11 PM - Christal Earle’s Blog

One tiny little movement, practically imperceptible to the human eye, so slight you would hardly feel it and yet so powerful you would never believe what it is capable of accomplishing. One day it was shy and unsure of itself, the next day it was beautiful, liberated and secretly powerful. That’s kind of what the “Butterfly Effect” is like.

When you meet her you would never guess how she ended up there, arriving at a place where few would have chosen; yet it is here that she is planted and making a difference. Roxy has a smile that is disarming and a demeanour that is gentle and inviting. Always open and non-judgmental, she immediately puts people at ease. You would never have guessed at where she has come from or what brought her to that place, because you would only see the outcome today.

A freak accident changed it all. Diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age, Roxy was always careful of her surroundings, as epilepsy is no respecter of time, location or dignity. But she never considered it would happen like this. She was 15 and their family had just moved into their new home, and she was about to take a bath. As she stepped into the tub, a grand mal seizure hit. But as it came on, Roxy’s limbs hit the hot water tap that had not yet been adjusted for temperature safety. As the seizure took over, Roxy unknowingly slid deeper into scalding water, and as it dragged on, so did the irreversible damage to nearly half of her body. As she emerged from the seizure, pain engulfed her. Within moments she found herself hospitalized, a victim of third degree burns. As the days wore on and the healing process seemed to never come, depression began to set in. Life would never be the same and she would always live with the emotional pain of shame at her appearance, feeling as if no one would ever see past it. Finally, one day, unable to deal with it anymore, Roxy’s mom confronted her with a choice: to allow her pain to determine her future or to embrace what her life can become. Somehow, she chose life and she chose to live past where circumstance had left her. That was when the butterfly effect began. No one else may have noticed it at first, but the change had been started nonetheless.

The term “Butterfly Effect” refers to the small change that can happen in the atmosphere that can ultimately determine weather patterns or prevent them. Something as small as the wings on a butterfly can be enough to cause a chain of events with huge consequences. That day in that hospital, Roxy’s life experienced the butterfly effect: by making one choice to see past her circumstance, she began a chain of events that has led to countless lives being touched and changed by hope and inspiration. After finishing high school, Roxy joined Absolute’s leadership development program and never looked back. She began to share her story with youth across Canada and began to envision what life can look like beyond pain and disappointment. It has been a long, unpredictable road, but it has always been worth it. Along with her husband, Brett, she is currently helping to give leadership at our School of Leadership base in Mexico. Here she gives direction, mentorship and encouragement to our students and to the numerous students that join us in Mexico for Hero Holiday.

Roxy’s life is the reflection of hope that we are about in Absolute. And like any large movement that can change life as we know it, it started with one tiny choice, one simple flutter of a butterfly’s wings.

You can bring Absolute to your local high school! Our Think Day presentation is currently touring across Canada and we want to partner with schools to bring this message of hope and let students know that change is possible. To find out more about what Think Day is about, our School of Leadership, or how to get involved in what we do, check out www.absolute.org.

Perhaps you know someone like this: no matter what they do or what predicament they find themselves in, life just seems to be taken in stride for them. They make it look so easy. Other people in the same situation may be freaking out, melting down, or running away. But not this person; they have what it takes to stick with it. They have sprezzatura. This old Italian word basically means, “Don’t let them see you sweat.” It’s where everything seems to be almost effortless, yet it always works out. Kru Nam is my Thai picture of sprezzatura.

The first time I sat down to talk with Kru Nam, we were on the bamboo-slat floor of a rickety shack on thicker bamboo poles, in the middle of a bare patch of land. With each movement we made, the bamboo floor stretched and groaned underneath us, threatening to let go under the weight of all of us. Beside me, Vaden nervously held his breath, fully aware that his 250 pounds was the biggest reason for the bamboo’s objections! That land and that little shack were nothing to look at if you are only capable of seeing what is in front of you. But we didn’t see it with our eyes that day - we saw it with our hearts as Kru Nam painted a picture for us of what freedom could look like for the 100+ kids that they had rescued off the streets and out of brothels. On that dry little patch of land, far away from the eyes and reaches of predators, traffickers and corrupt law enforcement, they could create a place of safety, a place of hope, and a haven of love. At the time that we met them all, they were seeking out an existence with these orphans in a two-story storefront building. Meals were never taken for granted and every baht (Thai Currency) was tightly accounted for. They had nothing but love, hope, and a dream - and an incredible dose of sprezzatura!

As we sat there that day, we joined our dreams with hers of how Absolute could help and of what this could look like. Kru Nam pulled out the plans for the homes that they were believing they could build on that land, and we began to see it all take shape right in front of us. These homes would mean more than we could ever dream for these kids and the staff that worked with them. They would have room to play and be kids in, they would have access to clean water, they would have an office which they could set up and begin to reach out to the world around them in. After that afternoon, we were returning to Canada with a goal: to rally the troops and get them some help. And we were able to do it: through the help of Absolute, the Not For Sale Campaign, and a few other international organizations, money and resources were raised to start the project.

One year later we returned with our Hero Holiday team and we weren’t quite prepared for what was there when we pulled up to the property: new, beautiful and clean buildings sat proudly on the property, laughing kids danced around our truck, waving excitedly for us to come see their new home, and in the midst of all of them, Kru Nam and her staff stood there beaming at us, waving us on. I was in awe of how far they had come and I said so to Kru Nam right after I hugged her hello. She smiled, as usual, and calmly said, “Yes, we have come a long way this year.” Despite much opposition, being taken advantage of by corrupt officials, money and resources being continually stolen from them by construction workers and other people as they attempted to get settled in their new place, and the heartbreak of losing some kids back to the streets and to sickness, they were still standing and they weren’t going anywhere. Still, they stood there that day, welcoming us with grace and poise to their new home - their new home that had cost them everything and would continue to be full of healing and heartbreak every day. They stood there with sprezzatura, and as I watched them in action, it made me want to try a little harder, work a lot smarter and reach a lot more lives.

Kru Nam and her staff stand as beacons of light in very dark place in Northern Thailand. Every day there are hurdles to overcome, unexpected predicaments and often heartbreak, but through love and determination, they work with each one of the kids they harbour to live a life of recovery and wholeness. This is love at the grassroots and it is vital to the future of our global family. This August, Absolute’s Hero Holiday program will be returning to Thailand to help Kru Nam, her staff, and the incredibly inspiring kids that they love and work with, both on the streets and in their homes. We would love to have you join us! Check out http://heroholiday.absolute.org/thailand to find out more about how you can join us on the experience of a lifetime!

Human rights are not always something that you or I think about very often. Most of us live and work in a world where we never really have to consider how they affect our lives: we take many privileges for granted and in our thinking, they are natural, not something to be fought for. However, for many of our friends around the world, human rights are something they have fought for, sacrificed for, and have welcomed support for; especially when it comes to their kids.

The first Declaration on the Rights of a Child was accepted by the League of Nations in 1923. With the basic premise that every child has the right to education, healthcare, security and a home, it was received by the world as the basis for the hope of children everywhere. Great in theory…much more difficult in practice. Too often, governments can overlook those that need the help the most; it is easier to pretend sometimes that our help isn’t needed. Absolute experienced something really refreshing in Mexico this year. We saw how government can help if they choose to, and we saw how simple it can be to offer a disabled child dignity and hope - even when many things seem hopeless.

Stefany is a Mexican social development worker in San Quentin. According to Absolute staff, she is the kind of social worker that will drive to your shack at one in the morning if you need her to. Because of her amazing dedication, she is well-respected among the poor, and she is always in the loop of who needs help. That’s how we found out about Misael.

Misael shared a bedroom in a friend’s house with his mom, Juana, his sister, Wendy, and his on-again-off-again dad. Two months before we met Misael, he lost his leg in a motorbike accident with his dad. A drunk driver crashed into them, crushing Misael’s foot and resulting in a rapid infection that led to amputation above the knee. The young family needed someone to believe in them and they needed that belief to result in tangible help.

Absolute made a deal with the government: if they would provide the land for Juana and her family, we would provide the house. Misael deserved the right to have his childhood back. Without any possibilities of trauma counseling or otherwise, he at least needed to know that his life was important and that someone cared enough to show him. He needed room to learn how to walk again, and space to just be a kid again. Through the kindness of the government workers, and landowner’s donation, and the help our Absolute School of Leadership students, Misael got that and more. A new home for the family resulted in a special shower for Misael, as well as other necessary “luxuries” for the family such as bedding, kitchen supplies and warmth. And best of all? Misael has been fitted for a prosthetic limb and is learning how to adjust to his life with passion and fervor!

There are hundreds of thousands of children around the world like Misael, and most of them have lost their limbs due to the selfishness, greed and disregard of the world around them. At a time when the world should be celebrating their lives, the decisions of many have cost the Misael’s of the world dearly. Misael is an amputee because of one man’s selfish decision and because of the poverty that entrenches his young life. While his physical injuries can’t be changed, we can work together to help make the world a safer and more secure place for kids such as him.

Join us on Hero Holiday this year in Mexico! We will be building homes for families such as Misael’s and working in communities to extend a hand up out of disabling poverty. We need you and you need to experience the power of being hope for someone else! Check out www.absolute.org.

Peter Parker’s aunt once looked him in the eye and said to him, “Always remember: with great power comes great responsibility”. Months later, as he emerged into the beloved Spiderman, he never forgot those words. They were what helped him to see that he wasn’t helpless to watch injustice happen. He was empowered to make a difference. As the world began to respond to the crisis in Haiti, we all knew that we could not remain silent; nor could we remain inactive. We had to do something. We had the willingness, and thanks to the help of many friends from around the world, we had the means with which to make it happen. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it would always be worth it.

Cole was one of our Absolute team that responded to the earthquake crisis immediately. Joining with other supporters of Absolute, they showed up in Port au Prince within 80 hours after the initial earthquake. The situation was full of unspeakable horrors: tryng to help desperate family members search for loved ones under tonnes of rubble, working to get water and food to those who were still in shock and without a single means to provide for themselves, watching helplessly as the bodies of victims began to collect in the streets, and always, the stench of death and loss all around them. It was a lot to process and filter through, but when they returned to Canada, they returned with a desire to do something immediately and efficiently, and suporters of Absolute responded with compassion and provision.

On February 4, two and a half weeks after arriving back in Canada, Cole crossed back over the border into Haiti with a supply truck filled with aid for Port Au Prince. All of it had been purchased with the money sent from around the world to Absolute, and not a penny was wasted. After initially assessing the situation in January, we had determined that the best way for us to help was to work through David, the director of the children’s home in Port Au Prince that we support. David had identified four key neighbourhoods that were yet to receive any form of aid: they were people that had come to an orphanage, a church, a refugee and camp and one of the “tent cities” that had since erected since the earthquake. There was over 5000 people in total that were in these locations. With the help of many men that David had rounded up, they began to deliver supplies to these areas. Each family that was reached received a package filled with soap, candles, toilet paper, rice, beans, oil, drink mix, bandages, corn mix, clean drinking water, pasta, and cookies. It was the first means of any type of aid that they had received. They had thought they were forgotten, and when the truck showed up they realized that their prayers were heard and that they were valued.

Each night, Cole, David, and the volunteers, would return back to the compound of Kay Papa Nou, David’s orphanage. Their building was not destroyed, but it has been damaged enough that they were not able to sleep in it. So, like the millions of other people in Port au Prince, they slept outside on the ground, under tent covers and mosquito harrassment. They are the lucky ones: they at least have a safe place to sleep, food and water, and each other. The only place that Cole could find to set up his “tent” at the compound was in the driveway, next to the chicken coop. Not bad, until 5 AM, when the kids from the orphanage woke him up singing church songs and offered him breakfast: spaghetti with ketchup and sardines. A great way to start the day!

That day was a day that Cole will never forget. As they went out in search of the next community that David had identified that needed aid, they found a family across the street from the tent city; only they were without a tent. The husband was blind and their six month old baby laid on the hard dirt beside them. They had lost everything. All they had was the clothes on their back, and even those should have been destroyed long ago. Cole and David took $30 of the supply money and found them a sturdy tent, filling it with food, a mattress, diapers, and other emergency supplies. Something so simple changed their lives completely. They were overwhelmed with gratitude, unable to fully express what this simple gift meant to them. Many of us would spend $30 on a night out and not even think anything of it, yet that simple gift gave them hope and reminded them that they were not alone, nor were they forgotten.

David has set up a brilliant distribution system in the neighbourhoods we have been helping through the money that has been donated to Absolute. It is getting aid into the hands of people who need it most, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of something so simple yet so profound. The word “compassion” is defined by “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering”. This is what it can look like in our day and age: to give hope to the hopeless, provide food for the hungry, be a voice for the voiceless, and to always be mindful that with our great power comes a great responsibility. It is the responsibility to respond where we can, because our choices are powerful and affect the world around us.

For those of you who donated toward our Haiti emergency relief efforts, thank you. Your gift has gone a long ways and has been put into the hands that need it most. Your compassion for our Haitian friends and family is an incredible legacy and we are honoured to partner with you.

We will be continuing to work in Haiti in the days ahead through our Hero Holiday projects. We need your help! Please consider joining us and/or helping us to fund much needed rebuilding efforts. Every choice we make matters and we are glad that we are in this together. Check out www.absolute.org for more information on how to get involved.

Absolute has had many incredible moments over the years. We have met people all over the world, many of them quietly and consistently creating a revolution on their own terms: through love, compassion, hope and generosity. Nikki is one of those people and she is an inspiration for many of us who know her. Nikki first joined us on a Hero Holiday in Dominican Republic the summer of her high school graduation. Having seen an Absolute presentation in her school the preceding year, something inside of her was quickened when she was offered the opportunity to join us and make a difference. That something is how a revolution begins.

A revolution is defined by “a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence.” In the world in which we live, many revolutions have resulted in lives being lost and change being brought, but at a very high price. However, there is one remarkable characteristic that has often been overlooked: many of the world’s revolutions have been led by the youth. Often times, those who are the most impassioned for change are the emerging generation. However, being passionate for change is one thing, having an outlet to make that happen is another.

Nikki came home from Dominican Republic a changed life. Not only did she experience all of the emotional moments of encountering poverty and exploitation, but she also saw past that and realized that she could turn her life into a life that reaches out where it is most needed. Realizing that she had the ability to raise funds on her own to continue to do what she felt she needed to do, Nikki created a blog designing business, Blogs for a Cause. Through her work with creating blogs, Nikki raised thousands of dollars for both her own travels and to donate to many international projects that she was passionate about. But it wasn’t just about finding ways to raise money that made the revolution in Nikki’s life; it was about being the change right where she was at: her trip with Hero Holiday also inspired her to meet Haitian refugees in her community. Every Wednesday and Saturday Nikki volunteers with refugees, mostly Haitian, helping to teach English, show them around the city, offering free babysitting, and reaching out to them in compassion. Because she has seen the power of child sponsorship and how it brings hope to so many lives, Nikki also personally sponsors 5 children around the world, all while putting herself through university.

Since her first trip with Hero Holiday, Nikki has been back to Dominican Republic four times, has led her to Ethiopia, and inspired by Absolute’s work with Haitians in Dominican Republic, this past year, Nikki and a fellow Hero Holiday alumni, Melissa, went to Port au Prince, Haiti. There they joined up with the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic charity that ran a malnutrition clinic in Delmas, one of the main areas of Port au Prince. Nikki and Melissa helped out where they could, holding the children and helping to feed and take care of them. It was raw and shocking: of the 100 children in the charity’s care, they lose an average one life per day to poverty’s cruelty. Nikki held 6 year old Frankel, who was still the size of a baby, with hair falling out and was literally skin and bones. Little Frankel left an impact on Nikki and his young life inspired her to return to Canada and to continue to work to help raise money for the charity there.

When I asked Nikki why she is so passionate about what she does, this is what she said:

“People that I met through Hero Holiday are among those I consider my favourite people in the world; people that I can be myself around, feel comfortable with, and learn from. Hero Holiday taught me the value of education in poverty stricken countries, and so in the months that follow the earthquake I am going to try to raise money and awareness to build up the schools that have collapsed and make education possible for all of the children in Haiti who do not, or cannot, attend school.”

At first, I wondered how she was going to do that; but I should have known better. Of course she had a plan! She has designed a fair trade shirt, available on her blog, One Tiny Starfish, and the proceeds are going towards rebuilding Haiti, one life at a time.

And that is how a revolution begins…

Absolute is now starting to do Hero Holidays to Haiti. We will be focusing on rebuilding efforts in Port Au Prince, to help counter the orphan crisis, as well as looking towards building projects for education and medical care in Cap Haitien, one of the main cities receiving refugees from the earthquake. You can help! Check out www.absolute.org.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”. ~ Barack Obama

A name is a powerful thing. With one simple word, something or someone is identified, remembered, and even emotions attached to the designate of that name are stirred up. A name means someone has a place in the world, that they are wanted here, and that they matter. Since the beginning of time, names have been used as identification and attachment for us as a human race - like our stamp of ownership on the earth, showing that we belong here.
In our modern, melted culture, baby names are more often chosen for the parents’ love of their sound, not necessarily the depth of their meaning. In our modern times in our modern world, most babies are named even before they are born and therefore come into the world already being known and identified. But that, too, is a luxury of being in the Western World, where we create birth plans that we expect to be carried out in a hospital we expect to take care of us, we determine how much or how little pain we want to endure, and we name our children based on our own particular likes or dislikes. There are so many things that we cannot even fathom not being able to control.
On that particular day, I don’t think Nick or anyone else on their team thought much about how important their names were. They got up and hopped on the Hero Holiday truck as it headed towards Puerto Plata Hospital, looking forward to another great day of work. No one thought that naming a baby would be a part of the plan. They expected to be shocked at the conditions of the hospital and expected to have to roll up their sleeves to work.
The mother’s name was unknown to us. She was a 15 year old victim of rape. Scared and without money, she suddenly went into labour two months ahead of her due date. The baby boy was born with a major heart issue and when our team arrived at the hospital that day to help out, the mother was still in the hospital, twelve days after giving birth. He needed to get to a better hospital to get the proper care and yet no one had helped them until that morning. To make matters worse, the hospital ran out of oxygen for the baby, and the situation was reaching a critical mass. Someone managed to run out and buy more oxygen, helping to alleviate a little of the pressure, but still there were so many unanswered questions.
According to Nick, the baby’s grandmother was a very kind and strong lady. The tiny child was malformed and almost non-responsive. Stroking his fragile arm with love and tenderness through the incubator hole, she never left his side during the whole time the team was there. As our team approached her to offer support, one of the leaders asked her about the mother, and during the course of the conversation that ensued, Katie, the team leader was asked to be the godmother of the child. Touched, the team asked what the baby’s name was. However, they were saddened to realize that after being born for 12 days, because of everything else surrounding his birth, the baby boy still had no name. And that was when the grandma asked them the ultimate question: “Would you give our baby a name?”
Shocked, the team attempted to politely decline. After all, who wants to have the responsibility and pressure of naming a stranger’s baby? But after much insistence by the grandmother, the team decided to give him a name: Nicholas (after Nick, a team member) Mykalia (after the mother). Would that little baby survive? Probably not. The odds were so huge against him that there wasn’t much hope of him ever being able to live very long. He wasn’t only the result of a rape or a traumatic birth, he was another victim of poverty and his life was proof that we must continue to fight for a better future for children such as him.
Little Nicholas’ life has touched the earth. He has lived, he has breathed, he has been loved, and he has had a name. His life may never be known to many people in the world, but to a small group of Hero Holiday participants from that incredible day, he will never be forgotten. His tiny footprint is on their hearts.

Hero Holiday is returning to Dominican Republic this summer. During our time there, we will be helping out families such as those of young Nicholas and his mother. We will also be working with Haitian refugees, helping to bring medical care and working alongside of those whom we admire to help bring hope and compassion. Please consider joining us!

It’s really hard to imagine what it feels like to be someone else. I have watched political leaders and wondered what it is like to carry the weight of a nation’s representation. I have watched Olympic athletes and wondered what it is like to feel the eyes of your nation as they place their hopes on you, willing you to not crack under the pressure. I have sat with street children and listened to their stories, trying to understand what their world looks like and I have also sat with many Canadian teenagers, listening as they poured out their struggles, hopes, and dreams. Now, I watch with the world as a nation tries to survive, one minute at a time, desperately trying to cling to one last hope for survival. What is that like? How can I understand that level of pain, that level of loss? What is life like through their eyes and through their experience? There is so much to be gained when we reach out to people where they are at and choose to try to understand their lives and their journey; to listen to what they are saying, not just hear their voice.

The ability to process pain and trauma is sometimes only the luxury of the “rich”, such as you and I. We are blessed to live and function in a world where, although pain and loss exist, we are afforded the ability to be able to pull ourselves away from it to a certain degree, regroup, and decide how we will function from that point forward. We have access to professionals who are trained and available for us to draw strength and resources from and we can begin to process how life is going to have to look from this point forward. This is one of the luxuries of living in the developed world that few of us ever consider.

Many of us in Absolute and probably many people reading these words right now have experienced pain and loss. We have felt the sting of the finality of death and we have walked through many crises. But always, we have had someone around us who cared, someone around us who was able to help us through it to a certain degree because they were not affected in the same way. And though they may not understand completely, they are still a source of strength to us. But what if you are surrounded by loss, destruction and pain? What if everyone you knew, in your 5-mile radius that you have lived your entire life in, is now walking through the same level of loss. Where do you turn? Who will understand and help you give a voice to those you have lost? Who will reach out with a hand on your shoulder and say, “I am here for you. I love you and I believe in you.”? Who is going to search out those children who are wandering the streets, now orphaned, and maybe not yet even aware of the full extent of their loss? Who will protect them and make sure that they have a future?

Since last week’s earthquake in Haiti, our phones, email accounts and facebook walls have been flooded with questions and concerns for our Haitian friends and family. Thank you! David and the children are all miraculously okay. The homes are still intact, the 65+ kids are safe and we are thankful. However, we still have friends and translators whom we have not yet heard from and like many, we fear the worst. The magnitude of loss and devastation is beyond words and there are moments when it can seem like it is beyond hope. But it isn’t. There are still people whom we work alongside of and whom we are proud to call our friends who are in the middle of the chaos and working to bring at least some glimmer of hope and order back.

The world needs you and it needs me. Though we may never stand on a stage in the international arena at attention and though we may never know what it is like to stand on a podium and be hailed a hero for our physical accomplishments, we can still take our place. Our voice, our contributions, our tears, our prayers and our actions are what can turn this around. There are miracles of hope yet waiting to happen and to be celebrated. Together we can do this.

The most recent reports are now claiming at least 200,000 deaths from the immediate effects of the earthquake. It is being claimed as the worst catastrophe in the Western Hemisphere in the past 200 years. To be silent is not an option for those of us who claim to want to make a difference. Absolute is responding to the Haiti crisis by currently accepting donations to be used where most needed. We have volunteers who are currently on the ground and assessing where our efforts are best directed. As a small, grassroots Canadian charity, we are able to ensure that the money collected is used in a very direct manner.

Our priorities include supporting and developing our current Haiti projects, including the orphanage, Kay Papa Nou and it’s expansion in light of the new orphan crisis and any other determined immediate relief needs. If our funding exceeds what we are currently capable of facilitating in Haiti, then we will redirect the monies to other Haiti relief efforts. If you would like your donations to go towards this, please go to our online form at www.absolute.org/donate and specify “Haiti Disaster Relief”. In the event of overfunding, if you prefer us not to send money to other charities, please specify “Haiti : non-restricted” and it will be used towards where most needed in Absolute. Also, any money that is collected and designated for Haiti relief by February 12, 2010 is going to be matched by the Canadian Government and will make that much more of a difference!

“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.”

~ Pema Chodron

Hey Everyone

Just wanted to let you know that our Absolute people who are on the ground in Port au Prince, Haiti have confirmed that our friends at the orphanages we work with are in fact, all alive and accounted for. However, they have all suffered much loss as they have lost friends and family in the rubble around them, not to mention lack of proper shelter, etc.

Today, our Absolute members helped people who were still trying desperately to reach their family members who had been buried deep beneath the rubble. There is little hope of any survival at this point, but one can always hope for a miracle.  We have two nurses from our Hero Holiday arm that have taken it upon themselves to get there and are now on the ground, helping out where they can.

Our hearts are grieving with all of our friends who have lost those closest to them. Frantzo, one of our Hero Holiday Dominican Republic translators has lost 5 members alone and yet he is beside our team, helping to dig through the rubble. This is what it is to be the hands and feet of compassion and we are honored to work alongside of so many Haitian people such as him.

There is great need for tarps, mosquito nets and basic needs of survival for thousands upon thousands of people. If you want to help us, you can go to our homepage and donate at www.absolute.org/donate.

We are also encouraging people to give to the Red Cross, World Vision and St. Joseph’s Home for Boys.

We will continue to keep you updated as we much as we are able to. Thanks for your support, encouragement and prayers.

A lot happens when you take in a breath. That breath is warm, it is full of the source of life, and in the fraction of time that it takes to take it you are granted just a little longer on this earth. And when that breath ceases, the silence that is left behind can be deafening and overwhelming.

There is a Psalm from the Bible that says our life is but a breath. Against the timeline of earth the length of our lives can seem so short, so insignificant. But up close, each life is not only significant - each life is interconnected and interdependent. Within each rise and fall of the sun, that life has a circle within which it operates. There are events, moments, relationships, accomplishments, successes and failures that make that life worth living; that life matters because it was lived. It matters because we need each other.

This past Tuesday, as each of us were moving about in our lives, the lives of millions of our friends were changed forever. For countless thousands, life stopped. With one breath everything was okay and with the next the world had literally crumbled around them. The giant earthquake that had been feared but forgotten about for years was now here and it was insatiable. In less than a minute the destruction was indescribable. Only the empty screams of the lost and wounded could paint the picture for what was left behind.

But pictures can only tell so much. A picture cannot tell you about what was loved or what was lost. A picture cannot tell you about hopes, dreams, successes, or failures; nor can it tell you about the relationships that matter or what had been important to that person. A picture captures the space of time it would take to draw in a breath – even if it was your last one.

My friends, whom I love deeply, now have many precious things under rubble that might never be moved: spouses, children, parents, friends, money, resources, shelter, and for many, a reason to live. It has all disappeared, never to be brought back as they were. This can’t be captured in a picture; it can’t be conveyed in a moment. It took an entire lifetime to accumulate and it was gone in one breath. How quickly we seem to take so much for granted when it is ours and how quickly our world can change and leave us in the shock of loss and pain. The reality seems more than any one person can handle, and no one should have to handle that much pain alone.

My friend David, his wife, and his family of 60+ orphans are still unaccounted for. They are not just part of one of our projects. They are a part of our family. Over the years, we have watched and done our best to walk alongside of them in the struggle for survival and now we wait and pray to hear word that they are safe. David’s wife just had a baby two weeks ago. In a safe and just world, she should be resting and bonding with her new child, not fighting for survival and feeling the burden of orphaned and terrified children. Our translators from Hero Holiday live in the area that was struck and we are still waiting to hear word from them. Like millions of people all over the world, those of us in Absolute have loved ones in a tiny Caribbean island that we are anxiously hoping and praying for, and a small group of helpers have been sent out on our behalf to add their hands, their voice and their compassion.

Sadly, Haiti has known and endured decades of pain and heartache. But the destruction they now sit in is indescribable. Not only do the days ahead hold suffering, pain, loss, hunger and disease, but it also holds incredible fear for those who will be left without family or protection. Without intervention and help, slavery, exploitation, hunger and disease will skyrocket. Please don’t be silent. One of our staff members made a declaration this week that is ringing in my heart and causing a trail of tears to continually fall: I may be Canadian, but today I am Haitian.

Absolute will be posting updates at www.absolute.org on what we are doing and how you can help. Our voices and lives make a difference when we choose to use them.

It was super hot and the smell was quite bad. I was surrounded by loud music and laughter. I closed my eyes and listened to the mix of familiar and unfamiliar voices that tickled my ears with their chatter and I remembered a memory I had from when we first started Absolute.

Ten years ago this week, Absolute began to officially exist. We were 3 people and we were broke, but we had a dream. What if there was something that existed in our Canadian high schools that was edgy, relevant and, most of all, something that offered hope and perspective? What could a group of passionate people become capable of accomplishing? What would you do if there were no limits?

Since those days, we have had over 225 people travel across Canada into High Schools with our road teams, we have had over 2000 people join us on our Hero Holiday trips and have spoken to well over 1 million students in schools across Canada and internationally. Each life we reach represents a life that is powerful and full of incredible potential. Each seed of hope that is planted makes it all worth it.

Over the years we have received countless emails, messages and phone calls that have continued to serve as a source of encouragement for our staff as we continue to forge ahead. We are not perfect and we have made many mistakes…but we are still here.

I remembered where I was when we determined that no matter what, we were going to see this thing through and we were going to do whatever it took to reach a generation with hope and love. Now here I was many years later, standing in the most unlikely of places: a garbage dump in Dominican Republic. Together with the Hero Holiday participants, we were hosting a party for the stateless Haitian people that worked there. It was an honour to be welcomed into their world and in that moment I realized that I could have missed out on all of this if I had given up – if we had given up on Absolute. But we didn’t, and we won’t. We are going to carry through as an organization into this next decade ignited with passion and a fervency to see a generation become instruments of love, hope, and change.

Whenever I am leading a workshop or speaking to students and adults, I like to ask them one simple question, “What would you do to help change the world if there were no limits?” It is hard for us to be honest when we hear those words because we have a hard time thinking of possibilities without limitations. We live in a world that is continually putting limits on our thinking: media ads tell us what we “need” and we listen, friends tell us how to act and we conform, life experience leaves us jaded and we allow that experience to shape our view of the possible, societal expectations push us to lean one way, and our attachment to money can cause us to limit our willingness to take a risk. Taking the easy road may be less risky, but a life that is lived without risk is a life that hasn’t really had a chance to live. Loving people is messy and reaching past judgment and comfort zones can seem scary, but it is always worth it. Our lives here in Absolute are a testament to that. Over the years we have loved, we have lost, we have taken risks and we have fallen short; but always, we have known that we wouldn’t want to live any other way. This is how change happens and that’s why we choose to be a part of it.

What would the world look like if more of us were willing to take a risk, willing to jump over the edge, and willing to make our voice be heard? It would look very different, and it would look more like hope. We hope that you will join us in Absolute in some way, that you will add your voice to ours, and that together we can help the world to look more like a world of hope and possibilities. Together, we can make 2010 the year where we lifted off the limits!