I know you are all as excited about this as I am, so try to contain yourselves as you read this. 
Heading up to New York City this afternoon to live out my childhood dream of seeing New Kids on the Block in concert. Look for me and Cassie on the Today show . . . with our signs. I’ve got a video camera, so I’ll be sure to post some video of all the awesomeness that is sure to happen.
The situation in Burma is now beyond the point of absurdity. The military junta is pretty much doing all it can to NOT help its own people. And as a new storm brews off the coast of the Irrawaddy Delta, up to 127,990 people are feared dead. Meanwhile more than 2 million survivors are in need of emergency aid, and the military is barring foreign aid workers from assisting, insisting they have the issue under control. Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Burmese officials told him they “have their own team to cope with the situation.” Really? Then why are there hundreds of thousands of people without water and shelter? Why is spoiled rice being distributed when nutritional biscuits have been delivered by foreign aid?
As my friend Holly and I were in L.A. this weekend and getting more and more reports, we couldn’t help but be extremely angry at the junta, wanting the United States to use all it’s power and might to help the situation. And my thoughts echo citizens in Burma. I finally heard from one of my Burmese friends who said she was “so upset with news that our government have rejected to U.S. & U.N. help.”
But, I have to be comforted by the fact that God is sovereign and in control. He is a God of compassion, who loves the Burmese. I’m praying that this terrible government regime would be exposed for who they truly are and the oppression of the Burmese would come to an end. And if their earthly needs can’t be met, I pray they come to know Jesus as their savior who can meet all their spiritual needs.
Again, I urge you all to support the cause by donating to World Vision. I have donated and today I signed up to sponsor a child in Burma, which will provide a child with things like food, water, and health care. World Vision will also be able to build up communities with projects like clean water wells, new schools and clinics.
World Vision has worked in Burma for more than 40 years and currently assists children and families across the country through food assistance, agriculture, health, clean water, education, income generation, anti-trafficking and nutritional assistance programs.
World Vision is on the ground in Burma, assisting with the relief efforts. I got this from their website:
Hundreds of thousands of homeless forced to migrate north for aid. With nearly 600 staff members on the ground, World Vision has assisted 78,000 people so far with water, rice, and survival items.
My friend Jess tagged me and asked me to post six random things about myself. And while I normally wouldn’t do something like this, I’m kind of at a loss for a blog post right now. So, here goes . . .
So, there is it, six things you probably didn’t know about me before. And with that I’m passing this off to Becky and Beth.
It’s so nice when you can steal Wi-Fi access from another property, especially since my hotel doesn’t provide free Internet. Shouldn’t Internet access be like cable television in hotels? You just expect it to be there.
But I digress . . .
I am in L.A., and I have to say I’m more impressed than I thought I would be. I’ve been here once before, but we weren’t in any of the touristy areas. My original thoughts were that it was nothing but shopping and celebrities. Yes, there’s quite a bit of that, but I really enjoyed Santa Monica and Malibu. We went up that way today and hit some beaches. I wanted to see the Santa Monica Pier, which was a little bit of a let down. I have decided though that I LOVE the ocean and could listen to the waves crash on the beach for hours on end.
Yesterday we did Hollywood, which I could live a perfectly happy life if I never saw it again. I would never have imagined that the street they have the Oscars on looks like it did . . . kind of dumpy. (just like most of L.A.)
Ok, so my faves so far (other than the beach): Beverly Hills! Unfortunately, we didn’t find Brenda or Brandon walking the streets, but I can now understand why one would love the 90210 ZIP code. After checking out Rodeo Drive, Holly and I had a great meal tonight at Rosti Tuscan Kitchen and then hit up Pinkberry, which I very highly recommend. Dinner tonight was much better than last night; we went to Sonora Cafe. I ordered their signature Texas BBQ porkchop. It sounded good, but hours later it definitely didn’t like me. I don’t recommend ever eating there.
I also really liked the Farmers Market, which really has a local feel to it. I got some of the best English toffee I’ve ever eaten there.
So, L.A. could very well be growing on me. I’ve got one day left; tomorrow we are going to church with my friends Josh and Rochelle and then heading down to Laguna Beach to have dinner with a friend of Holly’s. So, unless something drastic happens tomorrow, I might add this city as a possible new home.
I’m off to Los Angeles for the weekend - a much needed break from work and school. I told my friend my only two goals are to get a tan and see someone famous. High hopes, I know, right?
Depending on my Internet access out there, I may do a post, but otherwise, I’ll be back on Tuesday with pictures to share! Here’s a preview though . . .
It would be really cool to see the Hollywood sign, but I have a feeling I’ll see more of this:
SMOG!!!
Yesterday, I posted about Cyclone Nargis that hit Burma last week. Late yesterday afternoon, a friend of mine sent an email with ways to help. He personally talked to people with World Vision, who said 87 percent of what is donated goes to actual relief efforts and the rest is for the operating budget. The following is from their website:
The government of Myanmar has invited World Vision to provide assistance in the form of zinc sheets, tents, tarpaulins, and medicine. We are coordinating with authorities to explore an airlift of emergency supplies into the country from one of its global warehouses.
World Vision assessment teams have been deployed to the hardest-hit areas to determine the most urgent needs. We are already providing clothing (sarongs and t-shirts) as well as tarpaulins and blankets to 100 households in the capital, along with rice and water.
Each gift of $25 helps provide a Family Survival Kit, containing things like:
How Can You Know That Your Contribution Will Make It to the People That Need It
The government is welcoming World Vision’s assistance. World Vision’s national office in Myanmar is based in Yangon — the country’s largest city and a state-declared disaster zone. Our teams have worked in Myanmar for 40 years and currently assist children and families across the country through food assistance, agriculture, health, clean water, education, income generation, anti-trafficking, and nutritional assistance programs.
I will personally be contributing, and I urge everyone to consider donating and helping this cause. Click here to donate!
And while we’re on the topic of natural disasters . . .
Hopefully most of my readers aren’t living under a rock and have heard about the devastating cyclone that hit Burma last week. The aftermath is horrific. As of today, more than 22,000 are dead, 41,000 missing, and 1 million are homeless. I’ve seen the homes in Burma; it wouldn’t take much to destroy one.
I remember when the tsunami hit Thailand and Indonesia. It all seemed so far away, like a completely different world. But, after visiting Burma and walking the streets of Yangon, I can’t help but have a very vivid picture of the people who are now suffering. I have friends living there, and not knowing if they were alright was an awful feeling. Luckily, I just heard that everyone is safe, but many people they work with have family who live in the Irrawaddy Delta area, which was the area most affected.
As I sit on the other side of the world, I want to help, somehow, anyhow. My thoughts have been all across the board from jumping on a flight to help clean up to sending relief supplies. But, I’m realizing that maybe the best way I can help is to pray. My friend just emailed me a verse that has been my prayer the past week:
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed a stronghold in times of need. Those who know your name, will trust in you. For you Lord have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10
Today’s news stories are filled with stories about the beliefs of the Burmese, who are for the most part Buddhist. The Irrawaddy, a news organization based in Thailand that covers the situation in Burma, ran a story yesterday about how many Burmese people believe that the disaster is the result of of the action of their oppressive military government. Yet the ruling generals were camped out in their new capital city that didn’t get hit by the storm.
As the government doesn’t seem to be recognizing the severity of the issue, I will keep praying for relief to come to the Burmese people, for international aid to be allowed in to help this once prosperous county, for the upcoming vote on a referendum on a new constitution, for the violence to end. And in the end, if nothing else happens in Burma, I pray they know they have a true king in Christ and they can take refuge in Him.
Yesterday, a small earthquake rattled the ground in Northern Virginia, with the epicenter 2 miles southwest of Annandale. It measured 1.8 on the Richter Scale.
Now, while this is really weak as far as earthquakes go, I am still taking it off my list of natural disasters to encounter.
What?! Yes, after growing up in Iowa and really only dealing with tornadoes, floods and blizzards. I have wanted to experience another kind of weather-related disaster. Call me crazy, but I was always the kid who ran outside when tornado warnings were called. I had to see the action. I even saw one in a cornfield once as I was driving. Maybe this is why I wanted to be a meteorologist when I was younger . . .
Granted there are several natural disasters I’d rather not be party to, such as a tsunami or a volcanic eruption. And I wouldn’t want to experience a direct hit; I’m not completely crazy. So far no house I’ve lived in has been directly hit by a tornado, although my church came really close once. And we’ve had minor flood damage in our basement.
So, tornado, check; blizzard, check; flood, check; earthquake, (partial) check. I could stand to experience another earthquake where I actually felt something, but if that never happens, I’ll always have this one. Only need a hurricane, wildfire, mudslide, and maybe witnessing an avalanche - as long as I’m not at the bottom of the mountain!
Well, apparently one guy thinks so.
Yesterday I got an email telling me inwotr was following me on Twitter. Yes, I have some random people following me on Twitter that I don’t know and I can’t for the life of me figure out why they’d want to follow me. I clicked on inwotr’s profile, which didn’t help in figuring out who this guy is. Next, I moved to his website, and it’s starting to make a little more sense.
Inwotr believes he can travel the world by viewing Flickr photos and Wikipedia. He also says you can interact with the locals via Twitter.
I’m having a hard time imaging how this works, but I think I’m one of the purists he mentions in his blog. You can definitely learn all you want about a place online, see pictures, read blogs by people who live there, etc. But there is no way I could ever recreate online trekking the Palaung Mountains in Burma. No one could ever know what it’s like to experience the thrill (and outright danger) of driving in Romania unless they were actually there. There are sights, sounds, smells and feelings that can’t be passed on through the Internet.
Now, I’m all for using my Twitter feed to let people know more about life in Washington, DC. But, I really hope that would only be the trigger for them wanting to come and experience this city for themselves.
My coworker had to call Senator Hillary Clinton’s office today and got a busy signal. I sure hope that doesn’t happen at 3 a.m. if she gets elected.
I’m not a huge fan of Clinton, but nor am I a fan of any other candidate out there. Ever since I moved to DC, I’ve become less and less interested in politics. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve seen the inside of the government and all its dysfunction. I find each campaign quirky in its own right, and I take a lot of pleasure in finding humor in the political process.
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