edition #30
Justly, mercy, humbly...
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running for freedom
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what love looks like
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Faces of Santa Ana
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Three Wishes
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Never give up
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ALIGOT
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Is humility really a big deal?
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the good gift guide
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charlotte's encouragement
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diy cards kids can make Kids Nation is a free digital magazine, dedicated to empowering kids around the world. It is published by MOS Design Creative (http://mosdesign.com.au). Copyright © Kids Nation magazine. All rights reserved. Reproducing without permission is prohibited. Copyright of articles and photos remain with the individual contributors and may not be reproduced without permission.
from the editor Hey friends, In this edition, we want to inspire you to walk justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly. We're excited to tell you some amazing stories. Julius Achon is a former child soldier and an Olympic athlete, who uses his talent to bring hope back to communities in Uganda. He founded Love Mercy foundation with fellow athlete Eloise Wellings. Brian Peterson is an extraordinary artist from America. He founded Faces of Santa Ana, whose mission is to lovingly engage their neighbours who are without homes, through art and creativity. Ruby Kate Chitsey is a 13-year old and kindness is her superpower! Together with her team, they strive to grant wishes of seniors living in nursing homes.
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We want to thank Desi Trisnawati for her Aligot recipe, also Josiah, Ben and Charlotte for sharing their beautiful writings that will surely encourage you. Don't forget to check out "the Good Gift Guide" and a collection of DIY cards that kids can make.
"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Theresa
xo, Mia
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this edition’s contributors:
MIA SETYAWAN AUSTRALIA FOUNDER & EDITOR KIDS NATION MAG kidsnationmag.com Mia is a mother of two boys and owns an award winning graphic design studio in Australia. She is passionate about imparting positive values to the next generation. Mia has been involved as a volunteer at a local children program for over 15 years.
josiah cullen usa www.facebook.com/ JosiahsFire Josiah is autistic and nonverbal. He has a unique way of seeing the world but it "rings true," as he communicates his thoughts through pointing at letters to spell. Poetry is Josiah's favorite and he sometimes paints. His book "Josiah's Fire" tells about his journey.
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Desi Trisnawati INDONESIA food artist & chef consultant inspirational-chef. com Desi is the winner of Masterchef Indonesia 2012 and the first female Masterchef Indonesia. She is the author of 20 Fun Recipes of Strong Heart and creator of the Indonesia's first culinary board game Cooking with Inspirational Chef Desi.
charlotte j. usa
Charlotte is from Australia but now lives in Northern California with her Dad, Mum, and two younger sisters. She loves writing, climbing trees, playing outdoors and playing games on her Nintendo Switch. She especially loves to play with her friends.
this edition’s contributors:
Brian Peterson usa Artist, Muralist, Designer & Founder facesofsantaana. com Brian Peterson is the founder of Faces of Santa Ana, a non-profit which focuses on homelessness and the rehabilitation of our neighbors in Santa Ana, CA. He has now expanded his services to include personal commissions, murals and public speaking engagements.
ruby kate cHITSEY usa founder - three wishes for ruby's residents 3wishes.global Ruby Kate is the 13-year-old CEO and founder of Three Wishes for Ruby's Residents. It is a youth-led nonprofit that fulfills small wishes to lonely and impoverished nursing home seniors across America. She loves to show the world the beauty of our oldest citizens.
julius achon UGANDA Athlete, Humanitarian & Founder lovemercyfoundation. org Julius Achon was born in the remote village of Awake in northern Uganda. He was determined to use his athletic talent and founded the Love Mercy Foundation to bring hope back to his community.
ben T. indonesia
Ben is 16 years old and lives in Jakarta, Indonesia. He plays piano, enjoys comics and is passionate about food. He aspires to impact the community through his career in the future.
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Well Worth It
Providing and restoring clean water to rural communities in Northern Uganda. Women and children walk anywhere from 5 - 10 kms, 3 times per day to collect water. They spend an approximate 200 million hours collecting water per day. In most cases, this water is not clean. Partner with us to build 10 new wells this year. www.lovemercyfoundation.org
running for freedom words: julius achon | artwork: mia setyawan
Hi, I'm julius! i grew up in the remote village of Awake in Northern Uganda in severe poverty.
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when i was 11 years old, i was captured by rebels from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and forced to become a child soldier...
and was held captive for
three
months
until a government plane flew over the LRA camp. i took the opportunity to escape.
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When i returned to school, i knew i had athletic talent and so i began to run 8 kilometres (approx. 5 miles) to and from school each day for training. i won many competitions and was offered a scholarship to George Mason University in South Carolina. From here, i began my professional running career including being flag bearer for Uganda at the Sydney 2000 olympics.
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One morning in Uganda, i stumbled upon 11 orphaned children living in a bus shelter.
they had no food, clothing, housing or education, due to Africa's longest running war.
some of these children couldn't even remember their own names.
From that day on, i took them in as my own family.
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It was after this time, I met Eloise Wellings. She was also a dual Olympian. We became great friends. I told Eloise about my vision for my community and through our friendship and united hearts to help, we founded the Love Mercy Foundation.
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POEM
what love looks like words: josiah Cullen | artwork: mike haynes & mia setyawan
"Love looks like putting more joyful hours into justice to help ...
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... rather than hours of collecting stones for throwing."
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photo: RICKY J HERNANDEZ
Faces of Santa Ana WORDS: BRIAN PETERSON 16
Brian Peterson | usa Artist, Muralist, Designer & Founder of faces of santa ana facesofsantaana.com
Years ago, there was a man living in my neighborhood and we often heard him screaming outside of my downtown apartment window. In my household, we describe him as “the screaming man”. At the time, I was reading a book about putting love into action and loving our neighbors, friends, coworkers and family. I felt a burning in my heart to get to know my neighbor’s name, and hear his story. photo: FACES OF SANTA ANA
Two days later, on a regular commute home from work, I made a decision to look for this “screaming man”. I found him nearby sitting on a sidewalk, so I sat down and had a casual conversation with him. In this first meeting, I saw beauty beneath the homelessness. I asked if I could paint a portrait of my newfound neighbor and friend, Matthew. He said yes and this was the start of Faces of Santa Ana.
"In this first meeting, I saw beauty beneath the homelessness..." BRIAN PETERSON 17
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photo: @joytheoryco
I begin my process by getting to know my subjects, photographing them and then painting colored versions of their portraits on canvas. I believe that every painting is an act of worship and an exercise of seeing with the eyes of my heart. I believe not only in painting meaningful portraits to create awareness, but also connecting with each of these people on a very personal level. Vibrant colors, dynamic compositions and focus on the eyes help others see their invisible neighbors in a different light, imbuing a perspective of honor and dignity. I believe deeply in overcoming fear in our own lives. With every new step and new relationship that I build with my neighbors, there are walls of fear before me that I must overcome. During these last three years, I have experienced many moments where fear could have held me back. By overcoming my own fears, I experienced a profound breakthrough that revealed my destiny and purpose.
Since its inception five years ago, I have dreamed of Faces of Santa Ana existing in other cities. I asked myself, “What if other artists would carry the same idea into their own communities?” Today, I also founded Faces of Mankind to carry on this very idea. My mission has now spread to Faces of Detroit, Faces of Riverside and Faces of Anaheim. Artists and their communities are being transformed by bright colors and hearts to match.
"What if there was a “Faces of…” in every city around the world? What if artists transform culture and neighborhoods with their gifting and skillset? I believe this is our responsibility and duty as creatives and artists." – Brian peterson
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photo: nicola claire chua
My advice to kids and youth who want to make a difference in their community:
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Learn to love the people within your neighborhood. Search deep within your heart to see, understand and honor the people who are most different to you. Remain curious. As you grow older, life often strips us of our curiosity and childlike wonder. With the best of your ability, hold on to the childlike spirit you currently possess. If you love to paint, never stop painting. If you love to dance, never stop dancing. If you love to sing, never stop singing… and so on. These could be the very gifts you can use to impact the world around you. Never forget what you love to do as a child.
FaCES OF SANTA ANA is a non-profit organization, started by Brian Peterson in 2016. Faces of Santa Ana exists to befriend our neighbors experiencing homelessness then paint large scale dignified portraits of them. After the paintings are completed, we list them for sale, and use the proceeds to help our newfound friends with their dreams, goals, needs, or desires. Along the way, we ultimately believe we are using art and creativity to engage and build relationships with our invisible neighbors.
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photo: 3 Wishes for Ruby’s Residents
STORY
Three Wishes by: ruby kate chitsey
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ruby kate chitsey | usa founder - three wishes for ruby's residents 3wishes.global
I’m Ruby Kate Chitsey. Some people know me as “the girl granting 3 wishes to nursing home seniors”. I want to tell you more about myself.
My project started out small. My Mom works at nursing homes. While I was at work with her last summer, I saw a resident staring out the window for too long.
I am 13 years old and live in a small town in Arkansas. I consider myself funny, laidback, unique and super kind! It’s not always easy being unique. I’m not athletic. I don’t dance, cheer, hunt or play sports. I often felt alone and left out. I have a skin condition, so I was teased a lot about my face.
I asked her what she was looking at. She told me she was watching her dog leave and she didn’t know if she would see it again. My family had lost a dog too – “Ziggy”. I could understand her pain because not seeing your pet is so sad.
I decided a few years ago that I was kind and that kindness was my hobby. Kindness IS a hobby and I think of it like a superpower. I’ve been doing kindness projects and community service projects since I was 9 years old. It has helped me believe in myself and overcome a lot. My project last summer was epic. Well, it became epic. I started a non-profit organization called “Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents”. The project and its mission warmed people’s hearts all over the world. We fulfill small wishes to nursing home seniors. We have fulfilled over 9000 wishes since 2019.
I asked my mom why this lady, Pearl, wouldn’t be able to keep her dog. I learned that Pearl received $40 a month to spend on herself. I asked our Echo Alexa “What’s 40 divided by 30?” It’s $1.33. You can’t feed a dog with that or even pay someone else to take care of it for you. I was 10 and I couldn’t believe I had more money in my piggybank than Pearl had to her name.
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I asked my mom how many people were poor like Pearl? She looked it up in her work computer and showed me that 90% of the residents in this one nursing home received $40/month. It’s called a “Personal Needs Allowance” and it’s been $40 in the state of Arkansas for over 22 years. It is supposed to cover everything from new clothes, shoes, haircuts, phone and cable service and pet food! I knew I had to do something. Pearl inspired me to do this project and I called it “Three Wishes”. I started by asking nursing home residents what 3 small items they needed. I got an old notebook and began to ask the residents:
you any g in r b ld u o "If I c s, three thing y be?” e h t ld u o w what
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I thought they might want money or cars. Their answers were simple like things you could go buy from Walmart. They asked for better fitting shoes, snacks, fresh food, chocolate bars, personal phones and pet food. One man even only asked for 1 thing – pants that fit. I showed my Mom the notebook at the end of the workday and she cried. I didn’t understand it as much as she did. All I know is that we left work, drove to a store and used our money to buy just about everything in that notebook. I journaled with residents all summer and we bought all items with our own money. The project started small and I worked hard. I learned how expensive cell phone service was and that residents were choosing between paying for their cell phone or buying better shoes. I learned the residents were choosing to save money by skipping haircuts for months. The problem was much bigger and sadder than their pets. I also learned that there were 1.4 million nursing home residents in America and more than half of them were receiving the Personal Needs Allowance.
I started a Kid Board for my non-profit. I have amazing youth activists helping fulfill wishes for nursing home seniors from coast to coast. My biggest reward so far from this experience is believing in myself and that would be my advice for kids out there who want to make a difference. I’m so grateful the world took my voice seriously. Kids can absolutely make a difference.
Use your voice and never think you are too small to make a difference. Also, make sure you see the people right in front of you like Pearl.
Pearl was one person but when I looked closer, I saw that she was really the face of 1.4 million other nursing home seniors who just needed love.
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photo: 3 Wishes for Ruby’s Residents
I started a national fundraiser and have raised over $300,000 for my cause. I started a nonprofit, Three Wishes for Ruby’s Residents, and built a community center in my hometown to connect the young and the old.
photo: 3 Wishes for Ruby’s Residents
"Use your voice. never think you are too small to make a difference and make sure you see the people right in front of you..." RUBY kate chitsey
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inspire
Never give up WORDS: julius achon | PHOTO: River Bennett Photography
I met my friend Eloise in America, when she was training for the Olympics. She listened to my story, and instantly we became friends. I grew up in a small village in Uganda in Africa. In the middle of a long war that hurt many people in my community, I learnt that I had a talent for running. JULIUS Achon Uganda Dual Olympian, Humanitarian and Co-Founder of Love Mercy Foundation
So I set my eyes on becoming the best runner I could be. Every day, I would wake early and run to school. Soon, I went to the district carnival, the Junior World Championships and then eventually, the Olympics. After this, I was able to return to Uganda to help my village. When I was younger I was determined to do the best I could at running. So many people told me that I would not make it, but I believed that I could. You must continue to believe in yourself, even if others don’t and you must never give up. By doing your very best, you might have the chance to help others, and you should always take that chance.
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"By doing your very best, you might have the chance to help others, and you should always take that chance." JULIUS Achon
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ILLUSTRATION: jane xieok
cook
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ALIGOT by: desi trisnawati
ingredients:
METHOD:
500 gr potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters.
1. Steam the potatoes until tender. Drain.
50 gr butter 200 ml cooking cream 300 gr cheese Mozzarella is a must. But you can mix in your favourite cheese too.
2. Mash the potatoes until smooth. 3. Return the mash to the pot and set over low heat. Stir in butter, cooking cream and cheese. Mix well until smooth. 4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Salt and pepper
For more recipes, follow Desi on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
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story
charlotte's encouragement words: charlotte J.
tt e. o l r a h is C e m a y... n a y d o t M ! u He y k yo s a o or t d t i n a r a f w a I a d, s g n i l fe e u o y ed ? e m l Ar e h en in p p a o ve rw h s g n i h t r? rd a a e h y y t n s la ma e h d t a n h i e l. H a ve ife, o r e ve n e f u o y ow h y ou r l w o n Ik n e h T ... 32
Then they closed the Australian borders, where I’m from, and cancelled our flights to go back and visit our family. We were stuck. When we were allowed to go outside again, everything was different. I didn’t recognise anything anymore and everyone was wearing masks. It didn’t make sense and things felt a bit scary.
photo: fernando zhiminaicela
In March 2020, we came to America. Within days of being here, we went into lockdown because of the Coronavirus and couldn’t go to see our friends for months.
He led me to the story of Leah in the Bible. Leah was Rachel’s older sister, Jacob’s first wife. She went through some very hard things in her life that made her feel abandoned by God, like he didn’t care for her. Leah’s sister Rachel didn’t experience the same hard things that she did. I think Leah must had felt unloved and sad. This to her was a big injustice. But in the end, God turned it around by blessing her with seven children and a really happy life after all the bad things she went through.
Then to make it worse, we were sent back inside again for a few months because we had bad fires here in north California and had black skies for three months. The air was really bad to breathe. I began to feel more and more sad… and like I would never see my grandparents and friends back in Australia again. This was a very difficult change for me to experience and I didn’t know how to deal with it. I know that there are many injustices in the world but this felt like an injustice to me. It didn’t feel right. I began meeting other kids who were also stuck, missing their family and feeling like I was. I wanted to know Jesus’ heart on it, all so I asked Him.
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photo: MARUCHA
I feel that God led me there because he is saying that same thing over you right now. He is saying that even though you may have been through many hard things in the last year and although you feel like Leah, like nothing makes sense and everything is unfair, He is going to turn around everything you have been facing for you. I feel like many of you have been through many changes that have been difficult. Maybe you are afraid of what is happening all around us in the world right now and it has made your heart sad or scared, but soon you will feel settled and happy again. That is God’s heart of justice, that it may seem like things work against you, but it’s not that way for long before you see things shift. Can I pray for you? God, I pray over every person reading this right now that they will feel your peace and heal their hearts today. Show them how much you love them and turn every situation around in Jesus’ name, amen! Also here is another thought I had when I was writing this. Trust in God’s ultimate plan even when you don’t understand it. Sometimes things will not work out the way you hoped it would, but God has something even better planned for you. His justice and His plan are always perfect, so trust Him to work it all out for you because He loves you.
“For this reason, the Lord is still waiting to show his favor to you so he can show you his marvelous love. He waits to be gracious to you. He sits on his throne ready to show mercy to you. For Yahweh is the Lord of justice, faithful to keep his promises. Overwhelmed with bliss are all who will entwine their hearts in him, waiting for him to help them” Isaiah 30:18
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click on the pics to see the tutorials
craft
diy cards kids can make compiled BY: MIA SETYAWAN
pop up cat: red ted art | handprint: the best ideas for kids get well soon band-aid: craft corner emoji: red ted art | egg carton lilies: mr printables 35
Is humility really a big deal? By: Ben T. 36
Often times, we like to think that we are good or that we are better than someone else. It’s good to have confidence in what we do, but we also need to learn to be humble. My parents have been telling me about humility. However, I have only really learnt it when I experienced it myself. I was one of the few students in Elementary school, who got into a special class called the Acceleration class. This class allowed students to graduate one year earlier by studying the materials faster. I was really proud to be selected for this class, because students needed to pass a certain test to join the class and only fifteen were selected out of the entire school. I became arrogant and thought that I didn’t need to study hard because I was smart. Because of this mindset, the unavoidable happened. My scores dropped drastically to the point that I was at risk of failing and repeating a year. It was a slap in the face for me. I began to accept the fact that I needed to change and committed myself to studying every day. We often hear the phrase “Hard work pays off” and it really does.
My scores started to improve slowly and I was really happy about it. My parents were also supportive during this time. I even got into the special Bilingual class in Middle School (Year 7) because I passed the test with good marks. I’ve learnt my lesson that it is really important to stay humble. Nobody is perfect. Therefore, we need to know our strengths and weaknesses, learn to get rid of bad habits and become a better person. Just because we have better grades or more friends, does not mean that we are better than someone else. Everyone has their own strengths. Nobody likes a braggart. On the other hand, humility attracts people. It makes them feel comfortable to come to us because we don’t judge them or think that they are inferior. When I was little, I often asked my parents who was their favourite child. They would tell me that they had no favourites. Both my sister and I were equally important to them. It’s the same with God. He doesn’t have any favourites. We are all the same in God’s eyes and He loves us all equally. So, we have no reason to be arrogant.
"Just because we have better grades or more friends does not mean that we are better than someone else. Everyone has their own strengths. Nobody likes a braggart." 37
the
GIFT guide compiled by: mia setyawan
5% OFF Code: kidsnation 38
Kitenge Lion
henry the bunny
$15
LITTLE $62 REGULAR $82
project yesu (Worldwide) The proceeds go towards Project Yesu's children feeding program in Uganda.
Cuddle + Kind (Worldwide) 1 handcrafted doll provides 10 meals to children in North America and around the world.
"Build peace" Miir 20 oz bottle
gratitude journal
$35
HARVEST CRUISE (Worldwide)
Justice Rising (USA, Canada & UK) The proceeds help Justice Rising's effort to build schools and empower communities in war zone areas.
$16.99
Manufactured in a third world country to help create job opportunities. A portion of the profits goes towards a global anti human trafficking movement.
snow leopard headband $24.85 Headbands Of Hope (Worldwide) For every headband sold, one is donated to a child with an illness. 39
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