I have loved this blog. I have loved writing this blog. I have loved the discussions I have gotten to have with people because of this blog.
But mostly I have loved this blog because it is what I am passionate about. I don't struggle to find things to write about. I simply share whatever is on my heart. It's actually quite easy. :)
Sadly, this is my last blog post for Dare to Love.
But I am not done writing.
God is taking me on a new adventure. A crazy, radical, scary, exciting, humbling, beautiful journey with Him. A journey that is so amazing I hardly feel worthy of it. But He has chosen me...He has called me... and He is irresistible. When I began writing this blog and tried to convey the heart and purpose and meaning behind the title Dare to Love...this was because this is my heart, this is what I am striving for... this is the journey I am on.
I didn't realize how radically this would play out in my own life. But God has called me to go to the nations, and who am I to ignore Him?
So here is my official announcement:
This July, I will be leaving for an 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries with an organization called AIM (adventures in missions). My team and I will partner with different churches and ministries in local communities to do things such as preach the Gospel, feed the hungry, lead camps, teach English classes, live with the gypsies, plant churches, work in orphanages, minister to women and children trapped in prostitution as a result of trafficking, and bring a message of love and hope to people from tribes and nations around the world.
This being said, Dare to Love is not over, but I will be at a new site:
courtneyduron.theworldrace.org
When I started writing this blog, I had no idea how seriously I would be challenged to live up to the dare I talk about in this blog. It's more than I could have ever dreamed up for myself :)
Please follow me on this adventure. I have started writing on this new blog, and will continue writing now and throughout my year around the world. Basically, I will just be continuing to share my heart, as well as sharing about all the different things I encounter and experience while I am gone and as I am preparing to go.
It would mean the world to me if you would follow me at this new site!
I love you all.
11.30.2011
The Journey Ends Here... (but every end has a new beginning)
Posted by Courtney Duron at 7:53 PM 0 comments
11.28.2011
Making Dreams Come True
Sorry for my blogging hiatus. The holidays are here and I went home for a week to see my family...enjoy good food...spend time with old friends... and tell a million people who haven't seen me for a while about my plans for the future- everyone's favorite topic for a graduating college senior. We get these types of questions all the time don't we?
What are your plans? What are your hopes? What are your dreams?
What a loaded question. Or an exciting question, depending on your perspective. For most people in my circle, it is simply exciting. As I have grown up, I have constantly been challenged to dream big. To pursue my passions. A wall in my high school was dedicated to the quote "shoot for the moon...even if you miss...you'll land among the stars." From a very young age, I was told that I could be anything I wanted to be. That if I set my mind to it, I could do anything that I wanted.
As I've gotten older, I've realized, as many of us have, that some of this thinking is a bit unrealistic. As much as I wanted to be a jockey when I was younger, I had to come to the sad realization that I am simply too tall. Sigh. But even then...there are not many things I am striving for that I consider to be impossible.
...Because really- my opportunities are endless. I have so many options, so many paths I could take. I can become a professional. I can move to California. I can get married. I can get a job overseas. I can apply for internships. I can backpack around Europe. I can go back to grad school. I can move home if I need too. I can go be an au pair in Spain. I can save for a new car. I can be a missionary. Yes, some of these things may not work out exactly the way I want, there are certainly outside factors to consider. But they are dreams. They are not unrealistic. I have dreams that could very easily become realities. I have friends who have dreams to become doctors, nurses, pastors, journalists, musicians, teachers...its endless. Many of them are pursuing those dreams or have begun to live them. I love it. I love seeing what God is doing in their lives, how He is going to use them. I love recognizing the dreams and passions He has given me in my own life, and I love pursuing them and watching God work.
But lately...something has struck me. It's a very simple thought, really, a thought I can't fully dissect- but one I want to share with you all.
I take for granted the fact that I can dream the kind of dreams I dream. What does the rest of the world dream about?
There are women in India who dream of being free from forced prostitution and sexual slavery.
There are orphans in Uganda who dream of having just one person who loves them and will care for them.
There are street boys in Sudan who dream of having a place to sleep at night.
There are children in Haiti who dream of getting an education, but instead have been tricked into slavery- and a life of abuse and exhaustion.
There are people around the world who dream of clean water. basic healthcare. education. safety. clothing. a full meal. a source of income. a community free of war.
Many of them never get the opportunity to dream of the things I dream about. People dream of the basic necessities. They dream of surviving. Of being able to take care of their children. Of living to see tomorrow.
We dream of falling in love, having a wedding, traveling the world, buying a house, and reaching our career goals.
I'm not saying these are bad dreams to have.
But let's be thankful that we even have the opportunity to dream these dreams. And lets remember the dreams that people around the world are fighting for, are hoping for, are dying for. Let's be an active part in making dreams come true.
Posted by Courtney Duron at 6:46 PM 1 comments
11.15.2011
Be a Whistleblower for Peace
There are so many things I know so little about. I could spend endless amounts of time researching and learning, and I still wouldn't know about all the injustices that plague our world. However, my friend from Indiana brought this one to my attention- and it was something that I had absolutely NO knowledge about...and I have a feeling that I am not alone in that.
"When Sean D. Carasso, the founder of Falling Whistles, traveled around Africa, he saw progress and change happening everywhere. That is, until he reached the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where young boys were, and still are, being captured by the rebel army and forced to become child soldiers. Boys not big enough to hold guns are given whistles and put on the front lines.Their sole duty is to make noise to scare the enemy and then to receive–with their bodies–the first round of bullets.
...Lines of boys fell as nothing more than a temporary barricade."
http://www.fallingwhistles.com/ --> I was unable to embed the video, but please visit this link and watch- its only a couple minutes long, and it says more than my words ever could.
Watch these as well- the second one tells the story of a boy who escaped from the Congo and is now speaking up to make a difference for this cause:
What You Can Do (from the website):
- Learn about Congo. To change the world we’re going to have to outsmart it. These wars are complicated, but we’ll help point you in the right direction.
- Buy a Whistle. Wear Your Protest. Use it as a tool to elevate common conversation.
- Speak Out. Tell the next person you see about Congo. Then connect with us and share on your:
- Meet Yves. Invite him to your school, church, synagogue, town hall, conference, etc. He is sharing his story and pushing for peace in the Congo. Contact tour@fallingwhistles.com for info.
- Congregate your community around solutions. Think for yourself. Live for others. Don’t go alone. Contact Brittany@fallingwhistles.com for info.
- Donate. The reality is that ending the war is going to require money. A lot of it. We will invest your donation in tools for whistleblowers, and in Congolese visionaries working to rehabilitate their communities and end this war.
Posted by Courtney Duron at 10:01 PM 1 comments
11.11.2011
tale of a six year old Disney princess
Posted by Courtney Duron at 2:18 PM 0 comments
11.08.2011
Remembering "Normal" Christianity
Posted by Courtney Duron at 3:13 PM 0 comments
11.03.2011
The "Trading Game"
This summer, I worked in a small town on the Eastern shore of Virginia, leading mission trips for high school youth. One night, my staff team member Isaac and I decided to implement an activity called the "trading game." We gathered all the youth in the club room and had them randomly draw 5 beads out of a bag as they came in. We gave them a couple simple rules and let them begin to trade- a handshake seals the deal, one bead for one bead only, 2 beads of the same color means an extra point, etc. After a few minutes we had them stop, and showed them the chart revealing the point values of the different color beads- and had 3 groups- high, middle, low- depending on the range of points they had. They added their totals up- and we were met with both groans and cheers, depending on the category they fell in. We let them trade again. Now, keep in mind that no one had an obligation to trade. So now that they knew the point values, it was much tougher for the people who had either traded for low beads or had the misfortune to draw low value beads out of the bag in the first place. For the most part, no one really wanted to trade with them. Even though they did trade, only a few were able to change their points significantly enough to move to a higher level group. Somehow, a couple kids ended up moving down a group. After that round was over, we had three distinct groups- those with high point beads, those with middle value beads, and those with the low point beads. Then it got fun. The lower point group was forced to sit in a blocked off section of the room- with literally no room to even sit. The middle group (the biggest group) just kinda hung out in the middle of the room, but the high group (which was also the smallest) was allowed to sit on the stage! Not only that, but the low point group had to serve them cookies...but weren't allowed to eat any themselves. We played another round of trading. Not only were the poor suckers in the back of the room forced to serve cookies and sit in a crappy area, but they really had no hope of trading or getting out of the back. One or two kindhearted students took pity and went to the back to trade beads with them. Round over. Everyone was getting pretty excited to see what crazy thing was going to happen next. Isaac took the high group out of the room and proceeds to tell them the rules of the next round are up to them. Literally, anything they wanted to implement, they could.
Some ideas they came up with:
- everyone has to bow to us when they trade
- we are allowed to trade with anyone without telling them what we will give them in return
- any trade that we want to happen, even if its unfair, has to be complied with
- no one is allowed to approach the stage to trade with us
- the low group has to serve us snacks
- we are the only ones who can talk
- etc...
- everyone has to draw new beads
- the point values of certain beads switching
- let us come out of the back
Posted by Courtney Duron at 10:41 AM 0 comments
10.31.2011
Beyond Blessed
Never forget how blessed you are. Never forget how much you have to give. Don't feel guilty for the circumstances you have been born into, don't belittle the struggles you face. But never forget. Put your problems in perspective. We constantly have money struggles- the car is having problems, student loans need to be paid, groceries are costly- but in reality, if you are reading this, you are probably in the top 8% of the world's wealthiest people. Your basic needs are provided for. That in itself is pretty amazing. Don't lose yourself in "rich people" problems...it's all too easy. When we recognize this epidemic, and realize the absurdity of the things we spend our time worrying over....well, it all seems pretty silly. You are BEYOND blessed...let's live in gratitude for ALL that God has given us and live with a generous spirit. Because the truth is....
Posted by Courtney Duron at 10:05 PM 1 comments