This month, we’re talking about causes, ways you – yes you, the teen sitting at home – can make a difference in this world. You have that power. Here’s what an RTF alumnus, Derek Hanisch, had to say:

“We all have causes that are near and dear to our heart. As a childhood cancer survivor, I want to end cancer. Every year my town hosts the Relay for Life. This is an all night event where everyone comes together to fight cancer. There is a track the people walk around. Throughout the night, there is much laughter, and much reflection. This year I was honored to give the opening speech. As you listen, I challenge you to find a cause that you’re passionate about and find a way to support it. That may involve speaking out on the cause, or donating your time or money towards it. Either way, you can make a difference.”

Check out Derek’s speech:

What causes are you passionate about? What do you do to make a difference?

By RTF Contributor Derek Hanisch

I looked in the mirror and smiled. With a little imagination I looked as if I belonged at Hogwarts. (more…)

by Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

We were a well-oiled machine. A scoop of chicken-flavored protein. A scoop of vegetables. A scoop of soy. A scoop of rice. Weigh the bag. Seal it. And there you go: one meal packed for a starving family in a third world country.

As I was packing food with Feed My Starving Children, I risked a glance around me. Surrounding me were 600 people who had given their time to serve. It brought joy to my heart to see all of these people who had willingly become servants for a higher cause.

The 600 people in this community were not only giving up their time for a two hour shift to package food for Haiti. This was a 24 hour event. For 24 hours servants in groups of 600 were able to do something great. They were able to be the hands and feet of Christ, putting their faith into action. (more…)

by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

I was in the middle of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a very bustling, modern town, yet when I looked around me I saw none of that. Instead I saw a warehouse that had been converted into a marketplace, sectioned up into stalls where Somali (from Somalia, a country in Africa) Muslims were selling goods and clothing of all kinds. It was quite a sight to see, quite a culture shock.

Here I was, a in a group of white men, about to journey through a Somali Mall filled with African Muslims. Many of the women in the market stalls were wearing the full hijab (Muslim women head covering), chattering away in their own language. Man, I was intimidated, I was nervous, I was even a bit scared.

They were so unlike me. They were so different. What was I doing here? (more…)

Happy Retro Day! I hope this helps give you the courage to confront your fears. Enjoy! ~ Halee

By Derek Hanisch, RTF Staff Writer

I still remember that day three years ago. I stood in front of two hundred youth at a juvenile detention center to give a sermon. I hadn’t prayed about what I was going to say. I had done the preparation on my own. I was giving the sermon on my own. And I bombed. I bombed badly. It was a real self esteem crusher for me. Because of it I hadn’t spoken in public since. (more…)

by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

Congrats!” Laura, my supervisor from the summer, told me one day on facebook chat.

“What for?” I asked.

“You’re engaged!”

“Huh?” I replied, flabbergasted. (more…)

by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

I will always remember December 25th, 2005. It was during this Christmas that I was battling cancer. Christmas Eve had been routine enough. I had been too tired to even want to open gifts, but it was okay because I was home and among family.

It was about 3am on Christmas Day that things took a turn for the worst. My fever rose to well over 100 and I could barely move. This happened quite regularly when I was home from chemo and it meant one thing: time to head back to the hospital.

I spent Christmas day and New Year’s in the hospital. It was not where I wanted to be. (more…)

Happy Retro Day! This week’s retro piece contains a wonderful challenge and some great thoughts to consider as we grow closer to Christmas. Enjoy! ~Halee

 by RTF Staff Writer Derek Hanisch

Once, perhaps twice a month a good friend and I get a small group together and go to either a homeless shelter or soup kitchen about an hour away. We pile into my car, cramped and hot (only severely hot air comes out of the vents), praying that Sabra (my car) will be able to make the trip without dying. Somehow Sabra survives the journey, and we go and serve.

Why do we do it? Why do we serve? Thomas Merton puts it more eloquently than I ever could:

All the good that you do will not come from you but from the fact that you have allowed yourself, in the obedience of faith, to be used by God’s love… If you can get free from the domination of causes and just serve Christ’s truth, you will be able to do more and will be less crushed by the inevitable disappointments. The real hope then is not in something we think we can do, but in God who is making something good out of it In some way we cannot see. (more…)