Contributed by Paula Hemphill with an intro by Laura Walls At our Child Ambassador Conference this year, we talked a lot about stories - the story Jesus tells in Matthew 25, World Vision's story told through a mini Vision Trip experience, and our stories - each of us unique in our own perspective and gifts; each of us being used by God in His perfect timing and way for His glory! Here on the blog, we wanted to bring some of that conference experience home to you, starting with the story of child ambassador, Paula Hemphill. Paula's story is really a God story. It's about how, just when we think we know the next chapter, God smiles and says, "See, I am doing a NEW thing!" As you read along, remember that God delights in YOU and loves you! He isn't finished with you yet! (Phil. 1:6.) Even if I never get another child sponsored ever again, I still know this is where I’m supposed to be. I said those words to Megan sometime in 2016. And I meant them. I was writing for this blog and serving on the Leadership Team. I felt seen and valued by World Vision and I was able to use my gifts for the ministry and to glorify God-- even if in a more unconventional way. I was really content with this (even if I thought I was an old and washed-up Child Ambassador with a completely tapped out circle of influence). And then January 4, 2017 happened. That's the funny thing about God. I think He loves us best when we're uncomfortable so He doesn't let us stay super content for very long.
Now, there's just a little back story here. I am a CA but I'm also involved in a mentorship program for college students called The Joshua Project (TJP). It's this really awesome and very chill program designed for college students who desire a mentorship/discipleship relationship. I was invited into this program by my friend and fellow CA, Shelley Morrow. For some reason she thought I would be a "great" mentor. I thought she was crazy. Honestly, I still do, but somehow, by the grace of God, I signed up and became a mentor. You'll have to ask my mentees about how great of a mentor I am and I'll pay them after they tell you that I'm the best and also the coolest. So fast forward a bit and I'm a mentor. As a mentor I get emails from the program director, Cyrus Eaton. And I always respond to these emails in a timely manner. I'm type A and like to keep my stuff organized, so when I get an email, I respond. And for two years he saw my name, "Paula Hemphill, Child Ambassador, World Vision" and it didn't mean anything to him. Until January 4, 2017. Little did I know that Cyrus had been praying for a way to involve students in a broader global mission-- a way for them to plug into a bigger, broken story, and to love more like Jesus. That day he saw my email signature and asked how TJP and WV could possibly partner together for the honor and glory of King Jesus. So, rather than respond with 8,000 ideas (which is always so tempting) I said, "Let's get coffee so I can hear your heart for your student body." I had never met this guy before. I had to Facebook stalk him before our meeting so I had some semblance of an idea who I was looking for. I walked into that meeting genuinely thinking this was going to be a really nice cup of coffee and not much else - and I was half right. It was a really nice cup of coffee. We chatted about Lipscomb and about TJP and I asked him to tell me what his dream for his student body was. I remember very distinctly praying silently for wisdom before that coffee and I felt in my soul I had one job. That job was to LISTEN. It wasn't to offer big fancy programming or my ideas for what would be good for ME. It was to really listen to his heart for his students. I remember looking him square in the eye and saying, "Dream the dream, Cyrus. If you could dream up ANYTHING for this student body, what would it be?" And his dream... it was this big, beautiful dream of community for his students. Community centered around helping those most in need. After I'd listened for a while he asked me about how World Vision could partner. And so, I started out with the easy ideas: Sponsorship Chapel, 30 Hour Famine, etc. And every time I offered an idea I diligently watched his body language. I wasn't really seeing any excitement over my first few offerings. As a CA team we were swiftly approaching the Global 6k for water date. So, I would have been remiss not to mention that. There was a slight change there. He liked the idea of a community event where friends could walk together for a cause, but he knew college students would be unlikely to pay the registration fee. I told him we didn't have to do an official Global 6k. We could build our own event. He seemed to like the idea of fundraising, but the causes that mattered to the student body were still very unclear to me. So, I looked him straight in the eye and I said, "You know this student body. What matters to them? Is it maternal health? Human trafficking? You name it, we probably do it." In that moment he said something about refugees and immigrants. And I said, "We are one of the leading providers of aid to refugees in the world. In fact, we have this amazing program called the Refugee Responder. It's similar to a sponsorship, in that it's a monthly pledge, but the monies fund those in refugee camps." I watched him visibly pull away from the table. And, I'm going to be honest, I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. I knew I had said something that affected him. I just didn't know if it was good or bad. And then... I knew. Because all of sudden he is all fired up and spouting off CRAZY but amazingly beautiful ideas. And then he says, "What if we commissioned the entire student body to be child ambassadors for the day? And what if only 10% of the students actually found a RR. How many people could we help?!?" And I was the one taking a deep breath and pulling away from the table right then. Because as a CA, up until this moment, I really thought I had to make a hard sell to get someone like Cyrus on board with the work of World Vision. But I was so very wrong. I didn't sell anything. In fact, I remember saying to him, "I am just throwing out ideas. I am NOT trying to sell you on them. I want what is best for y'all. And if that is World Vision, I want to walk it out with you. If it is not, I still want to walk it out with you because I believe in this program you have here." In 6 weeks we did 6 months of work. I don't recommend that particular game plan, but it's what we did. And everything that could possibly go right went right as far as building the event. We had the support of the highest up on the campus. We had the full support of World Vision. I called to ask Megan for a guest speaker - and not just any guest speaker - I wanted HER to fly in from Seattle. When I told her the date of the event I needed her for, she laughed. She was already going to be in town scouting out venues for conference! I felt supported, loved, and empowered to go out and do this thing that was too huge for me. So in turn, I could support, empower, and love the student body to go out and share this story that was too big for them. I watched a teeny tiny group of students' hearts catch fire. And it changed my life and my heart. Forever. One of my deepest desires is to continue to fan that flame. At the end of it all, we walked 2k in solidarity and prayer for those who flee their homes. We stopped along the way and those same students led us in a time of education and prayer. This event is one of the most special things I've ever been a part of. We didn't see huge numbers of refugee responders. And although that may have been the original goal, I think what God showed us was that He can do big things with small people as long as they are willing. For me, I was just an old washed up CA who had tapped out her circle of influence. And, honestly, I'm still that girl. But now I see what God can do with an old washed up CA. He can take her and drop her into a magical moment that only He can ordain. And let me tell you, that old, washed up CA can't believe He would choose HER for the job. Contributed by Laura Walls I was so happy to have the chance to talk with new Child Ambassador, Emily Smith, from LA! Emily has served as a child ambassador for less than six months, but the Lord has been preparing her heart and her community for this ministry for years! Read along to hear how the Lord is moving in Louisiana! The World Vision logo was a familiar sight as Emily Smith was growing up in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Her family sponsored Halima from Niger and Emily remembers writing and receiving letters from her friend who lived halfway around the world. "Sponsoring with my family gave me experience with World Vision and inspired me to sponsor children of my own as an adult. Sponsorship was also part of the way my mom taught me to love others by serving them." Emily's interest in serving "the least of these" continued and even expanded when, at the Global Leadership Summit in 2016, she had the opportunity to hear Father Daniel, a 25 year old Chaldean priest from Iraq who spoke about the refugees whom he serves. Emily shared a moment that impacted her greatly. "I remember Father Daniel prayed and then looked out at the audience and said, 'I’m asking you to pray for my people and I’m asking you to save my people.'” (Check out Father Daniel's story here or in the video below!) "Beyond Words" In that moment, Emily knew she wanted to be part of a solution. Soon she and some of her friends began getting together weekly as a small group to pray and seek the Lord on what they could do to help globally. They decided to focus their group on Jesus' words in Matthew 25, taking each portion, studying what Jesus said, and praying about how it should impact their involvement in the world. For verse 35, "I was hungry…" they learned about and prayed over the hunger crisis in East Africa. For "I was thirsty," they studied the impact of clean water and learned about the Global 6K. The idea that they could host their own event and make an impact on the lives of others was deeply appealing and the group, now known as "Beyond Words," went to work. A decision was made to keep their 6K unaffiliated with a specific church as many of those interested in participating were not involved in a church or were from different churches. The "Beyond Words" group boldly reached out to area businesses for support. Emily spoke to her workplace, Waitr, to see if they might be willing to offer a promo code to reduce the price of registration for Waitr employees. But the business offered more than that, instead opting to cover the cost of registration for all employees who participated! Additional area businesses offered cups of water, produce for snacks, and door prizes. The Global 6K turned into a community-wide event with 50 participants walking or running for clean water and 15 child sponsorships! Emily shared a contributing factor to the Global 6K's success, "A lot of people around here know what it’s like to work really hard and lose all of it in an instant." As a result, they relate to others who are suffering and long to help them. Following the Global 6K, Emily heard about the World Vision Child Ambassador program and was excited that it would give her the opportunity to connect others to a child through sponsorship. She signed up in May and, including the sponsorships through the Global 6K, has impacted 43 children* around the world in less than six months! One of Emily's favorite experiences in sharing sponsorship came at the end of the Global 6K event. A woman from her church came up and gave her and her friends a hug and a heartfelt thank you. She explained that her husband had recently passed away. "I have seen enough of death." she shared. "I want to do something that will bring LIFE." She then reached out to sponsor a child. Emily continued, "It's a sweet experience to see how sponsorship is definitely changing the life of the child but also the way that it impacts the life of the sponsor, as well!" * The 43 connections included Refugee Responder commitments. Three Tips from Emily for your Child Ambassador Ministry!1 - Pray a lot. I pray over each of the folders and my small group prays over the kids - that they would find sponsors. 2 - Find a good group of supportive friends and believers who will be there for you. Your network together with theirs will be greater! 3 - Talk to any and everybody: Reach outside of your church where others may not be connected with an organization and may be looking for a way to get involved! A look around the Global 6K in Lake Charles! Father Daniel's Story: |
AuthorsGreater Together is a collaborative blog written by volunteer Child Ambassadors for World Vision. Categories
All
Archives
November 2020
|