Blog

Explore My News,
Thoughts & Inspiration

Thank you to everyone who has posted their bio and let us know who they are. Now that we have the biographical information entered in already, we are going to move onward to a series of posts dedicated to communication, ie., blogging. Once you are out on the field, you will be added to a blog that will be yours to write on and communicate with back home. You and your team will post on this blog.

What I want to begin with all of you is the process of "telling a story." The purpose is help you articulate the emotions, feelings, atmosphere, and the experience you are trying to relay to the reader. Some of you are great at telling stories, while others, it is a struggle. Some of you can vocalize a great stroy, while others can write a phenominal story. What I hope to do is help you build confidence in this area, as well as for you to expose your heart to your readers (family, friends, supporters, teammates' family and friends, all of us at AIM).
We are going to the next few weeks to talk about and explore what elements that will make your stories exceptional. We will spend time working on telling stories, creating engaging titles, including photos and/or video(s), and how to get your blog trafficked effectively. For the purpose of this week, I am going to leave a few blogs on here for you to read. I would like to ask you to read them and then comment on them. Let's discuss what they do well and maybe areas that could be better. Also what areas are exceptional? Can you visualize yourself where they are?

*Do not worry, these are from participants I have led and they know that you are going to be reading them. Your feedback and constructive criticism are greatly appreciated.


Sample #1

Timothy is Superman(just saying).  I met him while we were visiting houses in the I.D.P.(Internally Displaced Persons) Camp.  He is ten years old.  The first thing I noticed was his big smile, not the braces on his legs or the crutches he was using to help get around.

  You see Timothy was born with clubbed(feet turned in) feet.  The reason he was wearing the braces is because he had an operation to turn them outward so he could walk right.  I must say since the first time I saw him three weeks ago, his feet have been healing so well!  Each time I visit him(which is twice a week) he shows me how far he can walk.  It makes me so happy to look at his Mothers' face and see her smile grow every time Timothy takes an extra step.  It is also really wicked sweet that Timothy and his Mom both love God and have Jesus in their hearts.  So Timothy is pretty much my legit(imate) bro. 


  He is my Superman because he has a strength in him that I wish I had.  He could be so sad and down that he can't run around with his friends but he isn't.  He is the happiest kid and I must say I admire that about him.  Since he reminded me of Superman I gave him my Superman watch.  That watch meant a lot to me and I knew right away that I wanted him to have it.  He deserves it!   We decided as a team to go to the I.D.P. Camp two times a week and pass out food to the families.  As a result I get to visit him and his Mother twice a week which makes me extremely happy. I love them.

    I love going to the I.D.P Camp and passing out food to the the people there.  God has been giving us the chance to build so many wonderful relationships with the families there(like Timothy and his mom).  I love the kids there with all my heart.  They are truly beautiful.  You can not look at their smiling faces and say that you can not see Jesus.  Uh, I love them so much!


Sample #2

I didn't really have a subject to write about as i sat down to write but in India you never know when you will have internet so when you have the chance you take it. Before I could even pray and ask God what he wanted me to write about the Holy Spirit said Pastor K. Pastor Kituveajvnueifjao (just kidding, I don't know his name that's why we call him pastor K) is an Indian pastor whos church is in the same Building that we are staying in. He is, from what I understand, the head Pastor for ICM, an organization that has planted hundreds of churches all over Andhra Pradesh. He is a huge Inspiration to me. It just goes to show that in India things never are the way you think. He grew up Hindu till he was in his 20's and his parents were Hindu as well as the rest of his family. He described himself as lonely and quiet and depressed. He said that he was in college studying to get his degree in Civil Engineering when He came to God. He was studying and studying and trying harder and harder to get make good grades but there was once class that just wasn't clicking. It came down to the last test and it was a pass or fail situation. the night before he got down on his knees and said "Jesus if you are real and if you are God, please help me pass this test. Please help me remember and comprehend everything that i am about to study." so he hit the books and the next morning took the test and got an A. He said that it wasn't just a freak thing either, he said that he had no idea how he knew the answers but when he would read it he would think about in class or reading or studying exactly when he heard the answer. He said the Holy Spirit was with him. And from then on he has been serving God. He said not long after when he was reading the Bible and praying he heard the Holy Spirit tell him to quit his job and become a Pastor. He said that he didn't even think about it that he started right away. It's amazing because usually the parents influence their children but in this case Pastor K witnessed to his parents and now his dad is a pastor too and his mom teaches woman's classes for the christian ladies in the area. The whole story is so amazing to me. If you've ever been to India you know that jobs don't pay much, and pastor make less than that. He has a Degree in engineering and as soon as God called him he decided not to use his degree and make more money but to be pastor. Now if you met him you would not know that he was the way he was. He is hilarious, he loves people, he is on fire for God… He is awesome I want to bring him home with me. He has inspired me so much over the last three weeks and everyday keeps reminding me of how I want to be for God. He says to me " Kody, because I serve God  all tha time there not time for the exercize. this is why i am fat." I laughed so hard.