“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
Story and images contributed by Heather Maher in Stories from the Field What does it mean to be a Child Ambassador in a world so changed by COVID-19? How can we continue to look for sponsors when people are experiencing so much fear and anxiety about the future? Heather Maher recently returned from a Vision Trip to Cambodia and shares an inspiring perspective and call to action for such a time as this. It’s a beautiful, sunny day here in western Washington. The sun is shining; the birds are singing. If I didn’t know better, today would seem like a normal, early spring day. But it’s not normal. Our whole world has been turned upside-down. Schools are closed. Businesses have shut down. Many people are out of work, and too many others are sick, fighting the COVID-19 virus. There are moments when I feel sorry for myself. This is HARD. Unlike ANYTHING we have ever faced. What is going to happen? What will we do?? Then I remember: this is what so many people around the world deal with EVERY. DAY. The anxiety about their unknown futures; the sadness of losing many of life’s stabilities; fear of a lack of resources; and very, very real threats to their lives. As Child Ambassadors, we are united together in our hearts for the least of these. We became Child Ambassadors because we responded to the nudge God put on our hearts to speak for the needs of children and families around the world. As I reflect on our world’s current situation, I cannot think of a more poignant, powerful time than right now to use our voices to speak up for vulnerable children. Fellow Ambassadors, we must act now to help these children find sponsors. The need is URGENT. I imagine someone ringing a giant bell – calling out our team from our resting places. Each of us shares sponsorship in our own ways. Let us use the gifts and talents we have to share the life-changing stories that we know. Let us boldly ask, with God behind us, for help for the people He has put on our hearts. For HIS people. God’s people. I think about Sun Malin, my new friend and sister in our World Vision Family. Malin works with World Vision Cambodia. One of my favorite things by far about our team’s most recent Vision Trip to Cambodia was watching Malin love and connect to the children in the communities we visited. She looked them kindly in the eye. Put a loving hand on their shoulder. Spoke gently to them. She listened with love to them. As we sat together in the back of the van, I told her how I loved watching her with the children. She responded to me, “Yes, I feel as if they are my own.” Friends, in this crucial time, let us remember the call God has given us to speak for the needs of His children. May we speak for them as if they are our own. Though we may be “socially-distant," let us join our voices together as one mighty voice in the fight to speak for the least of these! "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in My name welcomes Me." -Matthew 18:5 Do you need to order new Picture Folders? Log on to volunteers.worldvision.org to request new folders! Thank you for continuing to reach out on behalf of children and families around the world!!!
Story and images contributed by Jim Naugle in Stories from the Field When I talk to people about child sponsorship, I usually include a mix of facts about World Vision and stories which demonstrate what World Vision accomplishes in the field. Not surprisingly, it’s the stories that really connect with people. After all, the World Vision facts are easily accessible on the website, but the stories are personal and they offer a point of connection between our American life and the lives of those we serve. As Child Ambassadors, we are the keepers of stories and the more we share our stories with each other, the better prepared we are when we find ourselves offering a folder to a potential sponsor. Whether it’s a story about something we've seen for ourselves or an experience we heard about from a fellow Child Ambassador, the impact of a story can be a powerful way to demonstrate the profound change that comes from sponsorship. With that in mind, I’d like to share a story members of the Child Ambassador team heard this past April in Kenya. The speaker is Daniel Selallie, the assistant chief of Kanaodon, a community in the Turkana region in northern Kenya. When we met Daniel, Kanaodon was approaching the end of their time with World Vision and Daniel was eager to share with us just how far his community had progressed with the help of World Vision sponsorship. Under the shade provided by Kanaodon’s solar panels, Daniel addressed us as we stood on the dry, barren ground that used to define Kanaodon. He chose to address us in Swahili, but our friend Moses provided the translation. There are two ways to experience Daniel’s words: either through a video and/or through a written transcript of the words he spoke. The video and the written transcript are below. The video stops rather suddenly, but the power of the message is intact due to Daniel’s passion and emphatic speaking style. Follow along with the written transcript as Daniel speaks, and listen for the following nuggets of wisdom: 1. How many people benefit from the water project that Daniel is sharing with us? 2. Listen for his description of the youth that maintain the equipment and how they know this is THEIR water project, not World Vision’s. He is thankful for World Vision’s help, but his community has pride and ownership of the project. 3. He does not ask for more. He is content with his community’s progress. He DOES, however, urge us to remember those communities that are still waiting and to provide them with the help that transformed Kanaodon. We often saw that the culture in Kenya is one of sharing and looking out for neighbors. We all can learn from this. In his remarks, Daniel refers to Kalapata, a nearby community that is a new World Vision Development Project and just began offering child sponsorship this year. 4. Don’t miss his final challenge when he tells us to “greet the Christians from America and tell them what the World Vision team from Kenya is doing.” It’s a powerful moment. I pray that this video will transport us all to Kanaodon and Daniel’s words will give us more stories that we can share with friends, families, and even strangers as we advocate for the children we serve. Daniel’s Message April, 2019 “He’s called Daniel Selalle. He is the assistant chief of the Kanaodon sublocation. He really thanks the team. He wants to give thanks to you for coming. He says thank you so much World Vision for the work they are doing in this community. Pertaining to water, previously we used to fetch water from the river. The community, the school, and the livestock used to depend on the river which is some distance from here. And in the river there are so many challenges that affect people there. Children used to break from learning and go to fetch water and in the process they meet wild animals like snakes and the distance from here up to the river bank is very far. And then the elderly mothers used to walk up to that water source. The livestock were also affected by crocodiles and it was a very big problem. And in the health facility, mothers were not giving birth in the health facility because there was no water. As a result of this water project by World Vision, this water has created a multiple impact. For example, children are no longer going to the river, the elderly are now getting their water within their homesteads , the families are getting their water within their households, and livestock are now getting their water within their homesteads. In the health facilities, so many mothers are coming to the health facilities. Previously they were shy to come, for example to give birth, to the health facility because there was no water. So every family member has water within their homestead now. So the population of Kanaodon is 14,225 and they are scattered in different villages and those who are now accessing water are 8,000. Those with individual connections within their households is 300 people and more people are now connecting their homesteads with water. They have created some kitchen gardens within their households. They are getting vegetables within their homes. The school has water within the school compound. The school has a population of 1,026. The ACD center has 346 children , within their learning area they access water within the school compound. So apart from the individual connections, they have water kiosks. This is where the villagers that are far from the individual connections get the water - from the water kiosks. World Vision also picked some youth from within this community, trained them how to operate this water system. So those skills are now utilized within this community, because they know this water is not for World Vision, it is for them. That is why they are still maintaining it and owning it as theirs. So he has seen a lot of advantages of having this water source here from World Vision. Cases of waterborne diseases are reduced drastically, and we are really thankful for that. So what he is praying for and requesting from World Vision friends from America, the same system that has been done here can be replicated in other villages, like Kalapata and many other places. Those communities can come and learn from here and use what they’ve learned from here to replicate it and do it in their own homesteads where they come from. What has been done here can be done in any place* within this area. So we really thank everyone. We really thank you and the World Vision team, and we are praying that you do the same in other villages within this area. When you go back to America, when you go back to the churches, when you go back to the American government, take our greetings* and greet the Christians from America and tell them what the World Vision team from Kenya is doing. They can be used to do the same in other areas within this community, not only in Kenya but across Africa. So thank you so much, and you are always welcome. We really thank World Vision because it’s not water only, they are doing a lot in education, they are doing a lot of interventions in nutrition, they are really helping the malnourished children, they are really helping to teach the people to understand the importance to use the health facilities.” Want to be part of this life-changing work? This is the work of World Vision through Child Sponsorship! Click here to order picture folders of children in need of sponsors!
Contributed by Staci Buck in Stories from the Field At our recent Child Ambassador Conference in Seattle, we heard from the Kenya Vision Trip Team who shared their experience in a region hard hit by hunger. Follow along on the blog as CA Staci Buck casts a vision for transformation in Kenya and learn how you can get involved! After visiting several villages where World Vision has worked for 10 years, we traded lush mountains for dry Turkana county. We are the first World Vision team to visit this brand new area development project (ADP), named "Kalapata". All villages there welcomed us with joy as seeing Americans signified that work is truly beginning. It made it real. Joseph, the head of the new ADP, is a big guy. He has a broad, bright smile, and an authoritative presence. The children flock to him and he dances with the men and bends to whisper to the young, cradling their heads in his huge hands. I asked him where he was from, "Turkana," he said. He pointed out the window, "In fact, this was my route to school. Every day I would get up at 5 AM and run when it was cooler and I could move faster. School was 20 km (12.43 miles) away and then 20 km (12.43 miles) back home. I would stop at a relative's hut to rest and pray and cry and..." He sat frozen midsentence, tearing up. We all held our breath feeling the heaviness of the moment. "I'm sorry. Remembering this has made me emotional. We sold a cow for my school fees, yet it wasn't enough and the headmaster would catch me and throw me out. My sisters never went and now we support their eight children." And just like that our hearts were all in with this new staff in Turkana. This is why they are here. They have all lived it. That night Joseph prayed, "Father, as this team steps their feet onto the land of Kalapata, let the land arise." Powerful. I imagined a black and white photo bursting into color. Green trees leafing out, pasture returning, water flowing, hunger receding, and community flourishing. God, let it be so. After spending days with the Turkana people, it is our greatest desire to see this happen. They are experiencing famine and severe drought. Their government is helping and they have chosen World Vision as a primary NGO there. They are hungry, thirsty and sick and in dire need of our support to change the landscape. Malnutrition levels are at 30 percent, their beaded children are marked for early marriage and will not attend school. But World Vision is there teaching about getting the kids into schools instead. They have water projects planned which will change everything. Water is everything. I have thought so much about his prayer. He connected our feet hitting the earth to change. A calling forth of what was dead to life. Isn't that the power of God that we carry within us? Isn't that our responsibility to see life where others see hopelessness and to take steps to ensure it comes to fruition? YES I know I will go back there. We joked about a 10 year reunion, but I'm not joking. I can't wait to see that prayer, that vision come to life. Would you like to learn more about Kalapata ADP and the hunger crisis that ravaged Kenya? Read this powerful story by World Vision storyteller, Kari Costanza.
Then order picture folders from Kenya or share your personalized link (found on volunteers.worldvision.org). Invite others to be part of the life-changing work God does through sponsorship! Contributed by Jim Naugle in Meet other CAs As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace…in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-15 Christine and Nicole Roberts are a mother and daughter team of Child Ambassadors from New Jersey. Christine is a pre-school music teacher and a singer/songwriter. She has released two albums of Christian music: “He Changed Me” and “Forgiveness”. Nicole recently graduated from high school and is headed to James Madison University in the fall. The Child Ambassador Blog team recently caught up with Christine and Nicole to discuss World Vision, music and family. Can you tell us a little bit about your family? Christine: Doug and I have been married for 22 years and we have 3 children - Duncan, 21, Nicole, 18, and Luke, 16. We are life-long residents of NJ. We have had the privilege and blessing of taking in different foster children to live with us over the years. It is a ministry that has really shaped us as a family. We enjoy traveling together, playing sports, hiking and listening to music. God has always been the center of our family. How long have you been writing and performing Christian music? Christine: Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I learned how to play the guitar by bringing my guitar to church when I was 12 and watching older people in our “folk group” play. I wrote all kinds of silly love songs when I was in high school but it wasn’t until about 17 or 18 years ago when I started writing music to praise God. I am a music minister for women’s retreats at my church and majority of my music started there. The women really encouraged me to start recording and performing about 3 years ago. How does your music intertwine with being a child ambassador? Christine: It’s amazing how perfectly it fits together, really. Everything I love - God, children and music! Many of my songs have come from the suffering I’ve seen our foster children go through and I imagine it is similar suffering experienced by children living in poverty anywhere in the world. There are so many types of poverty and music can really bring light to the suffering and hopefully provide healing. If not healing, at least awareness to others who might be immune. Nicole, you recently graduated from high school - tell us about your post-graduation trip… Nicole: Three days after my graduation I flew to Uganda to do mission work at 2 orphanages. I had the chance to work with disabled children in a home for boys and a home for girls. Most of the children couldn’t communicate and most had physical disabilities as well. I helped feed them, brush their teeth and play with them. It was one of the most emotionally challenging things I’ve ever done but being able to see God in every child was worth it. While I was in Uganda, I also had the opportunity to meet our first sponsored child, Ivan. What an incredible experience to finally see him, his family and his house that we had seen so many years in photos. My favorite part was taking him to buy a bike!! I was impressed when I attended one of your concerts. It’s a real family affair. Your family greeted people at the door, your son sang back up on several songs, Nicole spoke to the crowd about sponsorship. Is it hard to balance performance with family life? Christine: Yes, it’s great that my family is so supportive of my music, but my first priority is always them. I am definitely a wife and mother first, singer/songwriter second. I had no idea how many hours it would take in the studio recording all the music. That was really tough, but so rewarding. Now that my children are becoming adults I have more and more time to devote to songwriting and performing. I understand your family met one of your sponsored children in Bolivia. What are your memories of that meeting? Nicole: It was always a dream of mine to meet our sponsored child, Dayanna, who is the same age as me. I had been writing letters back and forth with her for several years but meeting her and her family made everything so real. We got to meet the World Vision workers and saw all of the projects they were doing in the community and got to visit her school and house. We had an unforgettable day together getting to know each other, sharing a meal and exchanging gifts. Despite our language barrier, we ended the day in tears calling each other hermanas, sisters. On your most recent album “Forgiveness”, you include a song called “Chaos” that I understand was inspired by visiting Dayanna and her family in Bolivia. Tell us about that song: Christine: Bolivia was so beautiful and so chaotic. We went in April of 2018 and when we came back everyone here had all of these perfectly mowed lawns and polished cars and all I wanted was to be back in Bolivia in the joy and dust and chaos. Seeing how simply people live in Bolivia really changed the way I look at material things. When I got home, I kept walking around my house thinking, “I don’t need any of this stuff”. I literally cleaned out my closet on the second day back from the trip and donated bags of clothing that I didn’t need. It seems that we are so intent on making ourselves comfortable all the time that we miss out on uniting ourselves with Christ though suffering. The song “Chaos” talks about all of these ideas. You have another beautiful song called “Steady, My Love”, a love song from mother to daughter. Can you both tell us about that song? Christine: Not to slight my sons, but I think there is a unique bond between a mother and daughter. I wrote “Steady, My Love” to tell Nicole how amazing I think she is! As a mother I want my daughter to be strong, always speak truth and follow God’s plan for her life. While I was writing it, I kept thinking about how many young women out there don’t know how beautiful and amazing they are because no one ever told them. I wrote it as a love song for all mothers to their daughters. Nicole: My mom writing a song just for me meant more to me than any other gift she could have given me. I love the way it turned out! Be sure to say hello to Christine at the Child Ambassador conference in October! If you haven’t registered for conference yet, go to https://wvchildambassadors.lpages.co/conference-2019/to sign up. And if you are interested in downloading Christine’s music, visit https://christinerobertsmusic.com, Amazon Music, or Apple Music. Story and photos contributed by Laura Walls in Stories from the Field On July 25-27, Child Ambassadors Linnae and Jonathan Gomez are hosting an immersive art experience, bringing together some of the best artists in the San Francisco Bay area to change the future for children in Uganda who are at risk of child sacrifice. The experience is called Sacred Art and its focus on Uganda is a personal one for me. In 2018, the Child Ambassador team traveled to Uganda to a region where child sacrifice occurs. I'm ashamed to admit it, but this was one place I felt afraid to go. Linnae and I talked recently about my experience in Uganda and she asked if I could write it down, so she could share it with others. It's a story that's taken me over a year to finally put into words and even yet, I think this is just a start. But I hope this small start can be part of the bigger work that God is doing to touch hearts for Uganda. Please keep Linnae and Jonathan, their family, and Sacred Art in your prayers! In many ways, the classroom was similar to those I’ve seen in the United States. Faded but vibrant colored paper in primary hues made eye-catching bulletin board displays for lively posters of fruit, animals, and houses. Spelling words, all printed in the careful, rounded form of elementary handwriting, were made into festive flags and draped cheerily across the room. To complete the classroom, a chalkboard was painted on the clay walls with charts labeled “Our Shapes” and “Our Calendar” on one side and “Our Vowels” and “Our Helpers” on the other. It was a friendly, pleasant space and the teacher who greeted us as we entered the room did so with loving pride of ownership. The students, dressed in bubblegum pink uniforms, did the usual stuff kids do when strangers come to visit a classroom - they wiggled with nervous excitement on their benches and fidgeted behind their wooden tables. The outgoing students smiled and waved at us, their friends giggling at their boldness. I came to this classroom in southern Uganda accompanied by my team of fellow Child Ambassadors with World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization working to make life healthier, safer, and more hopeful for these kids. The children growing up in this part of Uganda are at-risk, not just from poverty that threatens malnutrition, education, and future opportunities, but also from a cultural practice known as ritual child sacrifice. It involves the abduction of children for their body parts, tissue, and blood while the child is still alive with the belief that mixing these body parts in the traditional concoctions of witch doctors could bring success in business or love. It’s so dark, it sounds implausible - like something from the realm of Hansel and Gretel and bread crumb trails in the woods; folklore where symbolic cruel villains threaten children and mix up evil potions. It couldn’t be the stuff of real life. But in Uganda’s Buikwe district between 2013 and 2014, 29 children were abducted, 64 were reported missing, and 20 were ritualistically murdered. Children like Jimmy. Jimmy’s grandmother came home one afternoon and discovered her grandson missing. She was instantly afraid. “My heart was very disturbed. Right away I felt pain in my stomach. I rushed into the house but I couldn’t find him. People who had gathered helped me look for him but all in vain.” Jimmy was missing for over a week before his younger brother discovered his body. For his grieving grandmother, life would never be the same. She lives in fear for herself and for her grandchildren.* Raising their Voices We sat on our chairs at the front of the classroom and listened as the children’s teacher explained her work with the students. Her long skirt and blouse almost had the nostalgic appearance of a teacher in a Little House on the Prairie episode. With pride, she called on a girl to recite a speech for us and then requested a group of students come forward. The next performance would be one the children created themselves. We smiled at the kids and then at one another, admiring how sweet they all looked as they stood, ready to begin. Taking their places, the students in the front rows kneeled, their expressions suddenly changing from bright-eyed to haunted and anguished. “Child sacrifice. Child sacrifice.” They chanted. “You killed my brother. You killed my sister.” Crying out in unison, their voices raised in an accusing, grieving lament. Those in front rhythmically beat the ground with their fists. “Child sacrifice. Child sacrifice. WHYYY?!!!” With agonized clarity, their cries broke the air and splintered our hearts. Truth be told, I’d been afraid to come to Uganda. I’d heard stories about child sacrifice and it’s existence so repulsed and scared me that I wanted to avoid it. My fear was so great, I even talked to a friend about not going. “I don’t think I can handle it. It’s the one place on earth I don’t really have a desire to see.” Now I sat in the very place I feared was hopeless, listening to young children chanting a dirge in the center of their cheerful elementary classroom. “Child sacrifice. Child sacrifice. WHY?!!!!” Life shouldn’t be this way for anyone - especially children. The Vandalism of Shalom There’s a concept in the Bible that’s used to describe a key attribute of God known as “shalom.” In English, the term is translated as “peace” and generally thought of as the absence of war but in Hebrew, the term signifies something much greater. A more complete translation of “shalom” would include concepts like wholeness, harmony, flourishing, fullness, and a fulfillment that extends into every aspect of life. Shalom is who God is and what He created the world to be and experience as a reflection of its Creator. But that shalom was broken with the entrance of sin. The author, Neil Plantinga, uses a thoughtful phrase to describe sin. He calls it the “vandalism of shalom.” Sin fractures God’s shalom - it destroys the way things were intended to be. In place of wholeness, harmony, and flourishing, there is brokenness, harm, and poverty. The children in this small classroom in Uganda were giving voice to the impact of this vandalism on their lives. God didn’t intend their lives to be this way. As Jesus says in John 10:10, “A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” Throughout Jesus’ time on earth, he set about to restore fullness of life to those around him, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, and bringing justice and peace to the broken. And he charged his followers to do likewise. “Blessed are the shalom makers, for they will be called children of God.” This blessing to restore shalom is what’s later a calling to a “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18-20) - setting things right between people and God so that they can experience fullness and harmony in every part of their lives. God’s mission is the redemption of all things that are broken - broken lives, broken systems, and broken relationships. His heart is for the children of Uganda to experience healing, hope, and fullness of life. Transformation In Uganda in 2013, World Vision began implementing the Community Amber Alert Against Child Sacrifice Project (CAAACS) focused on ending the practice of ritual child sacrifice by reversing demand for children’s body parts and sensitizing communities to change their beliefs. This program also employs a unique, localized Amber Alert System, adapted to fit the context of the region. In response to a cry for help, indigenous drumming triggers an early warning, quickly followed with more modern technology like megaphones, radio, and cell phones to prompt the community to action. Roads are quickly blocked and the police, notified. As a result of this system, 18 lives were saved in 2016. Stopping the abduction of children is only one part of the battle, however. Eliminating the demand for the children’s body parts is another. When the CAAACS Project started in 2013, it needed to confront the belief system that created this demand. To this end, World Vision adopted a social norms change approach, starting multi-phased workshops to guide affected communities to acknowledge this reality. These workshops lead to the admission that child sacrifice exists and impacts the community and the understanding that each individual needs to assess their own beliefs and mindset to bring about change. In addition, World Vision also works with leaders from different faith traditions to protect children, bringing the interfaith community together to speak out against child sacrifice, early marriage, and gender-based violence. Children, too, play a key role in this transformation. Through the children’s Spiritual Nurture Club, children are empowered to use their voices and become agents of change in their community. And it’s working. Through this multipronged approach, lives are being saved but the practice of child sacrifice still remains. Drums The children finished their performance and went outside to the fenced playground area behind the school. We followed behind them and then heard drumming. Was this a warning? Had a child been abducted? The drumming grew louder as we entered the playground area but this was no alarm. Instead, the children smiled and reached for our hands, pulling us to join them in an indigenous dance that was something like a hip-wiggling conga line. My American hips aren’t exactly used to this, so I wiggled along with the rest of them and was pleasantly surprised when I swiftly received a fabric belt tied sweetly around my waist by a smiling little girl. At first I thought this belt was a sign I was doing well, like “Congratulations, you’re looking good!” But rather than being a sign of impressive dance mastery, it turned out to be a remedial effort to help me focus my movements. (Less hand waving, more hips!) We danced until exhausted and laughed together, hearts full. The Whole Story
I came to Uganda fearful that I would leave hopeless - thinking I could never fall in love with a place where child sacrifice exists. But while I did see the evil, brokenness, and pain I so badly wanted to avoid, I also experienced a beauty, joy, and loving hospitality that overwhelmed me and washed into my heart like a flood. I bore witness to the vandalism of shalom but I also saw the shining beauty of life as it’s reclaimed and redeemed by the God of love. Uganda is now forever etched on my heart in the imprint of our sponsored child, Elvis, too. He and his family are among the most generous and loving people I’ve ever met. In a profound but simple way, sponsoring Elvis enables me to be part of World Vision’s work restoring fullness of life (shalom) for all children. A World Vision staff member, Obed, from the Buikwe district explained the impact of sponsorship, “The little that our donors give... is very significant. That’s what I would tell our donors - that whatever support you give, you don’t know how much it is going to do. It changes the whole world around.” Then Obed surprised us with a charge. “The children and families of Uganda cannot write the people of the U.S. a letter but you… you can go back and tell their story for them.” I’ve puzzled for more than a year now over how to tell this story - balancing the need to tell others about child sacrifice so they can help, with the fear that they will be repulsed and turn away from Uganda, as I once did. But child sacrifice doesn’t define Uganda, it’s just a manifestation of the terrible brokenness of this world. Child sacrifice in Uganda is just one part of a much bigger story. The whole story is one we are part of and it includes the redemption and restoration of a broken world. We are all called to be part of this bigger story, changing “the whole world around,” one child at a time. *Jimmy’s story is from the book, Testimonies of Change: in memory of all survivors and victims of child sacrifice. World Vision Uganda, October, 2015. Contributed by Staci Buck in Stories from the Field When I met our sponsored child, Sharon, she turned my hand over and touched my palm. Back and forth she turned my hand, running her fingers up my forearm. She even touched my ears, laughing. I asked the translator to tell her, "We are the same." She nodded and we laughed. There are roughly 3 million orphans in Kenya. After spending time in the north where we saw child marriage and orphans, I began to think about the impact sponsorship has had on Sharon's family. You see, Sharon is the baby of nine children. Child marriage or abandonment could have been a way out for them. Lack of healthcare could have left those nine without parents. But instead of a hand out, World Vision has given her family tools to provide for themselves. A new water kiosk is less than 1 km from her home. So, they now have a small farm- enough of an income to get their kids in school and not rely on food aid. Sharon's mother was so, so thankful for this. This education will break the cycle of extreme poverty, as she confessed she didn't complete 3rd grade and married very young. A health care clinic is also close by for emergencies. These hands. They represent so much. A joining of two families. An exchange of hope and wonder. A breaking of borders and cultural barriers. Family preservation and orphan prevention. Not a hand out, but instead a partnership. Because, "We are the same" - we were just born here with food, jobs, and resources, and they were born in a place that needs those things. As Child Ambassadors, we are partnering with families around the world by connecting children with sponsors. This work is transformational in children's lives and communities - and transforms the sponsor's life, as well! Thank you so much for every time you've shared about sponsorship! You're making a difference! Keep pressing in and boldly sharing so others know they, too, can change a child's life and community. (Need to order some new picture folders? Place your order at wvchildambassadors.org)
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9 Contributed by Heather Maher in Stories From the Field Often as a Child Ambassador, it’s easy to get caught up the “numbers” of what we do. OF COURSE we want many children to be sponsored!! But it can feel discouraging when we work so hard and only see one child obtain sponsorship. We plan presentations, practice speeches, and host global dinners. We organize events, coffee dates, and Global 6k’s (or even take a whipped cream pie in the face!!) and yet sometimes, just one child is sponsored. It’s very easy to forget the power that one sponsorship has. On our recent Vision Trip to Kenya, I was reminded that there is no such thing as “just one” sponsorship. On the Tuesday of our trip, our team got to meet our sponsored children. My child was an 8 yr-old girl named Linet, and I was so nervous to meet her. I didn’t know what to expect! What would I say? What happened if we ended up just sitting there awkwardly for an hour, not saying anything to each other? Another CA, Holly Metzger, encouraged me, saying “It’ll probably be fine,” and we pulled into the World Vision Bartabwa Office to meet our children. The children were there, standing next to their parents, singing and clapping as we pulled in. I hopped out of our Land Cruiser and saw Linet: “Oh my gosh, It’s her!!” I said to myself. “Linet… she’s right there!!” Our team gathered around together and took turns being introduced to our sponsored-children. When it was my turn, I was already holding back tears, in disbelief that I was actually meeting the girl I had seen on the sponsor-folder. “Linet??” I called out to her. And without hesitation, Linet came RUNNING. The moment still brings me to tears as I write this. I’m not sure how to describe to you the full joy I felt. All nerves and fears were gone. Linet and her mother and I hugged for what seemed like hours. We had never met before, but you wouldn’t have known it. It was like we were living Heaven on Earth for those moments we were together. Our skin color didn’t matter. Where we were from didn’t matter. Time stood still as we shared our love and friendship together. Each child who is sponsored is such a celebration. As our team walked around Bartabwa, the World Vision staff would point at water projects saying, “it is because of sponsorship that we can do these projects”. ALL members of the Bartabwa community benefit from sponsorship. Linet may be the child who is sponsored, but EVERYONE in the community benefits from her being sponsored. From ONE sponsorship, Linet will be prayed for and encouraged as she grows up. From ONE sponsorship, Linet’s mom and her family will benefit from having clean, safe drinking water, and accessible water for their spinach plants and avocado trees. From ONE sponsorship, girls in Linet’s community are able to attend a beautiful school, complete with a girl’s dormitory and science lab. From ONE sponsorship, God touched my heart, freeing me from my own earthly stresses and worries. From ONE sponsorship, God’s tangible, life-changing love was felt by Linet, her mom, myself, the community members present, the World Vision Bartabwa staff, AND our Vision Trip team. It’s been felt by my own family, my friends, and everyone who has seen my posts on social media. Both in Eastern Africa and in Western Washington, from the sponsored-child to the sponsor, God is at work changing lives and entire communities! Praise GOD for this ONE sponsorship. As we work together in this ministry, let us, as Child Ambassadors, not forget the power that “just one” sponsorship truly has! Need to order more Picture Folders? Log onto our CA site at wvchildambassadors.org and click the supplies tab to place your order or call the Child Ambassador help desk at 1.800.478.5289. Keep in touch with your Leadership Team member for support and encouragement!
Contributed by Emily Smith. Photos courtesy of Team Kenya. "Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you. [. . .] It is not far. It is within reach. Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know. Perhaps it is everywhere -- on water and land." - Walt Whitman This Friday, our latest Vision Trip team departs for Kenya! Though they didn't know their destination until conference, God has been quietly drawing each member toward this trip over the past year. Whether through church events, individual connections, or even a pie in the face, God led each of these eight Child Ambassadors to connect 40 children to sponsors this year alone. The travelers shared their stories with me this week as they prepared for takeoff. Check out their stories below, and please pray with them (and their fearless leader Megan) as they connect with Kenyan family and encounter World Vision's work firsthand.
Most of my sponsorships this year came from sharing one-on-one or in small groups about my Vision Trip to Bangladesh. Speaking out on behalf of the women and children I met during that trip made sharing easier and more urgent. Seeing the field turned everything I knew about World Vision’s work from black and white to living color. I cannot wait to tell these new stories. How can we pray for you during the trip and after your return? I am not heading into the trip 100% healthy, so I appreciate prayers for the whole team to be protected from illness. Please pray for my kids and family, and pray that God will use this trip to continue to break my heart towards those in need.
Africa has always been on my heart, which is why I feel so passionate about hosting a 6K for Water each year. To see the work of World Vision and the projects around water is a dream come true. Clean water and food is something so basic that we take for granted every day, and I believe this trip will forever change my life. How can we pray for you during the trip and after your return? Pray that I’d be very present while in country — that I’d be able to listen and process what I’m experiencing to bring back and to be effective in sharing stories. Pray for our health and safety and for our families back home. Heather Maher Tell us about your journey toward Kenya this year. How did God provide sponsorships? Has he been laying this country in particular on your heart? When I became a Child Ambassador four years ago, I never dreamed I’d be going on a Vision Trip. I remember thinking to myself, “Ha! Like THAT will ever happen!” I imagine God smiling at me when I had that thought. “Oh, Heather,” I can just hear Him saying, “When will you learn not to put limits on what I can do?” During the summer, God gave me this crazy idea to launch the #piedforkidschallenge, an Internet challenge that shared sponsorship and awareness of deep poverty. As the video gained over 27,000 views, I watched with joy and amazement as fellow CAs, friends, and family took part. My journey toward Kenya this year really began with a prayer I prayed right before the launch of that challenge. Up until that point, I wasn’t very active as a Child Ambassador. But following the nudge on my heart, I prayed, “God, if this is where you want me to be now, then I’m all in.” I am humbled to be part of all this. God, to You be all the praise, honor, and glory. May I never again put limits on what You can do. How can we pray for you during the trip and after your return? Please pray for my young children (ages 5 and 2.5), my husband, my mom, and mother-in-law while I am traveling. Pray for my heart, too, that I’ll be present, and for the safety of our team. Pray that God will give us wisdom and courage to tell the stories of the people we meet in Kenya.
I can't wait to shine the light of Jesus everywhere — from the airport, to the plane flights, to the hotels, and especially to the children and families we get to meet! World Vision is such an extraordinary organization for Jesus, and I feel so blessed to be a part of it! How can we pray for you during the trip and after your return? You could pray for health and safety for the team and all of the family / friends at home, as well as peace for our families. Help them to know that we are good and not to worry. God is with us and will protect us all. Jim Naugle Tell us about your journey toward Kenya this year. How did God provide sponsorships? Has he been laying this country in particular on your heart? My sponsorships mainly occurred at a local church's Social Justice Day. The Lord moved hearts that day, and 20 children from Bangladesh were sponsored. It was truly an unexpected gift from God. Now, Kenya has been taking much of my focus. My wife and I watched a video of Kari Costanza living with a family in Turkana — you can really sense the poverty, the hunger, and the quiet desperation in the video. I feel blessed that we will have an opportunity to be among the people of Turkana and learn from their struggles. How can we pray for you during the trip and after your return? I would ask for prayers for my wife Jean and our youngest daughter Rachel; they are flying to Kenya at the end of the Vision Trip. From there we will travel to Ethiopia to visit Gizachew, the first child we ever sponsored through World Vision. He is now 21 years old, and my kids grew up with him. I expect an emotional visit as we get to know Gizachew and his family. I also pray that our whole team can be present to the people we meet, to really hear their stories and to be accurate and passionate as we bring their stories home with us.
How can we pray for you during the trip and after your return? Please pray the verse 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). I want to remember every detail and allow God to work through me to retell the stories of hardship and hope. Our Global 6K is just two weeks after Kenya. I pray that God will move people to sign up in great numbers for our event — thereby providing clean water to children! I pray that He will use this trip to motivate our community. And I would love prayer for peace for our busy family of six. (Three of our kids have prom while I'm gone.) I am asking God for health and safety here and in Kenya and for Him to show us how to carry Kenya’s message forward upon returning.
How can we pray for you during the trip and after your return? It's always hard to leave home, especially for twelve days! Please pray for my husband and four sons. My sons aren't little anymore, so they don't depend on me as much, but I pray that they would make good decisions and be safe. Please pray for our team’s health and safety. Also, pray that God will prepare our hearts and eyes for what we will see. Pray that we can be sources of encouragement and that we will point people to Jesus so that God gets all the glory for these communities’ transformation. May we be open to God's will on the journey! Celeste Sherman Celeste qualified for the trip to Kenya but was unable to attend. She shared her story of how she sees God's hand in the disappointment and how she has become the team's prayer warrior.
Last February, I went on the Vision Trip to Bangladesh. It changed me as a human being, a Child Ambassador, and a child of God. After I returned, I felt no need to go on a Vision Trip again. But the sponsorships kept rolling in. I had some concerns about getting the time off from work, but my husband Stu said, “If God wants you to go, He will provide the way.” So when our dates were set, I approached the HR department with my request. It seemed reasonable. Four of my personal days and two unpaid days. They said no. So we prayed. The Kenya team prayed. I set up a meeting to explain in person. They still said no. I was crushed. I texted Stu. His response: “Time for plan B.” “What’s plan B?” I asked. “Accept it, and move on.” Not the answer I was expecting. Wasn’t he the one who said that the Lord would provide the way? Not exactly. You see, I forgot that if the Lord wanted me to go, He’d provide the way. I have no idea why I’m not supposed to be on this trip. Whatever the reason, His ways are higher than my ways. “Here I am, Lord. Send me . . . or don’t send me.” Now I get to be on a virtual Vision Trip, praying for the team at home. How amazing is that? I’m so excited for what God has for these Child Ambassadors. Praise God that He guides and directs our steps. [Insert Your Name Here] That's right — over the coming week, you'll be a part of Team Kenya as well! We need you to join us in prayer. Not only can you lift up the requests above, but you can also check the CA Facebook group for a daily request we can pray together. This week, may God lead our dear travelers in the connections they make and the stories they carry home — to bring Kenya within reach. Contributed by Emily Smith in Stories from the Field. Photos contributed by Linnae Gomez. Throughout the Vision Trip to Guatemala, our team met parents, young adults, and leaders who are fighting for a future. They believe that someday, in their communities, there will be joy, plenty, and fullness of life. On the final day of the Vision Trip, we saw that future. Expectation and excitement whirred through the air with the sound of instruments. The buildings’ yard swirled with families, some chatting in groups, some hurrying their children to the right classroom. I walked up the slope toward the buildings, following Ana, a leader in World Vision Guatemala. As we neared them, Ana turned and smiled. “This is our jewel,” she said. That bright Saturday, we were visiting El Centro de Desarrollo Artístico Integral (The Integral Artistic Development Center), or CDAI for short. Families from surrounding communities gather there every weekend for its world-renowned children’s music program. The program was the brainchild of a World Vision Guatemala employee and is now a transformational approach to music education. The concept involves complete harmony among World Vision, the community, and its families. World Vision provides a “library” of instruments that children can check out year by year. Community musicians and teachers volunteer their time on the weekends to lead classes, from music stimulation for infants all the way to an acclaimed orchestra for teenagers. Children practice relentlessly throughout the week for their weekend sessions. And parents attend classes with them so that they can assist their children at home. The center serves 350 families, and while the Child Ambassador team visited, we got to meet one of those families — a mom Bianca, and her two children, Natalie and Samuel. Living Music
On the weekends they receive coaching on how to play the notes, and they take home their instruments to practice. Natalie’s incessant practice has made her a confident, skilled performer, and she dreams of one day pursuing a music career.
Behind Natalie and Samuel’s love of music is their mother, Bianca. This dedicated mom not only brings her kids to classes faithfully, but she has also undertaken to learn both the piano and the violin. And she is learning them both at a higher level than her children so that she’ll be able to help them pursue their passions. When asked what her dreams were for her children, she said that she didn’t want them to live her dreams, she wanted them to live theirs. Dreaming Together Bianca’s story is reflected in the rest of the 350 families served by CDAI; every single one has a parent or guardian involved. Parents learn instruments with their children, and when their children graduate into the teenage orchestra, they attend performances and provide encouragement. Bianca says that the program has made her family more united, and CDAI staff said she is not alone. They said that as parents and children participate in the program together, their relationships visibly grow. As we met families and observed classes, we could see it, too. Children were confident and happy and secure. Parents were immersed in the beautiful moments they were sharing with their children. The benefits extend even beyond the family. The community itself is growing closer as families get to know one another through the program. Children strive to do well in school so that they can meet the academic requirement to participate. Some young adults who graduate from the program give back by becoming CDAI instructors themselves. One such instructor, a young woman named Ysabel, is pioneering a new CDAI branch in another community so that even more students can benefit.
Seeing On the bus that day, as I reviewed my notes to write this series, I asked our World Vision host, Rodrigo, if he had anything that he wanted included in the articles. Our team had the privilege that week of spending each day with Rodrigo, seeing his gentle kindness and his true valuing of each person he encountered.
The hope of CDAI and the lives of the many people we met throughout this trip illustrated Rodrigo’s words. From Maximiliana’s fortitude to Fabiola’s courage, from Don Pedro’s brilliance to Bianca’s dedication — these people’s lives are the beauty of their country. Friends, as I close out this series, I ask you walk forward seeing through their eyes, through the eyes of the people creating Guatemala’s future. Let your heart be captivated by their heritage, amazed by their perseverance, and inspired to join their mission. Wherever you are, help others see their beauty and invite people to join their cause — until one day, all of Guatemala reaches fullness of life, and the sound of its living music echoes throughout the world.
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