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. Contributed by Laura Walls in Ideas for your Ministry, You're New. What's Next, 1:1 Wonders, and Meet Other CAs "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives." - Psalm 32:23 NLT It's amazing how God can use small things to move our hearts in big and unexpected ways. For Child Ambassador Rachel Royster, God used a tiny forget-me-not flower to take her life in a whole new direction while bringing transformation to many children's lives through sponsorship. In 2014, Rachel visited Alaska with her grandmother and began looking for a special way to remember the trip. She knew the state flower of Alaska is the forget-me-not and she started looking for a forget-me-not ring. She found just what she was looking for online and learned the ring was made in Armenia, a country she knew very little about. Rachel was curious. What did the forget-me-not flower have to do with a country in eastern Europe? What Rachel found moved her to tears. In 1915, a genocide happened in Armenia and 1.5 million Armenians were killed. Rachel was stunned. How could generations grow up without learning about the Armenian genocide? How could so many lives lost be forgotten? Rachel determined not to forget and started looking for ways she could help Armenia and get to know an Armenian child through sponsorship. Through her research, Rachel found World Vision. As she looked on the World Vision website, she found herself drawn to a little boy named Roman who touched her heart with his sad eyes. After sponsoring Roman, Rachel really wanted to do more. First, she started talking to a good friend about sponsoring a child named Arman and then, when her friend didn't sponsor, Rachel decided to sponsor Arman herself! Working at her family's coffee shop, Rachel didn't have a large income but she did have a creative idea. She realized that, because she is paid weekly, she could take one monthly sponsorship payment from each check, enabling her to sponsor two more Armenian children - a girl named Anahit and a boy named Sos (pronounced Sose) but she still longed to do more. Not long after her fourth sponsorship, Rachel received an email about becoming a volunteer Child Ambassador with World Vision, followed by a call. Rachel was excited, "This is something I can do." But just to confirm her plans, she reached out to a friend. "I told them I was thinking about signing up to be a Child Ambassador and, if I did, would they sponsor?" When her friend said yes, Rachel made it official, becoming a member of the Child Ambassador team in July of 2018. Just 6 months later, Rachel has connected 14 children to sponsors! How does Rachel do it? 1) Pray. Rachel shares that it all starts with prayer. "Pray that you will be led to the right person. Pray that the Lord will give you the right words to say." 2) Make a list. Next Rachel made a list of people she thought might be interested in sponsorship. She added personal notes beside each name, writing down things like how many children they have in their family or previous countries where they've traveled. She uses these notes to order picture folders with that person in mind. For example, she might order a picture folder of a girl from India for someone who's traveled there. 3) Reach out. After that, Rachel began to go down her list. She messaged and emailed people and let them know, "I’m volunteering with World Vision now and thought you might be interested in this. Then I ask them if they want to meet up." 4) Prepare. Rachel has some tips for the meeting. "Be kind of prepared. Think about the things you would want to know if you were sponsoring, so you have some things in mind to say. " 5) Consider putting together a sponsorship portfolio. Rachel put her letters and pictures from her sponsored children in a binder to share her story of sponsorship. "Through the book, people get to see that you mean something to the children." For example, "People really like seeing where Roman writes that 'they light a candle in church' for me and my family." In her binder, Rachel has sections for each child with their name and profile. She makes copies of two of their letters, highlighting the areas that are especially meaningful - like when Anahit wrote that she wants to meet Rachel and the letter from Arman's grandmother, thanking Rachel for being their friend. She includes a photo page of each one growing up. She also shows the itemized list and photo from when she's given special gifts, as she knows this helps answer the question, "How do I know the money goes to the child?" 6) Briefly explain and invite. Rachel then explains how World Vision's sponsorship model works and invites them to sponsor a particular child that she feels led to talk about. 7) Thank them for meeting. Whether they sponsor or not, Rachel always thanks them for their time and tells them she appreciates them. What about when people say no? It hasn't always been easy. Rachel has heard a lot of "no," too. Some people already sponsor, others reply that they're involved with other charities, and some people simply don't respond to her message at all, even though she can see they read it. "That can feel a little sad." Rachel openly shares. "It’s really easy to get disappointed when people say no. Some people I was almost positive would say yes, said no." How does Rachel handle the disappointment? "It's important to pray about things and try not to take on too much responsibility. It’s easy to feel like it’s all my responsibility but God loves these children and they will be taken care of. I just have to be willing to speak about it. If you will talk to people as you feel led, then you’ve done your part and God will take care of the rest of it." But Rachel has also experienced some happy surprises. "It’s really been cool to see people sponsor that I didn’t think would be interested!" But though she feels nervous and uncertain of herself at times, she's also learned that overall, people are interested and no one has ever been rude or upset with her for asking about it. Rachel reminds herself, "God wants these kids sponsored. It’s so much more important to him. I just need to get out there and do it." A Look at Rachel's Sponsorship PortfolioCreating a portfolio specifically to share sponsorship can be a great way to share with people about the beauty of sponsorship! Here's a look at how Rachel put her portfolio together. Contributed by Laura Walls with Melodee Miller Melodee Miller is filled with a beautiful, joyful grace and her cheerful kindness is contagious! She cares about people, especially children, and makes those around her feel valued and loved. She's such a special part of the Child Ambassador team! Melodee lives in Washington with her husband and four children. This year, she ran a half marathon with a special goal - for every mile she ran, she linked a child with a sponsor. This creative idea caught fire and inspired her friends and family across the country! I hope that as you hear her share her story, you're inspired to see that you don't need a particular set of talents as a child ambassador. Just follow God's lead and be open to Him guiding you in ways you never expected! Mel, did you ever think that you'd run 13 miles? Ha! No! I have never been athletic in my life! I’ve always been the artsy theater and choir girl. This was completely new for me! What motivated you to do the half marathon and link it to sponsorship? Getting to the point of doing the half marathon was definitely a journey for me. As I said before, I’ve never been the athletic type. Over the last couple of years though, I’ve been trying to work on being healthy and living a healthy life. One, I want to be that example for my kids and two, I want to take care of the one body God gave me. I had been working out somewhat consistently when I met people who run for Team World Vision. I was really inspired by them and their training for half marathons to raise money for clean water. I wanted to try to see if I could train for a half marathon too. It was partly for me just to see if I could do it, but I didn’t want it just to be about me. I wanted to align it with something. I thought about raising money for clean water or anti-human trafficking. Then it hit me to do what I’m already doing as a child ambassador, asking people to sponsor! That takes care of clean water, anti-human-trafficking and more! I was so excited to be running for children all around the world! What steps did you take to achieve that goal? I followed the Team World Vision training plan they have laid out on their website. It worked great! It also helped to have my husband join me. He kept me motivated and it was wonderful having a partner to train with! How did you enlist the support of family and friends? Was it hard? Honestly, it was all through Facebook! I was so hesitant to share what I was doing for so long because I still wasn’t sure if I could really do it. Finally, about 3 weeks before I ran the half I decided to announce what I was doing on a Facebook live video. I got such a great response that I kept making videos (I even convinced my husband to do a couple with me) and people came out of the woodwork to sponsor kids! It was awesome! How was the run itself? So good! I didn’t die!! Ha!! Seriously though, it was a really special run. I had taken one of my old World Vision t-shirts and wrote every name of who sponsored inside a heart with the name of the child they sponsored. I did that for anyone who also became a Refugee Responder. I wore the shirt for the run. At every mile my husband and I prayed for the sponsor and the sponsored child. It made the run go by really fast and I felt so connected to every name written on my shirt. It really was so special! What were the results? My hope in the beginning was to have 13 kids sponsored, one for each mile I was running, and 1 Refugee Responder as the cherry on top for the .1 mile of the 1/2 marathon. In the end, 15 kids were sponsored and 3 people signed up as refugee responders!! God is awesome!! What would you tell others who might be considering trying something similar? Or those who think they could never run that far? Go for it! If I can do it, the one who has never been athletic, then you can do it too! If it’s something that God is laying on your heart to do, then God will give you all you need to make it happen! Do you have any tips for CAs who are trying to find their niche in this ministry? I think one of the most beautiful things about being a CA is that you can completely tailor your ministry to your life style and personality. There is no one right way to be a CA. Seek God and see where the Spirit leads you. I fully believe that if you honor God with your gifts and talents in this ministry then God will bless it and bring people to sponsor those kids! And be open to God doing something new in your life that will bring you down a path you never thought you would see yourself doing, like running a half-marathon! Update!!! Mel is running another race for sponsorship on June 10th and needs our prayers and encouragement! Head over to the CA Facebook page and cheer her on!!! Update: Since the time of this interview, Melodee Miller and her family are living out a great, new adventure! For the next ten months, they're traveling across the United States in an RV and taking time to build memories as a family and experience new places and friendships along the way! You can read about their adventures on their personal blog: milleradventure.blog/ Welcome to the blog, Melodee! Tell us a little about yourself! I live in Shoreline, WA. It’s just north of Seattle. I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve been married to my husband, Josh, for over 13 years. We have 4 kids, Caleb (11), Lydia (9), Asher (7), and Eva (5). I’m (mostly) a stay at home mom. My husband runs his own electrical company. We are very blessed to be able to have me stay home and not have to work. That being said, I do work part time with a local non-profit theatre group called Dandylyon Drama. We work in the local schools running after school theatre programs. I direct the school musical once a year at my kids school. It’s a lot of fun and a great way for me to get my creative outlet while getting to have a positive impact in kids lives that live in my community. How did God lead you to the Child Ambassador team? I’ve always had a heart for children and missions. When my youngest was a year old I was really crying out to God wanting to do more but not sure what I could do with 4 young kids. We were already sponsoring our little boy, Mubarek, in Ethiopia at the time. Then a postcard came in the mail asking for people to join the Child Ambassador Team. It was as if the heavens parted and God spoke. I knew this is what God had for me to be a part of even while in the midst of raising my kids. What are some of the ways that you've shared about sponsorship? I mostly share one on one with people or on Facebook. I have had a table at my church a couple times too. You've shared quite often at tables at the Farmer's Market. Do you have any favorite stories about ways the Lord worked and/or connections made? I love having a table at the local Farmers Market! I’ve had a few people sponsor at the market but it’s mostly a time of getting people familiar with who WV is and planting the seeds for sponsorship. I’ve had wonderful conversations with people not only from the community but with people from all over the world who have come to live in the Seattle area. One of my favorite stories is from the opening day at this last summer’s market. This lady was snapping pictures of her son’s booth across from mine. She was getting tired and saw I had chairs and asked to sit down. Of course I said yes and the instant she sat down she looked around my booth and said, “Oh! World Vision! Here all these other people are here to make money, my son included, and you’re here doing God’s work! Well sign me up!” I was so surprised! I asked her if she wanted to sponsor a child and she said yes and to just pick a child out for her. I was so excited to pick a little girl from Ethiopia that I had been praying for a sponsor for. The lady stayed for a while and I learned that her family were refugees from North Korea to South Korea when she was a little girl. Then when she moved to America with her husband he died while she was pregnant with their 3rd child. She kept saying how people in America just don’t get it and she was so happy to help others struggling around the world. I was in complete awe with how God orchestrated that whole interaction! How do you engage someone walking by your table? We (anyone who is a vendor) can’t call out to people as they go by. We just have to wait for people to come to us. So I try to make my booth look as inviting as possible with chairs and colorful displays. I have a table set up with coloring pictures and crayons. I have a little basket of candy from around the world too. I make sure to stand near the front of my booth, not behind anything, and smile and say hello to people as they walk by. Sometimes people come over to check out my booth and sometimes people just keep on walking. I pray a lot as I’m standing there for God to bring the people He wants me to talk to. As for tips for sharing in that setting, I’d say have your “elevator speech” down. Also listen for ways to engage with the person your speaking to based on what they share with you. Ask them questions and show you’re genuinely interested in them as a person and not just as a potential donor. They need to know they’re valued just as much as the children you are trying to get sponsored. Thanks so much for sharing with us, Mel!!! We are all so excited for you and your family as you step out into your newest adventure. May God grant you and your family His abiding peace, joy, and love as you develop new friendships and discover new landscapes. Child Ambassadors from Iowa and Nebraska find joy and encouragement in meeting and serving together! Contributed by Laura Walls in Meet Other CAs It all sprang from the first National Child Ambassador Day three years ago. Rebecca Losh, a leadership team member from Council Bluffs, Iowa was getting ready to host her first meeting with child ambassadors in her region. That initial meeting proved so fruitful, the women decided to meet again. And again. And again. Three years later, they are still getting together monthly to encourage one another, learn together, and plan their next events. Lisa Trummer, who has been with the group since that first meeting three years ago describes why she makes room in her schedule for this time of fellowship. "For me, it’s the glue that keeps me going. It keeps me in the mix so I don’t dry up and not do anything. The meeting forces me to get my focus back (on this ministry)." They all agreed that the chance to be together monthly makes all the difference. "I might have a month where I might not have talked to that many people," child ambassador, Karen Misiewicz, explains. "But coming together, I don’t have to feel bad about it. I can just come and be welcomed and get going again." Katie Losh, Rebecca's daughter, says that the biggest benefit to getting together frequently is the encouragement. "We get a lot of no’s and (meeting together) forces us to not give up!" It's also an opportunity for Judy Van Horn, a brand new child ambassador. "The education is a great benefit. I'm learning how to navigate the websites." Feeling more confident about what resources are available and how to use them makes a big difference! In addition to meeting monthly, the team also enjoys serving together. One of their favorite events was the Women of Faith conference. Karen described it: "We were like a unit within the bigger group. There’s just something really cool about that. We all had little stories we could share with each other about that one child we got sponsored." The very best part? "It multiplies your experience. We share that same excitement when we see how God works through picture folders and birthdates." Because of their foundation of friendship, the Child Ambassador Conference in Seattle is looked forward to all year. It's a chance to learn, pray, worship, and make new memories together. But they don't have to wait to experience some of that encouragement and fellowship. For this group, every month is a chance to recharge. Rebecca Losh explains why the group means so much. "It’s like having a piece of the orange army right here all the time." Do you wish you could meet with other child ambassadors? Reach out to your leadership team member and see if there are other CAs in your area!!! "Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer." Contributed by Celeste Sherman and edited by Laura Walls in Ideas for your Ministry 3 years ago, we decided that our ministries, due to Stu’s physical condition with ALS, needed to be honed down. We were youth leaders, church chair, missions chair, church board, Child Ambassadors and also new to the Leadership Team. Our criteria for what needed to be stripped away was -- anything we did MUST be KINGDOM work. Which is why we now entirely focus our service to World Vision. Sharing our hearts for the Syrian people and allowing God’s people to respond by becoming Refugee Responders IS building the KINGDOM. We are so very blessed that God allows us to do that. And we will continue to speak for the least of these, as long as He gives us strength and voice. Child Ambassadors have focused on many targeted campaigns over the past years: clean water, education, child protection, the ‘margins’, and now the refugee crisis. I confess, some of these have had a greater impact on me and have allowed my husband, Stu, and I to share with more passion. One in particular, was child protection. As a mom and dad of two beautiful girls, I cannot imagine what parents go through when their daughter is stolen from them. We shared passionately, from the heart, and people responded. The refugee crisis has a similar impact on us. We've been moved to respond for the following reasons: We believe children should be carefree! I’m a teacher: a teacher who LOVES summer. I spend many summer days hanging out at the beach. I love people watching, but the people I love watching the most are the kids, perhaps, because they love summer as much as I do! I love watching them play chicken with the waves, build sand castles with their dads, chase seagulls and then scream with delight. There is no crying at the beach. Children should always have that carefree existence. So, when I watch videos of children…. babies, telling about the horrors of war that they themselves witnessed, it deeply touches me. They talk about how they cry at night because they are scared of the sounds of planes. They miss their friends, their houses, and in some case their parents. No child should have to carry these burdens. Every child should be tucked in, given butterfly kisses, and float off to night filled with sweet dreams. We know what it's like to have life come to a grinding halt. We have a glimpse of what it is like to have your world turned upside down. 3 years ago, Stu was diagnosed with a terminal illness, ALS. We felt like we were sucker punched. Our world turned upside down. Then, God showed up. His peace and protection surrounded us. His people ministered to us. We were restored. 2 years later, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Based on past experience, we knew God and His people had our backs. Terminal is not a term we use anymore. God gave us hope and a future, and we are convinced that these infirmities that He allowed in our lives, make us more sensitive to the difficulties of those around us. For example, normally a car breakdown would cause much stress. Our car broke down on the way home from my first 5 hour-long chemo infusion. I laughed as I told my daughter that upon calling AAA I played the cancer card and said we needed a tow truck right away. Her reply, “as if a guy with a walker and a service dog isn’t pathetic enough!” Compared to some of the other serious issues with our health we faced, a broke down car was pretty minor. I’m sure the Syrian’s would long for the day to have a deadline on a work report, or a flat tire, or having to meet payment for the monthly the bills. We have an idea of what it’s like to have your world come to a screeching halt. We also know what God’s peace and provision does to take away that mindset and give hope for a future. I want my Syrian friends to know that same peace and hope when God shows up and His people respond. We want the love of God to be known. Very dear friends of ours are missionaries to the Muslims. We are in awe as they share with us God’s working to draw the Muslims unto Himself. Henry Blackabee says: ‘He (God) wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and a watching world. This is the only way the world will come to know Him.’ We want to see God be glorified through World Vision as these workers assist these precious people: to those Christians, many who have faced severe persecution and to the Muslims, as God makes Himself known to them. Our missionary friends tell us of the many who are coming to know Jesus, even in secret. We will be surprised, one day, when it is the Muslim-background Believers who will make up the Majority Church. We want to be part of that movement. The church needs to be a part of that movement. It is our job to let them know what can be done! And that, my fellow CA’s, is why we ALL do what we do with passion and excellence. Speak you heart, find YOUR passion, let the world know and watch God work. Would you like to host a Refugee Sunday at a church in your area? Here are 4 steps to get started! 1. Watch some of the videos below, read some current articles like this one recently written by World Vision's president Rich Stearns, and pray that the Lord would break your heart for what breaks his. 2. Visit volunteers.worldvision.org and click on the "resources" tab. Look for the "Refugee Response Initiative." On this page, you'll find TONS of videos, articles, talks, email templates to send churches, a powerpoint, and virtually all you need to host your own Refugee Sunday! 3. You can order Refugee Responder folders on the "supplies" tab of the volunteers site or order a Refugee Sunday kit. (Enter your CA Source Code under "Role at Your Church.") 4. Research the churches in your area. Hop online and read their mission statements and the ministries they're involved in. Pick one of the churches to go to and visit on a Sunday and then take a minute to introduce yourself to the pastor. Let him know that you're a child ambassador with World Vision and that you are working with area churches to host Refugee Sunday (and/or Hope Sunday sponsorship) events. Ask him if you could send an email that explains more and then follow that email up with a request to meet for a few minutes sometime. Be sure to keep your CA Leadership Team member informed of your plans so they can help you along the way and pray for you!!! Contributed by Laura Walls in Meet Other CAs and Ideas for your Ministry I heard Vicki speak at my first Child Ambassador conference nearly eight years ago. In my mind, she was legendary for getting about 100 children sponsored each year! At the conference, Vicki shared her "30 second spiel" - a quick overview she gives to potential sponsors about World Vision's work. Hearing her, my jaw dropped. In a friendly, engaging, and unbelievably fast way, she summarized the key points of World Vision's work in under a minute. She went on to explain that she looks for sponsors wherever she goes - even the grocery store! Today, Vicki continues to inspire me and I'm so grateful I've had the chance to know her as a both a co-laboring child ambassador and as a dear friend! I believe her journey as a child ambassador will be an inspiration to many as we take intentional steps of faith to be bold in sharing sponsorship! About thirteen years ago, Vicki Casper was filled with a longing to do something more for others. "I believe everyone needs love and care and I really love children. God has always provided for me so how could I not help others to have what they need, too?" Already a child sponsor, she was looking through her World Vision magazine when she saw it - the very first advertisement for the new volunteer Child Ambassador program. Immediately, she knew this was exactly what she was looking for and was filled with joy! But her first couple of years as a child ambassador were more challenging then Vicki expected. "I remember going to my first conference and we were all talking and just surprised at how hard it was to find sponsors. We thought it would be easier." But early on, she realized something. "I realized that it even though it was hard, if you just keep asking, you will find sponsors." And with every sponsorship, came encouragement. Her first sponsors were her new neighbors. "A young couple moved in across the street. They didn’t have much money but they were my first sponsors and seeing how willing they were to help, even though they didn't have a lot... I was so encouraged." Vicki wants all child ambassadors to experience the joy of finding a sponsor for a child. "You don't have to find sponsors for that many kids each year... I'm really encouraged by just finding sponsors, one by one. The sponsors are so happy about it and God gives you this joy, too, because you’re doing something he wants you to do." Pivotal to her success in finding sponsors is discipline. "I’m really disciplined. I don’t always have a lot of time but when I go home, I make a list of people I can connect with and places to share. I think of these connections in my regular life. I've left picture folders on the kitchen counter and sometimes my kids’ friends have brought one home and sponsored. I’ve left picture folders on the table beside me at a restaurant and a waitress once sponsored three, right there.' Look for the smaller ways to share, the everyday things that happen in communities - like restaurants, your hairdresser, places you walk by every day - whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, talk about sponsorship. "I make sure that I'm always thinking of someone to approach for sponsorship or that I have an event I'm planning for. And I write my list. It might take a while but I work through that list. I don’t let up on it. We need to be disciplined in doing this work. This is for Jesus. And this is such an important work! I look for sponsors every day. All the time. I may not ask someone every day but I think about it every day. And I walk and pray about it every day. We really need to pray about this ministry and keep it in the forefront of our minds. It is a ministry. We need God to help us and we need to be in prayer in it." Being brave is also key. "Sometimes, God just tells me, go up and ask that person to sponsor a child. It’s about losing the fear. I think that’s the main problem with all of us – we’re afraid. But we need to ask and ask and ask because you just never know. I've seen moms who are on the street. They aren't afraid to ask for something for their children and we shouldn’t be afraid to ask, either, because these kids need us. Vicki has so much practical experience to offer child ambassadors and has put together a great resource! In it, you'll find wonderful tips for making this ministry a doable part of your daily routine! Click below to download, "Everyday Sponsorship." compiled/edited by Paula Hemphill in Meet Other CAs By now you've probably heard about our special campaign for this month: Ask August, where each day in the month of August, you do one thing for your World Vision ministry. If you're anything like me, this challenge is absolutely terrifying and one you may not want to participate in, but the one consistent thing for every CA in this ministry is that this work takes all of us out of our comfort zones and makes us do some things that we might think are crazy. But that doesn't mean that stepping out into the challenge isn't scary. It is. And I find that the best way to combat fear is to sit down with my friends and talk about it. So, today I'd like to share with you the hearts of some of my friends. Here is some advice to keep you asking throughout August-- even when the going gets tough! In this work-- even when I hear no after no-- I'm reminded of the scripture that says that we "have not, because we ask not." That's pretty simple. God is alive and well, He wants to move in His creation, but He wants us to be a part of it; He want us to be involved. He enjoys when we are involved in His wonderful works. With this in mind, He likes it when we ask for things that are close to His heart. The foreigner is very close to his heart. Leviticus 19:34 commands us to "treat [foreigners] as [our] native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt." Not to get too deep in this, but fast forward to today's Christian. We were foreigners in the land of captivity (Egypt), captive to sin, but we have been brought out of darkness and into His marvelous light," so now we have a responsibility to treat others, who are still foreigners as well as we would treat ourselves. We are compelled to move according to the Biblical command. In a more practical sense: How do I keep going after someone says no? Easy. Every no, puts you one step closer to a yes. Babe Ruth, the home run king was also a leader in strikeouts. Those who strike out the most, can also have the potential to score the most. Be ok with striking out. If you're fearful, I think 1 Peter 5:7 says it pretty well. "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." The second suggestion is a bit more practical. Prepare. Know what you want to say and have it ready to go at any moment. Just start. Start with what you are most comfortable and then work up to things that are a bit more "difficult." You will notice that as you continue, your confidence will grow, and before you know it, you'll be doing things that you never dreamed of. But you have to start. Be nice to yourself. Within any challenge the hardest critic is always yourself. Don't be so hard on yourself if you don't hit a daily task, or make connections, or setup special services. Just keep going. If you forgot to do something, don't fret, just pick up where you left off. Remember, God loves you and cares for you. - Javy Diaz (pictured left) You might not know how to start these daily asks/conversations. I don't either, so I blame it on World Vision, CA’s! I say, "Hey, I have been challenged this month to make one ask a day, and you are lucky enough to be that ask. Would you just hear what I have to say? No obligation.” You might not feel like you know enough to make daily asks, but that's ok! Every time I share, I have to prepare myself with information. Looking for the stories of refugee children, learning more about the situation people are living in, learning to be a good resource for people who are seeking answers. This is always a growing experience for me….like the Grinch, my heart grows 3 extra sizes. If you're afraid, remember you are not advocating for yourself. You are speaking on behalf of a forgotten group of people. Share your heart and your passion. Make it personal. What would you do if your sisters or brothers were forced from their home? Wouldn’t the church, your friends, neighbors all work together to help? People want to help, but don’t know what to do. World Vision responds to the need and uses our resources in the most effective way possible. Don’t be shy about telling all the good that World Vision is doing in the refugee camps (child safe zones, counseling, schooling). I talked to my friend today and shared about this video I saw last night (children of war, i think?), where the little boy who’s parents were killed, said: i love my parents and they USED to love me. If that doesn’t break your heart….. Remember that if you're hearing no a lot eventually, there will be a yes. It is not my job to get people to do this. It is my job to inform and ask. God does the rest. When we take the pressure off ourselves to GET a sponsorship or an Refugee Responder our job becomes easier. I like to say that getting sponsorships is not in my job description. Asking is. Ask August is a challenge. Make it a fun challenge and not a burden. Wear a key around your neck. maybe people will ask YOU! Remember, it's okay for people to say no. - Celeste Sherman compiled/edited by Paula Hemphill in Meet Other CAs I think one of the most beautiful things in life is how unpredictable it can be -- how one seemingly unimportant decision can totally change your world and your life forever. I have had the privilege of experiencing a few transformational moments like that in my own life. Our child ambassador conference was one of them for me. I shared my story about it in a previous blog post. But since you've already heard that story, well, I want to tell your stories. I'd like you to meet some of my friends and hear them tell their stories about conference. Each one of the people who shared is unique and a precious part of our team. And so are YOU. That's why we are all extending a warm invitation for you to join us at conference this year! Get the details and register here. "Come away full..." - Tamara Vazquez "I felt a little like Moses as I came to God with my little list of excuses of why I couldn't go to conference. And one by one He took them away: My parents watched my son, I carpooled to the conference with another CA, I paid for the conference from my savings, and God is faithful to provide just as He always is. And in His faithfulness, He showed me that we need each other for this ministry and we need to lift up each other in prayer... I came not knowing what to expect at all, I just felt like I should be there. I was excited about going to Seattle and meeting other CA's, but I was a little nervous too. But I made friends with other CA's I hadn't met before and I was inspired by the prayer team to pray more. (Now) I pray that God would use me to change lives. I pray for other CA's. I pray over the picture folders. And I pray for the events we participate in. For me, conference was life-changing -- it's an amazing experience. It is celebrating God's goodness and faithfulness as we do His work. So, if anyone is on the fence, I would tell them to come. Come with an open-heart, and you'll come away full." "Conference is fuel for the soul..." - Linda Stombaugh "I definitely sat on the fence about conference for months. I came up with so many reasons why I shouldn't go. My family continuously encouraged me to go but it took a lyric from Matt Maher to really shake me: 'If anyone remembers my name, if I'm ever known for anything, let it be I ran into the night running with a firelight, firelight.' This made me examine what my purpose in life is. It shouldn't be to live a comfortable life, acquire things, and die. It made me ask myself, 'What impact can I make that will be eternal for the Kingdom of God?' So, I went to conference and I discovered that conference is fuel for the soul to accomplish our God given purpose. Being a Child Ambassador doesn't simply change the lives of children and their communities. It changes you." "Recharge, re-center, and connect..." - Cari Conklin "I registered for conference because I wanted to meet my heroes and learn from them. I also wanted to build relationships that would bring community. And I'm coming back to conference this year because I still have so much to learn and I want to see my heroes (now friends) in person! These are the kind of people I want to walk through life with. Coming to conference and being with them for a few days has taken what I knew I should do as a Christian and helped me move beyond it into a rich and joyful journey of faith. Conference is where the orange army comes to recharge, re-center, and connect to the larger mission we have as a team. This is not just an experience that is over when you leave. It is the start of many things beautiful, and growing, and good." "I now have this clarity in my heart..." - Candice East "For me conference means a weekend surrounded by the Body of Christ in the most concentrated setting I have ever experienced. I was reassured by the LORD over and over that this is HIS organization-- doing the work of His hands and feet. God built this organization through the prayers of faithful followers and being a part of it that weekend completely fueled my ministry. As with all things in my life, once I know the LORD is in something and He reassures me of it, I am all in! The Lord used conference to do just that for me last year. I simply felt the Lord leading me to this ministry like never before. I now have this clarity in my heart, in my confidence, in my purpose, and it had not been this strong before conference!" "It helped me know I'm not alone..." - Beth Adkins "I'm not really sure what made me decide to go to conference last year. I think I was disgusted with myself for not doing much as an ambassador. But I underestimated how amazing it would feel to be around other people who have the same heart as me for the people of the world. Conference was a great experience because of the orange army unity, but also because it brings you back to the heart of why you became a child ambassador in the first place. I got to reconnect with that right away. I invited my sister to attend with me, and she said yes. She had always had a heart for people before the conference, but she hadn't taken on sponsorship yet. The impact of the conference though, made her decide to not only start sponsoring, but to become a CA too! The heart of the conference helps to keep our WV heart beating and makes it bigger too. It helped me know I'm not alone, I'm not the only one who struggles with certain things, it reminded me of the first time I saw the work of World Vision, and the way it made my heart open. That bolsters me up. Conference is a great experience that is difficult to put into words, but has an amazing impact on your heart. Do it. You owe it to yourself to, at the very least, try conference once. If you want to be renewed as a CA, you have to try this. As far as the time and money are concerned, pray about it. Ask the prayer team to pray for you. I didn't know how I was going to make it there last year and the prayer team prayed for me and I made it. God even gave me an extra $100 as a gift from a friend!" "Immediately and lovingly welcomed..." - Shannon Legler (pictured back row, right side) "By the end of day one, I was shocked and humbled to my core! I have never been around a group of people so accepting, honest, real, and devoted to doing good! ...I walked away (from conference) with connections to new friends that still persist strongly today. Before even touching on the topics covered and resources provided by the conference, the antendees themselves--the warriors in the orange army who immediately and lovingly welcomed me into their ranks--did a lot to restore my faith in humanity." "I knew God was telling me to go..." - Tercelina Matias "I'm a very shy person. I really don't go out much. So, I asked my mom if I should attend my first conference two years ago and she told me to pray about it. I did and in my heart I knew God was telling me to go. I went not knowing what to expect. But I received a blessing. I worshiped, I met new brothers and sisters in Christ, and I learned new things about World Vision. But the best part of my first conference was that I won a stool from one of the mothers' in the Congo. It was an awesome experience. I love the people I met that year and I love everything about conference. Being there helped me to realize how many people in the world need help. My tears wouldn't stop when I saw so much need in this world. This knowledge gave me more motivation to talk to people about World Vision and their program. Also, it helped me to value what I have. For me conference is a BLESSING, a change of heart, a learning experience. The experience of my first conference brought me back the second year, and the experience of my second conference is bringing me back this year." "The conference answered the spiritual concerns we had and also allowed us to know that we have a lot of support not only from the staff and team at WV, but also from the other CAs in our area." - John & Tracey Miller "A sense of belonging..." - Rob Lebby "The difficult part for me as an introvert is that I don't always feel well-connected. Being a CA gives me a sense of belonging to something much bigger than myself and it's a very worthy endeavor. That was why I decided to register for conference the first time. I was excited about being a brand new CA and I wanted to connect with the larger group of CAs. The second year, I came back because of all the new friends I had made a year earlier. And it's why I hope to be back again this year." Contributed by Katherine Jones in Meet Other CAs Just as every sponsored child has a story, so too does every sponsor: why a particular child was chosen, where the sponsor was when she made her decision, or how she concluded she was ready for that commitment. Child Ambassador Cari Conklin’s sponsorship story, however, is a bit out of the ordinary: Her sponsored children are the fulfillment of a prophecy made years before when she was a teenager. “I grew up in the church,” she says, “the kind where we hosted a Mission Week every year. When I was a teen, we had one of the pastors from the denomination come and talk at our church. He shared phrases, messages he felt God had for congregation. He called me out as one he had a word of knowledge for. ‘Someday you will have many children,’ he said, ‘but not necessarily your own.’” In the years that followed, Cari forgot about that prophecy as she immersed herself in the activities of young adulthood, but as she reflects back on that time, she sees the stage for child sponsorship was laid when her dad took her and her brother to Honduras to build pews for a church. “That was my first experience seeing the third world, a developing country—but also seeing abundant joy in those who did not have abundant materials. God planted seeds.” Cari eventually married and began working in the Seattle area, where she still lives. She and her husband planned to have children, only to discover that Cari could not. She underwent a hysterectomy, and her marriage ended. Some time later, Cari started dating a guy who sponsored children through World Vision. “On his fridge,” she says, “I saw the kids he sponsored. He told me about them and explained World Vision’s method of sustainable and holistic development. He particularly talked about how powerful it was to sponsor a girl, how they are the glue in the community. And further, how sponsoring a child helps not only the child, but the whole community.” For Cari, the rest was a no-brainer. Within a week, she’d gone online to sponsor a child in Tanzania—the first of six sponsored kids throughout Africa and South America. And thus began the fulfillment of the prophecy Cari had received decades earlier. Around the time she sponsored her first child, Cari read The Hole in Our Gospel by World Vision president Rich Stearns—another game-changer for her. “When it goes into your heart,” she says, “that’s when you start sharing it. When it makes sense not just for you, you begin to believe that everyone should know about it. Her desire to share all that she was learning about child sponsorship led her to become a Child Ambassador about a year ago. Though she’s still a relative rookie, she possesses the passion of a veteran. The refugee crisis, in particular, compels her to action. “After I became a Child Ambassador, I sat at home so many evenings watching the videos [about the Syrian refugees] and crying, thinking, How can we be so disconnected to this? How is this so well hidden from us?” The more she learned about the suffering of the refugees, the more she wanted to help. She submerged herself in that work, and began to understand, from a certain perspective, why the issue was failing to get the help it so desperately needed. “If all you do is share the darkness, the sadness, without a hope, you get tired emotionally, spiritually. Then you’re raising up your hands saying, What can we do? No one seems to have an answer, and I don’t want to talk about it because there’s nothing we can do about it.” But here, she says, is where we as Child Ambassadors can step in—because we do have some answers. “As Child Ambassadors, we have that hope; we have that answer. We can bring up that conversation [about the refugees] because we have that hope to pair with it. If we can engage people in that and bring them that perspective of hope, then people will engage. “One thing that has really pricked my heart is this Syrian family that I work with, who are now my good friends. We talk about their family, what they’re facing. They tell me about their family in Syria, who have no phone service. They lack food and face danger every day. They describe it to me and I say, I am so sorry. I say, I’m praying every day for your family, for Syria, and we’re doing what we can." “And then they start telling me again. It’s as if they think if we hear it enough, we will understand. I feel like that’s what they’re doing with me. I feel that they’re saying, People can’t possibly understand what they’re experiencing over there or they would do something. I tell them I’m doing everything I can, I’m having a meeting with someone tomorrow, and on Thursday. They say thank you, and we cry. But they have this look in their eyes like, Why is there not a massive effort to solve this problem? They have this helpless look like, We’re in America, one of richest countries in world, so it’s confusing to them to see everything we have—the Costcos and malls and luxury cars—and they’re speechless as to why more is not being done. They have no words to explain it.”
Cari points to something she read recently, by the Christian theologian Henri Nouwen. “The opposite of a scarcity mentality is an abundancy mentality. With an abundancy mentality we say: ‘There is enough for everyone, more than enough: food, knowledge, love ... everything.’ With this mind-set we give away whatever we have, to whomever we meet. When we see hungry people we give them food. When we meet ignorant people we share our knowledge; when we encounter people in need of love, we offer them friendship and affection and hospitality and introduce them to our family and friends." Cari says that Nouwen goes on to explain that when we live with this “abundancy” mind-set, we live poised to see how everything we give away multiplies—that there will even be leftovers. “We can share the hope that we have so much to give,” Cari says, “and we can do it with joy.” Which leads this Child Ambassador, whose life has seen the fulfillment of a prophecy, to make a prediction of her own. “I think we’re going to gain momentum,” she says, “and this year I think we’re going to see things busting loose—God working through the church and rippling out through churches. That is my prayer, and I do believe God is working in that way. I think that’s the way the church is going to become relevant.” |
AuthorsGreater Together is a collaborative blog written by volunteer Child Ambassadors for World Vision. Categories
All
Archives
November 2020
|