National Prayer Breakfast

I just got back a few days ago from the National Prayer Breakfast in DC. I stayed with the fabulous Randa Kuziez, my dear friend and fellow Faiths Act Fellow, who ushered with me at the breakfast. We got to be international hosts and together met people from 16 different countries, then we got to usher in the ballroom for the breakfast. It was really cool to be in the same room as all these famous, powerful leaders from all over the world, and hear some of them talk about their faith, and how it influences their lives and decisions. I feel like people like the Obama’s do not actually exist, but seeing them talking and laughing with a waitress and sharing about their lives with us in the crowd made them seem like real people. I like that. Pres Obama talked about a return to civility, and discussed how people of all faiths should work together. Our country has such a long way to go, but in that moment it was powerful to be in that room with 3,500 others and imagine a world where men and women from diverse faith backgrounds and from both sides of the aisle could wage war on social ills instead of each other. It was cool to be a Christian there with Randa, a Muslim, and share a common dream of our faiths working together to have a positive impact on the world. Definitely a powerful experience, I was so thankful to be there.

Life in Chicago is really picking up steam. The last couple weeks have been a turning point in our work. Really exciting things are coming at us from every direction, and it is hard to keep up. But it is starting to make all those hard days early on slugging through difficult things worth it now as our work begins to pay off with lots of interest from diverse groups of people. It is definitely an exciting time for us here. Also, for those of you who do not have facebook or are not my friend on facebook, I want to let you know that Tony Blair told us in a phone call that he will personally match any donations we receive for bed nets. I think that is so cool! This means that giving $10 can now save up to 8 people instead of 4. If you give through the following website, the money will be recorded by his staff, then doubled. Please consider giving. http://www.firstgiving.com/amyandrebecca.

In other personal news, I have decided to become a mentor for a teen mom in Chicago. I don’t know who she is yet, my first meeting is next week, but I am really excited about it. A few other girls in my small group are also doing it, and it will be fun to hang out with our teen moms and their babies all together. Maternal health is an issue that is becoming a larger and larger passion of mine, and this is such a tangible way to invest in someone, and meet some new people in Chicago. I will keep you posted. I am sure I will learn a lot.

Back to work, planning events and connecting people on 7 different campuses is time consuming! And fun. : ) And bad for the future of malaria……