Oui, allo?

A word that a lot of Christians use, and I try to use well and meaningfully, is "calling." I am often keenly aware of why and how I use it, mainly because it may not mean much to those outside a Christian (and perhaps a narrow segment of Christian, at that) culture.

What is calling? What is calling to me?

I recently responded to an online survey for humanitarian aid workers and one of the questions really got me thinking.

[Sidenote: Are you a humanitarian aid worker? Take the survey here! It takes about 30 minutes.]

The question was:

Which statement below *best* describes your primary reason for becoming an aid worker?

• Ended up as an aid worker by accident or "unintentionally"
• I felt called by God or a higher power
• I was following my dream to provide aid for those less fortunate than myself
• I needed an adventure in my life and being an aid worker sounded like a good idea
• I could not find any other employment
• I followed a friend or significant other into the field of aid work
• None of the above even comes close to articulating my reason for becoming an aid worker.

As I read "I felt called by God" I thought, "Of course, that's the one." Until I read the next line, and then I had a mini brain explosion. I stared at the two options for a good couple of minutes, talked to Charlie, stared a little longer. And came to the conclusion that both answers are the same for me, and that one doesn't even follow the other, but they are weirdly and beautifully intertwined.

I believe that God uses what I am passionate about to call me, while also being the source of that passion. I think calling is about using my God-given gifts (which I have tried to steward by developing into usable skills), resources, and passion to live a life that is other-centered. 

God is love. Jesus was all about loving and serving others, especially the vulnerable and marginalised. This doesn't mean everyone, or even every Christian, needs to work in some form of humanitarian aid, but it sure does mean we need to treat the vulnerable and marginalised with dignity and respect, as Jesus did. 

Working in development and human rights is how I live out this "calling."

As always, still haven't figure it all out. Does anyone? How do you see your "calling"? Do you have issues with the idea of "calling" in the first place?

We're Back!!

To Blogger, that is.

We've been blogging from Love Global for the past year and a bit, and you can go there to read our last posts. We've decided to start posting more on our personal blog. I've struggled with what I should write for our re-inaugural post, but finally decided, just do it! So we'll ease in, first with some recent family photos!

Family pic from last November by my lovely and talented cousin, Meghan

Another beautiful pic by Meg

It's a new year (I'm sorry, is it really 2014? Does that question make me sound old? Oh my gosh, I'm turning 30 next month!), we are well into our second year in Cambodia, and, no, we are definitely not resting on our laurels! New challenges lie ahead. In spite of having been here for almost 18 months, I still feel I am only scratching the surface of Cambodian culture and language, although the language is coming along. One of my goals this year is to become "conversationally at ease" in Khmer, on a basic level at least. Suffice it to say I want to do more than have a three sentence conversation with someone that covers my name, where I'm from, and how old my toddler is!

Why is it so important to me that I learn Khmer? So many reasons! Here are some of them:

1. So I can get to know my colleagues and others better by increasing communication options. Even if we can't get very far into deep conversations in Khmer, the mere fact that I am trying is (usually) appreciated.
2. Respect for the country that I currently call home. I should not expect everyone here to just speak English (or French) just because I do. I want to engage deeply with Cambodian culture and people, and language is probably the most straightforward way to do that.
3. To get around easier. This is just plain practical.

I believe learning Khmer is part of my calling here. I'm not just here to work or live or spend a few years, I want to BE here in every sense of the word. I still don't know all the ways that God will use me in Cambodia. I do know that I 100% believe in contextual ministry, and because Khmer is a huge part of the context God has placed me in, Khmer I will learn. 

Easier said than done, so back to my lesson book I go...

Posts @ Love Global

Hi Friends!

We have posted a few new posts this month, check the out on our Love Global page (scroll down for the updates): http://www.loveglobal.com/project/project.aspx?asset=1057&referrerId=719.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from recent activities in our family!

With Cous-Auntie Sarah upon her arrival from India

With Aunties Geneviève & Maïa having fruit milkshakes after supper out in Phnom Penh

With Cous-Uncle Paul at Éléphant Blanc pool right outside Phnom Penh

Napping on the way home from one of many excursions

With all our visiting friends at local crab restaurant in Kep, enjoying the sunset and tasty tasty food!

{Work} Butterfly Project

Doing some theme and word mapping for
Butterfly research data analysis

We have started writing blog posts through our Canadian sending agency, Love Global Foundation. For more on what we're doing in Cambodia, previous posts, and to follow our Love Global blog and support our work, go to http://www.loveglobal.com/project/project.aspx?asset=1057.

Charlie has told you a little about his work with Chab Dai, and now that I am back at work, the little one is taken care of by a wonderful new nanny, and I am immersing myself in a new project, I will try to explain my role with Chab Dai over the next few posts.

After going back and forth about everything I will be doing with Chab Dai here in Cambodia, my job title was summed up as "Staff Capacity Development." This includes a whole lot of different tasks and projects, so for now I will explain what I will be involved with for the next couple months.

The Butterfly Project is a 10-year longitudinal research study on reintegration of survivors of human trafficking. The study "aims to better understand the experiences of survivors of abuse who have been reintegrated back into society after rehabilitation. Researchers will follow victims as they become survivors starting from the time they are in the aftercare program. The purpose will be to ‘hear’ from the survivors themselves, about their lives, understandings and experiences so their voices can contribute towards a greater understanding of the complexities of (re-)integration."

We are coming to the end of the 3rd year in the research so, as you can imagine, I am on a steep learning curve and trying to catch up on three years of findings! Every year, Chab Dai publishes an annual progress report on the findings from that year. My role in the Butterfly team is to help with data analysis for this year's findings, train and support the research team in writing a portion of the literature review, bring all the quantitative and qualitative data together into thematic sections and edit the final report. I am diving right in, as you can see!

I'm really excited about this project, as the lessons learned from the research are continuously being fed back to assistance programs, who can use it to better serve the survivors they are working with. It is also so great to actually see research and feedback in the voices of the survivors themselves; it is such a dignifying way to make their stories heard.

No looking back now...

Charlie and I recently sent out our first fundraising letter for Cambodia. We're leaving so soon, in less than 4 months!! Here is the letter:

With 4-month old Saméa in Winnipeg

In 2008-2009, my husband, Charlie, and I spent time in Cambodia, interning with an organisation called Chab Dai. Since our return, we have established Chab Dai Canada, working with others against human trafficking in Montreal and across Canada. Last May, I obtained my Masters degree in International Community Economic Development. On December 26, Saméa joined our family and has been a joy to get to know and watch grow. We are into a new phase in our lives and careers and are now planning to move back to Cambodia to join the Chab Dai team there. We plan on being in Cambodia for a minimum of three years.

When Charlie and I first went to Cambodia, we knew we would either find the issue too difficult to engage with and would move on to something else, or it would touch us so deeply that it would become our life's calling. Three years later, we cannot imagine doing anything else!

How Chab Dai Addresses Human Trafficking

Chab Dai's vision is based on an ethos of collaboration aiming to address human trafficking through coalition building, advocacy, and research. Chab Dai's main objectives are improving capacity, resourcing organisations, advocacy and prevention, and high quality aftercare.

How We Will Contribute to Chab Dai's Vision

I will be joining The Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project team, a 10-year research study which aims to better understand the experiences of survivors of abuse who have been reintegrated into society after rehabilitation. I will also be working with our coalition member organisations to find sustainable economic and financial reintegration solutions for survivors.

Charlie will be working mainly with the Learning Community project which oversees coalition activities. He will help coalition members develop programs and policies around short-, medium-, and long-term expat volunteers and staff, and will provide support, capacity building, and conflict resolution services for expat and national workers. He will also act as a liaison between volunteers and host organisations.

Partner with Us

For Charlie's full-time, and my part-time position, Chab Dai has approved a joint salary of $3,000 per month. Chab Dai will cover 50% of that salary; we are responsible to raise the other 50%. Would you consider becoming a monthly financial partner to cover part of this amount? We are looking for friends willing to give $25, $50, or $100 per month. We are also looking for one-time donations to help with travel and set-up costs. If you would like to partner with us or would like more information, please contact us.

Autumn is here!

Yes, it's official - our Indian summer is over and fall has set in. It's my favourite season: crisp air, snug (and getting snugger) sweaters, and root vegetables galore! We had an amazing summer. Our travels included Ocean City with my sister, Christa; Winnipeg for our dear friends, Paul and Heidi's wedding (pic of us at the wedding, with the beginnings of a baby bump!), and Paris & The Hague for a mix of business and pleasure. I was presenting a poster at the Human Development and Capabilities Association conference in The Hague. It went really well and the conference as a whole was excellent and challenging. I wrote about one of the keynote lectures in our Chab Dai team's joint blog, Along the Paths of Justice.

This fall is full of new challenges. Backaches and sore hips are among them, but perseverence is the key, because Squeege still needs to cook for about 10 more weeks! We're getting more and more excited, and learning lots about patience, in this last trimester. We want to meet this squirmy, hiccough-y little person!

I am still working in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve at the youth center. Our financial capability project is growing; this year we have twice the number of teens in the project as last year! We're also trying an adapted version of the project with a group of parents that meet at the center. We have found an amazing and talented replacement to take over the project when I go on maternity leave in December. She will work with me this fall to learn the project and facilitate a good transition and then take it on fully when I leave. I'm so excited to start working with her and, although I am sad to leave the project, I feel completely confident handing over this baby to care for my new baby!

The Adventures Continue...

... this time with a baby on board!! I graduated from SNHU in May and am now just over three months pregnant (as if travelling to malaria and dengue ridden countries weren't challenging enough already!) The picture on the left is what Squeege looks like right about now!

I am still working with Christian Direction in Montreal on the youth financial capability project. I am also now working on a contract with Making Cents International, based out of Washington, D.C. (they are - not me) and their partner organisation in Haïti, Save the Children. The project we are doing is really exciting and closely related to what I did my thesis project on here in Montreal. I get to put the "International" part of my degree to work right away!

Next week, I will leave for a first two-week trip to Haïti, and I'll be in three different cities throughout my trip. The cities are squared in red in the map below. I'll start in the north of the country, Cap-Haïtien, for a few days. That part of the trip is unrelated to my Making Cents work; I'm going down with Jacynthe, whom I spent a week with in Haïti last August at the arts and music camp. We'll be doing some training for counsellors for the second camp this summer!


After Cap-Haïtien, I'll go back to Port-au-Prince and from there spend one week in Léogâne and one week in Jacmel for the Making Cents project. We'll be testing out a curriculum on financial education for young women and girls. The project will focus on training young Haitian women to become financial mentors to others girls in their community.

And so off we go, me and Squeege (who is currently approximately the size of my fist), on our first international adventure together. Right now, I'm still coping with low energy and regular bouts of nausea, so here's hoping I'm well into the second "honeymoon" trimester by the time I leave!