[light amidst darkness]

Tim Ballard is one of my heroes. His organization Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) saves children from sex slavery around the world. My heart breaks just imagining the utter darkness he witnesses during the rescue operations. I don't know how they can even find the strength to do the work they do. But they must do it. Who else will save these children?

I tried to link up a recent video posted on O.U.R.'s Facebook page but couldn't do it. In the video, Tim and his friend talk about 8 things we all can do to have light inside us no matter how dark it is outside. I wish I could share that video here. It can help anyone who is suffering from any kind of darkness whether it's depression or other mental illnesses, loss of a loved one, chronic illness, abuse, addiction, etc. 

If this sounds like something you need to see, please go to Operation Underground Railroad's Facebook page and check out the video that was posted on September 14th.

O.U.R. - FB

[GENTRI!]

Have you heard of GENTRI yet? I was able to hear them perform live and now I'm telling everyone about them. :)

You're welcome. ;)

GENTRI

Recently Gentri joined with Madilyn Paige to raise awareness of O.U.R. (Operation Underground Railway). If you want to see real life Heroes, check them out. If there ever was a cause to get involved in - this is it! Help save children from sex slavery. It makes me sick to think that there is even a demand for child sex slaves. Shame on anyone who hurts children! One day your judgment day will come.

O.U.R.

[Super important blog post! Please read.]

If there ever was a cause to be involved in - this is it!

Have you heard of Operation Underground Railway? I read this article about how Timothy Ballard started this organization and it broke my heart to realize what is being done to so many children in our world. I had no idea how extensive the sex slave industry is. I can't believe that there are so many people who would hurt and abuse children to demand all these child victims. To think that such evil even exists, breaks my heart! This has to stop! We have to do something! We can't just sit in our comfortable homes and do nothing while these children are being used and abused. Shame on us if we do! 

People involved in this organization are real life heroes. With our money donations, they can continue this more-than-important-work and expand their organization so that hopefully one day we can say that we have truly abolished slavery.

You can make a difference in a life of a child by not ignoring this post but by clicking the link below and donating. Please help save these children! Become an Abolitionist. Raise awareness about this important cause by sharing on Facebook, on Twitter or on your blog.

Operation Underground Railway

[addicted!]

I'm so addicted to TED talks. So many interesting speakers and you learn so much. I highly recommend that you check it out if you haven't already.

{the tsunami in Japan & being prepared}

Most of us have been watching the news with worry and concern about the tsunami in Japan. Here is an article you don’t want to miss if you are worrying about the nuclear power plant and possible radiation leaks. At least there is one less thing to worry about.

no need to worry about japan's nuclear power plant

Please also read these blog posts to find out how you can prepare your family in case there is an emergency in your area. Being prepared brings peace of mind in these sometimes turbulent times. It usually takes three days for aid to start coming in after a major disaster. That’s why everyone is encouraged to have a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit.

about being prepared for an emergency

two more blog posts about being prepared for an emergency

The church I belong to does amazing humanitarian work around the world and is known to be one of the first organizations to help when there is an emergency. Here is a link to our church’s humanitarian aid website. 100% of the money donated via our church goes to humanitarian aid. Some organizations take salaries and expenses out of the donation money first.

There are so many people who need our help. if everyone donated even $5 per month, it would produce a miracle.

lds humanitarian services

{focus!}

(images via google image search)

i had a dream last night that i was in a high-rise building when there was a huge earthquake and the buildings started to fall apart.

i bet many of us are affected by the news we hear. earthquakes in haiti. earthquakes in chile. many lives lost. millions of dollars worth of damage to homes and infrastructure. many people are homeless and depend on others for their survival.

there was an article in our this month's church magazine which listed some of the wars and natural disasters in recent history (in the past 100 years).

i'll just mention some of them here:
earthquake kills 150,000 in southern italy and sicily.

world war I.

worldwide influenza epidemic kills millions.

u.s. stock market collapses, beginning worldwide economic crisis.

world war II.

millions killed in the holocaust.

first use of atomic weapons.

hydrogen bomb developed.

vietnam war.

terrorists strike munich olympics.

genocide in cambodia.

airliner blown up over scotland.

persian gulf war.

earthquake in japan kills thousands.

massacres in rwanda.

9-11.

u.s. and allies invade iraq.

indian ocean tsunami kills more than 225,000.

global financial crisis.

ok, my blog is supposed to be light and heartwarming. but at times i can't help but talk about more serious issues.

some thoughts that come to my mind about all this:

any one of us can die at any time. are you prepared? do you tell your loved ones that you love them? do you show that love for them each day?

have you written a will?

do you have adequate health/life insurance?

are you trying to get out of debt?

if a natural disaster was to happen in your area, would you know what to do?

would you be prepared?

do you have enough water, food and supplies to last you at least three days?

do you own a flashlight?

do you own a fire extinguisher?

would you be prepared to feed your family and keep them warm if there were no electricity or running water for a few days/for a week?

do you know first aid?

do you donate money for humanitarian aid?

no one wants to think about these things. but i believe it's important to ponder these issues before a disaster happens. the more you are prepared, the less fearful you'll feel.

again: the more you are prepared, the less fearful you'll feel.

it takes a while to do all this. why not start right now and do something? anything to be more prepared if any kind of disaster comes your way.

many governments now admonish citizens to have a 72-hour emergency kit. do a google search and you'll learn all about it. there are recommended lists of items you should have handy. it's not rocket science really. you just need to have 3 days worth of food and anything else your family would need for basic survival.

i mainly wrote this posting for myself. i'm yet to finish our 72-hour emergeny kit. i'm yet to write a will.

much to do.

too many distractions.

focus!

{so let's start giving - not just once but as a habit}

turn off the music at the bottom to be able to listen to this.

just a reminder that haiti still needs our help as well as many other people in the world. make it a habit to donate even a little bit every month through your chosen humanitarian aid agency. if we all donate even a small amount each month, it'll make a BIG difference.

check with the agency how much of your money actually goes to aid. many organizations use a percentage of the money for administrational costs.

if you want to donate so that 100% of your money goes to people in need, you can do so through my church's philantropies website. our church is often one of the first to help when there's been a disaster.

here's the link:

lds philantropies - humanitarian aid