Seva Challenge 2009"Bare Witness: African Humanitarian Tour"

It's official--I have submitted by application of intention to participate in the 'Off the Mat, Into the World' SEVA challenge (for more info visit: offthematintotheworld.org). I have given my participation a lot of thought and finally decided to leap...and submit. If nothing else, I will be one step closer to where I want to be in the name of service to children.

If you want to and are able to contribute to the challenge, please click the donate now link on the right and be sure to select my name from the drop-down menu as all donations are linked with the individuals collecting them and count toward the needed total.

I commit to taking the 2009 Off the Mat, Into the World® Seva Challenge because I want to be a leader for change in my community and in the world.

I intend to raise $20,000 or more for the purpose of building schools and farms in Uganda, and to journey with OTM to Uganda in February of 2010 to make a difference in the lives of children and to change my life.

The reason this journey is important for me is:

The 'journey' is bigger than just raising money and just expanding myself beyond the limits I normally 'think' myself to be limited by--this journey takes me into the heart of service, beyond my local scope, asks me to connect with others finding their own spirit of service as we put forth energy and resources toward the call of those in need. Through my yoga practice, I have come to recently realize that my longing to have another child was a distortion of something deeper that was being conveyed to me--I don't need to 'have', by adoption or birthing, another child when children, in general, can have me through service--they are already here and I want to move closer to their needs, I want to step outside of my box and answer a call that has been muffled by a lifetime's worth of fear. If I learn more about myself, if my path becomes clearer and my purpose explored--golden.

My personal hope for the year is:

Building off the importance of this journey, I hope that this challenge will inspire and prepare me to begin service projects for children in my local community. Obviously, I want to reach my goal but more than and beyond that, I want to stay open to the experience rather than distracted by the end result, to know that even if I don't raise the $20,000 in full that I will have tapped into and realized something of my potential and my path, something of the potential and heart of my community and will have created a bond, a network that will grow and serve beyond this particular challenge, face-to-face with the next.

I will step forth into this challenge in act of SEVA, with the highest intention of making a permanent difference.

I will rise up as a leader, with the support of my community, educating those around me and emerging from this experience as a more loving individual committed to taking action and creating positive change.