What do you hope for?

"What do you hope for?" My friend, and support team member, Sam Lundquist posed that question to me recently. And not just me, Sam is asking anyone who will stop and listen. The Hope Chronicles is Sam's dream project and it seeks to uncover the hope of our world. Sam asks deep questions to strangers and takes the time and attention to really listen. He's documenting hopes in journals, on camera, and second-hand through community listeners. While listening to my fellow human's hopes, I lower my shields and connect, somehow, with strangers. Our humanity links us.

Last month, Emily West wrote about healing and hope at her college, Hope. In many ways, hope is the currency of what we do with Sanctuary Collective. We envision the way things ought to be and we set about to realize our hope for a better, more justice society.

I hope that Sanctuary Collective becomes one of many partners to the Hope Chronicles. The best, truest sorts of hope inspire us to step outside of our dreams and create a new reality around us. The Hope Chronicles shines a spotlight on the things we all-too-often don't share with others. As our hopes come to light, let us partner with each other to bring them to life.

One of the most recent videos on The Hope Chronicles reminds me of what we already know: the quest for justice and equality spans this country and our world.

I lived in large cities my whole life and went to a secular university with plenty of affirming resources at my disposal. Our co-founder, Micah, had a different experience. He grew up in a small southern town and attended a small Christian university. His immediate community lacked adequate resources and though he desired to create change himself, he found few outside resources available to help him. Too often resources for LGBTQ folks are concentrated in centers where other resources already abound.

And so we do things differently. Sanctuary Collective supports the work already underfoot in communities around the country, we connect young folks to local mentors, and we speak and train for our own, varied experiences. I have personally been inspired by the hope which each of our Discipleship Program participants brings. And I am inspired by the hope which our supporters and prayer network, and donors invest in our work and the work of young adults around the country.

Take a moment to explore The Hope Chronicles, read them, listen to them, watch them. Soak them up and let them unlock your own hopes. And then find ways to put your hope into action!