{"id":4137,"date":"2016-02-23T10:36:09","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T17:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/?p=4137"},"modified":"2016-02-23T12:12:03","modified_gmt":"2016-02-23T19:12:03","slug":"dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Forget Me: Compassion in Action"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

It can be confusing\u2026 The\u00a0Week of Compassion<\/a> is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid ministry of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. And while they do work all year long\u2013 and our congregations support this shared ministry in every season\u2013 this is the time when we celebrate, emphasize, and generally beat the drum for this important mission. So today we have the gift of a guest post from Vy Nguyen, Week of Compassion\u2019s Executive Director. Enjoy.\u00a0Pass it around. And most importantly,\u00a0GIVE HERE<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget me, ok?\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I love the way my mother-in-law plays with my 10-month old son. She is always asking if she can take him \u00a0all day.\u00a0 Of course my wife and I always say yes\u2014who doesn\u2019t like free babysitting? Yes, please!<\/p>\n

My son loves his grandmother. \u00a0He opens his eyes wide when he sees her; he laughs loudly when she picks him up; he puts his head on her left shoulder and gently falls asleep to the rhythm of her heartbeat; he is at peace with her.\u00a0 And my mother-in-law loves every moment of it, too.\u00a0 My son has grown attached to her, and often cries if she walks away, or if he can\u2019t see her at a distance when he is playing with his toys.\u00a0 He has to have her nearby: he needs to know that she has not abandoned him.\u00a0 My mother-in-law has grown attached to him as well: like most grandparents, she always asks him to say \u201cb\u00e0 n\u1ed9i,\u201d which is \u201cgrandma\u201d in Vietnamese, and after saying \u201cb\u00e0 n\u1ed9i,\u201d often whispers to him \u201cCon \u0111\u1eebng qu\u00ean b\u00e0, nhe?\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget me, ok?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"learn-963317_640\"<\/a>
via Pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Like many Vietnamese, my mother-in-law has been shaped by Daoism and Confucianism.\u00a0 For a child to be able to remember his or her grandparents represents the linage of respect, honor, and ancestral identity that puts their whole self-being in balance.\u00a0 To remember your grandparents is to know where your ancestors came from.\u00a0 There is a similar saying here in America: don\u2019t forget your roots.\u00a0 For many of us, forgetting your ancestors is a grave act that shows you have lost your footing in this world.\u00a0 Those simple yet deeply important words from my mother-in-law\u2019s mouth carry so many memories; so much history and love.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget me, ok?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

When people are hurt or displaced, they often feel forgotten. Our calling as Christians, and the work of Week of Compassion, is to see; to accompany; and to always remember. When individuals and communities are forced to rebuild by circumstances beyond their control, we respond with compassion and hope.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget me, ok?<\/em><\/p>\n

People in Nepal lived through a devastating earthquake last year and are still trying to rebuild their communities and lives.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget me, ok?<\/em><\/p>\n

People in Rowlett, TX, saw their homes destroyed by a major tornado over Christmas. They continue to clean up the damage, and rebuild.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget me, ok?<\/em><\/p>\n

People in the Middle East and Europe flee\u00a0their homes as refugees.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t. Forget. Me. Ok?<\/em><\/p>\n

As the disaster, refugee, and sustainable development ministry of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Week of Compassion doesn\u2019t forget. We respond to these communities on behalf of the entire Church, and listen to people across the world who are hurting. Wherever there is a disaster, Week of Compassion responds. \u00a0We provide resources, medicine, emergency food and water, blankets, and much more; but more importantly, our support is a sign of solidarity\u2014a sign that the people are not forgotten, and that the church is with them.<\/p>\n

It is hard, heavy, exhausting work to respond to all the communities hurt by violence, natural disasters, economic inequalities, and more.\u00a0 There are so many things happening around our world, especially right now.\u00a0 There are more disasters, every day, happening more frequently\u00a0and on a larger scale.\u00a0 My phone is constantly going off, giving me warnings that there has been an earthquake, or\u00a0that\u00a0a tornado has landed somewhere, or a hurricane has hit an oceanside community.\u00a0 All can be too much and daunting.\u00a0 At times it feels easier to focus on the media\u2019s obsession with the election year debates.<\/p>\n

It is tempting to turn away, when so many voices say\u00a0Don\u2019t forget me, ok?<\/em><\/p>\n

During\u00a0the season of Lent, we enter\u00a0deep reflection about our humanity, our journey into the desert, and we examine our relationship with God.\u00a0 We move\u00a0through 40 days of this until we get to Easter\u2026 until we get to the promise of resurrection and new life. \u00a0It can be heavy, exhausting work too. But recently I read a beautiful post where someone reminded us that you can\u2019t get to the resurrection without going through and walking in the season of Lent\u2014the season of hurt, of pain, of not forgetting who we are as children of God.\u00a0 We have to walk through<\/em>\u00a0Lent to get to the resurrection.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget me, ok?<\/em> This season of Lent calls\u00a0us to remember God\u2019s love for the world.\u00a0 So that when we are in the resurrection, we can live fully and not forget our bond to God and to one another.\u00a0 The season of Lent helps us to remember what is important, what is really at stake: the world still needs love, compassion, and connection. \u00a0We are called to remember.<\/p>\n

We remember so we can return to our roots, to our God.\u00a0 We remember so we can be strengthened and not forget, and not be tired.<\/p>\n

At Week of Compassion, we do the work of remembering,\u00a0with the help of the whole Church.\u00a0 We hear the voices of the hurting, and assure them that they are not abandoned; that we are thinking of them, praying for them, and ready to offer relief to those displaced by natural disaster or violence.\u00a0 We are with them,\u00a0 even when the world starts to focus on other things after several months. We \u201cremember,\u201d\u00a0by providing food to the displaced, water to the thirsty, a place to sleep for someone who has lost everything. \u00a0Sometimes this requires that we stay\u00a0for years.\u00a0 And we stay, because we cannot forget.<\/p>\n

The more I think about my mother-in-law and the way she whispers to my son, \u201cDon\u2019t forget me, ok?\u201d the more I am sure she wants him to remember more than just her. \u00a0She wants my son to remember her journey over 30 years ago when she fled on a boat to escape a war-torn country, bringing\u00a0her children safely to the United States.\u00a0 She is saying something profound about her journey and the life that my son will live into in the future. Just as he must not forget his ancestors, he also must not forget the many people in the world who are still hurting.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t forget me, ok?\u201d is about much more than her; it\u2019s also about the world we all are trying to create, together.<\/p>\n

Con \u0111\u1eebng qu\u00ean b\u00e0, nhe?<\/em><\/p>\n

Vy Nguyen, Executive Director of the Week of Compassion, holds a Master of Divinity from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago, and earned his B.A. in religious studies with a minor in environmental sciences from Texas Christian University. He joins Week of Compassion after serving more than 5 years with Church World Service for the Southwest Regional Office where he worked with congregations and donors to increase their fundraising portfolio. Prior to his work with Church World Service, Vy worked with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps office in Berkeley, CA where he strengthened relationships between volunteers, congregations, and non-profit agencies.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"vy\"<\/a>Vy and his wife, Linh Bui, live in Oakland, CA.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It can be confusing\u2026 The\u00a0Week of Compassion is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid ministry of the Christian Church, Disciples of Christ. And while they do work all year long\u2013 and our congregations support this shared ministry in every season\u2013 this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1154,"featured_media":4138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nDon't Forget Me: Compassion in Action<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It can be confusing... The\u00a0Week of Compassion is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don't Forget Me: Compassion in Action\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It can be confusing... The\u00a0Week of Compassion is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Irreverin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-23T17:36:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-02-23T19:12:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/333\/2016\/02\/learn-963317_640.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"426\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Erin Wathen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Erin Wathen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/\",\"name\":\"Don't Forget Me: Compassion in Action\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-23T17:36:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-02-23T19:12:03+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#\/schema\/person\/d952aeacf2fb5d80629d6718167a6013\"},\"description\":\"It can be confusing... The\u00a0Week of Compassion is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Don’t Forget Me: Compassion in Action\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/\",\"name\":\"Irreverin\",\"description\":\"Seeking the sacred in family, culture, politics, and sometimes, even ministry.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#\/schema\/person\/d952aeacf2fb5d80629d6718167a6013\",\"name\":\"Erin Wathen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b74f7ca70483103d7b13738306adccf4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b74f7ca70483103d7b13738306adccf4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Erin Wathen\"},\"description\":\"Rev. Erin Wathen is a published author, a Certified Nonprofit Professional, and an ordained pastor in the Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ). She lives in Louisville with her husband and two children.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/author\/erinwathen\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Don't Forget Me: Compassion in Action","description":"It can be confusing... The\u00a0Week of Compassion is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Don't Forget Me: Compassion in Action","og_description":"It can be confusing... The\u00a0Week of Compassion is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/","og_site_name":"Irreverin","article_published_time":"2016-02-23T17:36:09+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-02-23T19:12:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":426,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/333\/2016\/02\/learn-963317_640.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Erin Wathen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Erin Wathen","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/","name":"Don't Forget Me: Compassion in Action","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-02-23T17:36:09+00:00","dateModified":"2016-02-23T19:12:03+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#\/schema\/person\/d952aeacf2fb5d80629d6718167a6013"},"description":"It can be confusing... The\u00a0Week of Compassion is both an organization, AND an actual week of the year. This week, to be exact. WoC is the humanitarian aid","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/2016\/02\/dont-forget-me-compassion-in-action\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Don’t Forget Me: Compassion in Action"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/","name":"Irreverin","description":"Seeking the sacred in family, culture, politics, and sometimes, even ministry.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#\/schema\/person\/d952aeacf2fb5d80629d6718167a6013","name":"Erin Wathen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b74f7ca70483103d7b13738306adccf4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b74f7ca70483103d7b13738306adccf4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Erin Wathen"},"description":"Rev. Erin Wathen is a published author, a Certified Nonprofit Professional, and an ordained pastor in the Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ). She lives in Louisville with her husband and two children.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/author\/erinwathen\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1154"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4137\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/irreverin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}