The children are the reason there is hope in the world.

Meeting new people in a new land is exciting and can often be scary. The majority of the people I have met in Kuala Lumpur and Penang have been welcoming, loving, and gracious. There have been a few, however, that have been somewhat aggressive and attacking. They remind me of some of the monkeys I encountered here as well. But by far… the part of humanity that has touched my heart the most and has given me the most hope in humanity itself… is the children. Every child I have encountered has the spark of light in his/her eye. I have been more received by the children than any other age group. The giving and receiving energy that I have experienced can only come from a child. The children are the reason there is hope in the world.

Beautiful Walks of Life

The work at the center for children has been amazing. Although we do not speak the language it is a miracle how much understanding can take place. One look into the eyes of these children and our hearts melt. What beautiful creations these children are. The lessons learned from these children are countless and endless. There will be many blogs to come!

Gifts of Malaysia: How an ordinary girl from the West receives the East.

How is it possible to be reared in a culture that seems to “know it all” yet only to discover that one knows nothing at all?

This is just one of the many gifts that Malaysia has “gifted” me on this journey into myself and into mankind. I am realizing how easy it is to create a sense of control in my life when I create a world that fits inside a container the size of a shoe box! If I keep my world view that small and keep others from entering inside it, then I can master it to my liking.  How shallow I feel when I realize that I have created an illusion so believable that I have found complacency in a world that is only a raindrop in the ocean of God’s creation.

I have only been in Malaysia for four days and I have only scraped the surface of a new understanding of culture, religion, and diversity. What an amazing experience! I never realized a person could be awoken to the beautiful song of prayer coming from the local mosque, be stimulated to live a fuller life by the laughter of a forgotten child, and be encouraged to close the day with a greater gratitude for all that God has blessed me with…. until now.

Thank you children of Malaysia… for all of your gifts. And it’s only been four days.

Spending time in Malaysia!!!

Well we finally made it to Malaysia. The long leg of our flight was 23 hours long and stopped in Moscow, Russia. We have been in Malaysia for a few days now and will start working in the Nur Salam center tomorrow! We are really excited to work with the children and teens there.

26 Days until Malaysia… because every child matters.

So often we allow ourselves to become so bogged down in our own world that we become unaware of the worlds of others around us. When we begin to trip and fall in our own journey we tend to look down so we will be able to choose each step carefully minimizing the chance of another fall. If we keep our head down… we may help ourselves,  but we become blind to the needs of those around us.

On December 14th, one member of our study abroad team is choosing to look up and become aware of the world around us.  Lindee Pickett has put together a humanitarian effort to take dental hygiene kits to the forgotten children of Malaysia. She believes that by connecting the children of the United States with the children of Malaysia it can can lead to world awareness and a better connection between people of different religions and race. She has organized an effort connecting the youth that she hopes will inspire the children of the world to look up and connect with one another and care for one another.  If you are interested in finding out more information on how to help the forgotten children of Malaysia, or would like to send a small donation to this cause please contact Lindee at lindeepickett@yahoo.com.

27 Days until Malaysia… because every child matters.

Happy. Mad. Fearful. Sad. Jealous. Lonely. Loved. Joyous. Peaceful. Nervous. Anxious. Angry. Indifferent. Vulnerable. Used. Inspired. Ashamed.

These are just a few of the many feelings that humans experience during their life journey.  With each life experience, one will feel the birthing of a new feeling as it  pushes itself through the inner channels of the physical body.  Without a safe and accepting environment to be processed, the new-born feeling will continue to burrow itself through the physical body, layer by layer through the levels of consciousness in search of meaning and purpose. This often results in people mis-naming the feeling or denying the feeling’s existence completely.  When this happens, the newborn feeling will find itself buried alive.

Feelings buried alive never die. These feelings are trapped inside the body and spirit and begin to release a type of energy throughout the body that is a lot like a toxin. The new-born feeling that once had the potential to take a person to greater heights and knowledge, is now capable of  breaking the body down and rendering the spirit hopeless.

These feelings can be set free when they are searched out, identified appropriately, and given purpose and meaning.  When this happens, a person gains knowledge and receives an energy boost that pushes him to greater heights.  Talk therapy has been used through the ages to help name and process these feelings. But sometimes there seems to be a language barrier that keeps this from happening.  When words are not able to be found to express these feelings, other means of processing need to be accessed.  This is when sandplay and worldplay becomes an effective tool for expressing feelings and healing the soul.

It is through the use of sand and materials of the earth that a soul can express its most deeply buried feelings. God gave us the earth to help heal our souls and reach our greatest potential. In 27 days, the gift of sandtray and sandplay will be given to the forgotten children of Malaysia so that their own healing may begin.

28 Days until Malaysia… because every child matters.

On December 14th, 2011 a team of volunteers from Idaho State University will be joining Dr. Thana Singarajah on a journey to his homeland of Malaysia where the team will be working in several community centers that have been established to shelter the forgotten children of that country.  While Malaysia is a beautiful, diverse country with a thriving economy it continues to struggle with social problems like other industrialized nations.  Within the back streets of Chow Kit, a suburb of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, for example, live an estimated 500 street children.  These children are at extreme risk of being trafficked for the sex trade.

There is a courageous group of volunteers, full of compassion and charity, working hard in Malaysia to make things better for these children. The ISU team, headed by Dr. Thana Singarajah will be given the opportunity to work with the amazing humanitarians of Nur Salam (Kuala Lumpur) and The Asian Community Service (Penang).  Together, we will be bringing the  healing gift of sandtray therapy to the forgotten children of this region. We honor those who seek to find new ways to help the children of this region find hope and healing in their individual journeys.

29 Days till Malaysia… because every child matters

Any one who has read my blog has discovered how much I love children. But there is nothing better than being with my own. In 29 days I embark on a great adventure with an amazing team of volunteers who are all excited to work with the forgotten children of Malaysia. Part of my excitement is the opportunity to travel with my two oldest children as part of that team.  Brennan (19) and Lindee (17) have asked to be part of this great effort.  They are traveling as volunteers and as my assistants.  I am so proud of the people they have both become.

 

30 Days until Malaysia… because every child matters.

There is great joy and gratitude in my heart as I look  forward to the next part of my life journey that takes me to the beautiful land of Malaysia. Here I will be given the opportunity to work with children from many lands and cultures who have experienced the hardness of a world that has taken too much from them.  I am honored to be asked to present the beautiful gift of sandtray to the many volunteer workers who have chosen to be healers to the children of Nur Salam.

Malaysia! Malaysia! Malaysia!

I am so excited to be in Malaysia this December!  All students enrolled in my workshop need to click on the above tab referring to the class.  This tab will give you a detailed list of materials to bring to class. Please contact me  through this blog if you have any questions because I’m sure others are asking the same questions too!  I look forward to visiting your beautiful country!