A Genuinely Good Day

We all have those genuinely good days.
You know the ones.
The ones we remember throughout all those crappy days.
These handful (or maybe two handfuls) of days are typically comprised of the day you graduate, your wedding day, the day you get a puppy, when your baby is born, the day you buy a house, when you see your favorite band live for the first time.
But sometimes, maybe, an average normal day creeps in there. A day where you think how you just had yourself a good day.

Well, I recently had one of those.
10/18/14
It was my dear friend Angelica's birthday.
We went to Visalia for the Tastemakers Festival because Nick Waterhouse was going to be there. We love that guy. Friends came from Fresno, Merced, and Bakersfield to meet in Visalia.

It was one of the first beautiful days of Fall. We found some shade next to the Dickey's BBQ tent and parked ourselves on a blanket. We ate giant pieces of pizza. We laughed and talked. We held out our arms and Hazel walked to us. We spent time together, just hanging out on the grass and being with each other all while listening to the bands that were playing.

We moved closer to the stage when Strange Vine was about to start their set.
Then it was time for Nick Waterhouse. We took our shoes off and danced in the grass through his whole set. It was ridiculously fun.

I am constantly reminded how blessed I am to have these wonderful people in my life.
All this to say that I need to write more.
And I need to write more about the good days.


Now let's hear it. I want to know about your average genuinely good days!

Don't cancel your World Vision sponsorship

Andreza Lais Lima de Oliveira. 

That's the name of the first little girl I sponsored through Compassion International.

I was 20 years old and had just moved to Fresno. I decided it was time for me to look into sponsorship. I wanted a little girl from Brazil because I had been to Brazil before and I really felt that's where my heart was. I was so blessed by being able to help this little girl and her family. 

I eventually received a letter from Compassion International stating that Andreza was no longer eligible for membership. My heart was broken that I would no longer receive letters and drawings from her.

There wasn't a reason why, but I pray it was because her parents were now capable of fully providing for their family. 

I saw today that World Vision announced they will now allow gay Christians to work for them. (This in the letter from the World Vision President to employees) This in no way affects anyone's membership, but for some reason so many are up in arms about this. I had no idea this would even be an issue. I'm reading comments from people who have already cancelled their sponsorship (this news broke today) and how people will probably now boycott this organization. 

Why? Why is this such a huge deal? Why is the fact that they now employ gay Christians a bigger deal than these people helping children who are the poorest of the poor? These children are just like me and you in that they need food, shelter, clothing, love, and most importantly -- Jesus.

I've never liked the idea of boycotting a company because you disagree with them, but if you don't want to purchase a product because you don't agree with what the company stands for, then fine. This is different though. The child you sponsor is not a product. He/She isn't just a picture on a piece of paper. This child needs you. They count on you.

After reading all the negative comments against World Vision, I instantly thought of the song "What Matters More" by Derek Webb. Why are we so concerned with things that don't actually matter? Watch the video and listen to the lyrics. Read the lyrics here if you want.

At work, we currently sponsor a little girl through World Vision named Ballu Harding who lives in Sierra Leone. She was chosen because she's just she's just as old as our company and she is from Sierra Leone (we're SIERRA Specialty). She sends us drawings and letters. We have her picture up on our refrigerator at work. She's a person. She has a family. She also has hopes and dreams. Ballu needs us right now to help her get through life. It's because of us she's able to eat, go to school, be a kid, and learn about Jesus.

Sam and I currently sponsor a child through Compassion International. I even have Andreza's informational card in my Bible still. I pray for her whenever I come across it.

The company does wonderful things around the world to share Christ's love with His children. What's even better is there are Christians who want to help spread this love all around the world to people who may not have heard about Jesus otherwise. The change in the employment policy doesn't change the impact they make.

If you are considering canceling your sponsorship with World Vision -- please don't. Your gift of love to this child is so much more important than your disagreement with this company.

(Disclaimer: This isn't meant to start a debate about whether or not same-sex marriage is alright. It's about what is more important for us as Christians in the world.)

R.I.P. Officers Juan Gonzalez and Brian Law

We live in an apartment complex that's in a cul-de-sac right off Shaw Ave. in Fresno, just a few blocks away from the Savemart Center (I've seen Michael Buble, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, David Crowder, etc., there)

This morning, as I was driving out of the apartment complex toward Shaw, I saw a Police SUV and thought "somebody is in trouble!"

Then I saw another Police car and thought "Ok, someone is really in trouble!"

As I got closer to Shaw and stopped behind a garbage truck and another car, I saw a third police car. And another one. That's when I knew this was something else. Several more drove by.

Then I saw a couple limos, two hearse, a couple more limos and several dozen motorcycle cops drive by. As the motorcycles drove by, I noticed there was one officer on a motorcycle in the left-hand turn lane directly in front of us who was saluting all these people while he blocked that left-hand turn lane.

Sometime around seeing the hearse and the man saluting these officers and hurting family members, I realized the hearse that drove by carried the two police officers who were killed in the line of duty last week in Kingsburg. (Read more about the accident here)

I just kept thinking how amazing it was to see this community of officers give their support and show their respect for these these two men who they probably considered their brothers.

It was an incredibly beautiful, calming moment that brought me to tears. I don't even know these men, but I am so glad I was there this morning. It was something I'll never forget.

Photo Credit: The Ksee24 News Facebook page

Please keep these officers, as well as the families of the fallen officers in your prayers.
Thank you Officer Juan Gonzalez and Officer Brian Law for your service.