nature vs. culture

Christmas Cheer for all who Hear!

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas esta aqui!

2011-12-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

Even if it may not feel like it in Hawaii, Christmas is COMING!!! We went to a Christmas Lights & Music festival with friends last night in a little Hawaiian town called Holualoa. As its name suggests, the festival was complete with Hawaiian carols (think "12 Days of Christmas" in pigeon "...Numbah one day of Christmas, my tutu give to me one mynah bird in one papaya tree..."), free Kona coffee and homemade chai, and lots of twinkle lights. We came back to our place, baked Christmas cookies and watched "Home Alone". Our friend from Denmark had never seen it and we learned from our German friend that in Germany it is called, "Kevin Alone at Home". Fun. It was also the first time that Margot had to wear a sweatshirt. Big day.

cheeks-o-rama.

Once again we will not be in our home for Christmas. We don't have a Christmas tree up (someday. someday. someday.) but I've decorated one little corner of our house which we have been referring to as "The Christmas Shrine".

My little family is going to South Africa from January-mid March and so we are making pit stops for the holidays to celebrate with family and friends in New Jersey, Tennessee and Michigan! This will be the first time that many of our family and friends are meeting little Margot and we are so, so excited to introduce them.

I leave you with this, the cutest way the Christmas Story has ever been told. Thank you, Jenni, for showing it to me.

we've been elfed.

2011-11-30T22:32:00.000-08:00

Tunes for Sale!

2011-11-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

We are selling CD's from Steve's former band, The Tide, to raise funds for our upcoming trip to South Africa. Please leave a comment below with your e-mail address to order! $10

laughter is good medicine. so is giggling like a 5 year old.

2011-11-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

Today, I am sick. Like, call the doctor sick. ugh. So in between keeping a small human alive, taking naps and drinking tea (and the occasional short burst of energy...like when i decided to clean and accidentally vacuumed up a tape measure...oops) I have been watching these videos...and giggling like a silly little kid. Which Margot thinks is awesome so she tries to chime in.

le family.

2011-11-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

Check out new photos of our little family here. Thanks Jannelle!

How do I tie thee? Let me count the ways...

2011-11-12T22:38:00.000-08:00

I am the culprit of overdressing for Hawaii weather. I love jackets. I love sweaters. I love socks. I love boots. And I love scarves. Luckily, I get to go to the mainland USA where it's cold, cold, cold for a few weeks this Winter.

November Newsletter

2011-11-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Patch...Hawaiian Style.

2011-10-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

You know that saying, "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"? Well, I would like to turn that analogy on its head and say that if Margot is the baby (she is) then my good intentions of blogging regularly for the past 6 weeks are the bathwater...which has most certainly gotten thrown out. Rather then pick up where I left off (in September), I will pretend like you are all caught up on my life and just post about yesterday...the day that we went to the PUMPKIN PATCH.

Going to a pumpkin patch in October may not seem like a big deal to you. Especially if you live on the mainland USA where such excursions are typical this time of year. But let me explain, every weekend I check the Big Island Calender of Events online (yes, I do have it bookmarked) looking for something to do- a festival, a fair, live music...ANYTHING. And every time we go to one of these events I am disappointed (Ok, in all fairness, the Big Island did just host one a race that is a pretty big deal). This weekend was different. This weekend was Pumpkin Patch weekend. I needed an excuse to dress in fall (ish) clothes and get out of town. So, I called up some friends (Steve had work to do and stayed at home), we dug out our boots and scarves (even though it was 85 degrees out) and drove 45 minutes to the "pumpkin patch" hopeful that it would not be lame. We arrived and were shocked/surprised/stoked to find that there were hundreds of people there (so what if most of them were under the age of 12).

A pumpkin patch in Hawaii is not your typical pumpkin patch. Hula dances replace tractor rides. Lau Lau plates and Spam musubi replace apple cider and donuts. The air is hot and thick not brisk and light. In fact, at a Hawaiian pumpkin patch there is no actual pumpkin patch...just a bunch of overpriced pumpkins in small fenced in area with some hay bales (that are also for sale). But to us, on this day, bringing back childhood memories of pumpkin picking with family and friends, this patch was perfect. Plus, Margot needs photos at places like this for her scrapbook (she doesn't really have a scrapbook). After we were all pumpkin patched out, we went to the Starbucks in town where they have a fake fireplace. We planned on ordering Pumpkin Spice Lattes to tie in with the theme of the day....but for some reason when we got to the counter we all ordered coffee. Sarah and Cambria got pumpkin syrup in theirs. Here's a photo recap of the day.

Cambria & Sarah stoked for the roadtrip!

"Autumn" outfits.

token photo with a scarecrow.

Sarah, a scarecrow and a baby.

Margot was STOKED about the pumpkin patch...

...but not as stoked as Cam.

My excitement level was somewhere in between theirs.

...and I was sweating a lot. horomones. and wool socks. and boots. and a scarf. in Hawaii.

Sarah was most excited about the 25 cent book sale taking place next to the pumpkin patch.

so...

Jase ate this peculiar shaped caramel apple.

Very quickly. There was also Kettle Corn involved.

and started to feel sick.

...but not too sick to get cotton candy.

...that was the size of Margot.

Sarah also enjoyed the spun sugar.

...but not as much as Jase.

Margot woke up long enough to smile. Actually I think she was crying. But it sort of looks like a smile.

Post-sugar-rush venti coffee seemed like a good idea. So did the free refill.

...then we crashed.

crash.

Meet the Staff: Hailey!

2011-09-27T05:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Hailey Bland from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Meet the Staff: Steph!

2011-09-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Steph Schulz from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Margot's Story.

2011-09-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

Her due date came...and then it went. And the days kept on going. Every few hours I would Google “natural ways to induce labor” and then I’d be walking up stairs, eating fresh pineapple until I no longer had taste buds, scrubbing floors...If there was a tip online that one day it had maybe helped someone go into labor, I tried it. Two days late. Acupressure. Three days. More pineapple. Lots of walking up and down hills. Squatting. Four days. Five days. Six days. Let’s just say, we tried everything.

And then finally! I had some “bloody show” and the contractions started. I waited a few hours to begin timing them so that I wouldn’t be disappointed if they were just Braxton Hicks. They were mild, but consistent. About 10 minutes apart and they just kept coming. They came all night long and began to get closer together. I was a bit disheartened at the fact that I was still in a great mood, talking, breathing normally. More pineapple. More walking. They were still mild but I was unable to sleep through them. Around 4am they had been consistently about 5-6 minutes apart and lasting over a minute in length. I began to think that I might actually be in labor. I told Steve (who was awake just long enough to move from our bed to the couch because I was in and out of bed every 5 minutes and had been keeping him awake) that I thought it might be time to call the midwife. He asked if I wanted to start timing the contractions first and I showed him on our “Baby Bump” app that I had been for hours. I called the midwife and was excited to find that one of my favorites from the birthing center was on call that night. She said that it sounded like I was in active labor and that I should come in. The birthing center is about 45 minutes from our home and on the way there the contractions were coming every 4 minutes. I was having to consciously breathe through them.

We arrived at the birthing center and I got admitted for a “non-stress test” to monitor the baby’s heart rate and the contractions. As soon as I was hooked up to the monitor the contractions stopped completely. The baby was not in any distress, which was a great sign, but it also looked like she wasn’t going to come anytime soon, which was disheartening. To top it off, the nurse told me, “you’re not in labor, you’ve just been having some irritations”. To call my contractions “irritations” was well, irritating to say the least. By this point I had not slept for 2 nights in a row. I was physically exhausted and had no words for the nurse. Steve later told me that I gave her a pretty mean glare when she acted like my contractions/irritations were no big deal. After a minute long sob-sesh in the hospital bathroom we were on our way back home where I was able to sleep for about 3 hours.

I was officially 1 week late and had a routinely scheduled “non-stress test” and amniotic fluid check at 1:45 that afternoon. Even though I had an NST earlier that morning, we were advised to keep the appointment. So, we headed back to Waimea. On the drive to Waimea, I started having contractions again but decided not to time them since I was convinced it was false labor anyway after the events of the morning. We arrived back at the birthing center and once again I got hooked up for the NST. The midwife informed me that she would be back to check on me in 20-30 minutes. As I lay on the exam table for the NST I could not stop telling Steve how badly I had to pee. I was hooked up to the monitor so I couldn’t get up. My biggest concern was that I was actually going to pee my pants on the table. And then....it happened. I had a really strong contraction and I peed my pants. At least that’s what I thought. And I was mortified. I told Steve and we laughed about it and then panic set in- and just as I was asking myself a million questions in my head, “how am I going to walk out of here?”, “why did I wear leggings???” (note: if you are going to pee your pants in public, leggings are probably the worst garment that you can do it in). “what am I going to tell the midwife?” the midwife came back in. She asked how I was doing and I responded sheepishly, “well, I am so sorry, but I peed on your table.” and then to lighten the awkward mood, I added, “or maybe my water broke!” She checked me out, informed me that my water did in fact break and that my contractions were consistently 5 minutes apart. Contractions? I had been so focused on walking through the waiting room with pee pants that I hadn’t even noticed the contractions. The midwife told me I could go on over to labor and delivery and asked if I wanted a wheel chair. “Nope, I’ll walk” I responded, because suddenly I did not care about my wet pants (Steve assured me that you couldn’t see that they were wet anyway, phew!)

After a quick-ish trip to admitting (where they had lost our pre-registration information), I was given a room and a gown in Labor and Delivery and told to “go for it”. By this time it was 4pm and since the contractions were still not extreme, I assumed and mentally prepared myself to be in labor for a really, really long time. When the hospital dinner came and it was a plate of heartburn (onions and peppers) I sent Steve out to get avocado cucumber sushi rolls (my favorite food during pregnancy) and told him to take his time. I was, after all, going to be in labor for DAYS. By the time he returned, I was pacing the room and having intense contractions about every 2 minutes. I didn’t want to eat. I didn’t want to smell food. I just wanted to pace. When a contraction would come, I would go into the dark bathroom until it was over and then come back out and pace again. I remember thinking, “I should moan through these” to take the advice of the doula who taught the natural childbirth class that we had taken months before. I consciously moaned through the next few and something about it just felt better than trying to stay quiet. From that point on I was in my own world. Labor land. When I would have a contraction, I would ask for Steve to come over and rub my lower back. When he would rub it, without the energy to ask him politely to stop, I would just signal for him to stop. Between each contraction I would think, “oh I should get some rest, I have a long night ahead of me” and so Steve would get the bed all ready for me to rest comfortably. As soon as I would sit down on the bed, another contraction would come and I would be out of the bed. pacing, asking Steve to raise it up as high as it would go so that I could lean forward on it. This pattern repeated about every 2 minutes for the next few hours. The contractions continued to intensify, but they were never to the point where I considered asking for pain medication.

Around 8pm the night shift nurse, Akiko, came in and introduced herself. She told me that if I felt the need to “bear down” like I was going to the bathroom to notify her. A little while later when I felt like pushing, I thought something was wrong. I asked Steve to get the nurse immediately and when she came in she checked my dilation (until this point, because my water broke, I hadn’t been checked at all). I was 8cm dilated and she told me that I could begin pushing. I was thinking, “pushing?! it can’t be time to push, I haven’t even had painful enough contractions for that yet!” and so, yet again, I prepared myself to be pushing for hours. DAYS, even. With this mindset, I sat down on the bed. My body seemingly went into autopilot and I just had to push. Apparently L&D nurses and midwives can judge by a women’s moaning and groaning when she is ready to give birth because they all came into the room and before I knew it, the midwife, Patricia, and Steve were saying things that led me to believe that there was ACTUALLY a baby being born. Still a bit in denial, when the midwife told me to reach down and feel the baby’s head, I did so and then exclaimed, “Oh.My.God.” in disbelief. I remember the midwife saying, “wow, we hardly ever see haole babies with hair!” (Oh, Hawaii). In between pushes, I asked Steve to put a cold washcloth on my head. He didn't hear me at first and I just remember thinking about how Michael Jackon named his son "Blanket" and pondered what life would be like if we named our baby "Washcloth". Back to reality. The midwife had been telling me things to help focus my pushing, like for me to imagine that I was pushing the baby up toward the ceiling. So, when she told me to put my hands out and catch my baby, I thought that she was meaning for me to imagine that as well. With my eyes closed, I leaned forward with my arms out and MUCH to my surprise, I suddenly had a baby in my arms. MY baby. I brought her to my chest, looked at Steve and exclaimed, “That was IT?!?!” in shock. The baby lifted her head and stared at Steve and just like that, we were three.

We said hello to our little Margot and told her that we loved her. The placenta was out a few minutes later with one push. The midwife congratulated me on “doing it just the way that I wanted to-with no drugs, no tearing and no episiotomy”. After the cord stopped pulsating, Steve cut it and then the baby breastfed for 45 minutes. She latched on and nursed like a champ. Still in shock, I felt like I needed to tell someone about what had just happened. Maybe then it would seem real. I called my parents and told them that she had arrived! I held up the phone to the baby so that they could hear her cry. After our phone call, Akiko and Steve weighed the baby and bathed her in the room. She was born at 11:15pm and weighed 8lbs 12oz, 20 inches. She was absolutely perfect.

Proud Daddy with Margot. (cell phone photo)

I was feeling great for a few hours after I delivered, but then started to feel really weak. Akiko informed me that I was losing an abnormal amount of blood and that she could not figure out why. She didn't want me to go far from the bed, so when I had to pee she brought over a bedside commode. As soon as I had shifted from bed to the commode I told her that I felt really dizzy. A few minutes later, I woke up surrounded by nurses and Patricia. "I think I passed out", I told them. I had indeed passed out and was still losing a concerning amount of blood for no apparent reason. I was a bit delirious at this point and there was talk of the possibility that my cervix had torn, which would require immediate surgery under anesthesia. An OB/GYN was called in to check me. As I lay in bed, delirious, I called to Steve who was across the room holding Margot and told him that "if I die, it's OK to give the baby a pacifier". Just as they were prepping me for surgery, the OB found the culprit of the bleeding- two tiny blood vessels had broken. They required one stitch each and the bleeding stopped immediately. By this point I had lost more than 3 pints of blood- more than a C-Section patient and was told that I would probably need a transfusion. Amazingly, my blood count results came back just above the level where I would need a blood transfusion. I was weak, but so relieved that I did not have to have surgery.

Steve was super-dad the whole time. For the few hours that I was passed out/delirious he held and rocked and sang to our baby girl. They needed each other during those few long and scary hours.

Despite the complications postpartum (which I don't remember clearly, anyway), my labor and delivery experience was an amazing one. God was so obviously in that delivery room with us and I am so thankful.

Margot- "precious pearl"
Day- For Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement

Margot Day- 1 Week Old

Meet the Staff:...Steve, me + Margot!

2011-09-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, we are in rare form.
Meet the Staff: Steve, Diane, and Margot Schallert from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Meet the Staff: Steven Conant!

2011-09-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Steven Conant from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Meet the Staff: John + Jenni!

2011-09-20T05:00:00.001-07:00

Introducing our dear friends and the leaders of the Community Transformations DTS, John and Jenni!
Meet the Staff: John and Jenni Gillespie from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Meet the Staff: Matt!

2011-09-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Matt Byrd from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Meet the Staff: Esther!

2011-09-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/28735335?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="400" height="225" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen allowFullScreen>Meet the Staff: Esther Rich from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Meet the Man with the Fedora: Clint!

2011-09-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Community Transformations is a world-wide ragtag community of Jesus followers who are dedicated to walking out the simple gospel-to love God and love others. This fall my husband Steve and I get to work alongside an amazing crew for the Community Transformations Discipleship Training School.

Meet the Staff: Clint Gooch from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

back to the blog.

2011-09-18T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, blog. I am sorry that I have been neglecting you but I have been a little bit preoccupied with our NEW BABY. Yes, I finally had that baby that we were waiting on. Margot Day Schallert. She arrived a week after her due date on September 6, 2011. Her story and a proper introduction coming soon! She is cuter than this blog and she doesn't have HTML issues that make my posts off-centered.

Anywayyyy....baby Margot is not the only one that needs an introduction. There are several more staff for the Community Transformations DTS that need one as well. I am way behind on posting these and the school starts in 11 days so I will be posting a few a day. So, without further adieu, meet Kailyn!

Meet the Staff: Kailyn Kennedy from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Coming to you from the middle of America- Lindsay Blake!

2011-08-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

Learn "what falls under the chicken category" and more valuable life lessons at the Community Transformations DTS beginning this September! Find out more here and come join us!

Meet the Staff: Lindsay Blake from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: MAX!

2011-08-31T17:02:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Max Melchert from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

By being a transformed community, loving God, and being loved by Him, we display the transformative power of the gospel to the world. As we walk like Jesus in the nations, bringing his love to every part of society, to the rich and poor, to the lost and the broken, the simplicity of encountering God and his gospel transforms the world. All disciples have the power to change the world, bringing people to Jesus, and teaching them to do all that he commanded (Matt 28:18). It’s an invitation for the world to know God and be transformed as they follow him. This is Revival - the turning of our hearts to God, with a desire to glorify him with all of our lives.
The DTS is just the start - Community Transformations is also all about launching transformative families of disciples around the globe!
Find out more about the CommTrans DTS HERE

tunes a la husband.

2011-08-29T17:01:00.000-07:00

Check out Steve's Noisetrade to download 'Into the Great Unknown' for FREE.

Simply input your email and zip code and you'll receive a download link. We'll periodically add new music - past, present and future - so make sure to keep checking back from time to time. Feel free to leave a tip before submission and or embed our NoiseTrade player on your blog or Facebook page to help us share music more effectively. 100% of tip proceeds will go directly to continue our efforts. ENJOY!

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Jordan!

2011-08-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Jordan Liljegren from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

"Hello" from the Community Transformations staff- Mika & Lindsay.

2011-08-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

A little "Hello" from Mika and Lindsay... from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

For more information about Community Transformations, visit the website.

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Mika!

2011-08-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Mika McClurkin from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

August Newsletter

2011-08-24T01:14:00.000-07:00

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Amanda!

2011-08-23T10:47:00.001-07:00

Meet the Staff: Amanda Stangland from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Meet the Staff: Lexi!

2011-08-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Lexi Stevens from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

To find out more about Community Transformations, visit the website.

Week 38.

2011-08-22T00:58:00.000-07:00

Sex+ Money: A National Search for Human Worth

2011-08-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

If you have been keeping up with Steve and I for longer than like, a day, you have probably heard us talk about Sex + Money: A National Search for Human Worth at some point. We are always talking about Sex+ Money this, Sex+ Money that. This campaign to raise awareness about, and ultimately put an end to, child sex trafficking in the United States of America is very dear to our hearts. A team of our friends and fellow photogenXers have been working on a full length documentary for the past few years and are now in the middle of a 50 state tour to screen the film.

Please, take an hour and a half out of your day to engage with this very important issue. Below is the information for the New York and New Jersey screenings that are taking place in the next few days. Visit the tour page to find out when the film is screening in a city near you, or if you have missed the screening you can purchase the DVD (and other merchandise-proceeds of which go toward rescuing child sex slaves).

New York:

August 21st 6:00pm (Faith Based)

Church at the Gateway

200 Boscombe Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10309

August 22nd 6:30pm (Public)

Times Sq. Art Center

303 W. 42nd St.

New York, NY 10036

Tickets are $10 if purchased online in advance (http://events.sctnow.org/sexandmoney) or $12 at the door.

New Jersey:

August 23rd 6:30pm (Faith Based)

Grace Christian Church

1961 Wayside Rd

Tinton Falls, NJ 07724

You Changed it All

2011-08-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

My niece, Donna, is a beautiful, talented, raw soul. Listen to her song, "You Changed It All" and check out her band One Flew Over

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Miriam!

2011-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Miriam Steiner from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Breno!

2011-08-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Breno Duarte from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Interested in joining us this fall for the Community Transformations Discipleship Training School? We'd love to have you! Get the scoop here.

Thanks for the clicks!

2011-08-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

You voted and More than Me won the 2011 Global Giving Photo Contest! The prize money that they receive will put a former child prostitute in Liberia in primary school for 4 years and all it took was a simple click. Thank you so much for your part in this! Keep up to date with what More than Me is doing in Liberia on their blog. Here is a little "Thank You" video from Katie and her More than Me friends in Monrovia, Liberia.

Vote for Change!

2011-08-16T17:18:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie founded an organization in Liberia called More Than Me to provide primary education for children. Last year, More Than Me won the Global Giving Photo Facebook contest. The money from the contest will be used to put a young girl in school with everything she needs for 4 years! This year if they win, we will use the money towards housing, feeding, and sending 6 rescued child prostitutes to school. You can get directly involved with this contest! Help by liking the “Believe in Me” photo! You only have to vote one time. The contest ends on the 17th of August!

Here is how to vote:
1. Go to Global Giving’s Facebook Page and Like it: http://www.facebook.com/GlobalGiving
2. Next, click on this link, find the “Believe in Me” photo, and hit Like. Make sure you're in the "Give Knowledge" category.
3. Please help us by sharing this on your wall, it would mean the world to Agnes and her friends:
20 seconds of your time could help former child prostitutes go to school for the first time. The More than Me Foundation needs you to get girls off the street and into school!

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Kristina!

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Kristina Villalba from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Jase!

2011-08-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Jase Beard from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff: Cambria!

2011-08-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Meet the Staff: Cambria Finzel from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

Community Transformations- Meet the Staff!

2011-08-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Community Transformations is a world wide ragtag community of Jesus followers who are dedicated to trying to walk out the simple gospel-to love God and love others. This fall Steve & I have the privilege of being part of the Community Transformations DTS as staff. So many of our friends are staffing this school with us and there really is nothing better than working alongside people that you love so much!

Meet Johnny & Jenni -some of our closest friends and the leaders of this school.

Meet John & Jenni (June 16th, 2011) from Community Transformations on Vimeo.

nest.

2011-08-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever Steve and I live in an apartment with rooms and walls that make sense. Since we didn't own any furniture we have had a lot of fun doing DIY projects and getting creative with how to make a space liveable without spending money. We moved into this space just in time for me to go into nesting mode. I was waiting to post these "before" and "after" photos until I actually finished the room but....I am not sure that is ever going to happen, so here we are. Maybe someday I will hang up the rest of the pictures/frames on the walls and get around to hanging up the curtains that I made, but not today. Now we just need a baby! Everything in this room was thrifted, gifted, made or found.


This room used to be a laundry room, so it has a utility sink in the corner and it's own entrance to outside. Convenient. The mobile hanging up on the door was a gift from our friend Emily...it is made with origami! I forgot to take a photo of the shelf/closet with baby's clothes on it that we repurposed (which was given to us by our friends Christian & Sharee)

I fell in love with this fabric and made pillow covers using MC's tutorial here. The fabric along the back end of the crib is actually curtains that I made but haven't hung up. Crib: gift!

Quilt handmade by Steve's mom from fabrics that Steve & his siblings had as a kid!

"Ludlow" is a Sleepy King, a gift from Misie & Mick.

I loved this bamboo mobile but it's price was steep- then it went on sale on Gilt Groupe and someone got it for Baby as a gift!

This sweet little note came with a baby outfit that we got, I thought it seemed fitting for our little one.

Michigan & New Jersey teething rings. Gifts from Kimi and Misie.

A sweet gift from Aunt Mary Catherine.

Baby photos of Steve & I are displayed on this handmade chalkboard. I forgot to get a photo of it, but it has a quote on it for Baby. Picture to come soon!

Sterling silver baby rattles that were mine when I was a baby | "Baby Schallert" mug- a sweet gift from dear friends Zach & Laura whose Dad is a potter and made this just for us! | Wooden Camera toy- another sweet gift from Kimi & Misie.

An incredibly creative "Quillow" made by Aunt MC. Check out the link for more photos of it and a link to the tutorial.

This vintage baby pushcart was a gift from my sweet friend Jo. The wheels are a bit rusted but I am sure this gem will be featured in a baby photoshoot very soon ; ) Books inside were gifts from my cousin, Christine. Vintage books were found.

Whimsical Backyard Baby Shower

2011-08-09T13:56:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my lovely friends spoiled me + baby with a lovely backyard baby shower. They put so much thought into every detail of the day and it made me feel so spoiled and special! Thanks to Joanna and Jenni for planning the day and thanks to Jannelle for taking photos!

Little Levi wore his party shirt.

Auntie Jo got Baby this amazing vintage pushcart.


Jenni writing Baby a card at the craft table.

Prayers for Baby.

Lovely friends.

Steve and I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a supportive family and community to welcome our little one into. 37 weeks pregnant today...come anytime Baby Girl.

darling, you never should ever say never.

2011-08-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Isaac Gill is an amazing musician, activist and friend! Check out his song that plays at the end credits of the Sex+Money film. The documentary about child sex trafficking in the United States of America, is currently making it's way to all 50 states. Check out when it's screening in a town near you.

extra, extra.

2011-07-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

our summer newsletter esta aqui! thanks for reading and be sure to check our our new website. it's a work in progress.

Week 31.

2011-07-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

We planned to take these photos every week during this pregnancy, but between traveling, moving, getting back into the swing of things and getting ready to staff 2 schools (and have a baby) this Summer we got super BUSY. So, here we are, 6 weeks later and getting so anxious to welcome this little baby girl into our family.

adventures in trying to be martha stewart.

2011-06-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

I consider myself to be a creative person. I have (what I think are) brilliant* ideas and a knack for looking at someone else's trash and seeing what I could make out of it (I am pretty sure this "talent" comes from not wanting to spend money on anything). The difference between me and people who actually have craft blogs and end up on The Martha Stewart Show is that sometimes my ideas get lost in the execution. I wish that I could just tell my ideas to a robot that would draw/make them. Nerd alert.

Last year when we were in Egypt, I got really inspired and decided that I was going to go home and design a children's clothing line for the "distant day" that we would have children. Two things happened after that: 1. I went to Haiti and came back with a disease that crippled me for months. 2. I realized I didn't know how to draw or sew. Then something else happened: I found out I was pregnant. and I was WAY behind on my children's clothing line (read: hadn't started it).

I got an amazing sewing machine as a Christmas/Birthday gift and have been trying to figure out how to sew ever since. It's been going pretty well...all things considered. Recently I have focused my sewing projects on a little baby that is going to show up around here pretty darn soon.As Steve put it, "she should look (dress) like she belongs to us". Well said, Mr. Daddio Schallert. So, I have been trying to make her some clothes so she fits in with her incredibly trendy** parents. It is certainly not a clothing line...more like a bunch of fabric scraps that I found in the Boutique (free thrift store on the YWAM base) sewn together sloppily. But these sloppy fabric scraps were sewn from the heart ; )

My most recent attempts at Trendy Baby 2011 are:

I saw a tutorial for this online and modified it according to what I had laying around in the ol' craft closet. In the end I used a (pre-made) bloomer, a flowery fabric scrap and one of Steve's old t-shirts (for the straps).

I saw a few tutorials for similar hats online and after reading through them sort of just "winged it" and modified as I went along. I don't have a printer at home so I had to draw my own pattern (not my strong point). My pattern was about 4 inches too short so it turned out really small, but I am hoping it fits tiny baby's head for the first few weeks (or at least days). I also don't own a pair of pinking shears (yet) or even a pair of moderately sharp scissors (I am pretty sure the ones I have are rusty...eek) which is to blame for the extremely ragged edges (and the 15 minutes it takes me to cut anything out).

*Ok, they are not that brilliant.
**Yeah, not really. We live on an island so we are sort of out of the fashion loop.

Celebrations, cake and magic points.

2011-06-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

Just in the past week we have celebrated our anniversary, (pre) Father's Day, Steve's birthday (and Steve's dad's birthday too...from afar! They are born on the same day.)

All of this back-to-back celebrating has given us the opportunity to slow down and take time to just BE with each other and with good friends. Here's a recap.


Steve's Father's Day card was written in "kicks" from baby. It had a kick decoder and the photo above is Steve trying to figure out the message.

The final message.

I usually try to be creative with gifts, but this year necessity won out and I got Steve socks for his birthday. SOCKS. I wanted to make up for the snore-fest gift by giving him a really fun day. In my "super fun day planning", I hit a wall. Hard (seriously, preggo-brain). So I made Steve a "menu for celebration" (yeah, I really called it that) so that he could pick the things that he wanted to do/I didn't have to commit to any plans that might flop. One of the things that he picked was brunch at one of our favorite local restaurants, Lava Java. The food is great at Lava Java. The coffee is great at Lava Java. The iced ginger tea is great at Lava Java. But the best thing about Lava Java is that every time we go there they give us free stuff. We have this magical "Lava Java Points" card that they swipe whenever we go. For the sake of the magic it is important to note that we do not go to Lava Java very often. Here's how the points card works (apparently):
We go to Lava Java and eat delicious food.
They swipe our magic card so that we can accrue points toward free coffees.
A certain number of coffee points equals a free meal.
Without ever accruing points, our magical points card tells Lava Java that we have earned free meals and free drinks.
We get free meals.
We get free birthday brunch.
Awesome.

At the end of the day I wanted to surprise Steve for his birthday (not an easy feat) so I decided to "make it easy on myself", "keep it simple" and just invite a few friends over for cake on Monday night. On Sunday I told Steve that I had some top-secret stuff to do and that I would drop him off at the coffee shop to read (one of his favorite past times) and pick him up in 1-2 hours. Six hours later I was still baking. So much for keeping it simple. I made banana bread (above) and three cakes. I managed to surprise him and the cakes were actually pretty good (and they looked good too...because that's what counts, right?)! Because we have a million avocados in our backyard, I decided to try out a recipe for Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cake (we are not vegans, in case you are wondering) that my friend Kirsten had passed on to me from Joy the Baker. It was surprisingly delicious. I love the way the bright green icing looks on the dark chocolate cake. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos but here is a video. **Please note: the avocado cake looks sort of gross when filmed in sepia tones.**

Thank you to all of our dear friends who came and celebrated with us!

Photo recap of the last three years.

2011-06-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

Today Steve and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. After working at the Kona campus:

I took a nap

Steve and I watched Fantasy Factory

We strolled around downtown Kona

Sat by the ocean

Visited the church where we got hitched

Had a delicious dinner from a restaurant that picks your food from their garden when you order it.

It was a perfect day.

Here is a recap of our last three years.

2008:

We moved to Hawaii to volunteer with photogenX.

Two weeks later we were engaged.

Two months later we were married.

Two weeks after that we headed to Afghanistan and then to Memphis, Tennessee where Jon & Mary Catherine graciously hosted us.


Wedding.


Afghanistan.

Memphis.

2009:

We met some of nearest and dearest friends while staffing the photogenX Discipleship Training School. (They made us this banner for our first anniversary)

We traveled to Panama, South Africa and Egypt.

Panama.

South Africa.

Egypt.

2010:

We traveled to Haiti where I contracted a disease that Steve and I refer to as "the evil monster of doom disease" in hindsight. It was a physically traumatic year and honestly I don't remember a lot of it.

Steve traveled to Pakistan and I got to visit my family on the east coast.

The Schallert's came to Hawaii to spend Christmas with us.

Pakistan.

The Schallerts.

2011:

On the first day of the new year we found out that we were going to have a baby!

We traveled to South Africa (We like it there).

South Africa.

It has been an incredible three years and I am convinced that I am the luckiest wife on earth. Here's to many, many more.

rah, rah, rah.

2011-06-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

It has been a delightfully lazy (and very rainy) Saturday to end a busy week. My logic at 10am this morning when I wanted to crawl back into bed for a nap was, "I'm tired because it's Saturday." Steve wisely pointed out that I am probably actually tired because I am in my third trimester of pregnancy and growing a human takes a lot of energy. Duh, how come I didn't think of that? After he stated this, I smugly nodded my head and gave myself a mental pat-on-the-back for being a baby factory. Did I nap? Absolutely not. I did, however, do laundry, complete half of a workout called "Bikini Body Camp" (only half because half of it is done on your back and believe it or not, Bikini Body camp is not geared toward the preggos), cleaned the house and gathered avocados from the yard. Because I have what Tom Rath classifies as an "achiever personality". I have a million mental checklists in my brain at all times with really important "to-do's" on them like, "make a to-do list", "organize socks", "make cute stuff" (I am not exaggerating here). Lately I have been forgetting to put the stuff that is actually important on the list but I have decided to go easy on myself and just blame the absentmindedness on the "pregnancy-brain".

I read facebook updates that remind me that it is Summertime on the mainland and that a lot of people "can't wait for vacay!" or are "heading to the beach for three whole days!" I haven't even been committed enough to make a five minute trip to wade in the sparkling blue Pacific. "Go to the beach" shouldn't be a hard one to check off the list but it is. And I will tell you why.

1. Going back to that whole "achiever" personality thing... I don't last long laying at the beach. 20 minutes go by and I am checking the clock and pulling out the post-it notes to jot down all of the things that I have thought of to be more valuable than lazing around. (What? You don't bring post-it notes to the beach?)

2. Sometimes I forget that I have gained an extra 23 pounds (there, I said it. It's out there as if it weren't obvious) and have a mega baby-belly and I can do all the "Bikini Body Camp-ing" that I want but the truth of the matter is that the bathing suit that I have had since I was 19 doesn't exactly do wonders for the bod anymore (read: it doesn't fit).

3. I am married to Mr. Stephan "SPF 99+" Schallert. I have the utmost respect for a man that takes such good care of his skin, but he and the scorching Hawaii sun aren't exactly a winning pair.

4. Shark chompings. That's what I call shark attacks...and there was one at a beach just a few minutes away a few weeks ago.

So, there you have it. All of my excuses for not kicking back, soaking in the sun and enjoying our time on this island in the Pacific. All this complaining has made me super tired...time to attempt a nap (but those post-its won't be far away).

Ten Thousand Homes

2011-06-03T03:00:00.000-07:00

Ten Thousand Homes is an organization that builds houses and creates "home" for some of South Africa's orphans and vulnerable children. Steve and I, along with the photogenX Around the World Track team, recently had the honor of joining them in their work for a short six weeks. Our team put together a new promo video for their ministry. Thanks for watching! [p.s. background music by Steve. Swoon.]

Muwaji's Law

2011-06-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

In certain indigenous cultures in Brazil culture and tradition are sometimes valued more than life itself. Every year hundreds of indigenous children are rejected, abandoned in the forest or even buried alive for various reasons such as, being born a twin or a triplet, having a mental or physical deficiency, being born out of wedlock or just being considered to be a bearer of bad luck. Infanticide has been disguised as "cultural respect".

In 2007 a team from photogenX visited one of these indigenous tribes in the Amazon and listened to the stories of grieving mothers who had been pressured to bury their own children alive because of cultural stigmas. They listened to fathers explain that they wanted to keep their children alive but their voices had been muffled by the tribes desires to maintain respect for their cultural customs. Many parents in the tribes commit suicide rather than kill their own children. PhotogenX knew that they had to do something to amplify the cries of the families who were trying desperately to keep their families alive. They made a book with photos of the beautiful indigenous people in the tribes. The book celebrates human life and puts a face to the issue of infanticide.

A few years later Hollywood filmmaker, David Cunningham, made a documentary in cooperation with ten indigenous tribes. Many of those who act in the film were survivors of infanticide or had rescued a child. The film tells the story of Hakani, a young girl who had some developmental deficiencies and was eventually buried alive by family members after her parents, who couldn't bear to kill her, committed suicide. She was rescued by her brother and brought to YWAM missionary couple who had been living and working with a nearby tribe for over 20 years. Hakani was 5 years old at the time but only weighed 15 pounds and was only 27 inches long. Within six months of care and medical attention, Hakani (whose name means, "smile") doubled her weight and length, started to walk, talk and interact with others. She is now 14 years old, has developed normally and has a smile that lights up the Kona YWAM campus.

The film helped bring global attention to the issue of infanticide in the Amazon basin. In spite of some opposition worldwide, the film helped to launch a national movement for the approval for a law to protect indigenous families.

The bill 1057 known as “Muwaji Law”(named after the first mother from the Suruwaha tribe who fought for her disabled daughters life), was approved at the Human Rights Committee at the National Congress YESTERDAY in Brazil. Muwaji's Law seeks to protect indigenous children from being rejected, abandoned and buried alive.

Visit the Hakani website to learn more
Read the Grassroots News report here

Happy Birthday Jenni!

2011-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Wishing the happiest of days to a fun and creative friend! Love you Jenni! Cheers.

Photo of the Day

2011-05-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Mbonisweni, South Africa

We're kind of a big deal.

2011-05-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Steve and I are back in Kona and as it turns out we are really popular. We know this because reason #1 a stranger on the Kona campus came up to us and really casually said to Steve, "Nice to see you Steve and Diane!"* and then he looked at me and said (to Steve), "Dude, your seed is about to sprout".** As we walked away I asked Steve if that was our BFF that I forgot that we had. Steve had no idea who the guy was. BAM...we're famous. Also, reason #2 Johnny & Jenni posted a blog about us! We are really lucky to know this amazing couple and are so looking forward to spending every day with them this fall when we staff the Community Transformations DTS together ; )

*not weird.
**weird.

It's a GIRL!

2011-05-24T15:47:00.000-07:00

Open publication Click for registration info.

So, a 1lb 15oz baby has overtaken my blog and now all of the posts are about her (yes, HER! It's a girl). I promise someday I will post about something else but for right now I am fighting jetlag (a 12 hour time difference) and a sinus infection that makes my head feel like it is simultaneously floating in space and being weighed down by bricks.

Week 25

2011-05-21T11:45:00.000-07:00

Weeks 21, 22, 23 and 24

2011-05-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Lack of internet, travel (and days where I have a general feeling of hugeness/not wanting to be photographed) has put us way behind on our baby weeks photos. Here is weeks 21 + 22. i will upload weeks 23 + 24 the next time I get a steady internet connection.


click to enlarge

Following the Wounded Healer.

2011-04-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

"Compassion grows with the inner recognition that your neighbor shares your humanity with you. This partnership cuts through all walls which might have kept you separate. Across all barriers of land and language, wealth and poverty, knowledge and ignorance, we are one, created from the same dust, subject to the same laws, and destined for the same end. With this compassion you can say, "In the face of the oppressed I recognize my own face and in the hands of the oppressor I recognize my own hand. Their flesh is my flesh, their blood is my blood, their pain is my pain, their smile is my smile. Their ability to torture is in me, too; their capacity to forgive I find also in myself. There is nothing in me that does not belong to them too; nothing in them that does not belong to me. In my heart, I know their yearning for love, and down to my entrails I can feel their cruelty. In another's eyes I see my plea for forgiveness, and in a hardened frown I see my refusal. When someone murders, I know that I too could have done that, and when someone gives birth, I know that I am capable of that as well. In the depths of my being, I meet my fellow humans with whom I share love and have life and death." - Henri Nouwen

Start Something to Finish Something.

2011-04-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Crisis

For over two decades, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has terrorized central Africa, targeting civilians in a brutal campaign of abduction, murder and forced displacement. The LRA was founded in northern Uganda in 1986 by Joseph Kony in response to the marginalization of that region by the Ugandan government. However, the LRA soon lost popular support in northern Uganda and evolved into a group that survives by terrorizing communities and abducting children to fight its battles. In recent years it has not been active in Uganda, but instead operates in the remote border area between Congo, South Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR).

In its 24 years under the direction of Joseph Kony, the LRA has been responsible for the following:

The perpetration of mass atrocities: The Lord’s Resistance Army is responsible for grave crimes against civilians, including the mass killings, rapes, and mutilations of thousands of Ugandan, South Sudanese, Central African and Congolese civilians. Since September 2008, the LRA has embarked on one of the most devastating waves of violence in its history, killing over 2,000 people, abducting over 3,000, and displacing upwards of 450,000.

The enslavement of children: In order to replenish its ranks, the LRA has forcibly-recruited thousands of children to be used as soldiers and sex slaves. In northern Uganda alone, Kony and his forces abducted an estimated 30,000 children.

The disruption of communities: LRA attacks have displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Congo, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Uganda over the past two decades. These attacks have disrupted the very fabric of community life, targeting schools, churches and marketplaces.

The communities that LRA violence has affected most are already among the poorest and most remote in all of Africa. The LRA targets people, such as the Acholi and the Zande, that have little representation in the governments througout the region. These governments and their military forces have neglected to protect civilians from the LRA and have committed widespread abuses against civilians themselves.
U.S. and international leaders have consistently underestimated or ignored the strength and tenacity of the LRA, which has contributed to half-hearted policy measures that have failed to stop LRA violence and allowed Joseph Kony and his commanders to cut a swath of human destruction across central Africa.
We seek an end to these injustices and greater leadership towards lasting peace from regional and international leaders .

How It Ends

On May 24, 2010, President Barack Obama sparked hope for new U.S. and international will to address this crisis by signing into law the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act. In his statement, President Obama said, “I signed this bill today recognizing that we must all renew our commitments and strengthen our capabilities to protect and assist civilians caught in the LRA’s wake, to receive those that surrender, and to support efforts to bring the LRA leadership to justice.” This legislation gives the Obama Administration an unprecedented mandate from Congress and the American public to lead international efforts to permanently end LRA atrocities and help rebuild war-affected communities.

We believe the United States has a unique role in helping to end the conflict, and Resolve’s mission for the past four years has been creating the political mandate necessary for the US to fulfill that role. We also believe that this political mandate will only be secured through effective, informed activism. Because of this, we have sought to bring as much information as possible to the forefront of the discussion. We hope this information will serve as a launching pad for people to better understand the complexity of the conflict, why it demands our attention and what role we can play in achieving a lasting peace.

Where to go from here

History: Resolve’s extensive account of the roots of the conflict, its evolution over the past 24 years and what action has been taken by the international community to bring peace to the region.
LRA and Regional Conflict Library: A collection of reports, books and articles from civil society groups, academics and media for people interested in further exploring the conflict.
LRA Strategy Power Players: From President Obama to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a look at our leaders’ commitment to ending the conflict.
Key Statistics: The most current numbers of people killed, abducted, and displaced by the LRA in Congo, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Uganda.

Your Mission: What you can do right now

Families in central Africa being targeted by LRA violence don’t have big lobbying firms speaking on their behalf in Washington. They have you. Below are 3 important things you can do right now to convince our political leaders to fund the President’s strategy to end LRA violence, allowing it to become concrete action that can save lives.

In 30 seconds: Sign the petition.

Help us reach our goal of 10,000 signatures by April 25th. Sign the petition and ask others to join you.

In one minute: Call your Member of Congress.

Join the S2F Phone Blitz! Every day from April 4th-8th, give your Members of Congress a call. It’s easy as pie and literally takes one minute --- 45 seconds if you’ve got ‘em on speed dial. Here’s all you need to do:

Join the S2F Calling Blitz Facebook group HERE
Click HERE for a short script and pointers to help you with your call
Type in your zip code below to find out:
- Your representatives’ DC office numbers
- Whether or not they’ve taken action to help fund the LRA strategy
- Details of any local lobby meetings between now and April 25th.

Between now and April 25th: Lead a local lobby meeting.

In-person local meetings are the most effective way to get Members of Congress to care about ending this crisis. It may sound intimidating, but we promise it’s not that difficult and it's pretty darn fun. We'll work closely with you to make sure it’s a success. Here's what you need to do:

JOIN A MEETING: Type in your zip code below or check out the map above to find meetings in your area you can join.
LEAD A MEETING: If no meetings are scheduled in your area yet, sign up to lead one. (To find out what leading a meeting entails, click here.)

MS Paint Revolution.

2011-04-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

I remember days back in the 90's before I knew what Photoshop was, before fancy "apps" for painting and drawing, where the cool way to color digital pictures was with PAINT for Windows. I was about 10 years old. My skills have not improved.

Per the request of my dear friend, Cambria, I have decided to post my (ahem) "artwork" on my blog.
I think I have a future here.

Husblog.

2011-04-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

The husband has returned to the world of blogging! Check out his page.
He's pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

Week 17. (ish)

2011-04-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

Week 16.

2011-04-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

I did not plan on/want to have my photos taken this day, but it was the last day of my 16th week so it had to be done.

Baby cheeks.

2011-03-30T08:13:00.000-07:00

We used some of these baby photos of Steve and I for decor at Baby Schallert's first party (baby shower).

Act Justly, Love Mercy.

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I've started a trend with this blog...it's called, "post sometimes and then don't post anything for a long time and then apologize and post again". So, here is the part where I apologize, sorry! and explain myself. Steve and I are currently en route to South Africa via Memphis (last week), New Jersey (now) and New York (yesterday and then again when we fly out). That may seem like a bunch of random pit stops to get to Africa but we decided to cash in some of our airline miles and visit family and friends along the way to break up the long, long flights a bit. Considering how much fun we have been having with our families, it was a pretty good idea if I do say so myself.
Some highlights from our trip thus far (and some posts for the day to come) include:

-Checking bags for free because of Steve's airline status.
-Quality Schallert sibling time and home cooked meals in Memphis.
-Attending a benefit gala with Jon & MC at Stax Museum in Soulsville.
-A mega baby shower hosted by my parents.
-A weekend in NYC with Steve's parents where we got to see his dad sing at Carnegie Hall (and go on a dinner cruise on 'The Spirit of New York'...just like in "The Office") .
...more to come.

In the meantime here is our latest newsletter including some details about our upcoming trip to South Africa and some plans for the rest of 2011. (2 pages) You can also visit our newsletter library HERE

Open publication - Free publishing - More march

Week 15.

2011-03-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

balloons in flight.

2011-03-21T16:44:00.001-07:00

the kid at the end o

the kid at the end of this video is so, so lucky.

Week 14.

2011-03-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

[Click to Enlarge]

baby!

2011-03-02T00:19:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't posted this yet because I am a blog-neglector, but Steve and I are expecting a baby! I will try to post these faithfully every week. click to enlarge.

Christchurch.

2011-02-26T10:07:00.000-08:00

&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;In this &amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;gt;

In this Grassroots News report my friend, Naomi, talks about the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand on Tuesday, February 22, 2011 (our Monday).

Coffee + Action

2011-02-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

Act Here. Love Now: The Change Begins With You follows the journey of 11 student photographers who had a vision to change the world. They traveled through 36 countries documenting the lives of those they met. As they took photos and heard stories, they were overwhelmed with the needs that confronted them along the way. But as the days wore on, the girls realized they could make a difference, every day, with simple acts of genuine love. This book is a culmination of their stories, photos, and practical ways to impact your own community, city, and world.

Sample Pages from Act Here. Love Now.

One way that you can get directly involved in helping to spread their message is to buy some great coffee and help them raise funds! The Act Here. Love Now. team has partnered with 35 North Coffee Co., a well-reviewed coffee roaster that fairly-purchases from growers and roasts it the same day you order it! You can go straight to the Act Here. Love Now. page on their Web site to order your coffee [whole bean or ground]. And if you're interested in partnering to sell in your church or workplace, contact lindsayblake@gmail.com about purchasing wholesale.

Love your enemies.

2011-02-15T23:01:00.000-08:00

In the videos below a friend, Dan Baumann, tells the story of the 9 life changing weeks he spent in an Iranian prison. He writes in detail about his experience in his book, Imprisoned in Iran

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Sex + Money: A National Search for Human Worth OFFICIAL Trailer

2011-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Sex+Money is a Documentary about domestic minor sex trafficking and the abolitionist movement that's fighting it.

For more information visit www.sexandmoneyfilm.com

Grassroots News Piece- Flooding in Pakistan

2011-01-31T22:28:00.000-08:00

Since the massive floods hit Pakistan in 2010 more than 21,000,000 people have been affected making it one of the worst natural disasters in human history. Nearly 2 million homes have been destroyed leaving over 8 million men, women and children internally displaced and homeless. Over the past months dysentery and other waterborne illnesses have begun to run rampant among refugee communities.

PhotogenX International received a phone call from our friends in Pakistan asking for help. The result has been the creation of Pure Hope Pakistan, a newly formed cooperative NGO dedicated to distributing 100,000 pure water filters to Pakistani flood victims.

In this piece for Grassroots News International, my husband Steve interviews those affected by the flood. Thanks to Greg Althoff for putting this piece together.

decide what to be and go be it.

2011-01-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

Dad's reply.

2011-01-03T23:24:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, some of you have probably been waiting on bated breathe wondering, "did he write back, did he write back?" he did. my favorite is the part about the nap.

I had no idea what "See you in the AM" meant but I played it cool.

"The greatest dad in the hole world"

2010-12-29T17:41:00.000-08:00

Since I travel a lot and am usually in a different time zone from my family, l gave my Dad a journal last year that he could write in and then give to me and I could write in and then give back to him...you get the idea. I thought it was an original idea but it seems that I have done this before. He recently sent me this entry that I wrote to him back in '93. I was seven years old. I still have an affinity for office supply stores.

**my spelling got better and I went on to compete in and place in a spelling bee just two years later. heck yeah.

Joyous Season!

2010-12-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

Oh, Tenebaum.

2010-12-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

Our first Hawaiian Christmas. In fact, this is our first Christmas on our own "turf" (whatever that means). For the past few years we have been on the mainland with our families. This year, Steve's family is coming to the island for the first time since Steve & I got hitched. We won't be staying at our apartment, so we didn't go all out decorating (PLUS, the craft store* here didn't have any of the materials for a few projects that I wanted to make...and the vintage Christmas lights that I bought at a thrift store for a dollar only worked for 30 seconds...and the sewing machine I was borrowing broke right when I started to sew those stockings. Phew, just needed to get all of that out there).


Since Steve and I have never had out own Christmas tree before, I wanted to get him an ornament that paid tribute to our tropical Christmas and his infatuation with sea life/Shark Week (yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is why we do not surf). I found this wooden shark carved from Bali wood with Misie on the mainland.

Happy Christmas, everyone. Charlie Brown, if you are reading this, you know you are jealous of our tree.

friends five thousand miles away #2

2010-12-16T22:36:00.000-08:00

Misie and I have a weekly Skype date to talk/pray (sometimes we can't talk because we are laughing too hard and sometimes we forget to pray). It's really refreshing to see a kindred soul, even if it is on a computer screen.

2010-12-16T21:59:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I posted a teaser about my husband's recent trip to Pakistan. Here is the rest of the promo video. Made by Greg.

friends five thousand miles away.

2010-12-08T15:12:00.000-08:00

Misie and I had a much needed Skype date today.

Our conversation pretty much went as follows:

misie: hellllllooooo? what up.

diane: *laughing*

misie: *giggling*

*mick comes home, diane greets mick. mick says he climbed through window. more laughter*

misie + diane: *laughter*

lil' buddy enters room.

lil' buddy exits room.

misie + diane: *silent laughter*

Pure Hope Pakistan Newsletter + Recap

2010-12-08T13:43:00.000-08:00

Click HERE for a recap of Steve's time in Pakistan and a glance at some of the most beautiful people on earth.

christmas lights keep shining on.

2010-12-07T00:13:00.000-08:00

I love the painted piano in this video.

On a related note, I scored this string of Christmas cheer at a thrift store for $1.50.

DIY Christmas Advent.

2010-12-05T19:45:00.000-08:00

Last year we were in South Africa during the month of December and I made Steve a modified advent. Because we travel around a lot and have not really ever had a home to settle into, these kinds of projects sort of make me feel like I have a home. This year, I used paint samples from a hardware store, some twine and white out to make a fun (free) advent calendar. Each number correlates with a small gift, quote or coupon. How do you decorate for the holidays at your home?

Our Secret.

2010-12-02T10:59:00.001-08:00

if steve and i ate breakfast, it would probably go something like this.

2010-12-01T18:39:00.001-08:00

The finished product!

2010-12-01T10:07:00.000-08:00

The tree shelf is stocked full of product and has been an eye catcher in one of the most popular places on campus- the Cafe! As promised, here is a (rough) photo! What do you think? (non-cell phone photos and photos of details coming soon).

2010-11-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

One of the main ways that we work to raise awareness with PhotogenX is through publications and other materials that we distribute. You may have seen some of these products on our online store . Well, recently I started feeling a bit weighed down by all of the product that we distribute. To us, topics such as sex trafficking, honor killings and infanticide continue to grip our hearts, but have become normal conversation. Sometimes we get dirty looks from bystanders when we discuss our "work" in public and I don't blame them...for instance; "Remind me to call the Sex+ Money film crew about the human trafficking bank account, oh and please pass the butter".

Because researching the horrors of humanity tends to make the heart a bit heavy, I wanted to bring a bit of a lighter tone to the mix. I was really inspired by DIY crafters like Knitta, Please who make the world a bit more colorful in really sweet + simple ways. My creative friend Jannelle and I started to brainstorm and have a lot of new products that will be making their first online appearance very soon.

Around the same time that we started dreaming up projects, crafts and cuteness, the Banyan Tree Cafe on the YWAM campus in Kona asked us to create a PhotogenX store inside of their cafe. Instead of just putting books on a bookshelf, we decided to create a whole lotta' work for ourselves and dreamt up a plan for a sweet bookshelf. I love to create but am sometimes lacking in the skills department (read: I can't draw or paint). Thankfully I have some of the most creative friends in the whole wide world (seriously, they are from all over the world and they are amazing). I knew my friend Cambria (who we traveled to Panama, South Africa and Egypt with last year) would create a masterpiece and she truly has. She lights up when she gets inspired and she is one of the few people I know that would spend 3 hours in the paint store with me staring at samples and talking about all the paint names (seriously, naming the colors "enchanted forest" is a pure marketing scheme...and we fell for it). A new friend, Joel, just so happens to be a master with a jigsaw (he also designs and makes clothes). Cambria, Joel and a few other artists have created the most enchanted bookshelf I have ever seen. They have taken a little idea that I had and turned it into a beautiful reality. I feel really lucky to call these talented artists "amigos"(yeah, I call them that). Check back soon for more photos of the final set up!

Pure Hope Pakistan Teaser!

2010-11-28T16:08:00.000-08:00

Steve and Greg spent the last few weeks in Pakistan working on a campaign to bring safe and clean water to over a million people who have been affected by the disastrous floods (read more about the campaign here). Since they have returned a few days ago they have been putting together photos and video footage to shed light on the problem, the need and how we can respond. Below is a short clip that Greg put together yesterday. Check back in the coming weeks for more updates from Pure Hope Pakistan.

feedback.

2010-11-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

My friend Ryan Wojton recently pointed me in the direction of Derek Webb's new instrumental electronic album which is based on The Lord's Prayer.

In describing this project, which uses music, video, painting and photos, Derek Webb writes, "Worship is a complicated idea. Arguably, it’s what we all do, 24 hours a day (regardless of what we’re worshipping). And I’m aware of a lot of “worship product” in the marketplace I sometimes occupy. So I was cautious when I first started receiving the coordinates that would lead me to make ‘Feedback’. It was immediately conceptual and ambitious, so much so that I genuinely wasn’t sure I could do it. But this seemed to be the perfect posture in which to create something worthy of being called a “worshipful” piece of art. So I studied, meditated, struggled and prayed my way through this creative process, and it’s easily the most challenging thing I’ve done in my career. But I believe it’s been worth it, even just for the ways it’s stretched both my creative process and my faith as a follower of the Way." Check it out here!

Lately.

2010-11-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

Over the years we have learned that it is important to take advantage of every available opportunity that we get to CELEBRATE! We have had picnics in airports, tea parties in Afghanistan, baked Christmas cookies in shantytowns and most recently we used Halloween as an excuse to dress up and take a lot of photos of ourselves. A singalong also evolved as is the norm when Isaac and Steve are in the same room.

I wanted an excuse to make a yarn beard and drew inspiration from Steve's face. He couldn't decide on a costume so at the last minute we decided to be twins.

Greg & Jannelle as a lovely indian and Brad Smith

Matt is really good at staying in character.

The Fox family giving a colorful nod to their time in Japan.

Anne, Emily & Megan

Beards + Moustache.

Pure Hope Pakistan

2010-11-01T21:01:00.000-07:00

Pure Hope Pakistan Flood Relief from photogenX International on Vimeo.

We at PhotogenX are often presented with opportunites to partner with amazing people to make BIG changes. These opportunities are why we do what we do. They are opportunities that we cannot ignore.

In February Youth With a Mission International sent a PhotogenX team to Haiti (of which Steve and I were a part) to develop a presentation that was given to YWAM international leaders, International Diplomats, Business Executives and key media contacts to form a sustainable long-term response to the disaster that shook the nation. The results of the presentation that our team created for are overwhelming and eight months later we are still hearing stories of how influential people are partnering to re-build Haiti because of it.

Again we have an amazing opportunity at hand. Right now Pakistan is facing a disaster that is larger than the last 5 natural disasters combined (like Haiti and Chile). There have been over

2 million homes destroyed,

over 7 million people displaced without proper shelter,

the disaster is affecting 21 million people!

What makes it worse has been the media blackout for the last month that has kept this information from getting out. The main concern now is the same thing that flooded them, water. Dysentery and other waterborne illnesses are beginning to spread and it is crucial that the people of Pakistan get clean drinking water-SOON!

Steve and Greg (a PhotogenX teammate, filmmaker and web designer) were asked to make a campaign to bring over 100,000 water filters to families that have been affected by this flood. Each filter can help a family of 10 and would be able to produce over 300 gallons of clean drinking water each week if needed.

Greg has already built a website and a logo and he and Steve will travel to Pakistan NEXT WEEK to help with the distribution of water filters and to film the needs and some of the first families receiving these filters. They will be able to bring back the pictures and footage to make a promo video that will help bring safe and clean drinking water to over a million people who have been affected by the disaster.

Would you prayerfully consider contributing to this great need?

DONATE

a road in the country.

2010-10-26T01:48:00.000-07:00

one of my favorite quotes from Lin Yutang. inspiration poster by vol. 25

Haiti Cholera Outbreak Day 4

2010-10-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

Haiti Cholera Outbreak Update

2010-10-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

Haiti- Cholera Outbreak

2010-10-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

If one suffers, we all suffer.

2010-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

My husband is going to Pakistan in a few weeks to help distribute water filters to flood victims and to document one of the greatest natural disasters ever known to our earth. My thoughts and prayers have been focused on those who are suffering from waterborne diseases now more than ever as I ponder what my response to my suffering brothers and sisters in Pakistan will be.

If you are wondering the same thing and would like to take action for those who have been so devastated by the floods in Pakistan, leave a comment below or e-mail me at diane@photogenx.net and maybe we can come up with some solutions together.

Freedom is sweet.

2010-10-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

Reverse Trick-Or-Treating

It's not everyday that you have cute little monsters, scary ghosts or awkward teenagers in sort-of-costumes knocking on your door but fall has arrived and the time for trick-or-treating is fast approaching. You know the costumed masses are coming so this year, instead of turning out your lights and pretending you're not home, giving out healthy snacks (I've done this) or quarters taped to tracts clearly explaining how to escape the doom of hell (I won't mention any of my parents' names), why not participate in a new way? This Halloween families across the United States and Canada* will help to
-END forced labor in the cocoa industry
-ERADICATE poverty among cocoa farmers
-PROMOTE Fair Trade
-CHANGE Consumer Habits…
…all by giving Fair Trade chocolate back to adults and kids as they Trick-or-Treat in their communities on October 31st.

Global Exchange is giving out FREE Reverse Trick-Or-Treat kits (containing fair trade chocolate attached to an informational card about the problems in the cocoa industry such as child slavery, environmental degradation, and poverty and how fair trade provides a solution).

*Global friends, please get involved, too!!!

Chocolate Campaign

Join Not For Sale in the "Raise the Bar Campaign" by selling delicious Sweet Earth Fair Trade Chocolate, hosting a film screening of the new documentary, The Dark Side of Chocolate, and asking others to sign to petition to make Hershey’s fair trade. Your efforts in this chocolate campaign will:

1. Raise awareness of the ongoing use of child labor and human trafficking in the cocoa industry;

2. Inspire thousands to sign petitions asking Hershey to be transparent in the sourcing of their cocoa beans, and begin sourcing Fair Trade Certified cocoa;

3. Raise funds needed for the Not For Sale Campaign to end child labor and human trafficking in the production of chocolate.

Not For Sale has partnered with Sweet Earth Chocolates so you can offer 100% organic Fair Trade chocolate to your friends and family! This chocolate comes from grower co-operatives that monitor their operations to ensure that forced labor was not used in the production of their chocolate.

Next to Me

2010-10-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

Sleeping at Last is making a yearbook! This band reserves a very intimate place in my heart since I walked down the aisle to one of their songs, Careful Hands, when Steve and I got hitched. Listen, exhale and check out the Yearbook Project that they are doing!

Like cold water to a very weary soul.

2010-10-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a day (or a month...or seven months) where you are tired and weary and feeling like you've lost a bit of perspective on why you do what you do? I certainly have had a lot of days like this since I got sick and my body has been fighting to keep up with my heart. Today I received news that gave me goosebumps and helped awaken my soul to the truth that the world is so much bigger than me.

If you have been reading for a while, you may remember when I posted about the opportunity that we had to spend time loving the children of Panama. While we were there we learned about an issue from Matt & Misty Hedspeth that we couldn't ignore- the adoption system (or lack thereof) in Panama. While we were learning about the government controlled orphanages, restrictions on child placement, the only 9 foster families in the whole country and the stigma surrounding taking a child from a different family, class or culture into your home, most citizens of Panama are left unaware that there are problems behind the walls of the brightly painted buildings that housed thousands of abandoned, forgotten or orphaned children.

Matt & Misty (a family rights lawyer) left their home in North Carolina a few years ago when they realized the desperation of the adoption situation in Panama. They founded Hearts Cry Children's Ministry to create efficiencies for orphans and wrote a proposal to the government to implement change in the system so that it would be compliant with international adoption standards. While we were in Panama the proposal was accepted, Heart's Cry Ministry was given office space in the president's office and just recently they have been able to place a few children in homes for adoption!

We created a publication for Heart's Cry Ministry to use with the proposal to bring the stories of the children to the hearts of the citizens of Panama. The book needed to be approved by the government before printing (since the children are under the guardianship of the government) and a year later- the book is approved for printing!!! (did you get goosebumps?)

If you would like to contribute to the printing and distribution of this book, please contact Heart's Cry Ministry.

"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land" Proverbs 25:25