Like the Justin Bieber lyrics for the title? I swear I am 24.
I had this whole post done with all kinds of great items I have on my summer wishlist and the weirdest thing happened. I was overcome with guilt and erased the whole post! Let me explain.
My whole life I have been a very materialistic person. I grew up in a family where we could usually get what we wanted when we wanted it. Since getting married and living on a much tighter budget, I have learned a LOT about controlling my spending and shopping habits. But that's not all! I have been seeing so many examples lately that "money does not buy happiness".
When I was at the beach there was a day when I had a horrible headache. I laid in bed for about 5 hours before going to sleep that night and watched some mindless TV with my sister-in-law. We started watching The Real Housewives of Orange County. I was blown away by how miserable these women were with their lives. There they were with every material possession you can imagine... and they hate their lives. They are miserable in their marriages, miserable in their careers, miserable in their friendships, etc.
A few days later (yesterday) we attended our church for our first annual "Mission Sunday". Nassan Ibrahim, a former muslim from Uganda, was the speaker and it moved me. Really moved me. Did you know there are 40,000 people living in a refugee camp in Uganda in one huge crappy tent? They sleep in piles on the floor with no privacy and disease running rampant. Did you know it only takes 150 dollars for them to build a shack to house four of those people? 150 dollars. We spend that on shoes. Sick.
It took me back to highschool when I was blessed with the opportunity to go on two mission trips to Jamaica. I remember being blown away by the poverty and then blown away even more seeing how happy everyone was! Why are they so happy? They have nothing... I thought. I was so wrong. They had everything. A love and passion for life and the Lord and acknowledgement of the blessings He had given them.
Do those children look sad that they lived in a Salvation Army home in the poorest part of Jamaica? NO! They were happy to be alive and have people there to love on them. It truly paints a picture that love is greater than money.
We were so excited to hear all about Nassan's life and his ministry that we decided to go with our church to Uganda in 2012 to help out firsthand! Yayyy! Check out more on his ministry here.
So there you guys have it- July 2012 we will be spending time in a refugee camp in Uganda. I think I will close this out with an awesome picture I found on weheartit.
I had this whole post done with all kinds of great items I have on my summer wishlist and the weirdest thing happened. I was overcome with guilt and erased the whole post! Let me explain.
My whole life I have been a very materialistic person. I grew up in a family where we could usually get what we wanted when we wanted it. Since getting married and living on a much tighter budget, I have learned a LOT about controlling my spending and shopping habits. But that's not all! I have been seeing so many examples lately that "money does not buy happiness".
When I was at the beach there was a day when I had a horrible headache. I laid in bed for about 5 hours before going to sleep that night and watched some mindless TV with my sister-in-law. We started watching The Real Housewives of Orange County. I was blown away by how miserable these women were with their lives. There they were with every material possession you can imagine... and they hate their lives. They are miserable in their marriages, miserable in their careers, miserable in their friendships, etc.
A few days later (yesterday) we attended our church for our first annual "Mission Sunday". Nassan Ibrahim, a former muslim from Uganda, was the speaker and it moved me. Really moved me. Did you know there are 40,000 people living in a refugee camp in Uganda in one huge crappy tent? They sleep in piles on the floor with no privacy and disease running rampant. Did you know it only takes 150 dollars for them to build a shack to house four of those people? 150 dollars. We spend that on shoes. Sick.
It took me back to highschool when I was blessed with the opportunity to go on two mission trips to Jamaica. I remember being blown away by the poverty and then blown away even more seeing how happy everyone was! Why are they so happy? They have nothing... I thought. I was so wrong. They had everything. A love and passion for life and the Lord and acknowledgement of the blessings He had given them.
We were so excited to hear all about Nassan's life and his ministry that we decided to go with our church to Uganda in 2012 to help out firsthand! Yayyy! Check out more on his ministry here.
So there you guys have it- July 2012 we will be spending time in a refugee camp in Uganda. I think I will close this out with an awesome picture I found on weheartit.
I'll choose love over money any day.
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