We are tentatively planning another catalyst trip to Kenya this year.  If there are enough people interested, we will embark to Kenya for another two weeks in August!

The first trip in May/June earlier this year was an unforgettable experience.  Check out a video below and listen to what some of the first participants had to say about the trip.

If you’re interested in the August 2010 trip, please visit this link and get in touch.

There’s some fierce weather on it’s way due to the hurricane. I’m hoping to ride ahead of it and get as far north as I can .. maybe even to Kansas City. We’ll see how far the bike gets me today. I’ve already put 2000 miles on it since leaving Los Angeles and it’s starting to show in a few areas.

I’m really encouraged by some of the emails I got about the serveYOURCITY post… so keep them coming if you’re interested in setting up something similar in your city. All it takes is one person to lead and get things rolling.

A friend from the Philippines got in touch and wants to start a ’serveLA’ in her city in the Philippines. As she was imagining the ideas and possibilities… she shared this thought which I think was really interesting…

“..all I know is that most of the selfless people I know who are really involved in touching lives and loving the souls of people are the ones who are truly joyful and fulfilled”

So many conversations over the past few days have weaved along that same thread. I hope that these serveYOURCITY ideas and The World Awaits can help make that happen in people’s lives. Truly joyful and fulfilled… always a good thing to strive towards. =)

So the conference ended yesterday with an AWESOME message from a brother who was from Myanmar. He shared so many incredible stories about people who had great dreams to help others… and put them into action… even though they had next to nothing. Many people were moved to tears. He ended with a charge to all of us. To all of us who dream and have visions of doing something meaningful with our lives. He simply ended his message with these words.. which I think sum up the whole weekend…

“GO! Obey your vision..!!”

Many of us have dreams to make a difference. It’s one thing to serve overseas but in reality, this is not an option for most people. The question is.. how can we use the gifts that God has given us to their fullest potential? For many of us, the greatest opportunity to make an impact is in our local community.

This summer I got to intern with a movement called ’serveLA’. It’s run by a guy named Adrian Koehler and their goal is to serve the community of Los Angeles. I had a chance to partner with and learn from them over the summer.. and in the process a website was born. http://www.servela.org.

The idea is really simple. They have a few people who are ‘action group leaders’. These people connect with organizations who are making a difference. Homeless shelters, community centers, outreach programs.. basically any place there is a need. In serveLA, they have partnered with close to 10 different organizations.

The result is many different avenues to serve. The variety of organizations also allows each potential volunteer to be connected where their skills/passions bring the most value.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could bring this idea to our own cities? serveTORONTO.. serveDALLAS.. serveTOKYO.. serveLONDON. The idea could work in any major city around the world..

I talked with Adrian, and he is pretty excited about the idea spreading to other cities. The website for serveLA is based off a WordPress template, so it’d be really easy to customize. If you are interested in setting up something similar in your own city, please get in touch! I’d love to help make it happen.

Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.  - Martin Luther King Jr.