As we strive for justice and peace, we can learn from what each other are doing. We can share in our successes and collaborate on our challenges. Post your stories - from everyday advocacy (the little things that sometimes happen and you even don't realize they're advocacy until it's over) to parish and community efforts that you are a part of. This is the place for Episcopalians to share how we are striving for justice and peace! Take a few minutes to tell us how you've made a difference in your community. You'll be amazed at how just one story – yours – could inspire people around the world. We welcome your contribution!
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Imagine being a homeless five-year-old on the streets of one of the most violent, crime-ridden cities in the world: Tijuana, Mexico. That's the situation certain children escape when they arrive in our foster home called Dorcas House. Dorcas House shelters, loves and educates children whose parents are incarcerated. No other foster home will take them because of the stigma attached to the faults of their parents. I have been involved with Dorcas House for over two years, visiting the children on weekends, writing newsletters and representing the foster home at charity fairs. I know the difference I'm making in these many young lives. I also know how I have grown in my understanding of Mexican culture, immigration issues, abundance, poverty, and true wealth. I can tell you that true bounty is not found on Wall Street or Rodeo Drive. It's in the heart. These children have so much love to give, it bowls me over every time I step inside the courtyard of Dorcas House, a foster home nestled deep in the heart of Tijuana and supported by the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.
At St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, I designed and implemented a youth environmental justice program. Young people from across the Los Angeles area gathered for a weeklong training at St. Mary's. They have been learning about environmental issues, attending community meetings, blogging about their neighborhoods, and sharing their visions of justice in their communities at http://greenrelay.org. The participants are proud of their work and excited that people from across the country and the world are reading the stories of their communities.
I APPLIED BEFORE I WAS 21 TO GO ABROAD WITH THE STATE DEPT. I WAS DETAILED TO ANKARA, TURKEY OCT. 1956, WHEN THE SUEZ CRISIS OCCURRED IN THE M.E. I LOVED WORKING THERE AND DID SOME OUTSIDE VOLUNTEERING IN ADDITION TO MY JOB IN THE US. MISSION'S INDUSTRY DIVISION. I TRAVELED, LEARNED THE LANGUAGE AND SPENT 2 MONTHS TRAVELING HOME THROUGH THE NEAR AND FAR EAST. IN THE END I WORKED IN PEACE CORPS WASH. AMONG OTHER GOV'T JOBS UNTIL 1968 WHEN I MARRIED AND WENT TO NYC TO LIVE. MY SERVICE ABROAD WIDENED MY HORIZONS. I FINISHED MY DEGREE, WENT ON TO GET MY MASTERS IN URBAN PLANNING, DID MANY SPECIAL PROJECTS IN NYC FOR CHILDREN,BRINGING TENNIS TO NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SET UP PROGRAMS FOR SENIOR CITIZEN OUTREACH, AND SERVED ON COMMUNITY BD #8 IN MANHATTAN (APPOINTED BY THE MAYOR) MUSEUM MILE FOR 4 YRS. ALL OF THIS HAPPENED IN THE U.S. BECAUSE OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT I EXPERIENCED AS A YOUNG WOMAN GOING ABROAD TO WORK, LEARN AND TRAVEL. THIS PREPARED ME FOR A BETTER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE LIFE. MY EXPERIENCE IN THE INDUSTRY DIVISION WHICH FOCUSSED ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN TURKEY LED ME TO A CAREER IN URBAN PLANNING. IN 2006 I WENT BACK TO TURKEY AFTER 50 YRS. AND WITNESSED A REMARKABLE CHANGE. TURKEY IS NO LONGER A DEVELOPING COUNTRY BUT A FULL-FLEDGED ISLAMIC DEMOCRACY - VIBRANT, SOPHISTICATED AND A WORLD CLASS LEADER IN THE MIDDLE/NEAR EAST. I LIKE TO THINK THAT I PLAYED A TINY PART IN AMERICA'S ATTEMPT TO CARRY THE MARSHAL PLAN FORWARD TO A UNIQUE COUNTRY WHICH STRADDLES TWO WORLDS EAST AND WEST DIVIDED BY THE BOSPHORUS. TURKEY IS A LONG-TIME FAITHFUL AND DURABLE FRIEND OF THE USA. I AM SO PROUD TO BE ONE OF THOSE FRIENDS AND A LONG-DISTANCE ADMIRER. I STILL KEEP IN TOUCH WITH MY FRIENDS THROUGH THE INTERNET. I TRY TO KEEP UP MY TURKISH AND STILL ENJOY TURKISH CUISINE.
A year ago, I said to anyone who would listen that I dreamed of going to South Sudan one day soon. I had been humbled and inspired by the Sudanese people and other refugees and immigrants I had met through Grace Episcopal Church as well as in my health career tutorial work and years of social justice activism. Perhaps this had sown the seeds of a personal ministry . . . one I had been seeking for sometime . . . and, something I had often prayed and reflected upon.
Three years ago I journeyed along the Atlantic to work for the Sisters of Mercy in New York. I had just finished up my studies at the Jamaica Theological Seminary and wanted to find a place that would readily utilize my gifts. I found that place in New York City working with children in the foster care agencies -- truly wonderful children who have been cast aside by families and the community...
Imagine being a homeless five-year-old on the streets of one of the most violent, crime-ridden cities in the world: Tijuana, Mexico. That's the situation certain children escape when they arrive in our foster home called Dorcas House. Dorcas House shelters, loves and educates children whose parents are incarcerated. No other foster home will take them because of the stigma attached to the faults of their parents. I have been involved with Dorcas House for over two years, visiting the children on weekends, writing newsletters and representing the foster home at charity fairs. I know the difference I'm making in these many young lives. I also know how I have grown in my understanding of Mexican culture, immigration issues, abundance, poverty, and true wealth. I can tell you that true bounty is not found on Wall Street or Rodeo Drive. It's in the heart. These children have so much love to give, it bowls me over every time I step inside the courtyard of Dorcas House, a foster home nestled deep in the heart of Tijuana and supported by the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.
At St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, I designed and implemented a youth environmental justice program. Young people from across the Los Angeles area gathered for a weeklong training at St. Mary's. They have been learning about environmental issues, attending community meetings, blogging about their neighborhoods, and sharing their visions of justice in their communities at http://greenrelay.org. The participants are proud of their work and excited that people from across the country and the world are reading the stories of their communities.
Three years ago I journeyed along the Atlantic to work for the Sisters of Mercy in New York. I had just finished up my studies at the Jamaica Theological Seminary and wanted to find a place that would readily utilize my gifts. I found that place in New York City working with children in the foster care agencies -- truly wonderful children who have been cast aside by families and the community...
