So happy :)

I cannot fully express how happy I am today. Honestly, SO SO SO HAPPY! I think the only way to really come close to describing it is complete and utter JOY. I'm so grateful for so many things. I finished on 17 sign ups last week! WHaaaaaat? I was the top signer in the office last week! Yay! That is a BEAUTIFUL feeling. Especially since it was only my 3rd week. I'm finally getting to the point where I am confident in my own skills and I just innately know that I'm going to get the sign ups I need and want to get. I'm getting so much better at reading people and sharing my heart with them. I think that's what I love the most right now about my job. There are so many amazing people that just open their hearts to me and I just get to hear the most beautiful stories.
I have such a great respect for people who have consciously turned their lives around. I talk to so many people every day who tell me about their addictions and struggles and how they have overcome them and changed their lives around for the better. I really think it takes a lot of strength to recognize you need help and then do something about it and make a lasting change. These people inspire me. And I meet them every day.
I'm thankful for the little things. It barely rained today and then it was nice and sunny until work was over. Some guy serenaded me and told me I was beautiful. The greenpeace canvassers and I chatted and they were so funny. I signed up 3 guys today and none of them had any excuses. They just signed up once I was done dialoguing them. Whaaaaaat? That made me feel really good. I had some beautiful conversations with people who didn't sign up, but I made awesome connections with people. I actually stopped quite a few girls today. My average age for sign ups was above 25- which is really good because it usually means they'll stick with it longer. Today was beautiful and happy :)
Today we had another new starter who I got to train! I love it when they put me with new people because I get to teach them what I have learned- from experiencing it, but also what the other dialoguers have taught me, plus teaching them helps me be more confident and then I learn better by teaching. When I identify things that other people need to improve, I can more easily identify when I am letting myself slip into doing those things as well, and since I need to be the example, I catch myself. I love training newbies! Even though I'm still a newbie.. haha.
I am so blessed. Getting this job has been so amazing for me. I have learned so much about myself, and it's just helping me release all my inhibitions. By the end of the summer I will be fearless- at the rate it's going right now, I think it's inevitable.
So happy :) I can't stop smiling. Everything is so rewarding to me. I'm getting paid really well, which is what I need, but more importantly I get to do something about poverty every day. I get to fight for basic human rights every day. I get to give children the opportunity to go to school and have food and water and healthcare every single day. I get to give everyday people the opportunity to change a life. What better way to spend my summer? Bam. Life is GOOD!

Another day, another dollar.

So yesterday wasn't a fluke. I got 4 again today! I'm getting better at this job! I feel so much more confident about it, so instead of hoping I will find people to sign up, I KNOW I will find people. I honestly believe that every person can and should and wants to sponsor a kid because it's so worth it. I firmly  believe that! Have I mentioned how much I love my job?
I talked to a lady yesterday who was a personal chef! She was soooo cool! I talked to another lady who worked in a studio sewing organic cloth feminine hygiene products too. She was also really cool! (Marissa would have liked to hear about her job.. It was pretty awesome what she was working on!) I also signed up a Delta Airlines pilot who lived in Portland but worked in Detroit, but since he flies everywhere for free it worked out. He signed up for a kid in Honduras because he really likes that country and wants to go again with his girlfriend. PERFECT. He didn't even need convincing and he came back out of Nike Town just like he said he would and signed right up after he got shoes for his girlfriend.
So, basically even though it rained pretty much all day long, people still want to stop and talk and do good. Enough said.
GOOD DAY :)

Week 3 yipee

Well, I got a surprise day off on Monday. That was kind of nice since it rained all day that day! Danny called me at like 6:30 and told me not to come in because nobody else was going to be there. So I slept in and basically did nothing all day. Sweet deal right? I won't complain.. Except for the fact I have to work Saturday now. But it's all good!
Tuesday was a great day. It was sunny and beautiful and soooo nice. I was feeling GREAT, and I got a sponsor in the first 20 minutes, and then I got another one like 20 minutes after that! I was so on a roll. I got another on after the first break and I got my last one right at the end of the day. Great day! I totaled 4 sign ups, and I got to meet some amazing people! Plus there were 2 new girls that started today, one of them is Olivia and the other one is Cara! Just like me! It's pretty funny.. So I got to work with them today and help them with their approaches and dialogues and such, which was nice because now I'm not the new girl- they are. I definitely like not being the only one who's brand new- now I actually know what I'm doing and I can help everyone else. I love how close I've gotten to the people I work with! They are so much fun! I really enjoy all of their company.
It's really cool how many awesome people I run into every day. There are people who just draw me pictures and sing me songs.. Its fantastic all the things we acquire. Some guy gave Olivia a 4 leaf clover yesterday. Random? Haha but it's all in a day's work. Mom got all sentimental about a picture some guy drew me.. It was an Urban Portland black and white sketch which was pretty cool.. Apparently I have to save it, so I'll post it someday..
Today it's supposed to rain all day long. It's already started and I'm not really looking forward to being soaking wet all day.. I'll survive I guess.

How I love my job..

So I've officially worked for Dialogue Direct/Children International for 2 weeks. And it's been an AMAZING 2 weeks. I can't even believe how much I've grown, or at least how much I think I've grown. I know one thing for sure, I will be the most friendly person ever by the end of the summer! Not that I was ever shy in the first place, but I have learned to be fearless; I still have a long way to go, but I have definitely made some progress.
Dealing with so much rejection is hard. But I've learned to be positive about it. The people that won't stop don't know what they're missing out on. And the people who say no are the same way. The hardest thing to remember is the fact that the people I talk to don't know me enough for their responses to be personal towards me. Even though I treat everyone like a best friend, they aren't necessarily opening themselves up like I am. Oftentimes, they say no when they really want to say yes, but they build this wall and tell themselves they can't make such a spur of the moment decision. Danny and Tawny always ask people how long they have known about poverty. Then we tell people that we talk and talk about doing something about poverty, but we never ACTUALLY do anything about it. This sponsorship is the perfect way to take action. One person isn't going to change the world, but their sponsorship does change that child's world, and they become the world to that child. It's such a beautiful relationship too!
Last Friday I was struggling. I needed 4 to make staff so I could keep my job and I had 3 by 6 o'clock. I decided to stay out a little more and Zach stayed with me to help me out. I had a guy almost convinced, but he wasn't taking it so I let him walk away. Zach grabbed him and basically told him straight up that I needed one more sponsorship to make staff that day, and if he couldn't do it for  the child, could he do it for me? I didn't know Zach was telling him that at all, and he came over and signed up with me. Talk about answers to prayers. On Monday I got my first 3 in a day and then kept a consistent 2 average from Tuesday through Friday. I wish I could have just gotten my 3 average right away, but I did improve a TON over just a week, so I can be grateful for that. Next week will be even better.
Some of my sign ups were pretty awesome! I am most successful at PSU and on the Starbucks corner at Pioneer Place. I'm not sure why, but I guess I'm just most comfortable those places. I need to work on keeping my mojo when I move to a different location. I signed up a guy who had just applied for the job with us which was pretty cool, because we basically made sure he'd get the job. It was pretty awesome! Clarke Leeland was a cool guy. I hope he gets it!  Another guy came back and signed up after I suggested he do it as a gift to his wife. Another one wanted to do it for his daughter so she could have a pen-pal. Another guy told me all about how much money he had to throw around, so He had no excuses and just did it. One guy wanted to go into the store and think about it but I made him fill out the form anyways and told him if he decided not to do it he could just call and cancel, but I guaranteed him he wouldn't want to cancel it; so he did it and came back out of the store and was like, "I can spend $500 on clothes but I can't spend $20 on a kid? Thank you for making me fill it out. I'm excited to see who my kid is!" It was so great :). Another guy I met had just started working for the timbers and he had like 3 college degrees but he had been diagnosed with some sickness and had to quit med school. He was just so grateful for life and really wanted to help everyone he got stopped by. He was so cool! And such a nice guy. He had been addicted to hardcore drugs and all kinds of things, but he had gotten his life together and was doing a LOT better.
 On Friday I had a rough day after a crazy lady started yelling at me and telling me how terrible I was. I got really shaken up and I broke down and called Danny so I could cool down. He walked around with me for awhile and gave me a pep talk that really helped. I pretty much forgot about it after that. It took me all the way til the last 2 hours to get my 2 though, which was frustrating. The last one I got was this guy who I had talked to earlier who was visiting from California because his friend was graduating. There were a bunch of them in a huge group and they were all just harassing me for standing there, So I just let them go. But they came back and wanted to talk to me, and I had like 3 minutes before I had to go back to the office. So I just told them straight up that I needed one more sponsorship today and I was off in 2 minutes. So the one guy convinced his friend to do it. He was like "Okay, I'll do it if you come hang out with us at the bars this weekend," all the sudden I got kinda scared, but then I told them I wasn't 21 yet, so that wasn't going to work. Oh darn. But he did it anyways and I gave him a big hug and it was all good because I at least got my 2 average for the week!
I've been the most successful with men, and especially ones who are in their mid 20's. I stop everyone I meet, but for some reason I have a harder time convincing girls and women. My goal in the next few weeks is to learn how to approach women effectively without feeling self-conscious. I know I'm just limiting myself because I don't think I can convince them, so I need to change that attitude and ask for help and become more versatile in my dialogue and approach.
I met a guy on Friday who had just gotten out of prison. At first I was a little nervous, but he was such a cool guy. He had been locked up for about 5 years, and he talked about how he'd been a gang member and had been really addicted to drugs and alcohol, but he cleaned himself up and no longer had any desire to do those things. He and a buddy of his were going to open up a tattoo parlor and he was planning on doing gang outreach so he could help kids who were going through the same things he had. I love talking to people like that because they just want to help people so much. They have such big hearts and it's amazing. I met another guy who had just finished alcohol rehab and he was just so happy about being sober. Another guy was a devoted Christian, but he'd been in and out of gangs in his earlier life and had been strangled, shot, stabbed, beaten and so many things. He was just so devoted to Jesus and was so grateful for his family and the people around him. There are some amazing people that have been through some really rough things. Even though I didn't sign very many of these people up to sponsor kids, I have grown so much by just meeting them and having such short and meaningful conversations.
There are some really sad people I have met. There are a lot of homeless people that just devastate me. There are a few schizophrenics who will talk to me a lot. One is convinced that he is 36, works at the airport and is studying Marketing at PSU. He looks about 67 or 68. He definitely looks and acts old, but i suppose he could have been addicted to drugs or something that has made him age a lot more, but he did not seem very lucid at all. There are a lot of people that aren't lucid. It's really sad to me. There are also a lot of kids who are homeless just because they don't want to do anything. They will come sit on the corner with us and hassle us, which is really annoying, but we just move.
There are some AMAZING musicians who regularly play around where were at. There's a guy with an electric cello and he just improvises all day long and it's incredible. I just want to stare at him sometimes.
Basically, I love my job. It is teaching me so much. I love my co-workers too- we all have a lot in common and they are so nice and fun to be around. They all smoke and drink, but they know I don't and they all respect me a lot which I really appreciate. I don't feel awkward around them at all so it's good. This job makes me so happy, and even though it's exhausting, I know its what I'm supposed to be doing this summer.

And so it begins. Days 1 and 2.

5-9-11
Today I met God. And Jesus. The very same. In the flesh. And that my dear, is a fact. At leas that's what he told me. Also, he knows the devil personally, calls him Jimmy, but he told the devil he can't touch me, because I'm saved. Also, JFK wasn't really assassinated. He's still alive and well these days. Just in case you were wondering.
Man, what a guy. Haha I'm quite positive that this gentleman wasn't all there, and he introduced himself to me like 5 different times and shook my hand. I felt for the guy. He probably had it pretty rough in his life. He probably talked to me for about 5 minutes, without a breath. I couldn't even get a word in edgewise. But it was entertaining to say the least! When he finally walked away, I couldn't help but smile. All in a day's work.
Today was hard. Really hard. I had fun, but I wasn't prepared for how much rejection I would face all day long. I started with high spirits at the beginning of the day but by the lunch break I was really feeling down. Nobody wanted to talk to me. I was feeling self conscious and I really just wanted to get a sponsor!   I definitely needed something to raise my spirits. The last 2 hours were still tough, but better. All the Campaign Managers were so great. They had such great advice and gave me awesome pep talks. They told me everything I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it and I'm really grateful for that! For the last half hour of my day, I went to a new corner and one of the campaign managers told me to stop thinking about trying to get a sponsor and to just try to have a genuine conversation with someone and show them how much love I had in me. I did that with a few people and even though none of them signed up to sponsor a kid, I think it helped me get out of my shell. Hopefully I'll have better luck tomorrow.

5-10-11
Man. What a DAY! It was kinda cold til about 3 today and then BAM, hello sun! I totally got sunburnt. Whaaaaat? I know. Crazy. So I was talking to my dad last night, and thinking about my final pep talk yesterday, and i decided that today I was just going to do everything I could to just LOVE every person I met. Regardless of who they were or if they were going to donate or not. I just had my focus be on making new friends and getting to know the people that walk down these streets. I made a goal to smile the whole day long, and when I felt discouraged, I just had to stop and remind myself that I'm not doing this job for me, I'm doing it so that I can change the world, one child at a time. By standing on that corner, I'm making it so that a child, who could be my little brother or sister, can go to school tomorrow.
Wow. How can I even begin to describe how much of a difference that attitude made today? The day went by so much faster today and I had so much more FUN just talking to people. The rejection was still hard, but it was easier to shake it off and just laugh about it. I seriously feel sore from so much smiling but I think I learned a valuable lesson today. If you want to talk to people, you have to be approachable. And to be approachable, you have to exude love and happiness. Then, people are drawn to you and want to know why you are so happy. It was really awesome, because I got to make some awesome new friends today! I don't even know how many people I talked to today, but I had so much fun and I GOT MY FIRST SPONSOR!!!! Arthur Showden. He had just returned from Veterinary school in New Zealand! So naturally, we had a lot to talk about since I've worked at my Dad's Veterinary Hospital since high school. He also had a girlfriend who worked with the Peace Corps in Zambia, so he had a connection with one of the countries we sponsor kids in! It was great because I talked to him and then brought up who I worked for and what we do and once I was done with my spiel, he had no excuses. He just said he wanted to sponsor a kid in Zambia! Man, I was SO happy! That little girl is going to be so happy tomorrow when she finds out she's sponsored! Even though I didn't sponsor her specifically, I feel like I can take partial credit for that! So I 'm feeling great now! I didn't get another one today, but I finished in good spirits. I seriously couldn't stop smiling! I was walking to catch my bus and I just kept saying hi to people and talking to them and smiling at everyone. It took me a while to realize that I wasn't working anymore and I didn't HAVE to be that friendly, but at that point I just didn't care anymore. I have a feeling this summer is going to make me fearless. Bam. I'm not afraid of anything. I can accomplish anything I set my mind to! I have 3 more days to get 5 sponsors before I'm officially on staff. I know I can do it. I've caught the vision, I know what I need to do, and I'm going to SAVE SOME BABIES!!!

The best excuse I heard today was so funny. I just had to document it. This guy stops and is like, "I'm sorry I can't talk right now, I'm actually late to meet my girlfriend... She's pregnant." Hahahahaha. I just laughed and told him good luck. Good luck man.. I got some amusement out of it at least.

Portlandia!!

So I recently got this job in downtown Portland, Oregon. It's pretty rad. I work for Dialogue Direct on behalf of Children International. Children International is a nonprofit organization that sponsors children in eleven different countries around the world and helps these kids get access to clean water, food, clothing, shelter, education, medical and dental care and sooo much more. It's seriously THE coolest program in existence and it's only $22 a month! Which is insanely cheap for all the stuff they do.

Okay, so let's think about this. In High School, I found my passion in Doernbecher Children's Hospital. I saw a bunch of kids in an assembly at my school and then I joined the Kids Making Miracles counsel my Junior year and became a Co-Chair of the counsel as a Senior. Best decision of my life. Seriously, I learned so much about love and compassion and giving that I never would have learned otherwise.

Okay fast forward. A few weeks ago I found this job listing on Craigslist. It looked pretty cool, so I applied. They called me the next day and I interviewed the day after that. It was so perfect. My enthusiasm and passion about helping children get a better life apparently showed through so I got the job. I started this Monday!

Basically, my job is hard but it's a TON of fun. I stand on Portland street corners and make friends with the people who walk by. I also get sponsors for these kids in impoverished countries. So basically, this job was made for me. I get to talk to people all day long. Some of them are old, some young, some happy some sad. It's so diverse and I love it! In those short conversations It is really awesome that I can build a relationship with someone after just talking to them for a few minutes. People are Awesome!

My purpose for creating this blog is to journal my experiences with people in Portland, and with Children International this summer. I've only been at it for a few days, but I can already feel myself learning how to love people on such a deeper level.