People Who Made a Difference Contest-Please read first post

[RuthD]

First of all, you all did a great job and so did the judges with reading everything and judging. Here is the winners list:

Congratulations!

First place: Daffodilly
Second place: Amphigouri
Third place: HisByGrace
Fourth place: Christsaves
Honorable mention: Pwettyfunny





Number of contestants in this game will be: 16 -me=15....lol


Hi everyone. This contest is about finding some historical figure, man or woman (women can dress as men and vise versa if you want to) who made a difference, bad or good, in history.

You should find a picture of them and post it with your entry. Then you must do some research on them and post a paragraph about that person and what they did to make a difference. Then dress up according to what they look like as best as you can. The person can be alive or dead. If you can't find a pic of them then it is best to move onto another person in history who has a picture.

Gregged is helping me with screenshots so please don't send me any.

Prizes:
1.2500
2.2000
3.1500
4.1000
HM500

Game starts now and ends Monday at 10pm EST or when we have 15 contestants. Judging will be the next day. Please let me know when you are ready with everything and I will post it and do the screenshot.

[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif]George Washington[/FONT]
On April 30, 1789, George Washington, standing on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York, took his oath of office as the first President of the United States. "As the first of every thing, in our situation will serve to establish a Precedent," he wrote James Madison, "it is devoutly wished on my part, that these precedents may be fixed on true principles."

The next 3 pages after this one are the People who made a Difference, pictures and a paragraph.

 

[RuthD]

The names in red are the people who made a difference:

1.4everblessed:
The person I'm writing about is Queen Esther. She truly was a woman of God, humble, obedient and faithful. A young girl of ordinary beginnings, she suddenly became a queen. Even though her status had changed, her heart had not and she never forgot who she was. She knew that God had placed her where she was for a reason. With her faith in God she courageously risked her own life, going in to see the king without permission, to be God's instrument to save her people from complete annihilation. What a mighty woman of faith she was.

2.Amphigouri:
Many people seem to think that singers and movie stars can't make a difference. They're just there for entertainment. I disagree whole-heartedly.
Marlene Dietrich and I share many things in common: our looks, our style, even our last name, but most importantly we share the same home country and the belief in its people. During World War II, and even shortly after, Marlene found herself ashamed of her country, she was ashamed to be German, and even became an American citizen and refused to return to her home country.
However, she soon realised she was not ashamed of her country, but was actually ashamed of Hitler and his followers. As she continued her musical career, she told the world about her people: the Germans who fought the Nazis and their ideals.
On a world tour she visited Israel. A country which hated Germany more than any other during that time. She was told by everyone she met that she should leave the country, that she was disrespectful. She didn't listen. She was told by every political figure in Israel that she could not sing in German. She didn't listen. She was told that if she came to the country, she would be killed. She didn't listen. Instead she made a speech. She told the whole country how she felt and changed their minds.
Israel, the home of Judaism, forgave Germany that day.
Being a young German, with blond hair and blue eyes, many people harass me, assuming I'm a Nazi. Jews in my school fear me. Though this hurts, I think of Marlene and her strength and bravery, and I know that if I stand up for myself and my country, I will change their minds.
She was born December 27 1901 and died 90 years later, May 6 1992. I wish I could've shaken her hand.
Marlene is holding the justice scales because that's what she believes in.

3. Breezy3.
When Dian grew up she became a zoologist. She went to Rwanda in Afrilca to study gorillas. She wanted to save the mountain gorillas. Dian Fossey wrote a book called "Gorillas in the Mist." The movie "Gorillas in the Mist" is about Diane Fossey and her gorillas. Diane Fossey was murdered in Africa at the age of 53.Born: January 16, 1932
Died: December 27, 1985 (aged 53)
Place: Rwanda, Africa
Occupation: Zoologist

4. Cassie76.
Princess Diana: Starting in the mid- to late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support of several charity projects. This stemmed naturally from her role as Princess of Wales - she was expected to engage in hospital visitations where she comforted the sick and in so doing, assumed the patronage of various charitable organisations - and from an interest in certain illnesses and health-related matters. Owing to Public Relations efforts in which she agreed to appear as a figurehead, Diana used her influential status to positively assist the campaign against landmines, a cause which won the Nobel Prize in 1997 in tribute, and with helping to decrease discrimination against victims of AIDS.

5.Christsaves:
I chose Susan B. Anthony because she is a wonderful example of living your life fighting for what and who you believe in.
Susan B. Anthony was a leader in the movement for women's rights. She helped found the Women's State Temperance Society of New York, dealing with the abuses of women and children who were abused by alchoholic husbands. She was an advocate for the abolition of slavery as well as voice for women to be given the right to vote.
In 1900 Susan led a successful campaign to have women admitted into the University of Rochester. The Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women's Studies was named in honor of her.

 

[RuthD]

The names in red are the people who made a difference:

6. Dafodilly:It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.
Frances Jane Crosby was born in 1820. When she was 6 weeks old she was ill and the doctor recommended hot poultices on her eyes as treatment. The poultices blinded her. Fanny Crosby didn't let her blindness hinder her, nor did she sit around feeling sorry for herself. These quotes sum up her attitude towards her blindness:
Quote:
She also once said, "when I get to Heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"
source
During her lifetime, she wrote over 8,000 hymns. It's difficult to find an American hymnal that doesn't contain hymns written by Fanny Crosby. My favorite Fanny Crosby songs are Blessed Assurance, He Hideth My Soul and To God Be the Glory.

7. Godsgirljuju:
I chose Betsy Ross. I had to do a report on her for my social studies at school, so I am using that here.

Betsy Ross was a very talented seamstress. when George Washington came to see her he showed her a six pointed star and she quickly cut with one cut a five point star and he was so impressed with that, that he gave her the job. One thing also I found out that was neat is that George Washington and Betsy were friends. They actually went to church together and Betsy sat behind him in "her" pew. they had been to each other's homes as well visiting. Also, when Betsy ran away to get married, it was in a bar! And, Ben Franklin's grandson performed the ceremony!

So Betsy Ross was a great woman, and we would not have our great American flag if she had not been chosen. Oh, we would have a flag for sure, but not this one. It would not have been the same.

Betsy Ross was born on January 1, 1752, and died January 30th, 1836. Her real name is Elizabeth. She was the daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Griscom, who were members of the Religious Society of Friendship, also known as the Quaker Society. She attended a Quaker school also, and learned to read, write, sew, and housework.

Betsy became an apprentice to an upholster, and met and fell in love with another upholster, John Ross. But, he was the son of a Christ Church Reverend, and her parents did not believe in mixed marriages, meaning one denomination marrying another one. So they ran away, crossed the Delaware River to New Jersey and William Franklin, Ben Franklin’s son, married them. They opened up their own shop, until John joined the military, and was killed in 1776. Betsy took over the upholstery shop at that time.

One day in May of 1776, George Washington, Robert Morris, and George Ross came to visit. Betsy knew General Washington from before, and they were friends as well. They both attended the same church in Philadelphia and she had done some sewing for him on his clothes. But they were not there on a friendly visit, but a formal business meeting visit, from the Continental Congress. Betsy also knew George Ross because he was her dead husband’s uncle. Robert Morris was one of the wealthiest men in the area.

General Washington showed a drawing to her of what he thought the flag should look like. It had thirteen stripes and also a circle of thirteen stars, representing the thirteen colonies. He wanted it to be a circle of stars so that no one state could be viewed as being more important or above the other ones. Betsy showed them how to make a five point star in one cut with her scissors and they were so impressed they left her with the job of making our American flag. Some say it was not Betsy Ross that did the original flag design, but a man by the name of Francis Hopkinson. However, it was Betsy Ross that General George Washington came to see that day, not Mr. Hopkinson.

In June of 1777, she married a sea captain, and they had two more daughters. He was captured by the British and sent to Old Mill Prison where he died a few months after General Cornwallis had surrendered in the battle at Yorktown. She married again in 1783 and had another five daughters. He died in 1897. Betsy kept working until she retired in 1827. When she was 84, Betsy died and was buried in the Free Quaker Cemetery. She was moved two more times until today she remains buried in the courtyard of the Betsy Ross house.

​

8.Hisbygrace:
Charlotte Diggs "Lottie" Moon
Teacher, Writer, Missionary

Born: 12-12-1840, Albermarle Co., VA
Died: 12-24-1912, Kobe, Japan
Buried: Crewe, VA
A pioneer in the field of missionary service, Moon came to Cartersville in 1871, when the mission field was still closed to single women, to open and operate a school for girls. In 1873, Moon received appointment as a missionary, and left from the First Baptist Church in Cartersville to mission in China. Today, the Women's Missionary Society of the First Baptist Church in Cartersville, which organized on Moon's behalf, is the oldest Baptist Women's Missionary Society in Georgia. The church's "Lottie Moon Room" and two monuments erected in town commemorate Moon's brief sojourn through Bartow County.
(b. Viewmont, Albermarle County, Va., Dec. 12, 1840; d. Kobe, Japan, Dec. 24, 1912). Missionary in Tengchow and Pingtu, China, for nearly 40 years; instrumental in instigating first Christmas offering, 1888. She was educated at Female Seminary at Botetourt Springs (later known as Hollins) and at Albermarle Female Institute, Charlottesville. She was converted in the spring of 1859 in a meeting by John Albert Broadus, then pastor at Charlottesville. She taught at Danville, Ky., and Cartersville, Ga. She volunteered for missionary service in Feb., 1873, in response to a sermon on the text, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest," and she was appointed to China, July 7, 1873, by the Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention. In 1888 she wrote to the Baptist women of the South, pleading for reinforcements. The first Christmas offering in 1888 provided three additional missionaries. She spent 14 years in China before taking her first regular furlough. Toward the end of her days, she suffered with her Chinese people in the terrible famine. She gave all she had. In the time of deepest trials she wrote, "I hope no missionary will be as lonely as I have been." Literally starving, she grew steadily weaker. Before Christmas, 1912, Cynthia Miller, faithful nurse, started back to America with Lottie Moon; death came to the frail missionary, Christmas Eve, while the ship was at harbor in Kobe, Japan. The present Christmas offering for foreign missions, sponsored by the W.M.U., is named for Lottie Moon.
Biographical Sources:
Allen, Catherine. The New Lottie Moon Story, 1980.
Lawrence, Una Roberts. Lottie Moon, 1927.
"Lottie Moon." Shapers of Southern Baptist Heritage pamphlet series. Southern Baptist Historical Society.
Archival sources in Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives.
Moon, Lottie. Missionary Correspondence. AR. 551-2.

9. Jere209:
Tecumseh, Great Shawnee Indian Chief

I chose Tecumseh, as I have been working on a project research paper in US history, and have been amazed at the kind of man he was.
​

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation​

Think of this. A man that could say something like this, this speaks volumes to me..
An excerpt from my report *copyright me* ​

Tecumseh. Tecumthi. Tecumtha. Tecumseh…….Shooting Star Across the Sky. I sit to write the story of Tecumseh, this mighty warrior among the Shawnee Indian tribe, yet words fail me. My heart heavy, my eyes filled with tears, my brain filled with anger at the injustice this great man suffered, and those of his people! Not just the Shawnee, but all those great 500 nations that were forced to bend their back, and bow their knee to the likes of William Harrison and later, Andrew Jackson, and to the Redcoats. It grieves me to know how the life of one brilliant man was snuffed out in a battle that could have been avoided, had the cowards not abandoned him and his army. But, that was his name. That was the legacy behind it, the very meaning. “Shooting Star across the sky”..for one brief moment in time, he rose to a place where he had great influence over others, and just as fast, his life snuffed out in what I would imagine as glee by one of my own countrymen. A United States American, some say one of our future Vice Presidents. I wonder if I feel the pain so deeply because of the Indian blood running through my veins, or is it just the compassionate side of me? I do not know, I only know I grieve this loss. Yet, his legacy lives on.

In reading about Tecumseh’s life, I met him when he was among three others at a council in Ohio, presided over by Governor Kirker, pleading for the US Government to rid his people of the and replace him. His words were interpreted by the Rudell boys. Stephen and Abraham were captured as young children, and now grown to adulthood. Stephen was now a Baptist preacher among the Indians (Shawnee), and Abe had not adjusted well to white society at all. Amongst those in attendance that day were Thomas Worthington and Duncan MacArthur. Four chiefs were ushered into the courtroom that day, Tecumseh being one of them, a Wyandot chief named Stayeghta, the Bark Carrier, along with one they called Blue Jacket (adopted brother) they sat on left side of the clerk, along with the Governor. On the other side, sat Panther and Tecumseh. One could almost see this tall, stately man, clearly Indian, yet not having full Indian features. Some say his skin resembled a yellow like color, and that he was descended from a white man, and his mother not being Shawnee, but rather Creek. Tecumseh later favored mixed marriages, I wonder if this is why. He stood tall, and stately in the courtroom, dressed in fine buckskin, neatly fringed along the edges. His limbs straight from the months of objects being placed against them in true Indian tradition, while being confined to the cradle board upon his mother’s back. The piercing eyes, compelling one to look into them, not wanting to see the torment, yet afraid to look away for fear of missing one unspoken word from this magnificent man, resting upon each member of the “jury” and those in the room. Only to flash fire and anger as they rested upon one man in particular. I can only imagine the mood that day in the courtroom, and think those same eyes flashed the same anger and fire upon one William Henry Harrison later when he confronted him. They were there that day to petition the Governor to let them live among the whites in peace. They meant no harm to anyone. Tecumseh asked for William Wells, Indian Agent for the United States to be replaced by Stephen Rudell. The meeting was a success for the Indians. Governor Kirker dismissed the militia and on October 8th, he wrote to President Thomas Jefferson, passing on Tecumseh’s objections to Wells and other requests for support.

One could say Sitting Bull or even Geronimo was the most famous Indian in American history, but I believe the most respected and revered would go to Tecumseh. Words would be spoken of him that would place him in high esteem, “if Tecumseh had been born in another time, had the war been different, he was one of those rare geniuses that come along and could discover an empire that would rival the likes of Peru”. He dreamed of melding the tribes of North America into a huge confederacy that would stretch from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. Tecumseh was a strong, charismatic leader, with above normal political and military strengths. He was a major figure in the war of 1812, and fought alongside the British to defeat American attempt to invade Canada.

Tecumseh was Shawnee, but his legend reaches far across the boundaries of all American Indian tribes. He fought through bloody battles and racial brutality. I believe he also faced hypocrisy in the highest form from our country’s national leaders, some never failing to mock him and/or remind him of his status “beneath” us for being of Indian heritage. Despite all of this, Tecumseh was a man of high integrity and compassion. One reads of his compassion early in his life during childhood when he would come against any form of cruelty being committed against anyone or any animal. This speaks highly of the character of this revered man. A man who stood for his own tribe, yet not just Shawnee, but for all Indian men, women and children alike. A man that tried unsuccessfully to unite in solidarity that died at the height of his “career”.

I believe Tecumseh’s true journey towards his destiny began when he was in his twenties. He and his brother Cheesauaka would make many journeys to other tribes and exploring the north and west territory outside of the Shawnee area. This was part of a Shawnee rite in which Tecumseh transitioned from youth to the adult world, and introduced him to the other tribes and traditions. It was on their final journey together when his brother would predict his own death during a war the next day. Tecumseh then joined with Blue Jacket, his adopted brother in the legacy passed on from his father, now from his brother, to preserve the Shawnee territory from the whites. During this time, Tecumseh displayed his leadership ability, charismatic personality, strength and skills, which would cause him to have many followers, some equal in military skill, including his younger brother, Tenskwatawa.

By 1805 military and legal means against the whites had failed the Shawnee. Tecumseh had begun to make a name for himself among the whites as well as the Native Americas as a pragmatic, eloquent, and intelligent leader. His practical leadership soon became necessary as followers of Tenskwatawa flocked to his village. With Tenskwatawa heading up spiritual revival among the tribes, Tecumseh began to put in place and build upon a political movement that was no less revolutionary in the eyes of some, but necessary in his eyes. The backbone of this system was recognizing and understanding the destructive threat the whites posed to all Indians. He did not believe that any agreement, whether treaty, border and/or land agreement would protect his people. The only way Tecumseh saw out of this predicament, this gloomy future was for his Indian brothers and sisters to heed the call that was riding upon the wings of the wind, and in the spirit of each one to unite. In one accord. Not to be broken or pushed aside, not played against each other as in a game of cards and rum drinking, but a solidified unitary front, hundreds of thousands strong against the white man and his greed. This was the only way they could successfully protect the land which the Great Spirit had deeded unto them. Long before the white man had entered the picture.

It was at this time that Tecumseh first encountered William Henry Harrison. It was in the fall of 1809, and Harrison was Governor of Indiana. He negotiated the Treaty of Fort Wayne there to the dismay of Tecumseh. The treaty called for three million acres of Indian territory to be ceded to the United States government. Through this fateful event of history, Tecumseh begins to emerge as the strong leader, a force to be reckoned with amongst the Indians and whites alike. The Shawnee had not been part of these three million acres of land that had been ceded to the government, but Tecumseh drew upon his dream and vision of uniting all Indian tribes, and was clearly distraught. Shawnee leader Blue Jacket, Tecumseh’s adoptive brother and Joseph Brant, leader of the Mohawks, had stated in days gone by that all Indian land was owned together as a joint asset, in which no one could sell any of it, without approval from all. At this time, Tecumseh begin to travel throughout the neighboring land urging them to lay down their loyalty to the ones that had signed this treaty and come to Prophetstown (Tippecanoe). Because of Blue Jacket’s and Joseph Brant’s words, Tecumseh believed the Fort Wayne treaty was not valid, asked Harrison to void it, and not let the settlers build upon the treaty lands.

Tecumseh met face to face with Harrison at his Vincennes, Indiana home. While there he assured Harrison that the Shawnees wanted to be at peace with the United States. Tecumseh then continued upon his journey, recruiting from among the tribes, a band that would be known as the Red Sticks, while most would not join the cause he presented, and entered the Creek War. In the meantime, Governor Harrison marched up the Wabash River from Vincennes accompanied by an army of men of about one thousand, with the sole purpose to intimidate Tenskwatawa. Harrison’s army arrived at Prophetstown (Tippecanoe) on November 6th, 1811. When the Prophet saw Harrison’s men, he ordered the warriors to attack the American camp that night. The Indians were defeated and had to withdraw, and Harrison’s men came into the village of Prophetstown and burned it to the ground. As a result, Tecumseh aligned himself with the British to fight against the Americans, thus making his battle part of the greater battle, the War of 1812.

Among the battle, one can still see the compassion and humanity that Tecumseh possessed, a quality that endeared him to the people of that time, and reaching further through the annals of time and history to present day. When Tecumseh joined General Brock at the battle of Detroit in 1812, the British had captured many prisoners, among them was one Father Gabriel Richard. This man had ministered among the Shawnees and other tribes, and was highly revered. Tecumseh refused to fight alongside Brock or any other British man until this priest was freed. Tecumseh was very cunning and skillful in battle, and used great strategies in war. The battle continued, and eventually Brock was replaced with Major General Henry Proctor. Proctor did not seem to be very true to his word, and failed to live up to his obligations. When the British were fighting at Chatham, Ontario, he failed to show up. Other accounts say that Brock was there, but as the American troops converged upon the British, Brock gave into fear and cowardness, and left Tecumseh and his men there. Upon that fateful day, at the Battle of Thames, when Governor Harrison and his troops crossed the border into Upper Canada, October of 1813, Tecumseh was killed. His brother, Tenskwatawa, watched from a sheltered area high above the battle, as the enemy shot Tecumseh in the chest. Governor Harrison had directed his forces to charge the British troops; they retreated in defeat, with the cowardly Proctor leading the way. As stated earlier, Tecumseh and his faithful band stayed and fought a good fight of faith. In the end, they were forced to retreat and surrender. They returned later to the blood strewn battlefield for their wounded and dead, but Tecumseh’s body was not amongst these. As fate would have it, Tecumseh had just predicted his death the night before after having a dream that he would die, just as his brother, Cheesauka, had predicted long ago of himself.

Along with the death of Tecumseh, the great dream of a solidified confederacy among his people died as well. Tecumseh saw the future more clearly and accurately than he ever knew. One can only wonder what would have happened had Tecumseh not died on that fateful day on the river Thames.

Tecumseh..Tecumtha..Tecumthai..Shooting Star…a man of integrity, compassion and great insight. A great Shawnee warrior, highly respected not only among his people, but also the white man.

10. Ladyt28:
Mother Teresa - a name recognized in nearly every country of the world. She continues to influence people long after her death. Mother Teresa was born in Macedonia. At the age of 13 she received her calling from God and went to become a nun at the age of 18. From 1931 to 1948 Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls made such a deep impression on her that in 1948 she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta creating her own order "The Missionary's of Charity. Her work in Calcutta's slums illustrated something that the high priests of global development often tend to overlook: in order to pull people out of poverty, it is important to first empower them with self-esteem and with the hope that change is always possible. In India and beyond, Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity devoted their time to the blind, the disabled, the aged, and the poor. She opened schools, orphanages and homes for the needy, and turned her attention to the victims of AIDS as that disease increased in prevalence. By 1996, she was operating 517 missions in more than 100 countries.Although she had no funds, she depended on Divine Providence, and started an open-air school for slum children. No one could explain her attitude better than herself: "I see God in every human being. When I wash the leper's wounds, I feel I am nursing the Lord himself. Is it not a beautiful experience?" -- [SIZE=-1]1974 interview. [/SIZE] "I choose the poverty of our poor people. But I am grateful to receive (the Nobel) in the name of the hungry, the naked, the homeless, of the crippled, of the blind, of the lepers, of all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, uncared-for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone." -- [SIZE=-1]Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, 1979. When Mother Teresa died in 1997 at the age of 87, her worldly possessions consisted of two $1 saris, one pair of sandals, her rosary and a Bible. [/SIZE]Perhaps, French President Jacques Chirac summed up Mother Teresa's legacy best when he said after her death: "This evening, there is less love, less compassion, less light in the world."

 

[RuthD]

The names in red are the people who made a difference:

11.Mindalin:
I am dressed as Waangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner.
She was born in 1940 in rural Kenya and earned degrees in the US and Kenya, a very rare thiing for any African woman to do. Wangari saw that Kenya had suffered the loss of 90% of its trees. She taught women to plant trees, and for each one they planted, they were paid a small sum. The same women who had spent hours looking for firewood were now able to plant trees and earn income to feed their families.
Wangari was harshley persecuted for her active role in assisting women and addressing the deforestation. But she persevered and created the Green Belt Movement. Now, classes were held to teach the people of Kenya how to save their land from erosion and how to grow better, more fruitful crops. The Green Belt Movement also reintroduced multiparty democracy in the government. The former presedint had hired people to atack Wangari and her followers.

Now a new President has elected her Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife.
Her Green Belt movement has planted 30 million trees in Kenya. The movement has expanded into other African countries and all over the world.
Wangari Maathai stands along with Harriet Tubman and other heros. She dared to choose a hard life in order to change her world.

12. Nilla:
Why I chose Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. To me she's a great role model when it comes to fully trust God.
She knew she would be looked at and talked about and that Joseph might not want her as his wife.
BUT still she trusted God and submitted to His will not knowing what was to come.

Mary the Mother of Jesus
Written by Mary Fairchild,
(http://christianity.about.com/od/new...therjesus.htm)
Mary - Profile of Mary the Mother of Jesus from the New Testament:
Mary was a young girl, probably only about 12 or 13 years old when the angel Gabriel came to her. She had recently become engaged to a carpenter named Joseph. Mary was an ordinary Jewish girl, looking forward to marriage. Suddenly her life would forever be changed.
Mary was fearful and troubled in the presence of the angel. She could never have expected to hear the most incredible news — that she would have a child, and her son would be the Messiah. Although she could not comprehend how she would conceive the Savior, she responded to God with belief and obedience.
Although Mary's life held great honor, her calling would demand great suffering as well. Just as there is pain in childbirth and motherhood, there would be much pain in the privilege of being the mother of the Messiah.
Accomplishments:
Mary was the mother of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. She was a willing servant. She trusted God and she obeyed his call.
Strengths:
The angel told Mary in Luke 1:28 that she was highly favored by God. This phrase simply meant that Mary had been given much grace or "unmerited favor" from God. Even with God's favor, Mary would still suffer much. Though she would one day be highly honored as the mother of the Savior, she would first know disgrace as an unwed mother. She would nearly lose her fiance. Her beloved son would be rejected and cruelly murdered. Mary's submission to God's plan would cost her dearly, yet she was willing to be God's servant.
God knew that Mary was a woman of rare strength and obedience. She was the only human being to be with Jesus throughout his entire life — from his birth until his death. She gave birth to him as her baby and watched him die as her Savior. Mary also knew the Scriptures. When the angel appeared and told her the baby would be God's Son, Mary replied, "I am the Lord's servant ... may it be to me as you have said." (Luke 1:38). She knew of the Old Testament prophesies about the coming Messiah.
Life Lessons:
Mary must have know that her submission to God's plan would cost her. If nothing else, she knew she would be disgraced as an unwed mother. She must have thought that Joseph would divorce her, or worse yet, he might even have her put to death by stoning. Mary may not have considered the full extent of her future suffering. She may not have imagined the pain of watching her beloved child bear the weight of sin and die a terrible death on the cross. Still, she willing submitted to God's plan. Can we willing accept God's plan? Can we even rejoice in God's plan, like Mary did, when we know that it will cost us dearly?
Key Verses:
Luke 1:38
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. (NIV)
Luke 1:46-55 (Mary's Song)
And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
even as he said to our fathers." (NIV)

(I have deleted some parts to shorten this a bit, to read it in full, go to the website.
http://christianity.about.com/od/newtestamentpeople/p/marymotherjesus.htm)

13.NorwayUnn:
Cornelia Johanna Arnolda ten Boom, generally known as Corrie ten Boom, (April 15, 1892 - April 15, 1983) was a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. Ten Boom co-wrote her autobiography, The Hiding Place, which was later made into a movie of the same name. In December, 1967, Ten Boom was honored as one of the Righteous among the Nations by the State of Israel.
In 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands and banned Ten Boom's club organization. By 1942 she and her family had become very active in the Dutch underground, hiding refugees. They rescued many Jews from certain death at the hands of the Nazi SS. They helped Jews because of their veneration for God's Chosen People (though the Ten Boom family was known for their gracious character towards all--especially the handicapped), and even provided Kosher food and honored the Sabbath.
The Germans arrested the entire Ten Boom family on February 28, 1944 with the help of a Dutch informant (Ten Boom would later discover his name to be Jan Vogel). They were sent first to Scheveningen prison (where her father died ten days after his capture), then to the Vught political concentration camp (both in the Netherlands), and finally to the notorious Ravensbruck Germany in September 1944, where Ten Boom's sister Betsie died. Ten Boom was released in December 1944. In the movie The Hiding Place, Ten Boom narrates the section on her release from camp, saying that she later learned that her release had been a clerical error. The women prisoners her age in the camp were killed the week following her release.After the war, Ten Boom returned to the Netherlands to set up rehabilitation centers. She returned to Germany in 1946, and many years of itinerant teaching in over sixty countries followed, during which time she wrote many books.
Ten Boom told the story of her family and their work during World War II in her most famous book, The Hiding Place (1971), which was made into a film by World Wide Pictures in 1975. The book and film give context to the story of Anne Frank, who was also in hiding in the Netherlands during the war.
In 1977 Ten Boom, then 85 years old, moved to Orange, California. Successive strokes in 1978 took away her powers of speech and communication and left her an invalid. She died on April 15, 1983, her 91st birthday. She was said to have been happy about dying on her birthday because she could "celebrate it with the Lord". Excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom
More info is found at www.corrietenboom.com

14.Pwettyfunny:
Florence Nightingale
Prejudice.Ignorance.Waste. These were obstacles faced by Florence Nightingale. She found them early in her childhood and she battled them all her life. By the time she finished, Florence Nightingale had lifted the nursing profession to a level of admiration and respect. Surprisingly enough, young Florence might have enjoyed a life of pleasure and comfort. Her parents had wealth and position. There was no need for Florence to experience a moment's distress. But something planted itself deep within Florence. In her diary, she noted, "God spoke to me and called me to His service." It was a call she answered with a deep love shown by sacrifice and devotion for others. To countless soldiers, she became known as God's servant on the battlefield. Today, in every country of the world, people who are sick and injured may receive proper care and attention. They owe much to Florence Nightingale, who heard God's call to service and answered it.
--From God's servant at the battlefield, Florence Nightingale, by David R. Collins. During the Crimean campaign Florence Nightingale gained the nickname "The Lady with the Lamp", deriving from a phrase in a report in The Times: She is a ‘ministering angel’ without any exaggeration in these hospitals, and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor, every poor fellow's face softens with gratitude at the sight of her. When all the medical officers have retired for the night and silence and darkness have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick, she may be observed alone, with a little lamp in her hand, making her solitary rounds.
The phrase was further popularised by Henry Longfellows's 1857 poem "Santa Filomena":

Lo! in that hour of misery
A lady with a lamp I see
Pass through the glimmering gloom,
And flit from room to room.
​

15. Torchbearer:

I am Nkosi Johnson
Born 4 February 1989-Died on International Children's Day 2001. I was 12 years old. I made a worldwide difference.
The 1st December is INTERNATIONAL HIV DAY
I am a young child who has since passed but leaves a worldwide legacy of hope and difference to people with HIV, AIDS or who work in the field.
I died of AIDS on International Children’s day in 2001. Born HIV positive on the 4th February 1989 I developed full-blown AIDS 2 years later. Although doctors had given me 9 months to live, I grew up and became a beacon of hope to millions of people living with HIV/AIDS not only in South Africa, but also throughout world.
I was South Africa’s longest surviving child with AIDS (without sophisticated drug therapy intervention), I turned heads, opened hearts and eyes during my life span. I became an inspiration and an icon – across the world – crossing race, cultures, geographical locations and language barriers.
My words I leave to you are: "Care for us and accept us - we are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else. Don't be afraid of us - we are all the same."
I was raised by Gail Johnson, my foster mom. Together, Gail and I have fought long and hard to raise awareness and to erase the stigma around the disease in South Africa, as well as to provide People With Aids with shelter and care, of both the medical and the emotional variety. To this end, we established Nkosi's Havens, care centres for women and children with Aids.
"Because I was separated from my mother at an early age, because we were both HIV positive, my mommy Gail and I have always wanted to start a care centre for HIV/Aids mothers and their children."
Nkosi the name means “Lord” “God” or “Chief”. To me, he was a Chief of HIV in Children’s campaigner, he was a child of God.
Nkosi Johnson was nominated after his death for The World’s Children’s Prize and The Global Friends’ Award 2002 for his fight for the rights of children with Aids. He fought for their rights to attend school and be treated like other children.
He opened a home for poor mothers and children with Aids.
He urged the South African government to give mothers with HIV/ Aids anti-HIV drugs that would save the lives of tens of thousands of children in South Africa every year.
Even after his death Nkosi continues to be a role model for children with Aids and for the healthy children who he taught not be afraid of children with HIV/Aids and to respect them.
Character Dress:
I wear my favourite takkies as it keeps me walking for my cause. I wear my favourite white shirt, grey pants and tie so I can look smart when I talk to millions of people.
I am in a classroom so that I can be a teacher to all who will hear... governments, pharmaceutical companies and YOU
I carry a heart not only for me, but for my mommy Gail and all the people who have been cared for in my Havens since I have passed. I wear my red ribbon so that all might know about HIV and AIDS. ​

The Nkosi Havens website address is: http://www.nkosi.iafrica.com
*End of Contestants*
******************* I just added Bono because I think he is great. I am not in the contest.
Ruth

Bono receives honorary knighthood
Anti-poverty activist and rock star Bono cracked jokes at a ceremony in Dublin Thursday, when he was inducted as an honorary knight of the British Empire. British Ambassador David Reddaway, who presided over the informal ceremony, started things off by asking whether the U2 frontman was disappointed that the rite no longer required a sword or kneeling.

U2 frontman and African rights activist Bono poses after being inducted as an honorary knight of the British Empire in Dublin Thursday.
(ShowBizIreland/Getty) ​

"Please, I wasn't expecting you to kneel," Bono quipped, before being dubbed a Knight Commander of the British Empire.
After the laughter-filled ceremony, which took place at Reddaway's Dublin home, the 46-year-old singer and humanitarian continued the lighthearted banter with reporters.
"You have permission to call me anything you want — except sir, all right? Lord of lords, your demigodness, that'll do," he said.
Since Bono, whose real name is Paul Hewson, hails from Dublin, he is not entitled to use the title Sir, because he is not a subject of the Queen.

Rock activist BONO will begin a ten-day tour of Africa next week (16MAY06) to examine the achievements of his Make Poverty History campaign. The U2 frontman plans to visit Lesotho, Rwanda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Mali and Ghana, kicking off on Tuesday. The WITH OR WITHOUT YOU singer will scrutinise the effect of his campaign to make G8 companies cancel debts accrued by low income countries, in order to divert funds towards tackling poverty. JAMIE DRUMMOND, executive director of Bono's advocacy group Debt Aids Trade Africa (DATA), says, "We're going to look at foreign assistance working on the ground in Africa and see what is working and what is not. "Effective aid backing good African leadership can get results, so let's do more of it. Why would you not do more of it? "The timing of this is extremely important, not just because you can see all the results on the ground, but because at this very moment top policymakers in all of the G8 countries are looking at whether they can afford to keep their promises - whether in Germany, Canada, Italy, or France, and above all in the US Congress."
http://www.one.org/

- Martin Luther King, Jr. "The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."

 

[mindalan]

Um, can I do an African lady?

She made a difference in Kenya in the past 30 years.

I'd have to get a new character body. (But I can afford that.)

 

[RuthD]

Um, can I do an African lady?

She made a difference in Kenya in the past 30 years.

I'd have to get a new character body. (But I can afford that.)

Sure!

 

[mindalan]

Ok, I'm on that.

What time deadline do I have for getting my outfit and all ready?

 

[RuthD]

Game starts now and ends Monday at 10pm EST. Judging will be the next day. Please let me know when you are ready with everything and I will post it and do the screenshot.

 

[ladyt28]

count me in Ruth!

 

[CHristsaves]

I'm in!

 

[mindalan]

I'll be ready and post with all the info tomorrow.

 

[Cassie76]

I am Princess Diana

Starting in the mid- to late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support of several charity projects. This stemmed naturally from her role as Princess of Wales - she was expected to engage in hospital visitations where she comforted the sick and in so doing, assumed the patronage of various charitable organisations - and from an interest in certain illnesses and health-related matters. Owing to Public Relations efforts in which she agreed to appear as a figurehead, Diana used her influential status to positively assist the campaign against landmines, a cause which won the Nobel Prize in 1997 in tribute, and with helping to decrease discrimination against victims of AIDS.

 

[NorwayUnn]

I would like to join, please.

I am Corrie ten Boom

Cornelia Johanna Arnolda ten Boom, generally known as Corrie ten Boom, (April 15, 1892 - April 15, 1983) was a Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II. Ten Boom co-wrote her autobiography, The Hiding Place, which was later made into a movie of the same name. In December, 1967, Ten Boom was honored as one of the Righteous among the Nations by the State of Israel.
In 1940, the Nazis invaded the Netherlands and banned Ten Boom's club organization. By 1942 she and her family had become very active in the Dutch underground, hiding refugees. They rescued many Jews from certain death at the hands of the Nazi SS. They helped Jews because of their veneration for God's Chosen People (though the Ten Boom family was known for their gracious character towards all--especially the handicapped), and even provided Kosher food and honored the Sabbath.
The Germans arrested the entire Ten Boom family on February 28, 1944 with the help of a Dutch informant (Ten Boom would later discover his name to be Jan Vogel). They were sent first to Scheveningen prison (where her father died ten days after his capture), then to the Vught political concentration camp (both in the Netherlands), and finally to the notorious Ravensbruck Germany in September 1944, where Ten Boom's sister Betsie died. Ten Boom was released in December 1944. In the movie The Hiding Place, Ten Boom narrates the section on her release from camp, saying that she later learned that her release had been a clerical error. The women prisoners her age in the camp were killed the week following her release. After the war, Ten Boom returned to the Netherlands to set up rehabilitation centers. She returned to Germany in 1946, and many years of itinerant teaching in over sixty countries followed, during which time she wrote many books.
Ten Boom told the story of her family and their work during World War II in her most famous book, The Hiding Place (1971), which was made into a film by World Wide Pictures in 1975. The book and film give context to the story of Anne Frank, who was also in hiding in the Netherlands during the war.
In 1977 Ten Boom, then 85 years old, moved to Orange, California. Successive strokes in 1978 took away her powers of speech and communication and left her an invalid. She died on April 15, 1983, her 91st birthday. She was said to have been happy about dying on her birthday because she could "celebrate it with the Lord".
Excerpt from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrie_ten_Boom

More info is found at www.corrietenboom.com

 

[Breezy3]

I would like to enter please.

 

[torchbearer]

OOo .. please count me in !

 

[Breezy3]

I am Dian Fossey

When Dian grew up she became a zoologist.
She went to Rwanda in Africa to study gorillas
She wanted to save the mountain gorilla.
Dian Fossey said that putting animals in zoos was like putting them in prison.
Fossey wrote a book called "Gorillas in the Mist".
The movie "Gorillas in the Mist" is about Dian Fossey and her gorillas.
Dian Fossey was murdered in Africa.

Born: January 16, 1932
Died: December 27, 1985 (aged 53)

Place: Rwanda, Africa
Occupation: Zoologist

*I am going to dress now.... be back!

 

[torchbearer]

I am Nkosi Johnson
Born 4 February 1989
Died on International Children's Day 2001.
I was 12 years old. I made a worldwide difference.

The 1st December is INTERNATIONAL HIV DAY

I am a young child who has since passed but leaves a worldwide legacy of hope and difference to people with HIV, AIDS or who work in the field.

I died of AIDS on International Children’s day in 2001. Born HIV positive on the 4th February 1989 I developed full-blown AIDS 2 years later. Although doctors had given me 9 months to live, I grew up and became a beacon of hope to millions of people living with HIV/AIDS not only in South Africa, but also throughout world.

I was South Africa’s longest surviving child with AIDS (without sophisticated drug therapy intervention), I turned heads, opened hearts and eyes during my life span. I became an inspiration and an icon – across the world – crossing race, cultures, geographical locations and language barriers.

My words I leave to you are: "Care for us and accept us - we are all human beings. We are normal. We have hands. We have feet. We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else. Don't be afraid of us - we are all the same."

I was raised by Gail Johnson, my foster mom. Together, Gail and I have fought long and hard to raise awareness and to erase the stigma around the disease in South Africa, as well as to provide People With Aids with shelter and care, of both the medical and the emotional variety. To this end, we established Nkosi's Havens, care centres for women and children with Aids.

"Because I was separated from my mother at an early age, because we were both HIV positive, my mommy Gail and I have always wanted to start a care centre for HIV/Aids mothers and their children."


Nkosi the name means “Lord” “God” or “Chief”. To me, he was a Chief of HIV in Children’s campaigner, he was a child of God.

Nkosi Johnson was nominated after his death for The World’s Children’s Prize and The Global Friends’ Award 2002 for his fight for the rights of children with Aids. He fought for their rights to attend school and be treated like other children.
He opened a home for poor mothers and children with Aids.
He urged the South African government to give mothers with HIV/ Aids anti-HIV drugs that would save the lives of tens of thousands of children in South Africa every year.
Even after his death Nkosi continues to be a role model for children with Aids and for the healthy children who he taught not be afraid of children with HIV/Aids and to respect them.

The Nkosi Havens website address is: http://www.nkosi.iafrica.com


Character Dress:
I wear my favourite takkies as it keeps me walking for my cause.
I wear my favourite white shirt, grey pants and tie so I can look smart when I talk to millions of people.
I am in a classroom so that I can be a teacher to all who will hear... governments, pharmaceutical companies and YOU
I carry a heart not only for me, but for my mommy Gail and all the people who have been cared for in my Havens since I have passed.

I wear my red ribbon so that all might know about HIV and AIDS.
​

 

[Breezy3]

I am Dian Fossey

When Dian grew up she became a zoologist.
She went to Rwanda in Africa to study gorillas
She wanted to save the mountain gorilla.
Dian Fossey said that putting animals in zoos was like putting them in prison.
Fossey wrote a book called "Gorillas in the Mist".
The movie "Gorillas in the Mist" is about Dian Fossey and her gorillas.
Dian Fossey was murdered in Africa.

Born: January 16, 1932
Died: December 27, 1985 (aged 53)

Place: Rwanda, Africa
Occupation: Zoologist

*I am going to dress now.... be back!

I am ready for my screenshot now Ruth!

Her book is well known.

 

[mindalan]

Ok. I am dressed as Waangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

She was born in 1940 in rural Kenya and earned degrees in the US and Kenya, a very rare thiing for any African woman to do. Wangari saw that Kenya had suffered the loss of 90% of its trees. She taught women to plant trees, and for each one they planted, they were paid a small sum. The same women who had spent hours looking for firewood were now able to plant trees and earn income to feed their families.
Wangari was harshley persecuted for her active role in assisting women and addressing the deforestation. But she persevered and created the Green Belt Movement. Now, classes were held to teach the people of Kenya how to save their land from erosion and how to grow better, more fruitful crops. The Green Belt Movement also reintroduced multiparty democracy in the government. The former presedint had hired people to atack Wangari and her followers.

Now a new President has elected her Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife.
Her Green Belt movement has planted 30 million trees in Kenya. The movement has expanded into other African countries and all over the world.
Wangari Maathai stands along with Harriet Tubman and other heros. She dared to choose a hard life in order to change her world.

http://greenbeltmovement.org/images/gal/gbmk5.jpghttp://greenbeltmovement.org/images/gal/gbmk5.jpg

 

[mindalan]

By the way, I am all ready for screenshot.

I need a tissue after those other entries.