Leaders, Leadership, Service?

This last year, I've really discovered what kind of a person I am when it comes to groups. I've never really liked group work because most of the time, I've been the one desiring to do the best job, which means I get put in charge of delegating responsibilities, and making sure everything's going smoothly. I've figured out, I don't lead that way. In fact, I am reconsidering my definition of what it means to be a leader.

I've always thought that to be a leader, you had to be part of the administration, you had to be able to make the decisions and lead a large group through something successfully. Now, I'm not so sure. As I went through last year, I discovered some things about myself and how I operate.

I like to help.

That's really what it boils down to. I just want to help people do what they want to do, and to help them do it well. That's why I loved being a stage manager. I wasn't out on stage with the attention on me (though I do love acting too), but rather, I was helping the director to see her vision fulfilled with the actors and musicians and technicians. I was helping to make it the best show it could be. I was helping the actors stay on time, and helping them with what they needed to give their best performances. Last year, I also had the opportunity to be the President of Chamber Singers. However, I discovered that that position was not a place I thrived. People tend to give me respect. They listen to me, Why? I have NO IDEA. But it happens. So people naturally assume that I would make a good leader in the form of a President. And so did I, for a while. But last year I had to re-evaluate what that position meant, and decided to step down from being a part of the choir's leadership.

Just recently, I was talking with my roommate and said to her..."I just want to support the decisions and actions of the leaders who are ready to be in place." That's where I thrive. When there's something to help with. Something to set up, something to send out, just some thing to do. That's why I love my job as an assistant, that's why I want to be a consultant for a bridal salon - I just like to help people find what they're looking for and to have the best experience possible. When my roommate heard me say these things, her response was "THAT'S that attitude that tells me you are TOTALLY a leader." Today she even sent me a link to a blog post she read. She entitled the email "You're a Leader I tell You!" (Find the post by Jon Acuff here).

I'm still not sure that loving to serve qualifies me for the term "Leader", but maybe I'm using the wrong definition. What do you think?

So, Swaziland

In February, I have an amazing opportunity to travel to Swaziland, Africa for 12 days to bless the lives of children in that country. The trip is sponsored by the church that I attend here in Salt Lake City (for more info on them check it out here), but it's not a trip where our goal is to convert the people and children to Christianity. No, our purpose is to bless the kids, to show them love, and to let them know that there are people who care about them.

The country of Swaziland has one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the world, with 26% of the adult population infected. The country does not have a lot of orphanages for children affected by the disease, so when their parents die or become too weak to get around, these children are essentially left to care for themselves. What the carepoint does in Swaziland is provides food and a place to learn for the children who have no other way of receiving a meal or love. Food is made twice a day by what are referred to as the "Mages" (mothers) and "Gogos" (grandmothers). Those children who go to school are only at the carepoint for one meal, while the younger kids (who walk themselves) will be there for both each day.

the one building on the carepoint facility in Mhkombokati, Swaziland

Above, you see a photo of the one building at the Carepoint. This is the only location where the children gather in the morning and are taught a simple lesson by a Mage who is not a teacher, but does her best to show the kids love and kindness while helping them learn a basic alphabet, numbers, etc. The rest of the carepoint is open space.

Just recently, water was discovered on the carepoint grounds, and our team is hoping to be able to do something to get the water pumping above ground  - giving the kids water and a way to be clean before/after they eat and play. We are also thinking about constructing benches for the mages, gogos, and children to sit on when they are tired. Right now, the only seating is around a tree, on the ground, and in some smaller chairs in the carepoint facility.

This trip matters. It matters because these kids don't know that there are people who love them and want to help them experience a better life, one free from hunger and disease. That is our mission and our reason for going to Swaziland. I first learned about the affects and issues surrounding HIV/AIDS when I was in 7th grade, 10 years ago. For the last decade, I've wanted to go to Africa, to go touch the lives of the people and the children affected by this ravaging disease and show that there is something beyond AIDS. These kids matter. It matters that they're going hungry and living without parents. It matters that there are a few wonderful women who've devoted their lives to helping these kids stay alive. But they can't do it alone, and that's why we send regular support to them. Not only in the form of monetary aid, but with physical teams to do projects and play with the kids, and supplies to help the kids with what they need to go to school.

I can't do it alone. the team can't do it on our own. We need your help. Our first deposit is due in two weeks, and there are three more deadlines after that. Would you consider partnering with me to bless the children in Mhkombokati, Swaziland by sending me a donation of $100 or a different amount that works better for you? By helping to send our team to Africa, you will be making a difference in the lives of these children and those helping them.

I would love to talk more about how you can help or give you an address to send a donation. Please send me an email at jnwilson@email.com, or send me a message on Facebook (link provided).

Thank you for your support. I look forward to partnering with you to bless the children of Mhkombokati, Swaziland.

A Perfect Weekend

For those of you who don't know about Utah local holidays - we have one in the summer called Pioneer Day. It's as big, if not bigger than 4th of July here, and it celebrates the original Mormon pioneers who came to Utah from the mid-west. Thus - Utah-based companies have the day off and everyone gets to relax, watch/set off fireworks, and just have a good time. Since this year Pioneer day fell on a Sunday, we're observing it today (Monday).

Not only is the day off  today a wonderful thing, but this weekend, in all other respects has been quite perfect. I won a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory on Friday at my telemarketing job, so Saturday took Morgan and I to Murray for shopping and dinner. We wandered around the mall for a while, found some GREAT deals on things, and then stopped in to the restaurant where we were able to skip the long lines and get awesome seating on the outdoor patio. If you've never had food at The Cheesecake Factory - you're sadly missing out - it's delicious - the food as well as the dessert. They even made Morgan a virgin Pina Colada!

After a blissful culinary adventure, we ventured to the dollar movie theater not far from our house. The new version of Jane Eyre was playing and we'd been wanting to see it- so off to the movies we went. While the movie itself was a little bit disappointing, it was nice to take the time to hang out and go out with my awesome roommate.

When we got back, I was able to finish these corkboard states, which I saw on the bright life, a blog I read upon seeing some other creative things done by a good friend of mine in Oregon. It just looked so fun, and I've been wanting to do something a little bit artsy-craftsy, so this fit the bill perfectly. I made one for each of the wonderful women living in our house, wrote everyone's names in black permanent marker, and added colorful little brads to accentuate the names. Each state reflects the home state of each roommate Colorado, Colorado, Utah, Oregon.

Adding to the perfection of the weekend was finally acquiring friends who have friends who have parents who have a swimming pool. (Did you catch that?) Since yesterday was pioneer day, some friends of mine from church invited a large group of people to a barbecue at their house - complete with in-ground swimming pool. The weather's been so hot here lately that all I've wanted to do was swim. Unfortunately - very few people in this state own an outdoor pool, and even fewer public pools are outdoor. So it was a sweet blessing to get to hang out in the water last night (not to mention the delicious beef, pork, chicken, corn, and cookies present at the BBQ).

Since today is a holiday, I haven't done much - just a bit of tidying, and making sure things look presentable. Talked with a good friend on the phone, and said goodbye to Morgan since she's on her way to Hawaii tomorrow. Tonight there's a free showing of a hilarious movie at the cinema pub in town, and though I don't drink, I'm going with some friends to hang out.

Hope your weekend has been smashing. :)

New Adventures

Today I submitted my application and deposit for a missions trip to Swaziland, Africa with my church here in Salt Lake in February 2012. I am so excited about this opportunity, and really glad to know that I have the support of my family and friends to go.

Africa is a continent that has always been on my heart, specifically the Sub-Saharan part that's been deeply affected by HIV/AIDS. I first learned about AIDS when I was in 7th grade in health class, and that's really what sparked my desire to help the children affected by this disease. Many of these kids don't have a family or any relatives because they've been lost to HIV. Prevention techniques are lacking, and misconceptions about how the disease is spread have caused people to do things entirely the wrong way if they're looking to stop the spread of this highly contagious infection. The effects on a person's health can be minimal or drastic, and without proper medical care and treatment, those whose HIV transitions into full-blown AIDS will die more rapidly than those who have been cared for by doctors or other medical professionals.

But most deeply affected are the children. The ones who didn't ask to have their parents taken away by a disease, the ones who didn't deserve to have an infection passed on from their mother. Not to say that anyone who contracts HIV deserves it, because I don't believe that for one second...but the kids were born into this, they had no say in the matter because the disease took everything they had.

Some of the kids who will be at the Care Point in Swaziland are AIDS orphans who need someone to show them love. Swaziland is a country with the highest infection rate of HIV/AIDS in the world. Approximately 26% of the adult population is infected. In a country where there is little else to set them apart (they're small, surrounded by South Africa, and politically stable with no major safety issues), AIDS is the thing that makes them stand out to a health community. A country should not have to stand out because it is infected with something so deadly.

I am so encouraged knowing that the church I attend supports the care of children in this country, and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to go down with a team and bless the kids at the CarePoint, as well as the "Mages" who staff the Care Point and the discipleship team members who are already working with the children. How amazing it will be to finally get to see how God is working in a place where He's had my heart for a long time.

I love watching God open doors, and then being able to walk through them with the confidence that He has a plan and has been preparing me for these opportunities and adventures as I continue on my journey with Him. I never cease to be amazed by the wonderful love of our amazing God, and how he will work out the plan he's laid out for me in the ways that I least expect him to.

The Night

Me: "What do you think?"

Paul: "It feels like the center of the universe"

...

Later on, I discovered...home.

You'll Find That Life is Still Worthwhile...If You Just Smile!

Adele, Paul, Me, and Maggie

So, yesterday was an amazing day - really crazy, but quite awesome. There is an Indian festival called Holi, which is celebrated by the throwing of colors - in India, this means liquid dyes and colored chalk. In Utah, at the Hare Krishna temple in Spanish Fork, they celebrated the color festival and invited everyone to come join in the fun! After showering, shampooing multiple times, and washing my face over and over, I still have some chalk that doesn't want to come off! It was a really, really fun experience, and I'm so glad that I went. Actually, I went twice. I left at 9:30am with some freshman friends of mine, and we stayed till the early afternoon. Morgan wasn't able to come in the morning, but she wanted to go - so we went in the evening! The festival lasts two days, and it's really a cultural experience. People were crowd surfing, there was a giant mosh pit, bands playing super loud music (and all the lyrics were "hare krishna" chants...), Indian food, and SO MUCH CHALK! For me, it was good to just spend a couple hours and then head out - after a while, I get anti-social in large crowds. This is definitely an experience I would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to go to one of these festivals. Do wear clothing that you don't really care if it gets super dirty. We were sliding down mud hills and getting colored from the moment we stepped foot on the temple property.

Things to smile about:

Being covered in chalk
"Life is Beautiful"
Lilu
Carissa's team winning some of their VB games!
Getting strange looks from people in stores (while still covered in chalk)
New movies
Almost done fasting
Italy meetings

Gracefulness continues

Yesterday I had to go back to the hospital for a follow up tilt table test. They were hoping that it would be a boring test, with not much going on and I'd be upright the whole time. This did not happen. The results were better this time though! Instead of passing out in 3 minutes, I passed out in 7. There was no gap in my heartbeat this time, and my heart rate didn't get as low as last time! So these were definite improvements and the doctor was happy with them.

But there are more things to smile about!

Improved tests

Learning to make strange noises

Shakespeare

Sleeping In!

Having the house to myself 

Beautiful Weather