New things to come in Fall 2013!

posted by ACT:S May 23rd, 2013

Wow, this year has flown by!  The time has come when you pack up your dorm rooms, you get a summer job, and some of you are graduating (congrats!!).

As you take a break from your routine this summer, ACT:S will be taking time to regroup and really dive into some new exciting projects we have going on for the fall. In order to focus on this, we will not be communicating much via email, blog, or social media. After our summer hiatus, we’ll be back this fall with some new exciting things for you to use in your campus activism!

In the meantime—do you have urgent questions? We’ll still be responding to email, so shoot us a message at acts@worldvision.org

Also, check out our friends World Vision Youth. They have a website full of great things you can do over the summer to keep raising awareness on the issues you care about most!

Stay tuned… we’ll see you in the Fall!

Celebrate – Easter Sunday

posted by World Vision Youth March 28th, 2013

Every August, tens of thousands of people descend on the tiny town of Buñol, Spain to partake in La Tomatina – arguably the world’s largest food fight. The festivities begin at 10 AM with the “palo jabón,” meaning “the greased pole.” Participants must climb the pole to knock a ham from the top. As they attempt this, the crowd begins to sing and dance while being showered by water from hoses. Once someone is able to drop the ham off the pole, the fight begins, and trucks disperse around 150,000 tomatoes. After exactly one hour of throwing crushed tomatoes at friends and strangers, the festival ends. The whole town square is colored red and rivers of tomato juice flow freely. Fire Trucks hose down the streets and participants, washing away the tomato paste. Participating in this event is purely for fun, and people travel from all over the world to take part in this celebration. 

There is something about celebrating life and each other that contributes to living life to its fullest. Easter Sunday provides us with a reason to celebrate: the resurrection of Jesus. He died the death our sins should cost us, and then he defied death after three days. This can be an overwhelming thought to take in. A man died a very real death so that our sins will not separate us from being with God, our Creator.

John 20 recounts when Jesus’ disciples discovered his empty tomb and when they fully believed he is the son of God. (more…)

Good Friday: Serve | Holy Week Reflections

posted by World Vision Youth March 28th, 2013

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25 TNIV).

When predicting his death, Jesus compares our lives to a grain of wheat.

The Message version of this teaching reads, “Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal” (John 12:24-25).

Our lives were meant to be given away in service to God and others. Jesus concludes his teaching by saying, “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me” (John 12:26). We begin to experience fullness of life when we are serving God, following Jesus, and loving the world around us.

Today is Good Friday, when we commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus.

(more…)

Live Life – Week 6: Reflect

posted by World Vision Youth March 23rd, 2013

On this day in 1980,  Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot dead as he presided over the Mass in a small El Salvador church. Minutes before he was gunned down, he said in his sermon, “One must not love oneself so much as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life that history demands of us, and those that fend off danger will lose their lives.” He was killed because of his commitment to follow Christ.

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, when Christians around the world traditionally reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross, his death and resurrection, and his gift of new life. Palm Sunday commemorates the day Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on a donkey. A crowd used palm branches to welcome Jesus into the city, even proclaiming him to be the king of Israel. (more…)

Live Life – Week 5: Serve

posted by World Vision Youth March 16th, 2013

We live in a world that is constantly telling us to put ourselves into categories. There are first class seats and then there’s coach. General admission or VIP passes. Upscale shops or bargain stores. Degrees from universities you brag about versus the degree you were just happy to get. These outward definitions can become the way we see ourselves and others; “value” coming from the desired categories you can get into.

It’s not always easy to treat everyone as valuable. Standards set by our society or culture often tells us that some people are not as valuable as others because of certain qualities or where they come from. These judgments cause us to assume the character of someone before knowing their story. Judgments interfere with living into a full life by convincing us that we are somehow more valuable than another person.

The way God sees us is completely different though. He sees us through His lens of a loving Father.  What if we could begin to see others through such a lens? But what if you valued everyone in your community the way God does? Is that evident in how you treat others in your daily life? (more…)