First Give-Away!!

Lately, I have been on a Psalms kick, and I am LOVING it!!  This morning, I was reading Psalms 9 and 10, and a few verses really stuck out to me.  You might notice a bit of a theme here...

"The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you"

-Psalm 9:9-10

"The needy will not be ignored forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed"

-Psalm 9:18

"You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them"

-Psalm 10:18

I just started reading a small book by Bill Hybels entitled Holy Discontent, and it is all about finding the one thing that really burns us up inside, that we can't stand so much that we are motivated to positive and world-changing action!  One of the greatest burdens on my heart is people with no voice, with no options.  I firmly believe that every person has the right to human dignity.  Since I was young, I've hated to see those who are weaker or sicker or less socially-developed or whatever get picked on or put down.  It breaks my heart. No matter what a person has done, no matter what challenges they face ahead of them, every person is, quite simply, human.  And every person should be treated that way.  

As a hopefully soon-to-be doctor (soon being a very relative term), one area where the plight of the voiceless really gets me is with regard to medical care.  If there are medicines and treatments available in this world, they should be available to the sickest, to the poorest, to the most needy.  People are dying right this minute because they are poor, because they were born in the wrong country or at the wrong time. These are people.  And they are dying or suffering needlessly...there are solutions out there for them! I want to be a part of that solution! I want to be an advocate for the voiceless suffering, for those oppressed by disease and injury, for those who feel as if they have no hope.  God has promised us hope that endures beyond this life, but I cannot believe that he does not intend for us to have hope in this life as well!  I am convinced that the suffering of the sick and the poor breaks God's heart even more than it breaks mine, and I'm so excited to see where this partnership in love and in action will lead me in my life!

So here's the plan for right now:

I'm doing my first Give-away!!!

But there's a catch...instead of just twittering about this give-away, I have a different assignment for you.  I want you to donate something, whatever you can manage, to Partners in Health.

Partners in Health is an AMAZING organization run by Paul Farmer, who happens to be my absolute hero.  He is a wonderful physician who has done so much to better health care in Haiti for a long time now, and he is one of the most influential forces on the front-lines facing the devastation of Haiti's earthquake.  So, if you want to participate, go to www.standwithhaiti.org and donate!  Then, leave me a comment on this blog (or text me if you have my number already!!) letting me know that you donated (I don't need to know the amount).

On May 7th, I'll announce the winner of a $30 gift-card to Starbucks!!! So let the fun begin...