I'm tired today. I think all your collective exhaustion from turning in projects and taking exams has run over into the rest of us, and even Mother Nature is grey and gloomy today (at least here in Kentucky). The cosmos has been out of alignment for the entire week, in fact. I should have known on Tuesday morning, when I opened my bedroom door to the announcement that my absent roommate's cat had had an "accident" on our sofa, and my other roommate was too sickened by the excrement to clean it up. So guess who cleaned up the fresh cat poop? When your week starts out like that, you should know it will be one of April showers.

You probably know where I'm going with this-- in these showery days, we should look to God for comfort. But that's almost too simplistic. There are certainly times when I think, "God is with me, so it's okay," and that is enough. Many times, though, I feel pretty much like I'm muddling through the rain without much clue where to go. I pray and don't quite hear the "still, small voice." I read the Bible and nothing seems to speak to me. I don't have the "TBN experience," where someone touches me on the forehead and I fall flat on my back, problem solved. The little showers in life-- the work, the relationships, the questions about the future-- mount up and overwhelm us all, but there isn't any clear path through all of them put together.

Yet I think there is a reason that Romans 5 talks about struggles as a good thing, although that's not the way we see them. For it is in muddling through the showers that we gain the nourishment to grow. Our faith truly is dead if it exists only in a building we go to on Sundays. It is when we bring faith out of that building and wrestle with it in our messy lives, admitting the questions, acknowledging the doubts, and seeking the answers, that we ever become "followers of the Way."

And sometimes, when I finally admit my complete inability to find God by searching for the path, that's when God actually comes and finds me. It's like God says, "You can't define me. You can't twist me. And most importantly, you can't control me." God doesn't reveal God's self on my terms. And when I give up everything I can think of to find the answer, only then can I finally hear God's voice in prayer. Only then does Scripture become relevant.

So keep muddling in the showers. Because I do believe that God will come alongside you in the journey. It may be at Target when you told God to meet you at Wal-Mart. But God will meet you somewhere, and speak words of calm to your storm.

"And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." --Romans 5:3-5

Kelsey

Today I only have a limited time to write before rushing off to the next appointment (because you all know that life in our office is so glamorous and exciting-- which is why you should work here, hint, hint). So I'm going to ask you about a couple of projects that have been on the back burner for a while, and try to get some response.

First of all, address changes. If you didn't get this spring's Sisters Together, you need to send us your current address before we can send it to you. If you're just graduating and you'll have a new permanent address, let us know about the change. We can't keep you in the loop very well if we don't have the right contact info for you. Plus, it is a terrible waste of postage for us. If we're going to mail it to you, we want it to get to you!

Second item, related to adress changes, regards a directory. We've talked in the past about NNPCW member and alumnae directories for people to view online. These directories would display a bare minimum of contact information (e-mail) in Adobe PDF format, so that spammers couldn't harvest your e-mail. The only thing slowing us down from adding these directories to our websites is lack of response from members and alumnae. If you would like to see an NNPCW directory, please send me your name, the state where you live, and your e-mail so that I can make that happen. We've heard from groups in the past that they'd like a directory, so it would be great to get it started!

Finally, regional calls. I didn't organize campus group conference calls in February because of lack of interest during the fall calls. However, I'd really like to do one this summer, for those of you involved with campus groups or interested in starting campus groups. Let me know if you'd like to participate.

So please send us your most recent contact info, give us permission to put you on the directory, and sign up for regional calls. Then I'll be a happy camper!

"You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance." --Psalm 32:7

Kelsey

Hello, all... sorry the blog is extremely late and extremely short. It has been one of those days, my friends.

Today I had the opportunity to meet with Adele from Ethnic Ministries for the United Church of Canada. The folks up north want to start young adult networks for women of color particularly, so our office was a natural connection. She gave me a t-shirt, which was really cool, and I shared with her our commitment to providing space in the church for young women to lift up their voices and concerns. Because really, that's what our work is all about-- carving out safe spaces for discussion, dialogue, and empowerment. I invited someone from the United Church of Canada to our leadership event in July and to the REYWT Gathering, which will be in Louisville on November 3-6 (more about that later). Hopefully someone will, and we can begin to build bridges to our sisters up north.

Tomorrow will be more busy than today, but I will try to get something brief up for you all to think about. A question for you to consider, though-- why do we have REYWT and NNPCW? What do these groups mean to you personally? Reflect on that, and let me know if you have any great insights. Until tomorrow!

"Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart." --Psalm 73:1

Kelsey

Remember NNPCW's Top Ten Reasons Why Jesus Loves Feminists? Here are the top ten reasons why you should come to work with us in Women's Ministries of Presbyland:

10.) You'll have great mentoring opportunities with awesome wise women.
9.) You get to go to cool conferences for free.
8.) You get to plan cool conferences for free.
7.) You can pay your respects to Col. Sanders at Cave Hill Cemetary in Louisville, complete with a bucket of KFC chicken.
6.) You can join me in crashing the hottest Presbyland party-- Worldwide Ministries Division monthly staff meeting.
5.) If you get married or have a baby, we'll throw you an office-sponsored shower (but only if you agree to name your firstborn child Beowulf).
4.) You get to work with me!
3.) You'll have regular sightings of such Presbyterian superstars as Cliff Kirkpatrick and Rick Ufford-Chase. You may even talk to them (after your knees stop knocking).
2.) You work with amazing women around the country.
1.) Three words-- free office food.

Now, I know what you're asking yourself-- where do I sign up? Because these are only a few of the many reasons you'd want to come to 100 Witherspoon to work (the benefits package doesn't hurt, either). Well, my friends, it is very simple. Direct your web wanderings toward www.pcusa.org/onedoor. Click on the position search, and then just enter "Kentucky" as the place where you want a job and "Full-time" as the position type.

When you do this, you'll notice that Women's Ministries is hiring two associates right now-- one for Racial Ethnic Young Women Together and one for Women's Advocacy. If you're interested in gender and racial justice, and if you want to make a positive impact in the lives of women in the church, these are the opportunities for you! The REYWT position will allow a woman of color to work with REYWT on programming opportunities and network building. The Women's Advocacy position will provide a woman the chance to advocate for gender justice in the PC(USA), and interpret the church's gender policies to the outside world.

I hope that God is calling one of you to apply for these positions. It would be great to scavange free food with you!

"And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it.'" --Isaiah 30:21

Kelsey

I got to enjoy the company of my friend Tara from Indiana this weekend during the nation's largest annual fireworks display, Thunder Over Louisville. It kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival, aka the only time of year when people actually want to visit Kentucky (sorry, I didn't mean to knock it-- it just isn't an exciting tourist destination most of the time ;)).

Now, I've seen a few fireworks shows in my day, and they rarely impress me anymore. But this was an entirely different class of fireworks display. There were two giant river barges shooting off explosives from the Ohio River, and fireworks also came off a city bridge spanning the river. There were fireworks I'd never seen before, including these red ones that floated away like bubbles after exploding. The opening salvo was equivalent to most grand finales I've seen. These folks can do fireworks-- it is a pyro's dream.

There was also an airshow before the fireworks. NNPCW alumna Ann Melton had e-mailed me before the show about a protest that was going on regarding this aspect of the festivities. The protest focused on the use of fighter jets and other military weaponry for the show-- these are used for killing and destruction in other countries, and yet we Americans watch them for entertainment. I didn't really think much about the whole protest thing before going, though. Usually, I think, those kinds of protests come off as extreme to the general population.

My friends and I were wandering around down by the Presbyterian Center, though, when out of nowhere came the loudest, most piercing screech I'd heard in a long time. It reverberated off the buildings as if something were about to collapse. I wanted to duck and cover-- it really did freak me out. Until I realized what it was.

The fighter jets were making a low pass over the city.

Yeah, those fighter jets were cool looking. I stared up at them in fascination as they flamed through the sky overhead, twirling along as unimaginable power propelled them forward. They were beautiful flying machines, indeed, amazing feats of technology.

Still, my first reaction to the sound of them coming was genuine fear. In so many places around the world, too, my initial response would have been entirely appropriate. To those of us who watched Saturday, these planes mean power and security, safety. They honored our greatness as a nation, and the women and men who died to secure that greatness. To people who "get to" watch an F-16 fly-by every day, though, they mean tragedy and death.

Perhaps the protesters weren't as extreme as I thought. Don't get me wrong-- I would love to see the fighter jets display at a fireworks show again. It is a fun show, and can be a powerful memorial to those who sacrificed for freedom. What I would love to see more, though, is for those planes to not be needed anymore. I want to know that a child anywhere in the world can look up at that F-16 with the same sense of safety that I can in Kentucky. And until then, I probably won't really enjoy the airshow that much.

"God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." --Isaiah 2:4

Kelsey

The other day, I had a chat with one of the most memorable of all CoCo members, Lucy Ortiz Perez. If you've been to a recent Leadership Event, you can't forget Lucy-- the story of the time Lucy (for whom English is a second language, mind you) got lost by herself for several hours in New York City is now NNPCW legend. But that is a story for another blogging day.

Lucy is a student at the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras. Yes, NNPCW's membership includes Puerto Rico. It is a commonwealth of the United States, after all. And when I asked Lucy what she was up to, in this busiest of all school semesters, she informed me that she is currently sitting at home. The next day, I talked to Omayra Gonzalez-Mendez, also an NNPCW member in Puerto Rico. She's been home for the past two weeks, she said!

Why, you ask, are our friends in Puerto Rico not in school in mid-April? They are involved in a mass strike. A few weeks ago, the president and board of trustees of the University of Puerto Rico system (11 schools spread throughout the island) announced a 33% tuition increase for next year-- a rate increase imposed without any student input. So students at Lucy's campus in Rio Piedras voted to start a strike that has continued for two weeks now. Last week, a student assembly voted 773-505 to continue the strike indefinitely. So 21,000 students are now sitting at home. Other campuses in Puerto Rico, like Omayra's in San Sebastian, have begun to join them.

This morning, knowing I was going to blog on the subject, I decided to look up the news reports to find out what was going on. I found exactly one report on this story, in the University of Texas' student paper from about a week ago (you can Google it yourself and see). Interesting, in an era of increasing resentment about college tuition hikes across the United States, that you can barely find any mention of what our fellow American citizens in Puerto Rico are doing about it. Why isn't our media picking this up?

In any case, be praying for Lucy, Omayra, and all the other students in Puerto Rico, that there will be a swift resolution to this situation. And pray that the voices of the students will be heard and valued in that resolution.

Have a great weekend!

"Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks." --Proverbs 1:20-21

Kelsey

I woke up around 7:15 this morning with sun streaming through my blinds. I said to myself, "I should say a prayer to God before getting up." I did start one... but it soon became a reason to lie in bed longer. Finally, realizing it was 7:25, I jumped out of bed to a "Thanks, God. Amen"-type of thing and went on my way to the shower.

I've been to several churches where communal prayer is a major feature in worship. Presbyterian liturgy factors a "Prayers of the People" section into the service. In the past, I've never been particularly excited about it when a church spends 20 minutes wandering around the congregation to collect everyone's spoken prayer requests. Blanket prayers and silent prayers are more my style-- that's where I can focus on God and the issues going on in my life.

Yet there is a reason "Prayers of the People" exist, and I've become more convicted about my own self-centered attitude toward prayer of late. Yes, prayer is praise and worship to God, prayer is meditation and centering, prayer is a chance to seek God's will in one's own life. In NNPCW, we often focus on these meditative and discerning aspects. Yet prayer is also crucial to our experience of womanspace, for it is through prayer for our sisters that we begin to live in solidarity with one another. Just as we pray to center ourselves before acting on behalf of justice, direct prayer for others builds relationships across separation.

I read an article about emerging worship the other day in which the author, Corey Nelson, talked about the power of joining in prayer with our sisters and brothers around the world. What he described wasn't the usual "God, please bless those other people," that so often happens in corporate prayer. Instead, it was about personally uniting with others in one body of Christ, sharing experiences and lifting up one another in support. This kind of prayer is exactly what our understanding of womanspace attempts to do.

Several requests for prayer have come across my path in the past few days, some from NNPCW members and alumnae. One woman has asked several of us to pray for her father, who suddenly found out he has a severe form of leukemia. Another NNPCW woman asked me last night to pray about her physical health, as one of her organs may need removal. So I ask you to remember these women in your prayers, knowing that it is an important act of solidarity with our sisters in Christ and a powerful manifestation of womanspace.

"And will not God grant justice to the chosen ones who cry to God day and night? Will God delay long in helping them?" --Luke 18:7

Kelsey

PS-- To read the article mentioned on emerging worship, check out www.emergingworship.org/nelsonglobal.htm.

After staring at the wall of my cube for several minutes, waiting for some inspiration to hit me about my blogging topic (no feminist rants today, folks), my muse finally spoke. So today I'm going to tell you about what I actually do in a day here at 100 Witherspoon, aka the Presbyterian Center. So prepare for a thrilling journey through dark hallways, where intrigue and passion abound....

Sorry, if you think that is the Presbyland we inhabit, I can suggest a few Harlequins for you (or Christian romance novels, although the intrigue and passion factors both go down significantly on those). But that's a topic for another day. I fill my working days with a variety of tasks, usually related to planning and logistics for the various projects of the Network. These can include everything from organizing committee meetings to arranging transportation to the 2006 Leadership Event. But my work really hinges on one key factor-- e-mail.

For instance, take this morning. After walking to work in the brilliant sunshine I knew I wouldn't get to enjoy for long, I sat down at my desk and turned my computer on. While waiting for that, I began processing the tasks that need finishing:

--Registration for the Interfaith Worker Justice National Conference,
--Blog,
--Preparation for and staffing of the Racial Ethnic Task Force call tonight,
--Preparation for the Resources Task Force call tomorrow,
--Leadership Event stuff,
--Intern interview stuff,
--Web update,
--Start a draft for a case study Ann Crews Melton and I are writing to win money for Women's Ministries :).

Now, these tasks require copious amounts of e-mail, mostly consisting of single phrases like, "3 pm doesn't work-- how about 6?" or "Can't do tonight's call because of homework. Sorry." I spent a good chunk of my time this morning e-mailing and responding to such comments.

So to break up the e-mail chain, I went to a staff meeting. Basically, these are chances for us to update Mary Elva, our supervisor, about what's going on, and for her to pass on critical information-- this time about the ever-exciting budget. It seems NNPCW will have a bit more money than we thought. That is always good.

Then I came back to my desk to find more e-mail (Mom e-mailed to say that my income tax check came to the house, for a whopping $12 refund). Finally, I opened up Blogger to start my daily epistle to you all out there.

So, that's what a typical morning is like at the Presbyterian Center. This afternoon will be more e-mails, a staff directory photo at 2:35 pm (on an unfortunately bad hair day), another meeting with Mary Elva, and the Racial Ethnic Task Force call tonight. My day has a little bit of Dilbert, a tad bit of Office Space... but actually, a whole lot of fun. I get to talk to you all and to work to make the church better for all young adults. I meet cool people dealing with important issues. And I learn every day what it takes to translate ideas about justice and equality from words on a page to a new society. I wouldn't trade the experience for any Harlequin bodice-ripping adventure.

"Moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil." --Ecclesiastes 3:13

Kelsey

I launched a new endeavor last night... a GRE prep course. After my humiliating defeat in October 2003 at the hands of the Educational Testing Service, I vowed that I would return to Sylvan Learning Center one day and vanquish the evil GRE. That day, my friends, has come. While I generally try not to use militaristic language in this blog, I cannot describe this in any other terms than as an epic battle against demonic forces known by such names as "quantitative analysis," "analogies," and "antonyms." My scores, particularly my math score, must be better in order for me to go to a decent grad school sometime soon. My target test date? Late May. My target test score? Hmm....

As much as I love to travel, I also love coming back to the office after a long absence. I actually enjoy the piles of mail to open, the voicemails to answer, and the numerous tasks waiting to be finished. There is followup on the World Tour, intern hiring, and Leadership Event planning to do. Small random tasks abound, and without another World Tour to plan, I may actually have time to update the membership database. So those of you waiting for packets in the mail, they will come forthwith.

And what else greeted me this morning when I stepped into the familiar confines of Cube 3044A? The new edition of Sisters Together! Expect to see the spring issue in your mailbox in the next week or two. This issue focuses on the theme of prejudice, the topic of the 2005 Leadership Event in Chicago. Particularly check out the new "Talk Back" section, which includes perspectives from NNPCW women on various forms of prejudice. E-mail me to request a copy of the newsletter, or wait for it to become available online in the next few weeks at www.pcusa.org/nnpcw.

One last update, too-- rumor has it that our beloved former staffperson, Gusti Newquist, made it past the Bolivian blockades and has returned to the United States. My sources also say that Gusti has finally settled on Harvard Divinity School for her graduate work. So NNPCW members and alumnae in Boston, watch out! Gusti was kind enough to send me a postcard for my collection today from La Paz, so I thought I would pass the info along.

Until tomorrow!

"For the Lord is good; God's steadfast love endures forever, and God's faithfulness to all generations." --Psalm 100:5

Kelsey

PS-- For those of you who don't know, I do have a postcard collection that covers a wall of my cube, and I love getting postcards from new places. If you've been somewhere recently, send me a postcard! I would be so happy to hear from you!

I made it back to Louisville last night around 12:45 am, after a two-hour layover in Las Vegas (and what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, so I'll leave you guessing as to how I spent my time there). I worked through most of my time on the ground, actually, and then read on the plane. Right now I'm reading Anna Fels' Necessary Dreams: Ambition in Women's Changing Lives. The following statement may sound dorky, but... it is as much a page-turner as a non-fiction psychology book can be.

I still have about 75 pages to go, but thus far Fels argues that one of the primary human drives is a need for recognition, and one of the primary human pleasures is mastery over a skill or subject. This need for recognition and approval, when combined with mastery, creates ambition (so things like physical appearance don't count, simply because there is very little that hard work and learning can do to improve certain traits).

Most of the previous social barriers that prevented women from attaining mastery over a skill are now gone-- women can train to be everything from trapeze artists to neurosurgeons. Then why, Fels asks, do so many women end up giving up their youthful ambitions? And why do the women who achieve public recognition for their work often shy away from taking credit or pleasure in the acclaim? For Fels, our society's lack of recognition of women is the key.

She essentially assembles a mountain of (rather depressing) research from psychology, sociology, and the business world to show that women actually do receive less recognition and encouragement from those around them when they are high achievers. One study she quotes, published in the Harvard Education Letter, says that in a high school math class, "although the girls studying geometry took more initiative in class, teachers directed most of their questions and comments to boys and more often encouraged boys to persist when they answered incorrectly" (102). From these and other examples that range from preschool to the working world, Fels concludes that "the entire texture of women's lives is permeated with small events of nonrecognition" (104).

Now, there will probably be many of you out there saying, "I don't feel like I'm not getting recognized." Personally, I feel like I've always been affirmed by my teachers and employers. When I stop and think about it, though, I'm usually in settings dominated by women. My Camp Fire group in elementary school was all girls. Many of my high school classes had majority of girls. Women made up about 80% of my college English classes. And of course, now I work in Women's Ministries for the church. If women really do receive less recognition in situations where they are working with men, perhaps my relative ease in finding affirmation comes more from my selection of environments than anything else.

So far in reading, I've wondered how we can reinvent social structures that deny women recognition that is essential to their psychological well-being. How can we overcome those extremely subtle and pervasive instances of nonrecognition, especially when there is no identifiable act of prejudice we can work to overcome? I'll read on to find out what Anna Fels says, but I'd be interested to hear your perspectives.

Also, what implications does this idea of perpetual nonrecognition have for our faith? It is intriguing, particularly considering that the Bible is a text with several instances of nonrecognition for women (remember all the unnamed women in Scripture?). But how does Jesus, who gave affirmation to women throughout his ministry on earth, model a new way for us as Christians to affirm and recognize women for their accomplishments?

"But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her." --Luke 10:41-42

Kelsey

Fourteen stops and over 2000 miles later, I'm home in Dryden again before I head back to Kentucky this weekend. My last visit in the Northwest was the same place where my journey with the Network started-- at Whitworth College, my alma mater. It gave me some time to reflect on why I'm still doing the work I do, and to actually see some of the results of NNPCW's ministry.

I visited WISE, aka Women in Society Everywhere, a feminist group at Whitworth still thriving in its second year. It started when one Whitworth student, Katie Linder, came to the 2003 Leadership Event in New York. Her experience of womanspace at that event ignited her desire to start a group for women on her own campus. That inspiration grew into WISE. You can read more about WISE in the last issue of Sisters Together.

Last night I met with a group of about 10 WISE women to talk about faith and feminism-- what does it mean to reconcile the two in your own life? For me, though, the conversation had more poignancy because of its relationship to my own faith journey. Whitworth, of course, was the place where I deepened my Christian faith and first began to claim feminism for myself. It was where I first encountered the Network while looking for a job. I could identify with their experiences because facets of them mirrored my own. It amazed me to see so many young women, through WISE, traveling on similar paths of exploration.

I also talked to Angie Cesena, one of the members of the Leadership Event Planning Team for this year's event. Angie reappeared in my life at last year's leadership event, years after I had been her resident assistant at Whitworth.

During the course of our conversation, she mentioned that she had written a feature for a campus newsletter that talked about NNPCW. In the article, she said, "...'Claiming Wisdom's Call: How Christian Faith Empowers Women to Engage Pop Culture from an Anti-Racist Perspective' changed the direction of my life.... Through attending workshops and engaging in some amazing and enlightening conversations, I realized that being a woman of faith means being a woman of compassion and of action." Angie told me last night that she now wants to join the Peace Corps for two years, working with HIV/AIDS education among women in Africa.

I've said before that this Northwest tour has presented some challenges and difficulties for me. I've talked about the mustard seed, the one that we plant but usually don't see to maturity. My visit to Whitworth gave me a glimpse into a burgeoning mustard bush. The women I visited there-- women like Katie and Angie and Maren Haynes (next year's CoCo co-moderator)-- were all nurtured in one way or another by NNPCW. And not only have they grown, but they've borne fruit that nurtures others on campus.

So I end the sixth leg of the World Tour on a hopeful note. God is at work in the world, and in the lives of college women. I'm thankful for women, both young and old, who continue to seek God's call to live lives faithful to the liberation of the Gospel. And I'm strengthened to continue planting seeds, seeds nurtured by the soil of the Holy Spirit to stretch toward God and reach out to the world.

God is good,
All the time.
All the time,
God is good.
Amen.

Kelsey

Well, I made it-- today was the last day of actual events for the 2005 Northwest World Tour. I'm sitting in my uncle's chilly basement after a long day of driving halfway across Washington to visit Eastern Washington University and Whitworth College. Along the way, I caught up with several old friends and family members. But I'll leave those tales for tomorrow.

Tonight I actually wanted to recap the previous day's visit to Campbell Farm in Wapato. Owned by Central Washington Presbytery, this is a conference retreat center and working farm that does outreach in the local community. One of the Young Adult Volunteers there, Kerrie Yarnell, is an alumna of the Network. Although I never got to meet the Native American women that I had come down to visit (none of them showed up to their regular Wednesday night Bible study), I did meet David and Sheri Noah, the farm directors. They were wonderful.

For me, the visit emphasized how completely clueless I was growing up about the myriad social issues in my own backyard. I grew up about two hours north of Wapato, which is on the Yakama Indian Reservation in central Washington. I even played fastpitch there in high school. Yet I never knew that Wapato, which is 70% Latino, also has a Buddhist temple and a Filipino community center for a once flourishing Asian-American community. Despite seeing them several times in my home area, I had never eaten at a truck taco stand before yesterday (my quesadilla was very good, by the way). My friend, Kerrie, lamented that this rich mix of cultures and people living in the area never gets highlighted-- all the rest of us know about include statistics on how Yakima County is the poorest county in the state, has problems with gang violence, etc. We don't know about things like the giant feast that Japanese-Americans throw for the entire community in the spring. We don't learn the rich native heritage of several bands brought together on one reservation.

The visit also brought up the issue of undocumented workers in the community, and particularly how it affects youth. Kerrie talked about how in her church youth group, the children themselves placed value judgments on their peers based on who was here legally and who was not-- "Sally can go to the doctor to get new glasses because she's documented." "Joey can't go to college because he's undocumented." One girl, she said, has dreams of going to college that will probably never be realized, primarily because of her illegal immigration status.

Now, there is a diversity of opinion out there about this particular issue, and I honestly can't tell you what to think. In some ways, I don't know exactly what I think. I do know, though, that it hurts me to think that some little girl will never have the opportunity for an education because she's caught in this empty space between cultures. Because essentially, these children are American in all but name-- many have never really lived in their home country, and so going back there long-term in order to go through the proper immigration channels is all but unthinkable to them. Yet they will never have the chance to live out the proverbial "American Dream" in their current state.

When we talk about all the issues out there, we forget that there are real people involved, real lives impacted. And no matter what you think about a topic, God calls us to love people-- whoever they are and wherever they're at. Because sometimes we're oblivious to the people who need us most; the ones sitting in our own backyards.

"But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him." --Luke 10:33

"'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'" --Luke 10:36-37

Kelsey

My sister had Saved by the Bell reruns on this morning before she left for school. Did any of you watch that show growing up? It was a giant, stinky ball of television cheese, of course, but I know the truth about you all out there-- you watched it as diligently as I did. After all, who can forget the episode where Jessi takes the caffeine pills to maintain her perfectionist life? The 80s pop hit "I'm So Excited" will never be the same for me. Or the diner where they all went after school? Screech's unrequited love for Lisa?

Well, today was the beauty pageant episode. I didn't watch all of it before my sister flipped channels to the country station, but the gist of the plotline was this: Jessi, ever the feminist (although Elizabeth Berkeley went on to star in Striptease, I believe), was leading a protest in the halls over the school beauty pageant. Meanwhile, Zach wanted to enter Screech in the pageant, which Mr. Belding forbade. Yet after Jessi agreed to stop protesting if a man entered the pageant, Belding relented and let Screech in.

Watching this all transpire, I wondered if Jessi had missed the point about the whole protest. Most people who protest beauty pageants are angry about the objectification of women. But does allowing men to be objectified make it any better? Will having a beauty pageant where men and women equally trounce around half naked really bring about equality of the sexes?

It is interesting today to watch the trajectory of modern beauty pageants. Today's Miss Americas usually have a social platform that they travel on. Now the swimsuit competition is a "fitness competition," and an interview accompanies the evening gown competition. Pageants like Miss America and Miss USA are also today's largest donors of college scholarships to young women. This may explain why today's contestants are very intelligent women, studying to be things like doctors and lawyers.

Let's get real, though. I will confess that when I've watched Miss America in the past, it wasn't the content of the interviews that I was thinking about. I, and the people I watched the competition with, basically ranked candidates on their physical attractiveness. Little girls don't really dream of being Miss America because of what she said about world peace.

Back to Jessi and the gang-- I don't think you'll ever see a men's pageant gain that kind of mainstream popularity either, except maybe as some sort of joke. Nor would I want it to, to be honest. Objectifying people, judging them only on what they give us rather than on who God has created them to be, is selfish and destructive. Beauty pageants say a lot about gender stereotypes and what we value women for in our society. For me, "equality" doesn't mean valuing men for the same shallow reasons.

I don't mean to pick on Miss America or Miss USA, or to bash the women who participate in their pageants (who can blame them, when we're all trying to pay for college somehow?). It is just one very small symptom in a much larger problem. And bringing Screech into the beauty pageant isn't going to make it better.

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." --Psalm 139:13-14

Kelsey

I'm still hanging out at my house in Dryden, where I finally got a good night's sleep (my mom can't stay awake and talk half the night like my friends can). Today is a true free day, so I'm going to spend some time catching up on office work before hitting the softball field. Today my sister will take the pitcher's mound against the Brewster Bears here in Dryden, where the softball fields are named in memory of my dad. That's how big fastpitch is in our family.

A few weeks ago, when the Taco Bell boycott ended, I met two staff people for Interfaith Worker Justice, one of the four social agencies we'll be working with at the 2005 NNPCW Leadership Event. In the middle of our conversation, Emily and Kim mentioned that they will be holding a conference on May 22-24 in Chicago. Since then, our office has decided that Ann Crews Melton, NNPCW alumna and interim Associate for Women's Advocacy in the PC(USA), and I will be attending! We cordially invite any of you who might be interested to come hang out with us in Chicago.

What will this conference be about, you might ask? Well, it will teach us to advocate for justice for workers, such as those involved in the Taco Bell boycott, from a faith perspective. The conference will be a great place to meet other people who care about the same issues, learn the skills for effective organizing and coalition-building, and find spiritual renewal with others who care about justice. If you're interested in going, e-mail me-- there maybe be some scholarships available through the church's Office of Urban Ministry. Also check out www.nicwj.org/2005Conference.html for more information.

Remember, Ann and I will be there, and we'd love to have you come, too!

"Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you." --Deuteronomy 16:20

Kelsey

While all the rest of you were hitting the books or having fun over the past two days, I've been plugging away on the World Tour circuit. On Saturday, I spent some time with the Presbyterian Women of Seattle Presbytery, and on Sunday I went to worship at the Kenyan International Community Church in South Seattle. I also met up with CoCo's Sacha Maxim for dinner last night, where she shamelessly attempted to recruit all of her friends at Seattle University for NNPCW. The plan is for her to bring her friend Anna (who showed me some fascinating dance moves that involve groups of people kicking and punching to hard rock music) to the leadership event this summer. I also told Sacha I wanted her to lead a knitting workshop, so I'll let her explain more of that later.

I met with a group of about ten young women at the Kenyan church, all of whom had been in the United States for five years or less. When I asked them how NNPCW and REYWT could partner with them to empower them as women, they came back with a very clear, practical answer-- they need scholarships. Recent immigrants do not always have oodles of cash, and the tuition for international students (which is what they're considered at this point) is higher than tuition for any American student. They wanted to know how we could help them find jobs and money to go to school, so that they can build lives for themselves in this country.

I'm afraid I didn't have very good answers for them-- the Presbyterian Church (USA) offers scholarships for students, but only if you're Presbyterian and if you're a citizen or permanent resident. During our time together, the women talked about forming a women's group in their church to advocate for scholarships. I suggested, for instance, that they talk to the Presbyterian congregation that lets them borrow a building for worship services about donating funds.

What I'm wondering, for all of you out there, is how NNPCW and REYWT can both partner with these women in the process? New immigrant college women are one of the most overlooked groups in NNPCW. How can we provide them tools for empowerment?

A side note before I go about why I love being a woman-- I stayed up until 5 am this morning talking to my cousin about everything under the sun. That's also why I'm going to go take a nap now.

"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt." --Exodus 23:9

Kelsey

Apparently, Blogger has had server difficulties of late—hence the reason I’m so late in posting.

Today is another free day of sorts… I actually do a fair amount of other work on my free day, but I don’t have anything scheduled formally. For a confessional moment, I will say that not having schools to visit is a bit discouraging. It can be kind of lonely out here, visiting schools where you only see a few people and even those people don’t seem particularly excited about being in NNPCW—if those schools even let you come, that is. Because yeah, at its core this is a recruiting trip. We want to gain new members, or we wouldn’t be spending this kind of money to send me out here. I’m halfway through the tour, and I still only have a few names on my NNPCW signup sheet.

You see, our materialistic, product-driven society is very focused on quantifiable results. One person I know has asked me several times about NNPCW’s goals and results—what are we doing and is it effective? It is a valid question, of course, particularly when budget issues are involved. I want to tell him that, yes, based on this and that, we’ve seen membership jump by 25% in the last quarter and registrations for the Leadership Event are up by 50 over last year. I don’t want to say that I travel for two weeks to only get a handful of memberships, and that we have to work our tails off to get the forty people that come to a national leadership event every year.

Yet to use a term from my good ol’ Pentecostal days, God has been “dealing with my heart” on this trip. Yesterday when I visited Pacific, one student and I were commiserating about how few of our peers saw the inequities that still exist in our society, and how many of them thought we were obnoxious harpies because we see them and we care. And a wise woman interjected to say, “They will see it, too, someday. And when they do, what you’ve said to them now will come back to them and be more meaningful than you could possibly imagine.”

Whenever I visit a college, I hand out our discussion resource as if it were candy. I make all the women take one, even if they have no expressed interest in the Network. Why? Because the truth is that the realm of God is indeed like a mustard seed. I don’t know what those women will do with that resource, or what they will ultimately take away from my presentation at their college. But when they do finally run into those inequities in society (and they will), if they’re compelled to turn their back on their faith, I have hope that some encounter they’ve had with NNPCW will change their minds.

Because ultimately, our ministry is not about numbers or statistics, not about memberships or programs. This is about people—about extending God’s love and showing people a faith of liberation for the captives and justice for the downtrodden. I can’t measure that, but Jesus didn’t measure numbers in his ministry either. All I can do is plant the mustard seed, and have faith that it will spring to life down the road.

"Again he said, 'What shall we say the realm of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." --Mark 4:30-32

Kelsey

Well, I haven't missed a day of blogging yet, and today is no exception-- even if it is 11:30 pm. However, that means that this will be a pretty short post. I had a great day today with a group from Pacific University and the women's spirituality group at Oregon State. The Pacific group was actually primarily through the Center for Women and Gender Equity-- they brought a fairly large group of women and men of all ages and religious backgrounds to talk. While the students at Oregon State were smaller in number, we had a fun discussion there as well about our experiences with feminism.

One thing we talked about at Oregon State (I'll elaborate more in the morning about other topics)-- why is it that people always think of angry women when you say the word "feminist?" Granted, there are lots of things in the world to be angry about in general, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women. However, most of the women I know who claim the term "feminist" are not angry by nature. I'm not an angry person myself. Yes, I do get mad at times, but so did Jesus when he saw injustice... but where are these images of perpetually pissed off women coming from? The mainstream media? Jerry Faldwell? You tell me.

Anyway, I'm off to bed for the night. I'm leaving Oregon tomorrow, headed back for Seattle. I've enjoyed Oregon-- they have always given me a good reception. And yes, Rebecca, I did indeed visit Powell's, where I bought Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. It will be up to read after the book I just started, Necessary Dreams: Ambitions in Women's Changing Lives by Anna Fels. You're right, though, that it is almost impossible to take in all those books! Unfortunately, the one book I actually needed to buy (a prep course text for the GRE), wasn't available at the world's largest bookstore. Imagine that.

"I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." --Psalm 3:5

Kelsey

Don't you hate it when you mean to go to bed at a decent hour, and then something stupid keeps you up half the night? Last night, I had every intention of going to sleep when I went to bed at 11 pm. Then on the bookshelf above me, I noticed Billie Letts' Where the Heart Is. I've never read the book, but I've seen the movie with Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd, so I just started reading it... and didn't put it down for another hour and a half. What's worse is that I know the book is just sentimentality on one level, but I always loved that Forney character! His devotion to Novalee is very romantic, so I had to stay up too late reading about it.

I'm staying with a pastor in Eugene right now who has lots of interesting pets. There is a bird in the kitchen with a creaking swing-sounding chirp, and a Siamese cat who pants and meows like a crying baby. I've never heard a cat that breathes so heavily that it sounds like a dog panting-- it was a bit unnerving, actually. It is kind of nice to have the pets around to keep me company. They contribute to the house's comfortable atmosphere.

Alas, though, I'll be leaving momentarily. Today is my free day, but the pastor I'm staying with in Portland has asked me to come and talk about young adults at her staff meeting this afternoon. So I need to leave within the next 15 minutes to get there on time... no outlet mall for me today! I'm looking forward to going to the world's largest bookstore, however, later on. Growing up in this region, I've heard tales of the wonders of Powell's Bookstore. Finally, today, I'll get to experience it for myself.

So that's really all I have to write about today... I guess I expended my deep-thought energy last night writing about spirituality. One note, though-- I'm considering starting up an NNPCW Google group for discussion about these and other topics, as well as for people to ask questions about starting and maintaining campus groups. If I do it, though, I want to know that people will join. Is this something that might be worthwhile? I think that an online NNPCW community would be awesome, but in the past the interest just hasn't been there. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts, either by posting or by e-mailing me directly. Thanks for your feedback!

"Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." --Leviticus 19:15

Kelsey

I'm sorry the blog is so late tonight (again), but I've been on the road since 7 am this morning going from school to school and meeting people. This is the first time I've been settled in one place long enough to write! I started the Oregon leg of my journey today, visiting Portland State, Lewis and Clark, and the University of Oregon. For Portland State and UO, I did the historical presentation on women in the church that focuses on women mystics and women accused of witchcraft. I think they enjoyed it... although people's propensity to fall asleep during the presentation does concern me a bit.

At Lewis and Clark, I met with the school's chaplain for lunch. We talked a lot about students on more secular campuses, and how they view spirituality. I always assumed that the term "spiritual" was a bit less threatening than the word "religious," particularly for people who came from bad church backgrounds. Yet Mark and I ended up talking more about students who were not only suspicious of institutional religion, but also lacked any religious background whatsoever-- people who had no basis upon which to understand spirituality or grow in it. Mark talked about running programs like "Art and Spirituality," which tend to attract even those suspicious of Christianity itself on other campuses, and getting very little response at his college.

So I'm curious-- what is "spirituality" to you? How does that tie into organized religion? For many of you, I would guess the two are closely connected through Christianity. Yet for others reading this, "spirituality" isn't necessarily tied to the church. In fact, some may see the institutional church as a roadblock to a spiritual experience with God. Particularly if you're of the latter persuasion, where do communities of faith play into the spiritual if the church is problematic?

I'm also wondering about people's thoughts on the word itself. Is it just a warm fuzzy word with no theological meaning to it? Does it open us up to something richer and deeper than the labels "Presbyterian," "Methodist," "Catholic," etc. can?

Maybe I'm asking these questions because I'm worried about places where bright, articulate people, people who live out ethical values in their commitments to justice and other causes, are completely missing the boat when it comes to spirituality. And perhaps I'm wondering why, now, even "spiritual" has become a bad word in some social climates.

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." --Romans 12:11

Kelsey

PS-- Thanks, Kelly, for your comment about yesterday's blog. You are definitely on the mark on this. I think it depends a lot on your context-- if you're very progressive in a less progressive Christian community, you might always feel called upon to "prove" your Christianity. If you're a progressive Christian in a secular environment, you may find yourself having to overcome stereotypes about Christians to be accepted. It points to some of the animosity between the two communities (some of which, personally, I think has been artificially created by the mainstream media), and how many of us end up serving as models of an alternative paradigm.

This will have to be a short post for several reasons: 1.) I'm borrowing a computer here from the secretary at University of Puget Sound, 2.) I have to meet a friend at 3 pm, and 3.) I waited to have lunch, and I'm getting pretty hungry.

However, I did have an interesting conversation with the advisor for the United Methodist student group here at UPS (historically a Methodist college). We talked about how hard it was for many students on a socially aware and active campus like this to tap into Christianity, mainly because they had associations with it that did not square up with their concerns for justice in the world. We also talked about how the students who had made those connections tended to feel isolated on campuses. One problem, I think, is that those of us from mainline Christian denominations feel uncomfortable talking about God. The sense is that if we bring our faith up in general conversation, people will feel like we're trying to convert them or push our beliefs on them-- something that many of us are uncomfortable with. Yet I think there is a way to talk about our faith, and how it relates to our concerns for justice for women, for the environment, and for other issues that isn't threatening.

I learned in college that talking about God is okay-- when I talk about my faith, I'm not doing it to make people believe as I do. Generally when I bring up Christianity, I'm talking about it because it is part of my identity (of course, working for the church helps with that). But because my passion for justice is so tied to my faith, it is difficult for me to explain one without explaining the other. It is unfortunate that so often, those of us concerned with those issues feel like we can't express our faith if we want to be accepted in justice communities. Sometimes, it is okay to talk about God if that is a part of why we work for justice.

Okay, I really need to go-- someone may have made off with my display by now. Until tomorrow!

"God has showed you, O people, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." --Micah 6:8

Kelsey

You probably already guessed that I couldn't drag myself out of bed early enough to blog this morning, so here I am on the other end. I survived the great trek across the country to Seattle. More importantly, Hagar the Cell Phone, the little Hyundai rental car, and I found our way to Dryden through a nasty snowstorm on I-90. Yes, you read that right-- it is April 1, and I just came through heavy snow on the top of the mountain pass. This, my friends, is the primary reason why I abhor snow. I couldn't see the road ahead for the huge flakes blowing from all directions, and I couldn't see the road in front of me for the slush covering it. So I just focused on the taillights in front of me as we crawled over the pass... and prayed. I made it, though, thank God.

I had dinner at a great Indian restaurant tonight with a student and the campus minister at the University of Washington. I commiserated with them on the Huskies' loss to Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen, and we talked a lot about campus groups. They hope to send a couple of students to the Leadership Event, and then start a women's spirituality group next fall. I told them what I tell everyone about campus groups-- it all starts with assessing the need on your campus, and then finding a way to fill it. Hopefully they'll be able to begin filling that need. The ministry at UW is in a rebuilding phase right now, but I was impressed with the energy they had for reaching out on campus.

I must confess that I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to sign off for the night. I'll be in Tonasket tomorrow, not Toppenish, watching fastpitch (Rachel was named co-captain of her softball team, and she pitched a shutout yesterday-- very exciting in the Rice softball world). I hope to be home in time to cheer on Louisville in the Final Four semifinal game at 3 pm Pacific. Until then!

"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night." --Exodus 13:21

Kelsey