#joytoafrica2016

It's a rare exception when someone knows at 10 years old what she wants to do when she grows up and sticks with it. I was not one of those exceptions. If you had asked me at the beginning of last year what I wanted to do, I wouldn't have known. What I did know was that I wanted to help people in some way, shape or form. 

I always knew that I wanted to help people in some way, but my motivation has slowly changed. I was so obsessed with helping people because it made me feel good that I missed God in it.  But slowly, through meeting different people and having different experiences, I began to see what Christ actually looks like. I began to realize that it is not about me. When I look at other people, I see Jesus. I see Jesus in the homeless man freezing on the street. I see Jesus in my co-workers, friends and enemies. And that causes me to love each and every person in a way that is indescribable. Christ's love is so powerful that it causes me to strive to bring compassion and justice to the vulnerable, the weak, the hurting, the average joe, and the stingy. Everyone deserves to experience the love of Christ. 

I've always had the desire to combine the media with sharing people's stories. This passion was solidified after various international experiences and when I had the opportunity to intern at Trans World Radio (TWR) for a summer. Now I have decided to commit a period of my life to share joy and hope in Johannesburg, South Africa with TWR. 

TWR's ministry vision is to reach the world for Christ by mass media so that lasting fruit is produced. Project Hannah is a ministry of TWR that offers compassion, encouragement and hope to suffering women worldwide through prayer, awareness and radio programming. Their purpose is to raise awareness and empathy for the plight of women worldwide. 

According to a study on violence against women, South Africa has the highest rate ever reported in research anywhere in the world. "In South Africa, statistics say someone gets raped every four minutes... the rate of murders of women in South Africa is equally troubling" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/08/south-africa-violence-against-women_n_2837804.html).  

"...feminism is the radical notion that women are human- equal in value and dignity to men- and that vision has yet to be fully realized" (http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/we-need-feminism). 

My position will be the Project Hannah Regional Coordinator Assistant. I will be mentoring, coordinating the monthly prayer calendar, visiting and encouraging women, advocating and praying as well as updating the website and researching issues facing women in Africa. I will be responsible for writing, editing and proofreading different articles and publications. 

Some of these women just need to know that someone cares. My goal is to love these women and share with them the hope of Christ. That there is a God who cares for them, intricately created them and has an awe-surpassing love that we could never imagine. 

Thousands of letters are sent to Project Hannah each year sharing stories of changed lives. I could not be more excited to be a part of future stories. 

How you can help! 

I cannot leave for South Africa until I am fully funded. I am required to raise $3,000 a month (I will be in Johannesburg for three years) as well as a one time start-up amount of $20,000. (http://www.twr.org/global_staff/pearson/).

You can help by giving a monthly amount- a super quick and easy way to give is through this website where you can set up an automatic giving account ( 

You can also sign up for my e-newsletter as well! 

Can't give at this time? You can still help! 

One HUGE way that you could help is by spreading the word! Whether you live in New Jersey, Arkansas, California, or wherever, spreading the word is super easy. 

1. Get me connected to your church! I would love to be able to give a presentation at your church. It is a great way to spread the word to more people. If you could help set up a meeting with me and your pastor that would be incredible. 

2. Hold a small group. Whether it's a Sunday School class you attend, a Bible study, or if you'd like to invite some friends over to your house, I would absolutely love to be able to present and spread the word in a small group. 

3. Share on social media! Here is a link to a short 3 minute video that explains everything that this ministry involves. If you know anyone who would be interested in supporting this type of ministry, share this video with them and help get me connected! 
http://vimeo.com/105785126


These are three easy ways to help refer me to some new people. I would greatly appreciate your prayers and I hope you will join my team by giving and/or helping to spread the word! 

To contact me you can email me at rpearson@twr.org. 

My goal and vision would be to have all the money raised by the end of the year. That may seem impossible, but with your help I know it can happen. 

Happy New Year! 

what is true happiness?

I was asked a question this past week that made me really think. He asked, "What does true happiness mean to you?" 

It's a question that honestly, I thought I'd be able to answer pretty quickly. I'm a fairly happy person... I have a lot to be thankful for... yet, I stood there unable to answer. What does true happiness mean to me? It's a question I feel many people today wonder about time to time again. 

So, I've decided to do a little research and see what others thought what true happiness was. I found answers from the average person, philosophers, the Bible, bloggers... and decided to share some answers with you. 


The "Average" Person. 

"It seems to me that happiness is a natural state. It's when I've tried to be like others, or tried to live up to others' expectations that resulted in me being unhappy... We can always do things our own unique way and the more you be yourself the more you will grow. This way your presence of being will always grow and though you will face hardships you will always triumph if you find the good in life. And there are a lot of good people out there too who are searching for the same peace of mind. Happiness is contagious!"

"A smile on your face usually means you're happy. But then you would only know you're happy when you are looking in the mirror. To me true happiness is seeing the smiles on others' faces. Knowing I had a hand in putting the smile there is my true happiness."

"I think true happiness is to be loved by the people that are closer to you."

"Whatever makes you feel good. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, free and at peace."

"To be in a good place where everything around you is secure and you have no secrets or pains to protect or cover up. You can just be yourself and enjoy it."

"The absence of greed, hatred and delusion."

"When you have no worries around you... and some chocolate could help too." 

"For people it's different. I'm happy when I'm with my friends. When I get compliments on my academics."

"Finding peace within myself." 


Philosophers.

Socrates

To find true happiness you must keep interested in the truth and make sure that your soul is as good as possible. To get a good soul, maintain the four virtues of prudence, temperance, courage and justice. 

Augustine of Hippo

Lasting happiness is possible only living in God. God is the greatest happiness that a man can achieve. 

Arthur Schopenhauer

Happiness is a wish that is satisfied, which in turn, gives rise to a new wish. The absence of satisfaction is suffering, that results in an empty longing. Happiness is linked with the movement of time. We feel happy when time moves faster and sad when time slows down. 

Ludwig Marcuse

There are only some moments of happiness in life, but that great permanent happiness does not exist. 


Psychology.

Psychology has defined happiness as subjective well-being, however, some theorists disagree with this and instead promote the idea of the meaningful life being as important or more important than a happy one. 

Dr. Mark Atkinson

"True happiness is worlds apart from 'normal happiness.' True happiness describes a deep sense of inner well-being, peace and vitality that is with you most of the time in most circumstances. People, who experience true happiness, feel a deep sense of gratitude for simply being alive. Unlike normal happiness which comes and goes and is dependent on certain things happening, true happiness is independent of our life situation. This doesn't mean you don't feel anger, or sadness or fear, in fact the opposite is often the case. Truly happy people have the ability to feel those emotions deeply and fully, but they don't lose sight of themselves as they do, they remain aware and present to their thoughts and motions without getting caught up in them."


The Bible. 

Psalm 30:1-12
"I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." 

John 15:9-11
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."



There are many people who are striving to find happiness each and every day. The truth is, happiness is all around us. We just have to look in the right place. 

in a world of challenges

"The truth is that stress doesn't come from your boss, your kids, your spouse, traffic jams, health challenges, or other circumstances. It comes from your thoughts about these circumstances."

Truthfully, I love to play the blame game. Whatever challenge comes my way, I always find a way to blame it on something else. Even something simple that happened today... my computer keyboard randomly stopped working. I instantly threw up my hands and gave up because "technology just hates me." It obviously didn't have anything to with the simple fact that it ran out of batteries. 

I love to blame my stress on my circumstances. I have a long list of reasons of why certain things are the way they are and none of them have to do with my own self and attitude. Things happen. Challenges come. But these circumstances in themselves do not bring you stress. It's the thoughts about your circumstances that bring you stress. The fact that I'm not making as much money as I'd like in itself is not bringing me stress. What brings me stress are all the worrisome and anxious thoughts that I have about my circumstances. 

If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges. 

In all circumstances, we can choose to be a blessing. We can choose to look at challenges as opportunities instead of burdens. When we use our challenges to learn, we can bless others as well. 

I heard a message the other day and it reminded me that there are many things that we come with the attitude of "have to" instead of "get to." This is something I am learning in some of the challenges I face and changing my perspective. 

For example, as most of you know I am raising support in order to work in South Africa. Recently, I've had the mindset of I have to raise support. But what a change in perspective when I change the word have to get. I GET to raise support! What an exciting opportunity to bond people together for one goal. 

I'm challenging myself and I'd like to challenge you to think about all of the "have to's" in your life and look at it from another perspective. Yes, I have to go to work. But I get to go to work so that maybe in some small way I can make somebody's day. 

And that brings me to my next support team highlight of the week: Beth Waltrip. 

I have known Beth forever. She has been such a blessing in my family's life and her and my mother's friendship has given me hope and inspiration for my own friendships. Seeing how long their friendship has lasted and how it's still going strong is amazing. I love all the memories of birthdays where she has always baked the most delicious cakes. 



         My mom and Beth-- and a delicious cake! 

I love that she didn't have to be on my support team. But she chose to. We get to be in God's ministry together. 


Thank you to all who are currently supporting and praying for me. If you'd like more information on my ministry vision and financial goals, please email me at rpearson@twr.org. 

dealing with uncertainty

"I spent a lot of years trying to outrun or outsmart vulnerability by making things certain and definite, black and white, good and bad. My inability to lean into the discomfort of vulnerability, limited the fullness of those important experiences that are wrought with uncertainty: Love, belonging, trust, joy and creativity to name a few."

This quote rings true with many of us. Uncertainty may be one of the largest reasons people hold back. It is because of uncertainty that people don't follow their dreams. It is because of uncertainty that people don't tell people how they really feel. It is because of uncertainty that people put up walls and boundaries. It is because of uncertainty that people don't put their ideas out there. 

I am writing today not because I have some "cure" for uncertainty. Uncertainty will always be there and will always be a part of our every day lives. We will never be certain about the things we think we are certain about. In the back of our minds of everything we do, there is always that nagging thought that nothing is definite. There will be always a little bit of doubt in our minds that what we are doing is the wrong thing. 

I'm writing today because this uncertainty at times will control me. I live my life in the fear of uncertainty. I wake up and I say, "It's going to be a great day!" But then uncertainty crowds my minds with "what if" questions and telling me that I'll never be good enough to accomplish the things I need in order to succeed. I become unmotivated and depressed and instead of really trying at life, I find comfort in the cozy chair and watch endless amounts of Netflix. "It doesn't matter," I think. "If I'm not actually going to accomplish anything I should just skip all the strife and start doing where I'm going to end up. On this chair of failure and discontent." 

And among the attacks of uncertainty, we don't listen to the one thing we can be certain in. Christ's love. His whisper is in there if we choose to listen. 

I think we choose to listen to uncertainty because it is easier. It is easier to give up. It is easier to blame our circumstances on things that we don't know. It's easier for us to accept our failures and decide to live a mediocre life. 

If we actually listened to the voice we can be certain in, we would have no choice but to do something. When I hear the voice of Certainty it is saying, "I am certain in  your future. I am certain in your love, belonging, trust, joy and creativity. I am certain that I will be with you when things are bad and when things are good. I am certain that even when it's not OK, I will be taking care of you. I am certain that you will succeed if you follow me." 

Of course, it's not always easy to follow the voice of Certainty because it requires trust. But I would much rather trust in certainty of God's love than the destruction of uncertainty. 

I'm still going to be uncertain about my future. I'm still going to have doubts. But I will not let myself live in these things. Instead, I choose to listen to the voice of Certainty and I know that even when it's not OK, it is well. And instead of letting the loud thoughts destroy me, I will find peace in God's whisper. 




I would like to thank all that are supporting and praying for me in my process of support raising. There is a lot of uncertainty in this process, but it is because of people like you that remind me I can be certain that God is here. 

If you have any questions about my ministry vision and financial goals please email me at rpearson@twr.org. 

crisis averted

i recently had a crisis. not a crisis of faith or anything... just a crisis. I was struggling... in a weird way. I was struggling with the fact that I have never really struggled. 

I kept hearing all of these stories about how people find God in their lowest moments- in their rock bottom. There was some kind of climax in their lives that brought them confirmation and changed their lives. 

whether it was physical like a car accident or an addiction or something traumatic happened or God redirected their plans. or they had a crisis of doubt or thoughts of suicide... 
whatever it was, there was some kind of climax where in the end they found God and they were given a confirmation of where they needed to be and what they should do. 

now, I'm not calling me or my life perfect, but I've never had a climax. I've never hit rock bottom. I haven't made any massive mistakes. nothing traumatic has happened to me. I've even been following a plan for my life that God hasn't changed. 

i wasn't wishing anything bad on myself, and I wasn't wishing for a different story, I just wished I had something. some kind of confirmation that God is using me despite my lack of mistakes and that I'm where he wants me to be. 

everyone says that God's plan is better than my plans. so far, I've been following my plans- I think they're God's plans too, but how do you know? 

I just needed something. I know God is with me, yet I felt like I was walking the road alone. I had faith in God but I didn't have faith in my story. 

I felt like I was just coasting. I didn't know where I was in my own story. 

Lesson #4: We can't all be Pauls. Someone has to be Ananias. 

As the story goes, Paul has an extremely dramatic conversion story. Yet, he still needed Ananias to come, who maybe didn't have such a dramatic story. 

I had a great conversation with a wonderful friend of mine. She helped me realize that all of our stories are significant. Some of us have dramatic conversion stories but some of us need to be the ones to take the scales off their eyes. 

My grandmother has a beautiful conversion story because of a Christian woman who simply shared her story. Both characters are needed to create the story. 

As my lovely friend so wisely stated, "Life doesn't have to be one big life changing moment. More often it's a bunch of little ones that shape who you are as a person and Christian." 

We don't need miracle stories to tell us that God exists. The evidence is all around us! There's evidence in his breathtaking creation. In the mystery of love and amazing friendships. 

Jesus died on the cross for our rock bottoms and Jesus died on the cross so that everyone- even those NOT on rock bottom- could experience his grace in the fact that we are breathing. The fact that we can experience laughter and the enjoyment of doing something great. We are all here for the same purpose and all stories are needed to share the love of Christ to the world. 


And that brings me to my support team highlight of the week: Scott Lantis. 



            Scott surviving as the only guy intern all summer at TWR. 

Scott has an incredible story. I met him last summer as we were both interns at TWR. I cannot imagine that summer without him in it. I have never seen a man eat so many eggs for breakfast or so much chicken for lunch or bring so much laughter to a group. 

But even more than that, his passion for the Lord and for people (and America) was amazing. He inspired me that summer to grab onto something that I am passionate about and to follow it. Scott followed his passions and he is working for the Denver Broncos in Colorado. 

Scott's story is incredible because of how he lives for Christ. It has nothing to do with his circumstances, it has all to do with the way he loves God with all his heart, mind, body and soul. 

I am so glad to have this guy on my team. 


Thanks to all who are praying for and supporting me. If you have any questions about my ministry vision and financial goals, please don't hesitate to email me at rpearson@twr.org. 

Also, check out my ministry video to see what I'll be doing in South Africa! 

stories of a selfless narcissist

You know those moments when you're just sitting there and then suddenly someone says something and you feel like you've been hit with a baseball bat? A revelation hits you and in that one second, everything you ever thought about yourself is changed? 

I had one of those moments yesterday. And it starts with this confession. 

My name is Rachel Pearson, and I am a selfless narcissist. This confession coexists with this new lesson I have learned during the support raising process. What does it look like to be completely and truly selfless. 

I've always liked to think of myself as a selfless person. Someone who cares about other people and sincerely wants to put others before myself. 

But thinking myself as a selfless person and actually being a selfless person is not the same. Yesterday, I realized something about myself. Though I desire to be someone who follows the Philippians 2 version of being selfless... the slap-in-the-face revelation I had was that I am only a selfless person when I want to be. When it's convenient.  

In actuality, I am the most selfish, selfless person I know. 

Let me explain this contradiction. 

I love putting my friends above myself. I care so deeply for them that when I am around them, I can't help but trying to be completely and utterly selfless. I want them to be happy and I want to help them in any way I can. I love doing little acts of kindness for them and encouraging them when they need to be built up. When someone does something nice for me, I love sending them a nice handwritten note and putting in extra effort to help them feel loved. 

But what do I get in return? Well, they do the same for me. I can say with much gratitude, that I can always count on my friends to love me selflessly as well. They encourage me and build me up and return the kindness that I show. 

Am I really a selfless person if I am only putting these people above myself? What about others who may not give me anything in return? 

Philippians 2 says, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others..."

I must admit that my selflessness is actually motivated out of selfish ambition. I am only selfless around those I love and am loved in return. Jesus commands us to put all others above ourselves. This includes the people I don't love so much. The strangers. The people who annoy me. 

I can't be selfless around those I like and then gossip about the people I don't. This is not genuine selflessness. I will not settle to be a selfless narcissist. I want to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 

"...who, being in the very nature of God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!" 

And this leads me to my next support team highlight of the week: Joe D'Oliviera. 



               Ah, throwback to our ice skating days. 

Joe came on board my support team this past week and I couldn't ask for a better person to exemplify selflessness. 

I met Joe back in my Chick-Fil-A days and I am so grateful that we've been able to keep in touch. In everything he does, he always puts others first. Whether it is a good friend, a stranger or even someone he may not like very much, he is always second and the other is always first. I have learned so much from his humble attitude and his love for people. His big heart shines bright and I am very thankful to have his partnership as I walk on this journey. 

Thank you to all who are supporting and praying for me. 



If you are interested in learning more about my ministry vision and financial goals, please email me at rpearson@twr.org. 

Also, check out my ministry video to learn more about what' I'll be doing in South Africa!

open up your heart

We can all agree that life is hard. Sometimes life is hard even when it doesn't have to be. 

I'm 22... the prime age (or is it?). Ripe out of college, the possibilities are endless. 

So why are all my friends and I stuck in this rut where we find ourselves eating Chipotle burritos asking each other where the heck we're going. We're living at home, growing bitter attitudes at the fact we are enslaved to our college loans and not feeling good enough for the world. 

The stress is eating away at our souls as we eat away at fattening foods and wallow in the fact that our computers are too slow and we've ripped holes in our clothes. 

I wish I was being dramatic. 

But despite the fact that we are all in this in-between space of life, where we are not yet where we want to be because we don't exactly know where we want to be... we can't let this in-between stage stop us in our tracks. 

Lesson #2: Open up your heart and just let it begin. 

Each day is a new beginning... a new opportunity. Each morning that we awake, it doesn't have to be another day of feeling like a failure or another constant worry of where we'll be in the next few months. 

But our hearts must be open. 

My support team highlight of the week is Olivia Mendizabal. 

 
                  Me, Jasmyn and Olivia in Ecuador

I met Olivia when I studied abroad in Ecuador my Junior year of college. She is one of those people that have taught me what it looks like to have an open heart. 

Olivia has jumped on board my support team this week and I am so thankful for her friendship. Even though I haven't seen her since our departure (I will always have the memory of the two of us being stranded in the airport for hours awaiting our delayed plane!) she has still been able to keep in touch through small acts of kindness. Whether it was supporting me when I interned at TWR last summer, or sending a letter when I was working at camp this past summer, she has encouraged me in everything that I have done. 

I still have a little while before I head off to South Africa. There are many obstacles I have to jump over. Paying off loans and raising support is extremely intimidating. But my heart is open. And it's not only open to this process but it's open to the things that God has for me right now. 

I may be in this weird in-between stage, but that doesn't mean I am unimportant. It may seem like I have a unimportant job and that I should be ashamed of the fact I've moved back home. 

But this is not true. God uses you wherever you are and in this stage of life. As we work toward a future goal, we can still be used. God uses us when we purchase a coffee for the homeless friend we pass every day on the way to work. He uses us to be a light in the workplace. He uses us when we encourage a friend. 

Open up your heart and let it begin. 




If you'd like more information about my ministry vision and financial goals, please send me an email at rpearson@twr.org. 

And hey, look! A cool video about my ministry! Three minutes and learn what I'll be doing when I get to South Africa.