, family, and supporters.)
Since leaving Thailand, I haven’t really taken out my camera. Sure I have some photos of my niece and nephews, but not much else. Last summer I was a photographer at a zip line, which was awesome, even if I was taking the same shot with different people every day. For almost a year I’ve felt like I needed to allow my creativity through photography to grow and to use it more, I just never had a focus or knew exactly how that should look.
I am currently living in Texas, working for a prophetic artists who has a non-profit called, Project 7 Billion. Their purpose is to have all 7 Billion People have an experience with the love of God (specifically through a prophetic piece of art, The Lion of Judah). They have organized a two week trip to Israel this May and being a prophetic arts group the focus of the trip will be intercession, releasing all forms of creativity everywhere we go and having divine God moments with people. Three things that I love!
The Lion of Judah.
I am stepping out in faith and will be joining the Project 7 Billion team on their trip to Israel. Yes, my focus will be on intercession (cause that’s kinda how I am wired). My other focus is going to be photography. I want to really focus on capturing Golden Glances that others might miss. To photograph the things around me but also to get some photos of the team doing what they do, including the missionaries that we are going to be partnered with while there. I know deep in my spirit / soul that God wants to bring some major breakthrough and healing in my own life by me stepping out in this area and going on this trip. I also know that my experience and own personality will bring great strengths to this team, allowing us to ‘go deeper’ into the things we are called to on this trip.
I will need to support raise $3,500 for this trip. $1,750 of it is for the deposit on March 17. I’ll be honest, most of the time I end up having to pay for a huge portion of my trips as the support doesn’t come in. This often requires me to make huge sacrifices and miss out on things both before and during the trip. I want to be able to go, and I can’t afford to pay for this trip on my own. I need to see 100% of my trip covered this time. I believe that God is the great provider and that He provides for those who He calls, but He uses people to make that happen. People like you.
Will you join with me in praying for my trip to Israel? Pray for protection, provision, creativity, health, to hear God speak and to partner with the things that He is doing everywhere we go. Will you pray about how you can support me – finances, ministry supplies, coffee money, send me words of encouragement or what the Lord shares with you when you pray for me?
To give financially online, please click here. For more information about the organization please visit their website – project7billion.org Or for more details on me, the trip, how to give via check or cash, or any other questions you might have please don’t hesitate to connect via Facebook or email.
Now what?
A year ago I made the decision to come back to America to help my family for a couple of months as they faced some major health issues. That was my plan. Obviously things changed. I’m still in America. Health issues are better, but no-one is ‘healthy’. My personal savings pretty much dried up and my monthly financial support was only enough to cover my rent and utilities in Thailand, so going back overseas just isn’t an option.
Even though being here, helping family at home and with their small business is where I am supposed to be right now, it is not where I want to stay. Knowing that I don’t have the financial support to continue in missions really has me re-evaluating things. I have had several ‘real jobs’ in which I actually received a paycheck, but none of them have been things that I would necessarily want to make a career out of. As I am sitting here trying to figure out exactly what I want to do for a living I’ve come to some interesting revelations. Having been a volunteer, paying my own way or feeling like I have to beg people to financially support me to work as a missionary has screwed up my thought process of money and my self-worth.
My previous jobs haven’t always come with a reliable paycheck. This has only increased my frugal spending habits for fear that the paychecks will stop coming and the money I have will run out. I might not have always had typical ‘jobs’ for someone of my age, but I’ve worked hard. Really hard. Most of my ‘jobs’ had me working far more hours than I would ever get ‘paid’ for. The emotional and spiritual satisfaction outweighed the drain, yet that isn’t going to put food on the table or a roof over my head.
God called me straight into missions after high school. I never felt led to continue my education and go to college. I can’t tell you how difficult it is to have to repeatedly explain that I don’t have a degree when talking about my missions work as well as when looking for a ‘real job’. I hate when people tune me out and lose their respect for what I’ve done because I don’t have a college degree. I’ve had a lifetime full of experiences and stories thanks to my time served in missions.
Unfortunately many of the jobs that I am considered qualified for at the moment wouldn’t have me making quite enough to live off of, and well they aren’t really jobs I want to be doing long-term anyways. Sadly the jobs that I would love to do I’m either not technically qualified for or are volunteer / support raised jobs, and well that hasn’t worked out financially in the past.
So now what? What job or career should I pursue? I have no idea. I would love to be doing something that allows me to not only do the things I’m good at (using my giftings), is fulfilling and that allows me to be able to financially support myself. Yes, I realize that that is aiming incredibly high. But isn’t that what we are supposed to do? To aim high? Isn’t a worker supposed to be worthy of their wage?
How did you find your career? Do you have any suggestions for me as I figure out not only what to do next but what kind of career to pursue?
Passing By
Lately I’ve noticed how much I tend to just pass by things in my rush to do whatever it is that I am doing. Being in a culture that seems so relaxed and slow moving at times makes me realize how much I still try and live in a fast paced world.
I just started taking Burmese lessons… I finally came to terms with the fact that taking Thai lessons probably wasn’t the most practical since I was starting to really focus on Burma. You would think that since I am spending time in villages in Burma that I would be practicing my Burmese with the kids and mommas who have stolen my heart, unfortunately I haven’t been. When I’m in Burma my brain is constantly attempting to stay ahead of whatever is happening, my focus is on the team that I brought over and how smooth everything is going. My head is so full and moving so fast it’s nearly impossible to slow it down long enough to remember one of the half a dozen phrases I’ve learned. If I’m spending the money on lessons to learn the language so that I can build deeper relationships with the people I’m here to serve, than I need to slow down long enough to at least attempt to tell them hello and ask how they are doing in their own language.
A couple of weeks ago we were taking a team down to the border to spend sometime in prayer. I love having teams come to the border, it often makes it easier to pray when you are looking at the people and places you are praying for. Plus life on the border is so different than anywhere else in Thailand or Burma, it’s a real eye opener for those who’ve never seen real poverty before. The last couple of teams that have been here for a week or two have been able to not only pray at the border but also build relationships with a few of the street kids. Again, my focus is normally the team, making sure that they aren’t to overwhelmed with what they are seeing and that they have direction for prayer when they get stuck. But this last time a couple of staff came with me and our contact was there as well, so I did something different…
There is this woman that I often see sitting in the shadows of one of the parked vehicles next to the border. She sits there, begging. The thing about this woman is that she has the most incredible smile. When she smiles the atmosphere around her brightens. You can tell her smile comes from the inside out. So this time, I didn’t pass by her. I grabbed my contact, told the team to go ahead and start without me as I squatted down to learn more about this woman with an incredible smile. It was easy to see she had leprosy at one point and I knew she wasn’t living in the leper village that we regularly visit. I learned that she is 28, her husband left her, she has two kids, and she loves Jesus. We laughed together and I got to see more of her amazing smile. I got the chance to pray for her and felt like I made a new friend. Since that day I’ve seen her one other time, it again resulted in smiles, prayer and hugs.
It doesn’t matter where in the world you are, or what you are doing… we all need the reminder to slow down every now and again or we’ll miss the opportunities and the people around us.
Words & Pictures and Pictures that Tell Stories
Have you ever really looked at a marketing ad, or just a photo that had a quote or words on it? I’m sure you’ve seen millions of them. There are some out there that draw you in and make you look at it a little longer, and then there are tons on the internet that I’m sure my two year old niece could make on the computer.
I never realized how much work really goes into an ad. I’ve taken a few great pictures over the years, but I’ve never had to look at any of them with a marketing eye. Over the last couple of months I’ve helped revamp the Outpour website. I spent countless hours editing and re-editing photos that I had taken or photos that friends have taken of the ‘work’ Outpour is involved with. It’s a time consuming job, but I think I’ve started to get the hang of it.
Outpour Movement recently started a Campaign – Move OUT:POUR Into to raise funds for The Refuge Children’s Home. The Refuge is home to youth who have come from inside Burma in order to get an education. We need $30,000 to cover the costs for the year for the home – food, rent, transportation, education, etc.
During this campaign, I’ve teamed up with Michael Perez, who’s part of the Outpour team here in Mae Sot. We’ve been working together to go through photos the team has taken to find ones that tell a story, and then add quotes and statistics on them. Again, it sounded like a simple task, yet has turned into a whole new learning curve. Michael and I have very different styles and backgrounds, yet both strive to create the best pieces that we are not only proud of but that tell the stories of the people we’ve grown to love. It’s been a fun learning curve.
Outpour continues to move forward in helping create a hope and a future for those that we meet. The Refuge was finally able to move out of the refugee camp, giving them a lot more freedom and opportunities, and it means that we get to visit with them more often! Please consider ‘sowing’ into their today – money that is raised through the Move OUT:POUR Into campaign helps cover their daily expenses, many of which increased when they left the camp. I’ll be posting more about The Refuge and their new home here in the future.
If you would like to help financially support the Move OUT:POUR Into Campaign – click here.
My personal monthly support is still below my living and ministry costs here in Mae Sot. I am living quite frugally to help stretch my funds, but am really in need of more monthly and one-time supporters. If you are able to help financially support me – click here.
Photos
I know it’s been a while since I’ve last blogged… I haven’t forgotten, I promise! Life has been a little crazy lately. So I thought I’d share a few photos that I’ve recently taken to give you a bit of a ‘Glance’ into my life.
One of the great things about being a guest is you get to break some of the rules! Playing ball with girls from the Children’s Home inside the house, lots of smiles and giggling happening.
Some of the boys from one of the villages that I get to visit.
Food is fresh around here… like real fresh. Here’s some garlic hanging up in the kitchen at a Children’s Home.
One of the little guys who is still super shy as we tend to not have much time at his village.
Helping those ‘at risk’
To wrap up my last couple of blogs… talk about what you can do to help children and youth who are considered ‘at risk’.
Within each country and culture what we can do will look a bit different. Like most countries, Thailand has a variety of subcultures, which means that the way things are done may look a little different depending on what subculture you’re in. When talking about ‘victims’ or ‘offenders’, please remember that they are above anything else, human. We have to take a step back, from our own emotions and remember that ‘taking care of’ these people is more than just taking care of them physically. We must also realize that there is no ‘quick fix’. There are many different reasons why someone might be ‘at risk’.
Although there might not be a simple answer, there are things that can be done to make sure that these youth are safe and that the future generations aren’t ‘at risk’….
Education – This may seem like such a simple answer, but you have no idea the impact it really has. Even when a basic education is ‘free’ there are still expenses (school supplies, uniforms, getting to and from school, lunches, etc.). Consider helping to pay for a child’s education, donate school supplies, become a tutor, find ways to encourage kids, youth and adults to continue to learn.
Mentor / Disciple – Relationships are important! Yes, it’s great when these have a religious emphases, but really the relationship is more important than anything else. When you help someone realize that they are important, that they matter, you’ve given them a confidence that can change their world. This can be done anywhere in the world. Want to make an impact on someone else where in the world? Become a modern day penpal, using Facebook, email, snail mail, and even Skype to make a friend across the world. The fact that you are taking time just for them will mean more than you can imagine.
Help kids be kids – Growing up I attended several different summer and winter camps, often because my mom was able to find scholarships to cover part of the fees. Give towards scholarships for summer camps, music programs, sports teams, etc. There are kids that would love the opportunity to be involved, but can’t afford it. Friends here in Thailand sponsored a carnival event at the school / orphanage where they volunteer. The event lasted less than two hours, had just a few games, prizes and facepaint, and everyone had a blast! It was the first time these kids had ever had any kind of party. Sponsor a party, birthday celebration or holiday party at a school, religious group or children’s home / orphanage it’s always a blessing to everyone involved.
Equality – People who are in absolute poverty, struggling to survive will do anything for a dollar. When we pay less than minimum wage (in any country), we are telling people that they aren’t worth as much as everyone else and only help keep them poor. We need to help create jobs to employ these people and find ways for them to continue to improve their skills so that they can continue to increase their salary. There are thousands of people around the world who are sold into slavery to do manual labor. Some end up in sweatshops, and some end up in private homes. Buying items that are fair trade or help support victims, organizations, ministries, schools, etc anywhere in the world helps to make an impact on ending modern day slavery and encourages those who have committed their lives to seeing slavery end in our lifetime.
Speak Out – Continue to education yourself on the harsh realities that people face around the world… and then don’t keep it to yourself. You don’t need every Facebook status that you post to be some heart wrenching story, harsh accusations or scary pictures. But you shouldn’t be afraid to talk about these things either. When you have an opportunity to vote, do the research and vote in a way that will positively create change for future generations. Attend conferences and events that inform you of global issues and support change in the world.
Sex Trafficking – It would take hours to cover statistics and stories about the sex industry here in Thailand, the USA, and around the world, but I’ll skip that for today. What I will say is that no matter your thoughts or opinions, no-one should ever be forced into the industry, adults, teenagers, or children, but especially not children. Sex trafficking, and anything that promotes it, needs to be shut down.
Long-Term – The reality is that in order to really help make a change, it’s going to take long-term efforts. These issues aren’t something that can be changed or fixed overnight. Short-term efforts and one time gifts help, but long-term plans and commitments are what it’s going to take to keep the system from repeating itself. And when it comes to tackling these issues in another country / culture, it is best when long-term relationships can be made with locals who are ready to make the long-term commitment to working with their own people to create change.
Resources – There are hundreds if not thousands of resources out there… however I’d like to share only a few that I personally know. I’ve seen their work first hand. This is obviously not a complete list. Please do your own research when partnering with an organization or group, but don’t let that hold you back from giving towards those who are working to make positive impacts / changes in the world.
The Sound of Hope – The Sound of Hope exists to raise funds & awareness for orphans and vulnerable children around the world. We currently care for children in Swaziland, Thailand & India, as well as refugee children from Burma. http://www.thesoundofhope.org
The Journey – One Great Journey is a four month trip for young adults aimed at addressing the unacceptable realities of the world with entrepreneurial business and the love of Christ. One Great Journey is a program of Kingdom Inc. http://onegreatjourney.org
3N1 Men – 3N1 MEN is an initiative that empowers men to fight human trafficking through advocacy, education, and accountability. http://www.3n1men.org
Children’s Hope Chest – “Community-to-community” sponsorship leverages the power of one community of Christians making a long-term, transformational impact on a community of orphans and vulnerable children. Ultimately, these relationships and resources empower orphans to survive, thrive, and succeed within their home culture. www.hopechest.org
And of course you will continue to see snip bits of information here on my blog. If you have further questions, or whatever you can always email me casey@goldenglances.com
Change is how we roll
I have been in Thailand for almost three weeks. Change and flexibility are the name of the game here in Thailand (and being a missionary anywhere). My original plan was to start by living in Chiang Mai for a few months. Some friends of mine are currently leading a team that is in Mae Sot for four months, so they invited me to come live with them!
I spent my first two weeks in Thailand hanging out with the Wards (the people I’m partnered with) in Chiang Mai. It was good to spend time together, getting caught up, living life, and getting a taste of Thailand. I also went to Mae Sariang a couple of times with Candace to check in on a couple of projects they are partnered with. The main project is a children’s home that will finally get their girls in April. We were even able to meet the girls during a super short visit! The other project is a large section of land to use for growing crops. We had fun picking up coconuts, checking out all the banana trees, and trying to pick other fruit from the trees. It was super encouraging and exciting to visit the two sites!!
I am now in Mae Sot, attempting to get the feel of my new home. Having not really spent much time in the city during my previous visit there is a lot to learn and figure out! Plus there are the normal everyday things like buying a mattress to sleep on and getting cups to drink out of. Not to mention figuring out if I am going to cook at home or go out to eat (it is often cheaper to eat out rather than cook, weird I know). One of the guys from the team that is here helped me purchase a used bicycle so that I can get around town a bit easier. I’m still not exactly sure what ministry I’ll focus on, but I am continuing to pray into it and working on just figuring out life here in Mae Sot.
Recently I’ve received a few questions about how to financially support me. I thought I would take a second to give a few more details (if you get my newsletter, you get to read this twice, sorry). All funds can go through Kingdom Inc, making them tax deductible. You can give online through Kingdom. Kingdom Inc uses both Paypal (who charges a percentage for administrative fees, but the money is immediately transferred) and Dwolla (who charges a small set fee, but it takes longer for the money to get to me). If you chose to give via check, please note that the mailing address has changed. The current mailing address is Kingdom Inc, Po Box 98438, Atlanta, GA 30359. If you previously sent a check and it was returned to you, I apologize.
If you have any further questions or would like to begin supporting me monthly (even $10 a month helps!) please don’t hesitate to contact me.
And be on the look out for blogs about life here in Thailand, what I’ve experienced so far, what God’s saying, the cost of living overseas, and other fun facts and pics.
New
For those of you who have wondered if I fell off the face of the earth… not quite yet. I’m still around.
I wish all of my time was being zapped by doing support raising to fund my move and ministry in Thailand. However, I continue to be behind on support raising… but I guess it’s for a good cause. My parents just bought a store in their small town, so it has become a full-time job for all of us. If you happen to be in Idaho and head up to McCall from Boise, you’ll pass right by us. It’s an established business, yet in a lot of ways it feels as if we are starting from scratch. The great thing is that we get to remodel, set things up the way we like, and change up the merchandise a bit. Rather than close down while we get things rolling, we’ve decided to keep the store open. So in the middle of changing shelving, talking with venders, doing a bit of painting, stocking shelves, and figuring out what to sell we are making sure there is coffee, soft serve ice cream and running the cash register. We’ve had a a positive response from the local community and look forward to serving them and those just passing through for years to come.
Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about support raising and getting ready for Thailand. I’ve actually been writing prayer cards (postcards) in between running the register and am working on another blog as well. I hope to begin to send out newsletters via email soon, and have begun mailing out prayer cards. If you would like to receive either, or both, please make sure to send me your email and / or snail mail address. And if you were thinking of financially supporting me, please do! I’m still in need of monthly and one-time supporters.
When?
I finally have an official date when I’ll be moving to Thailand, well sort of. I’m buying a one-way plane ticket to Thailand for the middle of January! The original thought was that I would leave sometime in February, but due to groups that will be coming through it was important that I arrive mid to late January.
Do you know how soon that is?! Do you realize how many things I’ve got to cram in before then? There are holidays to celebrate, my cousin’s wedding to attend, family to hangout with, birthdays to enjoy, yummy food to eat, friends to connect with, churches to share at, and $7,000 more support to raise!
As time starts to countdown towards my departure to Thailand, it’s a mixture of excitement and a bit of uncertainty in how it’s all gonna come together. The good thing is that even with all of the changes, I still know that I am supposed to be in Mae Sot, Thailand… and in a few months, that’s where I’ll be!
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments – I’d love to hear from you. Also, please let me know if you’ll partner with me in prayer support or if you can support me financially.
Drop and Shake
When I went to the Drop In Center in Mae Sai, Thailand, it was to visit the Center but also to drop off a Real Life team and one of the Outpour staff. This team was a group of girls age 19-27 who were going to spend their last week in Thailand at the Center. They were a lot of fun to hangout with and I knew that they would love volunteering at the Drop In Center.
On March 24, two 6.8 earthquakes hit Burma. The Drop In Center was less than 50 miles from the epicenter. To give you some perspective, I was a three to four hour drive away in Chiang Mai and felt the earthquakes. The girls later told me that as they were running down the stairs to get out of the building during the quake they were tossed from one wall to the other. Amazingly the building hadn’t been damaged in the earthquakes, and the girls were all ok. As the group stood outside not knowing what to do next, government officials came over the loudspeakers saying that there was going to be another big earthquake in the middle of the night (we’re still not sure how they could predict another earthquake). People began leaving the city. For girls who had never been in an earthquake before, it’s easy to understand that they were scared.
Sitting in Chiang Mai we (the rest of the Outpour Movement staff and myself) were obviously worried about the girls in Mae Sai. Even though phone lines were often overloaded we were still able to maintain contact with the team every few minutes. It was finally decided that it would be best to move the team out of the city. We were able to have someone we knew in a city an hour away pick everyone up and house them for the night.
As much as the girls wanted to get away from any possible danger, they knew that they were leaving behind the kids. When the girls left Mae Sai they didn’t know when they would be able to come back and they had now way of knowing what had happened to the kids they were falling in love with. Their ‘motherly’ instincts came out as they thought of the kids, and their faith in God was tested as they had to put their trust in God that He would protect the children.
Thankfully the girls were all able to return to the Center a couple of days later. The girls had to face their fears of going back to Mae Sai, and told me how thankful they were they did. The kids from the Center were so excited to see them again! None of the kids were harmed during the earthquake! What could have been memories surrounded by fear ended with wonderful laughter and smiles of children who felt remembered and loved.
All of the pictures I’ve posted of the earthquake were taken by a contact who lives in Burma. Remember that these pictures were Not where our team was. The girls were not able to go to the areas most affected by the earthquake. However they were able to give our contacts from Burma bottles of clean drinking water and some basic medical supplies, which were their greatest need right after the earthquakes.
Drop In
Over the next few blogs I’ll be telling the stories behind some of the photos that I’ve recently taken. Hope you enjoy!
I spent a couple of days at a Drop In Center in Mae Sai, Thailand. It’s a safe place for street kids to come in during the day. The younger children often spend part of the day either begging or trying to sell small items at the border between Thailand and Burma, while the older children spend their nights going through garbage trying to find recyclables to sell. These are the kids that the Center open’s it’s doors to…
The kids in the above picture have turned rocks into jacks. I even watched as some kids turned old fliers into Memory Card games. They are so creative!
Kids who normally wouldn’t be able to go to school are given the opportunity to gain a basic education. Both English and Thai classes are offered to anyone who wants to attend. One of the days I was at the Center I noticed the kids brought their notebooks and pens ready to learn, sadly class was cancelled that day. These kids love learning and find joy in figuring things out for themselves. (Some of the kids will do the same puzzle 10 times in a row! There are only three puzzles at the center, yet they love them!)
The Drop In Center helps to meet all of the needs of the children and even adults who come in – it’s a safe place for kids to do their laundry, take a nap, play games, learn English or Thai, sing silly songs, and get a hot meal. The Center helps these street kids be kids. For a few hours a day they no longer have to put their guard up. Even in the midst of the chaos of kids running in each the door each morning there was a peace that covered the Drop In Center.
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