The Deadly Beauty of Cancer

This is the story of the beginning of my journey to where I am today, a day that would forever change me. Enjoy :)
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about my sister, Becca and when she was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma (click link to learn more about this dangerous disease) and I thought I would share with all of you a rather harsh and real memory of mine. I am somewhat of a closed book, so sharing is somewhat new to me.

Becca was a senior in high school and had so much more life to live when she was diagnosed with the deadly disease. As some points during her fight, she was an inch from death. She was flown on "Flight For Life" several times and the odds seemed to be against her. Just when things started to look up, they would come to a crashing halt. Doctor visits, chemotherapy treatments, and spinal taps were our everyday lives. My little sister and I decided to give our hair to Locks of Love (click link for more information) that fall. I came back with a haircut that was supposed to look like Mandy Moore's hair from a magazine I was studying. But when does our haircuts ever look like the beauty queens in the magazines, especially when we are an awkward pre-teen? Very rarely. So naturally, I was in a huff the entire day because I didn't look like the Mandy Moore, who I had been enamored with since Walk to Remember. What was my reality check? My hair would slowly grow back each day, but Becca was losing hair by the handfuls by the minute. My dad and I drove to Denver that day to see Becca and my mom after they had been flown via helicopter and I was restless with excitement to see her, regardless of the terrible haircut. As I ran into the room, I I looked at her in a new light; she was beautiful, completely radiant. Yes, her hair was falling out, she could barely walk, only slightly smile, her eyes were sunk in and she would cry at times; but she showed me a raw and pure beauty I had never seen before. Right then, she opened my eyes up to a whole new world. A world of pain and hope. I light-heartedly jumped into her bed and told her about what was going on in my life and gazed deeply into her eyes, searching for the origin of the magical beauty. She lightheartedly told me of how she now had little shame that Mom would have to take her to the bathroom and help here with showering, or how she was thinking about wearing wigs; but deep down you could hear and see the pain. Later that night, I would watch as a nurse shaved my seventeen year-old sister's head. Every teenage girl's treasure; her hair, was gone. The reality that my sister was a real-life cancer-kid hit me like a 10 ton bulldozer. Before, she was never like the other kids, she wasn't hairless. But when the nurse shaved that las bit off, she truly became a bald-headed cancer patient. We saved her hair, but all of us knew that nothing would ever be the same.


A few years later, Becca and I would talk of this day. She told me I saved her life, that when I jumped into her bed with my bob haircut and looked past how sick she was, that I turned on a switch for her. She found a hope she didn't know she had, the thought of leaving this life scared her, so she fought. She fought hard. What I try telling her each time we talk of this day, is that she saved me. She saved me from living in a perfect world, I saw the pain she was going through, but found beauty and hope in her. On that day, I knew what I wanted to do with my life, I wanted to help people. I wanted to change the world. I wasn't sure what college major that would be or what life path I would take; all I knew was that I needed to shave my experiences, successes, failures, pain, and skills. My sister woke me up to the world outside my Christian home. It was the beginning of a journey that would be full of ups and downs, twists and turns, but led me to the amazing place I am today. I am where I am because God changed my heart through Becca. Wanting to serve God in Africa may never have happened without her.


Dedicated to my sister: Thank you for being the strongest person I have ever known. For fighting the greatest battle and beating it. You truly are my hero. You radiate God's love and passion for life, don't ever loose your light.

Kony 2012: Actuality or Overdone?...

Many of you have seen this controversial video, Kony 2012 by Invisible Children. It is about the ruthless African warlord and leader of the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, Joseph Kony. It is to bring light to the alleged murderous acts him and his followers have been making since the 1980s. Acts such as; forcing children as young as seven years of age to become soldiers, young girls being sold as sex slaves, the brutal murders of villages, and the displacement of millions. The video has gone viral and blown up the internet world with more than 60 million views in less than a single week. It is a video that has caused millions of people to question the world they naively live in.

As inspiring as the video is, there are critics. Critics claim the video "manipulates the facts and ignores the Ugandan military's own rights abuses in its war with the LRA." And a 2011 Foreign Affairs story accused the non-profit organization of "exaggerating the scale of LRA abductions and murders and emphasizing the LRA's use of innocent children as soldiers."And others claim that most of his acts against  the Ugandan people has decreased immensely in the past decade, presently he is more of a threat in The Democratic Republic of Congo. And even other critics continue on to state that Invisible Children is "wasting donor's money."

To some of you it may have been a simple thirty minute watch and a click of a button to share on Facebook. Isn't there so much more that we can do? This video is not the whole story, this is years of history wrapped up in a generalized thirty minute story. I encourage each of you to not simply watch the video; you must read more, study more, learn more. In order for our country and society to make a difference, we need to be educated. I encourage all of you to learn more about this man, beyond the horrifying and inspiring video. Learn more about what has been happening in Uganda for decades. I am not saying I disagree with the video, but I am challenging you to do dig into this controversy. Become educated on the happenings in not only Uganda, but all of Africa. You must learn both sides of the argument and make your own educated opinion of the video and its accuracy. You can do your part and be involved. Don't simply share this on Facebook or like it on YouTube; take action today.

Journey Video

Alrighty everybody, new video I recently made about my trip, the struggles Africa is facing, and my journey getting here. Hope you all enjoy and find some inspiration from it. Don't be afraid to get involved in helping stop some of these atrocious issues Africa is facing. There are dozens of ways to get involved; thousands of organizations to partner with. It starts with you.

New Life Church- Grand Junction

We all hope and pray for a church family that will be family for you. Not all of us find that church home that is more than your weekly social hour, it is your home and full of your family. I was have been blessed to find that in my home church- New Life, in Grand Junction, CO. They were kind enough to welcome me to speak on behalf of my trip and hear all about the amazing things I want to do with my life this past Sunday. Our pastor, Ken Vander Horst, has been especially helpful in promoting and helping me with all I need for my trip. I want to give a special thanks to my church for supporting me through my adolescence and supporting me now as I find my place in this world. 

They have been kind enough to put me on the church website, http://www.newlifegj.org/missions.cfm, check it out and feel free to look at the amazing things our church is doing. I couldn't ask for a better home church and am so blessed to have you all in my life.

Sub Saharan Africa- HIV/AIDS

This is a video I made for one of my classes last year, it helps emphasize just a slice of the issues facing Africa today. While doing this project, all I could think of was how much I wanted to do. But I think people, (myself included) forget how much they help us; how much we can learn from the hundreds of different cultures that are in Africa. As the second largest continent, we could spend our entire lives studying the cultures, history, and conflicts they face everyday. As an American, I need to remember that I am blessed to live here, but I have so much to learn.

Taking Charge

My passion for Africa is indescribable. For years I have waited for the opportunity to travel and do my part in Africa. But sitting, waiting, wishing and hoping wasn't getting me far enough. The wait was so long, that soon, I gave up. I gave up on the idea of dreams that could become reality. I concentrated on the comfortable life I was living in Colorado and sank my efforts into becoming a teacher. A teacher was a position that I could always see myself living. I have always been relatively comfortable around children and knew the balance of being their friend and leader. So why not? I planned on staying with my serious boyfriend of the time and once we had gotten married, my teaching position would be easy to fill no matter where we traveled. My dreams of helping the people in Africa seemed more far away than ever.

But soon that comfortable lifestyle I wanted so badly seemed like the last thing I ever wanted. I knew that God had been calling me for years to live in the now, take chances, change peoples lives, use my experiences to help others, and help myself along the way. I had pushed God's voice that was telling me to "Take Action" to the back of my head. But on an uneventful day, I changed, I decided that I couldn't rely on other people to do what I was being called to do. Accomplishing my dreams would take more than idly standing by and waiting for something amazing to happen to me. I couldn't count on other people to "do their part" for me. The only way was to fix myself. I abruptly changed majors, from teaching to Geography and Environmental Studies with a minor in Sustainability. And suddenly, I let myself dream again. I looked forward to doing projects on the issues facing Africa and sitting in class learning about the regions. I started praying more, searching more, talking to organizations, applying to different places and setting it all in God's hands.

That is when, I literally, stumbled upon Experience Mission. They were exactly what I wanted. They tackled projects that hit close to home and I was attached to. Experience Mission also didn't wait for someone else to help, Experience Mission they took action also. Their mission is to, "... spread Christ's love by connecting people together from diverse cultures and backgrounds, developing leaders, and assisting those that live in under-developed communities with resources and support to enable them to reach their own communities and actively participate in extending out to the world."
This summer, I hope to travel alongside other amazing young adults and Experience Mission and travel to Africa for six months. I hope that this blog will inspire you. That you will find the courage to do your part (whether that is through prayers, donations, or even going on a mission yourself), just like I have.

How to Donate Online! :)

As I take this difficult, but amazing journey, knowing that you are all behind me keeps me going when I have tough days. Some people have asked me what the easiest way to give is and so I wanted to show you a few of the ways you can. As we all know, sometimes giving is a somewhat difficult, it is more hassle than anything. Experience Mission has created a wonderful and simple way to give.

You can go to www.experiencemission.org, at the top of the page there's a tab that says DONATE, click that. From there, there will be two options that will pop up, click Sponsor a Volunteer. On that page you will have to fill out the "Are You New?" info and then hit submit. After that you can make your contribution to me (Megan Golike) by plugging in my personal ID, MGOL1001, and filling out the rest of the billing info. Every gift is also tax deductible. You will recieve an email from Experience Mission with an invoice. If you would like to go this route please inform me of your online donation so I can thank you properly!
Another way is through my home address. Any gift can be sent to this address, if that is an easier way for you.
Megan Golike
1277 16.5 Rd
Fruita, CO 81521

I do not want any gift, whether small or large to go unnoticed. I want to thank you all for the support I have received from each of you; whether through prayers, thoughts, or donations. I know that not everyone can give through donations, but please know that prayer and your thoughts are just as important. I need prayer and thoughts everyday as I take this trip and prepare for it. I couldn't do this trip without all of you, so thank you.