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 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." By Laura Walls in You're New. What Next? You've taken a leap of faith and signed up to become a Child Ambassador with World Vision. We are so happy to have you as part of this ministry! You have joined a group of people who, like you, are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and families. It's an exciting journey to take part in and an amazing group to travel with on the ride! Following are five steps to getting off to a great start! Step 1: The Training Videos* This three part video series will equip you with the knowledge you need to feel confident about sharing sponsorship. Each video is 15-20 minutes long and includes interviews with other child ambassadors so you have an opportunity to hear how they do it! These videos are a great way to get familiar with World Vision's work on a deeper level and feel more comfortable sharing as a child ambassador. * Note: In the training videos, the cost for sponsoring a child was $35. That price has now increased to $39.
|
AuthorsGreater Together is a collaborative blog written by volunteer Child Ambassadors for World Vision. Categories
All
Archives
November 2020
|