A vital part of Her Voice Is is raising awareness about humanitarian issues around the world. We like to think of ourselves as a mouth piece to relay information to you as we get it so then we may then come together and take action against injustice. We have a TON of organizations listed on our "Org Page" and that can be overwhelming. That is why we at H.V.I. likes to highlight the organizations so you can have some direction and learn what each one is about.
The organization we are highlighting today is called "The A21 Campaign" Abolishing Injustice in the 21st Century. This organization is raising awareness and creating change in the world of human trafficking and violence against women. It is best said in this video from their website. I encourage you to raise your voice and take a look at the website. Help us raise awareness against this VERY real problem in our world. These women and children are just like you and me. We must refuse to ignore these problems and rather take charge and make a difference. On their page there is a list of 21 possible ways that you can help. I encourage you to take a look. Thank you for watching/reading. Remember YOUR VOICE MATTERS!
My name is Bethany. I started Her Voice is. I was thinking it would be pretty silly of me to ask everyone who reads this to share their stories when I don't. So today, I share my story. The truth is I have many stories some funny, some sad, some fantastic, some life changing, some only God will know and some that have rocked my world. Don't worry, I'm only sharing one today :O)!
This story is recent. It encompasses a long period of time (around 10 years) but the story part within the last 2. When I was thirteen, I found a wonderful place. A place I trusted, a place I discovered God. In the 8th grade my family and I moved to a new church in which we would attend for the next 8 years. I learned so much in that time. I grew as an individual, I grew spiritually, I made friends, I met my wonderfully hott husband. I will forever be thankful for that. Throughout the years, people came and we rejoiced. At first we were happy because people were coming and we were genuinely happy for their souls then when more people started coming it suddenly shifted to us rejoicing about numbers I never noticed when I lost the true meaning behind my purpose in life. As this started happening people began to leave. Personally, I could not believe why people left. I felt like I was mean and I felt like I was rude, and I talked about those people all because I was blinded from the truth. I lost perspective and I admit I said things I regret and I thought things that I should have never thought about REALLY wonderful people. At the time, I made excuses and sat back in horror as people left. Surroundings play a major part in how we respond to situations. During that time I attached myself to people that were blinded just as I was. As they began telling me things, mostly lies (not that they knew they were lies but the point is they were untruths) I chose to believe them. I believed the lies because it was easier. It is often easier to believe the things that are being said around us, especially from people that we are friends with because then we do not have to work at hearing the truth from the One who knows it best: God. Then things changed. God spoke to us and told us it was time to leave. All of a sudden I began to realize my mistakes. Things began to reveal themselves. The TRUTH revealed itself. It took a year to get over this whole ordeal. I began to see that during that time, things were taken from me because of my chosen blindness. I realized that there are SO many people out in our world that is hurting and I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. God does not dwell in one city or one place, He is everywhere. How silly for me to think that He can only be in one place. At first I was angry at the people that lied to me. But then I realized that it wasn't their fault, I chose to believe the lies and it wasn't their fault I ran my mouth off. Plus, they are believing the same lies I was believing. After leaving I saw the same people I felt like I criticized for leaving and realized that they were walking in happiness and the true joy of God. I then asked God for forgiveness. forgiveness for my attitude and my blindness and laziness not to seek the truth out on my own. Forgiveness for feeling bitter and angry at the people still there. Now I can pray for them.
Out of all of this I mostly learned the importance of not believing a single story. The truth lies somewhere in the between. We all make mistakes as humans. We believe things we shouldn't sometimes. I am definitely NOT perfect. I am however, trying my best to not judge or become angry, especially when I do not know all the facts. The truth is we never know what goes on behind closed doors or in others minds. We cannot jump to conclusions. As women we like to know things. We like stories. We just can't believe all the stories we hear. The best thing we can do is listen to God and find out the truth from Him. I still slip up from time to time, and God is there ready to wrap His arms around me and forgive me and I know that with His help I will do better next time. Also, we have to forgive those that mess up. The same forgiveness we love to feel from God and others is the same forgiveness we should be giving to those around us. It is just not worth the frustration and emotion. We can be using that same emotion to figure out answers to sex trafficking and the hungry children of today's world. Let us as women not lose perspective. Let us see the truth and be quick to forgive. We must forgive ourselves and everyone around us. Let's not live in the past. Let it go, all we have is NOW.
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This is a video of an African Novelist named Chimamanda Adichie. It is called "The Danger of the Single Story." A professor of mine at Fresno State showed it in my Modern World Literature class the semester I graduated. It literally changed my life. It really shows in other words the point of my story. We must not base our lives off assumptions and things we hear from others. The video is 19 minutes long, I promise it will rock your world.
I am so excited to finally write this first book review. See I read a lot of books...I have somewhat of a book obsession. I have stacks of books that have yet to have been read because I have such a passion for the art of writing that the moment I read a description and it grabs me, I must have it! I guess it is a pretty good obsession to have :O)
Needless to say, this obsession is one of the reasons it has taken me so long to figure out where to start. I have read so many wonderful authors that have captured the heart of Her Voice Is and that have been rocking world changers. I recently read a book buy amazing author/speaker Lisa Bevere (Fight Like a Girl, Kissed the Girls and Made them Cry), called Lioness Arising. I can truly say that this is a book that belongs in every woman's library, no matter what race, class, religion or ethnicity you are. I began to read the book and was instantly captivated by the encouragement and wisdom I found in Lisa's words. Every page has wisdom in it so bare with me as I try to encompass just how much I LOVED Lisa Bevere's book.
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The cover of Lioness Arising says it best: "Wake up and Change Your World." That is exactly what Lisa Bevere's book is all about. When she was pregnant with her last son she had a vision of a Lioness and God spoke to her and said "with the birth of a son you will awaken a Lioness." Lisa describes how this concept was foreign to her because she herself at the time was timid and quite and just NOT what she envisioned as a Lioness. Time went on and Lisa became a fierce voice in the world fighting for change and for the fair treatment of women. It is then when God spoke to her and said "I never said your were the only Lioness, but you would awaken a Lioness." Lisa took that as her charge to encourage and uplift women to awaken and arise and become the strong, powerful women God has called each of us to be.
The book is very interesting filled with personal stories and Lisa draws from other voices as well. She quotes often a favorite book of ours: Half the Sky and also quotes many literary wonders and poets. By doing this I understood that the need for women to have a voice is vital and most importantly the need for women to realize they are answers NOT a problem is something that has been desired throughout time. In fact Lisa Bevere makes it clear that we can be an answer to the world's problems. In Lioness she frequently visits the horrifying problem of human sex trafficking and shows how we can make a difference and the importance of not ignoring these issues. The word "Lioness" means different things to different women, however, it is clear that a Lioness is not timid, but rather is fierce and driven and has a purpose.
The book ends with a favorite poem of mine which I think explains the tone and charge of Lisa Bevere's marvelous book:
Rise like Lions after slumber
in unvanquishable number,
Shake your chains to earth like dew
Which in sleep had fallen on you-
Ye are many-they are few.
-Percy Bysshe Shelley
I encourage you to read this book. I can honestly say that it changed my life. I am so blessed that Lisa Bevere used her voice and shared her story. Awaken and Arise and be the Lioness you were called to be. There is a link to amazon if you would like to purchase the book from there or you can find it on Messenger Internationals website which is John and Lisa Bevere's ministry website.
Welcome to Her Voice Is! I am very excited to be finally starting this blog. For awhile now, I have been sitting on this idea and just couldn't figure out how to get it up and going. Her Voice Is, is all about coming together and raising our voices to raise awareness and bring solutions to humanitarian issues all over the world and in the US. This blog is not just for women-although it does focus on the concept that women are not a problem but rather a solution. I want to make clear that this is not a place for feminist rantings and hateful scorn against men. Nor is it a place to complain and be negative about the world's problems. H.V.I. is a safe place where women and men can come and educate themselves about issues and problems around the world that need attention and most importantly an answer. Here is a place where people can connect and discuss similar desires to see change brought to this world. All it takes is one person to raise their voice and I believe when we come together we can bring hope to the hopeless, voice to the silent and answers to the problems. Her Voice Is will contain book reviews, life-stories, information about awesome organizations, everyday life stuff and guest bloggers. All these things are meant to create change and bring awareness to anyone willing to listen. Once again, I am adamant about respecting those who choose to interact with the blog. Opinions are to be expressed of course, but a person can do so in a honest, respectable, and honorable way. Plus, I think we can all agree that there are problems to be solved and that ultimately we are all after the same goal: to remind women (and men!) that
Her Voice Is: Bold Loud Strength Courageous Beautiful Positive Creative Love Change A DIFFERENCE
