Stephanie vanKampen

Art for Africa!

2009-03-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I'm Stephanie vanKampen, a GEMS councilor in Fredericton New Brunswick. Last year I was part of the group that put on a get connected camp in Zambia, Africa. This spring, I am putting together a collection of spring paintings - tulips, daffodils, ect - and 100% of the proceeds will go to the Esther Prepartory School that is being built by GEMS Girls Clubs in Zambia.

If you are interested in buying some spring artwork and helping build a school in Zambia at the same time, Please contact me at s.vankampen@hotmail.com. Please consider shipping cost as a factor when you donate.
Thank you!
Stephanie vanKampen

New President, Old Wars

2008-11-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

"Perhaps the greatest seduction is not the anti-God but the almost-God...We find ourselves possessed by our possessions and ensalved by the pursuit of freedom. Nations fighting for peace end up perpetuating the very violence they seek to destroy."- Shane Claiborne, Jesus for President

It's interesting isn't it? Last week, our neighbors, the United States elected their first black president. It's 2008. We sure have taken our time getting there. But I'm still not sure we are there yet. Above is a quote from the latest book I'm deavouring..Jesus for President.
Think about it. Our world is changing... new governments, old wars... it will be interesting to see how this thing plays out.
But think about it.
Perhaps when we endevour to help, we actually harm.
In the process of "democratization" we actually demostrate totalitarianism.
Perhaps... we need to re-evaluate HOW we get the things that seem so good, so very close to something God would like.
Peace. It's a good thing. But maybe when we invade and take over and torture, the means just don't justify the end.
If the bricks that make up the road on the way to truth are made of lies, then perhaps we'll never actually get to the truth... those bricks could lead us elsewhere.

Just a few thoughts.
ta ta for now.

-steph

Back at school and ready to rock

2008-09-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

Alrighty, well I'm back at school and all moved into my new place.. it's pretty darn sweet. GEMS is starting soon and we're having a kick-off meeting this evening.. should be fun!
Life is settling back down to normal. I'm spending my days playing guitar, packing,, unpacking, getting ready for school, catching up with friends and looking for a job.. or two jobs..
Life is Fredericton has begun again!

Goodnight and Good Luck
Stephanie

5 countries in 24 hours. intense travel = intense jet lag

2008-08-24T01:13:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back home on this beautiful Island. It's so good to see my family again and have some down time to just relax. I know it won't last long though. This summer has been wonderful and crazy and busy and exhausting and challenging. And now it's time to find a place to live in Fredericton and go back to school for one last year.
It's about 5 o'clock in the morning right now. I've been exhausted and out of it and kind of sick since I landed in Halifax late friday night after 24 hours in the air and a 5 hour time change. So it's 5 am but my body thinks it's 10 am and I can't sleep. So I might as well take some time to tell you about Zambia.
Zambia was rough and wonderful at the same time. It was long hot days and lots of peanut butter sandwiches. My luggage got lost in South Africa but they sent it after three days of me living off what I had in my carry-on. Let's just say I smelled interesting.
Get Connected Camp was inspiring. We put on the four day camp at a local church. We took over the area, set of volleyball nets, and played games with the girls outside. Kids from the community couldn't help but come over and have a look at what what going on. They often stood watching us from a distance.
Each of the ten counselors had our own group for devotion time and then we also did activities. My activity was a time of reflection and art on canvas. We painted with them and I kind of re-formatted the reflection part so it included a lot of African songs - I'm especially fond of African songs.
Anyways, I'll get to the point. The reason camp was so inspiring is because I could see the first-fruits of the change that GEMS Girls Club is making in Zambia. Girls who normally would never get a chance to take ownership of a song, be responsible for an important task, or lead her peers in worship.... those girls are finding an outlet in GEMS. Because of GEMS in Zambia, these girls ... aged 12-18.... are getting their first shot at leadership. And believe me, they are owning it. The girls are beautiful women of God and because GEMS is giving them a space to express themselves and grow into their identity in Christ, they are shooting up like new grass.
The seeds God is planting in these women have fallen on good soil.
GEMS in Zambia is helping to establish the next generation of Zambian women as women of faith.. women who aren't going to allow themselves to be fenced in by their income, status, or sex. .. women who will rise to meet life's challenges, and in doing so, will change their country.

That's all I'll post for now... I won't over-do it the first night home...

Good night and Good luck.

Kick'in it in Zambia

2008-08-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!
Ok so I'm alive and doing well in Zambia! All is good! Camp went amazing! They days are long and rough and life isn't easy that's for sure but God is good and he's seeing me through day to day. I don't have much time but this is basically to let you all know I'm OK. We fly back on Thursday. The travel will be rough.. flying in was tough, long three days including a sketchy night in South Africa. They also lost my luggage, I lived off my carry-on for the first three days here. Not as bad as it could have been.
Anyways, GEMS Get Connected Camp was AMAZING! The team I'm with is great! We all seem to bring something unique to the table and we're getting along well.
Today President Mwanawasa died. Gas prices are steadily rising and things are kind of skecthy in terms of where the government will go from here.
For the past two days I've been tutoring orphans who live in the orphan homes at every orphans hope ... I've been realizing that english is a hard language! geez... I never thought it would be so hard to explain or understand.
Anyways, I want to post this before the power shuts off again.
I love you all and I'm doing well and in God's Hands!

Goodnight and good luck.
Steph

Preparing for an Intercontinental Trip

2008-08-08T04:19:00.000-07:00

The last few days has been nuts. Completely nuts.
It's just too much, having to think of everything...from malaria pills at the clinic to finding long, modest skirts, to catching up with friends I haven't seen in months, to finalizing transcripts from Georgetown.
Then there's the money issue. I don't really have much. Money, of course, isn't much of an issue if you have lots of it I guess. Either way, I'm broke and indebted to my parents for the cost of the plane ticket to Zambia for this two-week long mission trip I'm about to embark on.
but I'm not too worried about it. God is sending me on this trip and He'll take care of it. I've already received some very generous donations from my sisters. and when I get back I'm planning a fundraiser at my church.. I'm kind of planning on doing some more paintings and beg someone to pay me for them. I'm sure it will all come together, it always does.
Today is my last day on the Island before I start out on the extremely long trip to Zambia that will put me in the air for 24 hours and en route for 4 days. I'll leave Halifax airport at 9 AM on Sunday morning and arrive in Lusaka, Zambia on Tuesday morning.
Please keep me in your prayers. This trip will be amazing and wonderful but also tiring and testing. I'll need God's strength because I know I can't do it on my own!
Well, I'd better get back to packing. I'll try to post before I leave tomorrow and possibly when I'm in Zambia, but internet is a scarce commodity there, so we'll see.

Good night and Good luck
Stephanie

Back from DC - From a wedding to Zambia in a week!

2008-08-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

So I'm back on the Island and it's freezing cold! Jackalina and Bart got married on Tuesday.. me and Krista Wolters and Janessa Ferrell stood for Jackalina as she walked herself down the aisle. The sun came out just in time to warm us up near the end of the outdoor ceremony.
Today we enjoyed the after-wedding buzz. We showed my dutch cousins the Island.. took them to a beautiful park called Greenwhich and walked on the beach. It's Janessa's last day here. :( I'm seriously exhausted. What a week.. And it's not over. I leave for Zambia on Saturday!

My Messed-Up Travels

2008-08-02T12:14:00.000-07:00

This morning I set off from Georgetown University campus at around 6 am after getting up a little before 5am.
This morning I also had Air Canada tickets from Washington DC to Ottawa to Prince Edward Island.
Well right now I am in Montreal airport, sipping on champagne and enjoying all the amenities of the Maple Leaf Lounge. See, Air Canada's flight into DC was delayed, which delayed my flight to Ottawa, which wouldn't give me enough time to clear customs and catch my flight to PEI. So they decided to re-route me to Montreal.. except they didn't tell me there wasn't actually a seat for me on the flight from Montreal to PEI. They over-booked it. And I got the short end of the stick. Except the short end of the stick in this case is a very long wait in the Montreal airport, 7 hours to bed exact, before I can catch the next flight home.
Now, I don't usually make a fuss about this sort of thing, but today has been a long day. I'm tired, I look gross, I feel gross, I'm wearing my glasses (ew), and my make-up needs a serious touch up job. So by this point I'm kind of (really) upset because I didn't do anything wrong! It was their flight that was delayed in the first place!
So then they tell me oh it's OK we'll give you a food voucher. Pfff... ten bucks.. big whoop, I want to be home!
In the end, it's alright... I'm about 1 hour into my 7 hour stay here in Montreal, and I'm actually kind of enjoying it. They sent me to this classy lounge where I've helped myself to free champagne, wireless internet, hot soup, and a place to lie down if I want. I'm feeling better already! So I guess it's not as bad as it could be. They gave me a $200 voucher for another Air Canada flight sometime, so that's pretty sweet.

Anyways I'll leave you for now.. although I might get bored in a few hours and blog again...

Goodnight and Good luck
-Stephanie

Zambia Trip Summer of 2007

2008-07-31T15:31:00.000-07:00

This is my trip to Zambia in the summer of 2007
rolled into a couple minutes of video and pictures.
I'm so excited to be going back to Zambia this summer
to help with GEMS Get Connected Camp!

Tell me there's no such thing as time

2008-07-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Just a few days left in Washington, DC. The past 8 weeks has flown by, I'm not sure where it went or how to get it back. The summer so far has been a whirlwind of learning, making lasting friendships, and experiencing once-in-a-lifetime moments. It's been more challenging than I'd ever imagined, but that's made it all worth it.

One of the greatest things about this summer, is the people. I've met people from all over the United States and the world. I've been challenged by my ignorance and motivated by my ideological differences.
During my stay here in the United States' capital, I've noticed alot about the connection between citizenship and ideology. How we see the world has a great deal to do with where in the world we live.
This is why I am convinced the path to world peace begins with travel... meaningful, long-term travel. I'm not talking about ten days in Mexico at a resort. I'm talking about living for a couple months in foreign country...Experiencing their culture, the way they live their lives, their values and why they hold them. How could anyone hold hatred over another country's people after living among them? The key is, people are intrinsically similar everywhere. We are functionally programmed the same way. Hopefully travel is a means to find that out... the realization that we are all human and it is our humanity that binds us.
We may say the word "about" differently, we may value health care differently, we might even disagree on the way in which a society should be organized. But one thing we cannot deny or betray is our common humanity.
Travel fights ignorance. Ignorance fuels ethnocentrism. And Ethnocentrism leads to discrimination and cleavages in society which lead to hatred and indifference.
So, maybe we'd all be better off if we took some time to travel.

-Goodnight and good luck
Stephanie

Slip Slide'in Away

2008-07-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

A couple nights ago we had our very last Wednesday night lecture panel. The topic was covering the congress, which was pretty interesting, but by the time it started at 7 pm I was giving in to my exhaustion. It had been a busy day at the office. So begrudgingly I made my way down to the lecture hall at the bottom of campus. A lovely, cool, evening. But when it was time to go after the lecture, the skies had opened up and the rain was falling like rocks. We waited for about 5 minutes before deciding our time wasn't worth getting a little wet. But as soon as we stepped out into the storm, gravity seemed to get a power-boost and pull the huge globs of water down faster. The water was accumulating in gutters and over-flowing., rushing like a current down stairs, and into storm drains. We were soaked to the bone within minutes, my orange dress now a deep red and dripping wet. By the time we made it to the top of campus and back in our apartments, logic told us we were already wet, why not have some fun.
In perfect rationality, we turn to the bathroom, carefully un-hooking the shower curtains. We gather the troops and run. And without having a plan, we end up on the Georgetown's front lawn. We spread out the shower curtains as flatly as we can, and rain quickly gathers in between the ripples in the fabric.
We step back about five steps. Someone makes the first move. Their feet sink into the rain-drenched lawn with each step, each step moving faster than the one before, their feet leave ground and for a split second they are airborne. They land, hands first, sliding precariously across the slick plastic.
Giggles escape my mouth un-checked and uninhibited, like a kid again.
Who would've guessed.. slip n slide at Georgetown.

Weekend at the Beach

2008-07-22T06:53:00.001-07:00

Breathe in. Breathe out.
The air is clear and fresh, humidity is a forgotten memory.
Even time forgets to rush.
The salt stings your skin.
The sand slings to your sticky toes, gritty and hot.
You can taste the salt, breathing in the ocean spray. The Corona bottle sweats under the hot sun, making the sand it sits in wet and clumpy.
The red swimsuit you're wearing disguises the sun's damage on your skin. In hours, you'll feel your skin tighten and radiate. But for now, there is no greater feeling than the rays beating down on you endlessly. Even the enormous cl0uds provide no shelter. Exposed in the elements, you're vunerable.

They call it the "Outerbanks".. pronounced, "OW-DERbanks". It's Nag's Head, North Carolina, about a 5-6 hour drive from the traffic and political antics of Washington, DC.
Time flew by in the back of a comfortable leather-seat car, with my roomate Catherine and her grandparents. I dozed in and out of sleep and before I knew it we were there.
We pulled up to a beautiful beach house. Three stories tall, hot tub included, and a boardwalk to the beach. Catherine and I had our own bedroom... real beds!
We sipped strawberry daquiries before heading down to the beach that evening. As we reached the white sand, the air was thick with humidity, even at 6pm. And when my feet touched the bare hot sand, I was flooded with memories from home. Somewhere along this very coast, was a small island that I called home.

The weekend continued, full of good food, long hours with my feet in the atlantic, soaking in the rays, chats in the hot tub, cooling off in the pool, and even a game of capture the flag.
Needless to say, after my first visit, I've come away with an excellent impression of North Carolina... Even though, as we speak, I'm applying lotion to my tight, sunburnt skin, forgoing shaving, and drinking lots of liquids, with the hope of recovering from sun poisioning, and emerging it with a beautiful tan in a few days.

Goodnight and Good luck,
Stephanie

The Day I had Lunch at the National Press Club

2008-07-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I've just gotten home from another day at the office, although today was a bit different than usual. Today the Institute for Political Journalism hosted a luncheon at the National Press Club. My supervisor came and we had lunch and they handed out awards for some very distinguished journalists from all over the country who really deserved recognition for their investigative work.
Also, they honored a former IPJ student, David Muir, who is now a correspondent for ABC and has traveled all over the country and worked with the best in the business.
He talked about how he remembered it like it was yesterday, just sitting there in the very seat I was, doing the very same thing. And it really got me thinking, maybe my big dreams will come true. I know it's going to take a lot of hard work and sacrifice, but I know it will all be worth it. But then again, what is it that I really want to do?I'm just not sure. But whatever it is, I know it's going to have to be something I'm passionate about.
And I'm passionate about journalism.
Well that's another day in DC. I'm off to class.

Good Night and Good Luck,

Stephanie

Weekend #5

2008-07-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend was awesome! All of the kids in TFAS went to a Nationals baseball game, and it was just a lot of fun. We stayed afterwards and watched the movie, "Sandlot" on the big screen. Fun was had by all.
I also had the chance to see the Newseum on Saturday. This was definitely a highlight of my time here, and if you're planning on visiting DC, plan on going to the Newseum.
On Sunday, I had a chance to spend time with my good friend, Kimmer. We talked the day away and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye.
Week 5 in the United States capital is over and done with, and now I'm into week 6. It's hard to believe, but I've only got 3 weeks left! I don't even want to think about saying goodbye to all the friends I've made here.
Well, Week 6, here I come!

Goodnight, and Good Luck.
Stephanie

Lifeboat Scenario

2008-07-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

What is it we are searching for? We're always walking around, going somewhere, trying to achieve the next great thing. And goals are important, but what is it we are trying to get at? I've noticed in my short time here in the United States of America, that we as Westerners are always trying to get to the next big thing. Whether it be a world-changing medical discovery or just finding our way to the closest starbucks, life is full of goals. So what's yours? I mean, it makes you think, right? What if there is just an infinite number of rungs on the ladder of life that we are climbing? What if the only end to our current pathway is another route to follow, another target to shoot down? How is that we are never satisfied with our situation. We don't like our government, we want new shingles on the house, our wardrobe is dull and the TV is too small, the internet too slow, and the radio isn't giving us just the tune we need to get going this morning.
Life is never self-satisfying. And guess what... it never will be. The way I see it, we're looking in the wrong place. A lone survivor of a plane crash is floating along in a lifeboat. His throat is parched, he's started imagining things, and even his skin is growing dryer and dryer. Little does he know he's right on top of a million gallons of fresh water. How's he to know it's fresh unless he dives in and tastes it for himself.
Perhaps life is kinda like that. We could be sitting on the jackpot and never know it...Maybe the secret is all around us. Maybe you jsut need to give up the safety of the lifeboat where you constantly strove for the better life... trying endlessly to reach the shore, and dive into the water that's all around. Stop looking IN life for the meaning of LIFE. It's not there. It's outside of you. It's outside of the boat.
Jump in.

Welcome to my page!

2008-07-07T19:57:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone,
So I thought I'd make a blog. This way, you can easily keep up to date with whatever I'm up to, and this summer is shaping up to be one big adventure, so I thought I'd let you all easily keep tabs on me.
I plan on keeping journals, posting pictures, and giving you a "feel" of where I'm at and what I'm doing!
Enjoy!