Lights, Camera, Action!

 A couple of years ago, we took a trip to Galveston Island where we fell in love with the beach.  Like every other family who has ever visited a beach, we collected approximately 8,326 pounds of sea shells.   Among those shells were these teensy, tiny little shells that had a slight little hole in them.  As we sat on our balcony sorting the shells, we decided that we could make earrings and necklaces and bracelets as souvenirs for our friends.  We had never made bracelets or necklaces or any other jewelry of any kind.  But how hard could it be?


As it turns out, it's not hard and our easy-breezy souvenirs became a full-blown obsession.  In no time at all, The Daughters and I had made no less than 68 pair of earrings.

Almost a year after our trip and foray into compulsive jewelry making, we sat in church as our Missions coordinator spoke of a devastating tragedy in the form of an earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  Because of space constraints and health issues, Japan had respectfully requested that no organization send relief and response crews in at that time.  UMCOR - United Methodist Committee on Relief, which is often times the first crew with "feet on the ground" in response to disasters, had requested that United Methodist churches receive a special collection to send cash to Japan for them to assist themselves.

Daughter 1 leaned over to me and asked me for some cash.

I whispered back that I had not brought my purse.

Daughter 1 was uncharacteristically quiet and still. Then she leaned over and said, "Can we sell our jewelry for UMCOR?"

So we did.  At church the next week, we sold  about $400 worth of jewelry with 100% of our proceeds going to UMCOR.  We chose to give 100% because when we give to UMCOR, 100% of our donation goes straight to that specific need.  So, the $400 we collected that Sunday after church, was $400 that went straight to Japan.  (Remember that when you are deciding where to make your next charitable donation...!!!)

When tornadoes ripped through a tiny town called Tushka in southern Oklahoma (just about 30 minutes from my in-laws), she asked to sell more jewelry.

When a tornado devastated the thriving community of Joplin, Missouri, she asked to sell more jewelry.

Those acts alone - those acts of empathy, wanting to help others, made my heart swell.

Do NOT look at the dusty piano.
Look instead at the carpet!
 The carpet's been fake vacuumed!

Then two weeks ago, my friend Karen - our missions coordinator who first told Daughter 1 about the Japan relief efforts of UMCOR - called.  She had submitted Daughter 1's name as a mission giver.  The General Conference (that's international, baby!) of the United Methodist Church was planning on putting together a short video in which they'd highlight "givers".  The video would be shown at the General Conference at the end of April to approximately 900 United Methodist delegates from around the world.  Daughter 1 was selected to be one of six people - one of six! - who would be highlighted internationally as a giver through the Advance Initiative to UMCOR.

This. Was. Huge.

We-used-the-same-microphone-as-Michelle-Obama-had-used huge!

Sunday was the day.  Jess, our fabulous camera man blew into town on Saturday night from out of state and showed up at church on Sunday morning.  He captured everything from Daughter 1 eating a donut before Sunday school to our playing catch that evening after a full-day of being filmed.

The experience was amazing.  The Dad and I got to brag on camera about what incredible parents we are, I mean what outstanding kids we have.  Daughter 2, after her unstoppable efforts to get on camera, was actually interviewed individually and with her sister.  And, of course, Daughter 1 was in the spotlight for that one day.

The beauty of all this is that Daughter 1 still doesn't feel like this is a big deal.  Ya know... like a full-fledged camera guy with more equipment than just a flip-cam shows up to our house every weekend, ya know, and it's not a biggie, ya know.

She thinks that everyone gives generously.  She thinks that everyone responds in some way or another when a neighbor is hurting or hungry or needy.  She thinks that everyone wants to help and love and serve their fellow human being.

And I hope that one day she gets to experience a world where this is true.

Until then, I hope she continues to do things that are camera-crew worthy!