This page is dedicated to those who have shared a heartwarming experience with Carolyn, and she would like to share it with you!

When Jen told Carolyn of her experience in Nepal , Carolyn asked her if she could post it on her website as a tribute to her song "Peace, Love, and Harmony".

"Youth with a Mission"
By Jen Galicinski
My Part in Sharing Peace, Love, and Harmony - with Nepal!

Everybody deserves a little peace, love, and harmony in their lives - and for the beautiful people of Nepal, the country nestled among the glorious Himalayas, these are things that they do not experience on a regular basis. In a country torn stricken with poverty, disease, famine, and homelessness (especially orphans), the Nepalese people are lonely, anxious, and depressed. They need to know, above all things, that they can experience peace, love, and harmony on a spiritual level - despite their hard-pressed circumstances.

Due to my deep belief in God, and that He loves all of his precious Creation and desires to know them intimately, I traveled to Nepal to share this love with the people. With a team of 11 other young people from "Youth with a Mission", I journeyed throughout this land, talking to, listening to, and learning from the people I encountered. I met many people who had no hope - for them life was just an endless cycle - trying to work enough to feed their ever-starving families, and earn enough merit to move up to the next stage of enlightenment in their next lives -it was all about labouring their own way into peace and wealth, and becoming despondent when they failed. The anxiety had left them numb with despair.

And then I met the people who had been introduced to Grace. The Grace of a personal God who loved them unconditionally, despite what they did or did not do. These people were changed - at peace, full of love and life and joy and passion - though their lives were still racked with injustice. They wanted to share this message with their own people. It was this task that they asked us to help them in. And so we did.

We visited newly-formed churches to encourage and pray with the people. We went to schools and orphanages and played with loved ones, and spent time with the children who receive so little affection from anywhere else. We visited men in prison, who had been serving time for crimes that (they vowed) they didn't commit - these men had also discovered Grace and began a church right in their own prison! Oh, what peace they knew and clung to throughout their lonely days! We visited mountain villages and prayed with the sick and spent time with the elderly and dying, and assured them that they are loved and valued by God. I talked with many, forming relationships I will remember for the rest of my life. They taught me that my circumstances do not have to dictate the condition of my heart. Though the world around us may appear to be crumbling, though we may not feel we have enough "food" to fill us -whether it be physically or emotionally, we can still have peace, love, and harmony - when clinging tightly onto God.

Oh, peace, love and harmony can be shared in a variety of ways. For me, my faith led me to do more in this world, to love more and to point people towards Love. I thank God for the blessing of being able to travel to and in the land of Nepal, and continue to pray that He will draw those beautiful people towards Himself.

Photo Album from the Land of Nepal
Photos by Jen Galicinski
Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3 | Photo 4
Photo 5 | Photo 6 | Photo 7 | Photo 8

Carolyn would now like to share with you an essay she has had the pleasure of reviewing!

"A World Out of Touch with Itself"
Sebastian MacIntosh
Nichole Bickerton
Grade 12 Essay

We see it on the evening news and we read it in the morning paper during breakfast.
Despite the frequency or maybe because of it; none of it seems real. Another life is lost on a part of the planet we had never heard about. Well it had not bothered us before; so seeing it again should not affect the amount of sleep you get tonight. In other news another one of corporate America's brilliant businessmen has been caught up in a scandal. We turn away.

Well it's time to care. This is reality. It's entering our homes. It's not just on the television screen.

We are destroying ourselves. Violence is so prevalent in society that we have become immune to the threat it poses to us. Collectively and individually. The exploitation of human kind by human kind is an age-old issue that has had catastrophic repercussions in our world. We need to see that not contributing to the problem does not mean you are part of the solution. We have to take active roles in the salvation of human kind as a whole. If we do not learn to love and respect all life we will only regress into a shadow of our potential as a global community.

How do we know when to care? With so many tragedies and such a loss of life occurring everyday in the world, how do we choose which people and instances to care about? Unfortunately it seems that some people only care about those that are close to them. Further more, people will choose whether to care based on who is afflicted. Naomi Klein is a Canadian journalist who writes about many of the problems in society today. She witnessed first hand an instance where the lives of one group of people were given more importance than the lives of another group. While working late one night as a young copy editor for a newspaper, a new story came in and she assumed the front page would be reopened. During her first night at work, there was a tornado in a southern U.S. state, which killed three people. The editor on duty decided that this should be put on the front page. On her second night, she was watching the news as it came in and saw that 114 people had been killed in a bombing in Afghanistan. Deciding that if the death of three people made the front page, than the death of 114 would surely be cause to reopen the front page. She told the editor and was given the reply of, "Don't worry; those people kill each other all the time" (Klien, Fences and Windows 164).

It is the way we place one life ahead of another, which will continue to cause problems in the world. The world is connected and accessible on a global level more than ever before. It is now that caring must be extended throughout the world and no longer limited to those in the same region as us. The editor in question must not be watching the nightly news. Many stories tell of a murder, a rape, or a shooting, and this is all happening on our own continent, in our own country, our own city. So is it not fair to say that here in our society we are killing each other all the time and even though we hear about it, it still does not affect the way we think. People who genuinely extend their feelings and emotions to those that are half a world away are the extraordinary ones who make change occur.

While waiting in line at your favourite store you may not think you're hurting anyone, but do you really know how that sweater you're about to buy was made? Do you know anything about the company, or its practices? Unfortunately not everyone researches the products they are buying. Companies use the capitalist idea that you can do whatever you want as long as you are making a profit. People are exploited and not given the pay that they are due. Capitalism has and always will disregard the worth of the worker. In order for the system to work, the average worker cannot be paid what he is worth because it will either push product prices too high and consumers won't buy it or the boss will not have enough left to make a profit. So instead of the head of a corporation taking a pay cut, the average worker is given wages below what they are worth. In many countries where products are made they do not have the labour standards that we do and workers are paid less and treated much worse. There have been scientific theories, which suggest that even a butterfly's movement can affect the weather patterns in the world and it is the same with people. What you buy and where you shop can affect the conditions other people around the world experience. This is just one example of a world in which we are all connected. What Klein suggests is using the corporations and companies own globalization as a means to fight against them. "It also means making sure that the cries from a toy factory fire in Bangkok can be heard loud and clear outside the toy store at the mall" ( Klein, No Logo 357-358).

Not only do we need to look at how our actions affect, but we also need to see where we can take action and make an impact in others lives. At this moment there are many problems around the world in which the people involved have no way out. In Africa many of the policies of Western powers have attributed to the problems faced daily by millions of people. In the countries of West Africa such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Guinea the fighting never stops and each day is a struggle to live. Many people from these countries are refugees, intermingled with each other making political borders irrelevant. Others are internally displaced and a great number of people have left the rural areas and are moving towards larger cities to become part of the urban peasantry. Robert Kaplan discusses West Africa and the conditions there in his essay, "The Coming Anarchy". He lays out all the problems on the table and how the widening gap between the poor nations and the rich nations foretells disaster in the future. "There is no other place on the planet where political maps are so deceptive - where, in fact they tell such lies - as in West Africa" (Kaplan The Coming Anarchy 7). The governments of countries are ineffective; borders mean little as population's move throughout the region and dividing lines are placed counter to the typography and demography of the region.
Without intervention anarchy and chaos will continue to run rampant in West Africa. Foreign Aid will not do the job, nor will the installation of democracy. These states are not yet suitable for democracy simply because the groundwork for responsible government and disciplined citizenry are not there.

There are many different types of violence throughout this world. What is considered normal (and some may even say acceptable) changes greatly from continent to continent. Western society has a habit of ignoring the cruelty that goes on around them, especially that which occurs in countries where their society is not as advanced. Whether this is a result of constant exposure to it, such as the news, media, and what we call entertainment, it is something we must put an end to. Some types of violence we experience include abuse, discrimination, oppression, starvation, and intentional death. These harmful acts occur at home, workplace, and throughout the globe.

Alayne Hamilton said, "Something that hasn't changed for me is my conviction that violence and abuse are morally wrong and that stopping abuse allows us to regain dignity and self-respect, and the freedom to be as human as possible. That is a noble path." (http://www.bcifv.org/)

When a person has dignity and self-respect, it enables them to have respect for others. If we have respect for each other and what surrounds us, there will be no need for violence, and the world will be a peaceful place. Numerous problems in the world are caused by lack of respect. No matter what we call home, on any scale, first, and above all, our home is earth. Where we all exist and live with each other. Does it not make sense to live peacefully with your family? It is no different when looking at it in a world perspective. There will only be discontent if we continue to ignore the starving, the homeless, the children who fight in wars for their country, and all of the other oppressed people in the world. There is no reason for human beings not being able to come up with a decision peacefully. Wars occur when people cannot come up with a peaceful agreement, and most war is caused by a difference in opinion such as religion, the desire for land or race. These issues cause war because one or all of the parties desire to hold the power, because with power, comes control.

In today's society, it is extremely difficult to have power without wealth, because having money gives a person power. Unfortunately, the majority of powerful people in this world abuse and waste what they have by being selfish. Money that could be used to provide the necessities of life to the starving/homeless people in their hometown, or in another country where a much higher percentage of the population is oppressed, is spent on unnecessary personal luxuries. These people should realize that human life is precious and sacred, and should not be left to suffer. It is unfortunate that what one man wastes could save another man's life.

It also seems that unless a tragedy hits close to home, it is not recognized as an issue of importance. If an American child was beaten severely and then left for dead, it would cause mass sorrow. How many hundreds of children could die in Liberia, and we would consider it "normal" since it happens every day? Because it does happen so often, is that not reason enough for people to be expected to care? A life is a life, no matter where, how, or who it is taken from, the value stays the same.
In the end, it all comes down to regaining compassion and respect for the lives of all individuals on the planet. If we take time to look at people as individuals, not a member of a race, ethnic or religious group, then we can begin to see each person as a member of the human race. If each person was treated with respect and given their due dignity, many of the problems in the world would be solved. If we stopped worrying about the bottom line and what our profit is for the next quarter, we may realize that behind every product and every service, there is a person who deserves to live life like the next person. The world will never be perfect, but if we strive to give every person the basic needs of life, it may surprise you how well it could turn out. Just the tiniest amount of effort from all those able could set in motion a worldwide revolution in which everyone would benefit.

Sebastian MacIntosh
Nichole Bickerton
Grade 12 Essay

Bibliography

Kaplan, Robert D., The Coming Anarchy, New York City, Random House, 2000
Klien, Naomi, No Logo, Toronto, Vintage Canada, 2002
Klien, Naomi, Fences and Windows, Toronto, Vintage Canada, 2004
http://www.bcifv.org/resources/newsletter/2000/winter/hamilton.html

Carolyn would also like to share with you a poem written by her webmaster Kathyjo, in reflection of friendship :)

My Angels
Dedicated to all my loving friends
Written by Kathyjo L. Bolduc

In Happiness and Sorrow,
The Smiles, the Laughter,
The Frowns and concern,
Let it out…
Through it all,
You have been there…
Big and small,
Short and tall,
You are my angels -
The first snowfall,
Our new date(s),
Crushes on me and you…
You have been there…
And I have tried to be too!

No matter what,
I want you all to know…
That you are my angels -
A big part of who I am…
I asked God to send me an angel -
And he sent me you!

Peace, Love, & Harmony
Written by Carolyn McCormack

What would it be like without locks on the doors?
And everybody's walking on marble floors
No hate, no greed, and no reason to kill
Everybody's takin' the same magic pill
Nanananananana

Peace, Love, and Harmony…what would it take?
For us to get together and lose this hate?
Peace, Love, and Harmony…what would it take?
To love one another?

What would it be like to work in the streets?
10 years old and needin' sex trade to eat
Shouldn't have been born, and just wants to die
To be with her family who lives in the sky.
Nanananananana

Peace, Love, and Harmony…what would it take?
For us to get together and lose this hate?
Peace, Love, and Harmony…what would it take
To love one another?

Social injustice brings nothing but pain
Let's all pray for World Peace to reign
The writings on the wall, the message so clear
Graffiti screams out, why the hell can't we hear?

Peace, Love, and Harmony…what would it take?
For us to come together and lose this hate?
Peace, Love, and Harmony…what would it take
To love one another
To love one another
To love one another
To love one another
To love one another
To love one another
To love one another
To love one another