– from Lidi

Hello everyone! Wow, finally we are in our New Year of Hope – as they are calling it. 2020 was crazy, it was a dumpster fire, blah blah blah. All of these buzzwords that have been going around for SO LONG! And while I do agree with those descriptions, and my prayers are with the people who have died due to Coronavirus, forest fires, or other reasons, I also want to talk about some of the good I’ve seen too.

For one thing, we are going deeper into building a reputation economy from the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield. Now EVERYONE is on social media trying to be an influencer – and getting a piece of that sweet, sweet monetization pie. Including us at Planet Hope! So that’s been great. People are able to be in charge of their own schedules and work settings, possibly earn a decent living, and bring light into the world all without having to recruit ten people and then have them recruit ten people and then….

Anyway, whether you’re making it big in the MLM world or the influencer world, you are now able to live the life you dreamed of without your financial freedom being chained to someone else’s vision. You take your passion and find the people share it, and you live your best life! Congrats!

In other news, Planet Hope is continuing to grow in ways I never imagined – definitely not financially but certainly in connections. I received a note today from a client that just made my day – we were able to help this person share their dream of love for their family. This is why I do what I do, guys – I want to bring creativity and community to the world, ever since that first scavenger hunt I organized in kindergarten.

That’s why I’m so grateful that even though last year was CHAOTIC in terms of balancing my own mental health struggles, trying to find a voice and direction for Planet Hope and myself, and putting that all together into something that is actually coherent, I believe that this year will be our year. A lot of the commitments that were bringing me down are no longer part of my life, and I’ve never felt more free to explore and discover who I really am – on my own time, in my own way, and with the actual gifts God has given me. No more trying to live up to other people’s standards!

So, even though we were not even close to reaching our crowdfunding goals, that’s why I still consider the project – and all the crazy activities of last year – to be a success. I met some amazing people, mostly women from around the world who have taught me so much. We have created some tangible things, like a website, social media avenues, and a beautiful promotional video. More than that, we’ve been able to really answer the question – “Who are we? What are we doing? Why are we here? Where are we going? How will we get there? When’s lunch?”

Okay, maybe not that last one but I was trying to stick to the 5W H thing…? I don’t know. Still an important question for someone who regularly becomes too keyed up to remember to eat lunch.

Anyway, I wanted to give a HUGE thank you to the Gogo Grandmothers for allowing us to share your dream. Thank you for all you do to help make dreams come true for orphans and their families in Africa. You are a gift from God and we love you so much.

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Thank you to Rebecca from Ash & Emblem – your patience, kindness, enthusiasm, and beautiful heart are an inspiration to all, and it’s been an honour creating some beautiful art with you. Your story is amazing, and I absolutely adore you! You are also a gift from God!

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Thank you to clients and potential clients who have stuck with me through the ups and downs of the past few months – I love how so many of you are people I can go to for prayer and encouragement, and I am honored to be able to help you share your dreams with the world.

Thank you to my friends and family who have supported my vision and have helped with donations, sharing our messages, and providing feedback and encouragement. I know that what I’m doing might seem a little weird, but be honest, most of you have been watching me take on these crazy projects for most of my life – none of this is new to you. Thank you for continuing to support me, and I’ll probably be doing crazy projects until I die!

Finally (I think, I’m probably forgetting someone and I’m sorry) thanks so much to the Planet Hope team of 2020. So many of you volunteered your time, and through all of the frustrations, growing pains, and utter chaos we still made something beautiful that I am definitely proud of, and I hope you are too. I hope some of you will return, but if not, I know amazing things are heading your way! You were a gift from God in a time when I decided I didn’t want to do this thing by myself anymore, and I love you!

Well, this is definitely a lot, but I was suddenly just struck with words. A few updates before I peace out.

We will be keeping the crowdfunding pages open. You can continue to donate to GoFundMe to directly support our subsidized service program, or to FundRazr to support Planet Hope in general. We may not always be able to give gifts in return, but a portion of net proceeds will continue to go to the Gogo Grandmothers to help orphans in Malawi!

I (Lidi) will be making a conscious effort to differentiate my personal brand from Planet Hope. While the spirit of this organization comes mostly from me, I want to give it the freedom to grow into its own thing,. Also, I want it to be much more coherent and professional than I myself am as a person. As more individuals get involved in leadership, I definitely want it to be a more democratic and plural in identity – not my personal puppet! Planet Hope will be about helping people share their dreams – by sharing stories, news, information, interviews, and, most importantly, delivering creative and communication services.

I’ll be also trying to focus a bit more on my personal brand. The fun thing is it could be whatever I want! The main things that will be featured are social justice and mental health, but as someone with either ADD or ADHD, it will probably reflect a bit of that chaos, on purpose! I have a variety of interests and passions that I want to share with others, and also i’m not going to put too much pressure on myself, but I hope to make it into a variety of things. Some of the stuff will probably also be featured on Planet Hope publications as well. One thing I want to do is go out into the community more – virtually or socially-distanced for now, but definitely getting real stories from people in my community. We will see! I’ll also be posting more of my stories, personal blogs and artwork. I’m working on an amazing novel that I can’t wait to share!

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Remember, it’s Unwritten Hope’s birthday next Month! Yay! If there’s anything we can pray for you for, please submit a Prayer Request that I will review daily – you don’t have to put any personal info. Also, we would love to be part of your next project, at whatever cost you’re comfortable with. Even if that’s $0! Submit an outline of your project here. Find all the ways you can continue to support us, and don’t forget to follow us, like us, and comment on all the things:

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Well, thank you for being my HOPE (Heroes of Planet Earth, for anyone who doesn’t remember our Tumblr days). Just now I realized how awesome it is that this year has been deemed the Year of Hope – this is going to be our year!

So go forth, put good into the world, and take of yourself! And remember, whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for human masters! (Corinthians 3:23)

Love,

Lidi