Don Pedro is an entrepreneur, a leader of a production and distribution cooperative that creates jobs in his community. His children are thriving in business and education. He is sought after to share his experiences and successes. On a sunny day in Sololá, Guatemala, he described his journey to fullness of life to the visiting Child Ambassadors. The following is his story. Don Pedro’s home was set on a path branching off of the mountain road. He, his wife, and their children live in a spacious house, with the bustle of business in the workspaces around them. On that day, he and his daughter Olga welcomed our visiting Child Ambassador team into their courtyard. As we stood around pleasantly chatting, his son Celso, age seven, darted across the space. Don Pedro smiled and shared that Celso was doing so well in school that he had skipped a whole grade. Celso flitted in and out of the group; he paused near me for a moment, and I asked him what his favorite subject was. He thought, then said he loved letters; he flitted away again, singing a song about vowel sounds as he went. This family was an image of vibrant life. Sparking Change
Sparking Growth He approached World Vision's local team, and they said that if he created a working pilot program, they would help him scale his business. Don Pedro started making batches of ten candles at a time in a small metal box, producing a total of 200-300 per day. He carried his product on his back to local stores, selling candles as he went. World Vision saw his determined initiative and agreed to help him scale the business. Don Pedro already had an idea of what to do. He envisioned a working machine that would dip up to eighty candles at a time, increasing his productivity eight fold. He said that he could build the machine; all he needed was a stove and some large pots to heat the wax. WV invested in those items and also connected him with some business classes. With the equipment from World Vision and his own efficient invention, he soon began to produce 3,000 candles a day.
Sharing Success Now Don Pedro’s work is expanding to encompass success for the people around him. He’s been able to build a house for his family, a warehouse, and several workspaces. He founded a group — Grupo Candelario — to include people from nine other families in the business, and he has outsourced the production of candles so that he can focus on distribution. He was especially proud that the people on his team can work close to home and thus enjoy spending more time with their children. His own daughter Olga, age twenty-five, has joined her father in business. She’s a talented artist and is turning her skills into a successful market for custom embroidered fabrics. When asked what he wanted next, what his next big dream would be, Don Pedro said simply that his dream was for his children. He says he hopes that one day his children will have their own homes and lands and that his grandchildren will have the opportunity to get the education he couldn’t have. More than anything, he wants them to have a childhood marked by joy and an adulthood marked by productive success.
Carrying the Light
Like the light of Don Pedro’s candles, hope is spreading across Guatemala. Residing in that country are people with dreams that can change generations. When they, like Don Pedro, achieve success, they can diffuse it across their communities. And when you invite someone to sponsor a child in Guatemala, you’re helping get the right tools in the hands of people with dreams. Don Pedro took a stove and wax pots and built a business legacy. As you advocate for the children on the sponsorship website or on your picture folders, imagine what the future would be like if their families were also empowered to reach their dreams. Let’s keep working in partnership with them until they, too, are surrounded by the growing light. Contributed by Emily Smith in Stories from the Field. Photos by Linnae Asiel. In last week’s post, I had the pleasure of introducing you to Maritza, my three-year-old sponsored child in Guatemala. You heard about her family’s strength and struggles and about their belief in the change that comes over time. This week, I’d like to introduce you to another family. They live only a short distance from Maritza’s community. They share similar struggles and similar faith. But for this family, change was coming too slowly. The dimly lit building hummed with people. Families, World Vision staff, and Child Ambassadors chatted and exchanged stories around a long table. Children were sprinkled throughout the group, drawing, giggling, the smaller ones being handed from adult to adult. In the midst of the pleasant bustle, a young woman walked to the front of the room. Conversations dropped off one by one as she introduced herself. Her name was Fabiola, and she had a story to tell. Fabiola had traveled to Chiantla that day to share with the visiting Child Ambassador team, for she, too, was passionate about the future of her community’s children. As she shared about her volunteer work in a World Vision-supported children’s center, we could see the energy radiating from her. She’s one of those exceptional people whom I could never imagine sitting still for long. She has a mission, and she is a woman of action. Just twelve months earlier, at age seventeen, Fabiola’s passion for the future had driven her to act decisively. She had grown worried for her two younger brothers and her sister. Across northern Guatemala, where Fabiola lives, small children die of preventable diseases; older children drop out of school to work family farms. Parents strive to change the cycle, but the remoteness of the region limits their access to opportunities. A better way forward seemed out of reach. So Fabiola decided to reach farther. She had heard stories of jobs to the north. If she could make it across Mexico and into the US, she believed she’d be able to work and save up to help her siblings. Fabiola’s father discovered her plans and insisted it was far too dangerous for her to go alone. If she was determined to go, he was going with her. Turning North
Reaching the Threshold As Fabiola began to relate the next phase of her story, I felt a quiet tapping at my hand. Maritza, who was standing next to me, was getting a little restless and had started carefully poking at a band-aid on my hand. When I looked down at her, she laughed and made a game of it — her sneakily trying to poke my hand, me silently pretending to try to escape her reach. When Maritza contentedly settled back to play with her mom’s scarf, I looked back up to the front of the room. In the few moments that had passed, Fabiola had continued her story. She had moved out of my line of sight, but I could see Rodrigo, our World Vision host, who was translating for her. The color had drained from his face.
Fabiola acknowledged that staying in the storage unit was hard, but that at least her family was together. On the eighth day, however, border authorities decided to send father and daughter to separate containment centers. Over the next two months, Fabiola would be shuffled to seven different locations, never knowing where her father was. A lawyer was sent to explain her situation to her, but the lawyer spoke only English. Fabiola knew just a handful of words in English. No one offered to translate for her. And she was not alone in her confusion. She recalled that at one center, she could hear the cries of younger children across the facility; worried that they were afraid, she asked if she could go comfort them. She was refused. Immigration authorities eventually determined that Fabiola should be sent back home, and they put her on a plane to Guatemala City. But Fabiola is not from Guatemala City. Her home is far to the north, and having never been to the capital, she wasn’t sure exactly how far. Since her father’s release date had not been scheduled to coincide with hers, Fabiola arrived alone, in a strange city, with no idea how to get home. Next Steps Fabiola related her relief when a bus driver noticed her and realized that she was lost. She said that he gave her a little money and helped her find a way home. Two weeks later, her father arrived.
Our Steps World Vision and the people of northern Guatemala are working to broaden their options, to implement change that will be safer and more sustainable than emigration. And their change can come sooner with your help. Today, in response to Fabiola’s experience, I have two challenges for you: one as a US citizen, one as a Child Ambassador.
Contributed by Emily Smith in Stories from the Field. Photos by Linnae Asiel. Time echoed through the mountains of Chiantla, Guatemala. Ancient haze settled over the mysterious peaks. Wind-scarred rocks loomed from the slopes. And amidst this epic backdrop, surrounded by her family, sat one small girl in a bright red dress. Maritza, age three, hummed contentedly to herself as she flipped through the pages of a cat-themed coloring book, her little ponytail bobbing in time to her tune. Every once in a while, she’d point out a particularly interesting gato to her mother, pull a crayon from her father’s hand, or smile up at her grandmother. “I wish you were staying for three days,” her grandmother said to me. “It always takes her three days to warm up to someone.” As I watched Maritza pick a crayon the color of her dress, I got the distinct impression that though she might not speak to me, she is not shy. She simply takes her time. I was in Chiantla that Tuesday with the Child Ambassador team. We were visiting Guatemala to learn people’s stories so that we could share them in the US, inspiring sponsorships and generating support for the programs there. As I prepped for the trip, World Vision asked if I would sponsor a child in Chiantla. If I did, I might be able to meet him / her. I agreed, and a picture of Maritza — wearing a cat sweatshirt — showed up in my inbox. A few short weeks later, I found myself face to face with this self-assured girl and her family: her mom Maria Elena, her dad Anjel, and her grandmother Maximiliana. While Maritza colored a cartoon of a cat holding a flower pot, her family and I talked. As we shared our backgrounds and swapped stories, I gathered that this family believed strongly in the power of time — just as time had shaped this mountain’s features, time would bring healing to its inhabitants. But in the meantime, they shared honestly, life is difficult. Maximiliana looked frankly at me. “Estamos luchando para vida,” she said. “We are fighting for life.” The Daily Fight As we were to later learn at a meeting between World Vision staff and community leadership, life is indeed a fight in Maritza’s community. The remoteness of the region causes severe concerns for its families. Most people in Chiantla farm, but access to international food markets is beyond the community’s reach. There is low demand for their products locally, so farmers must settle for low prices. With only a small income, families can’t afford to send their children to school. Children thus grow up to limited job opportunities and continue working on the family farms, barred from access to more stable income. The concerns get deeper. Because the farms produce only select crops, malnutrition affects half of preschool-aged children. Undernourished, children begin to develop other health conditions. But there are no doctors in remote Chiantla. A community leader shared with us in frustration that regional nurses had planned to serve in Chiantla twice a week, but in reality, they can visit only occasionally. When they do, they don’t always have adequate medicines and supplies. The malnutrition and limited medicines make a potent combination; diseases like tonsillitis and bronchitis still take children’s lives. Understandably, parents feel stretched to the limit. The Future But though they acknowledged the struggle of daily life, Maritza’s family were not in despair. Maria Elena and Anjel joyfully described Maritza’s intelligence and potential, and Maximiliana confidently stated that Maritza would one day have a career of her own choosing. How could they look to the future with such joy? Because they believed that hope was coming over time. Chiantla began a relationship with World Vision about three months ago. Currently, community leadership and World Vision staff are investigating needs and brainstorming goals and solutions. World Vision helped a pilot group of farmers start an animal husbandry program, diversifying their products for marketability. Community leaders and WV staff are conducting research on how to support schools and early childhood development centers. WV officers are helping children register for sponsorship so the community will receive donations that can benefit healthcare. Anjel and Maria Elena summarized it best in a letter they wrote me: the children of Guatemala have been remembered.
Our Challenge
Today we challenge you, CAs, to join Guatemala's parents and grandparents in supporting moments of childhood — moments of humming contentedly and blissfully coloring. When you finish reading this post, please head to the the team website, click on the Supplies tab, and order picture folders specifically for kids from Chiantla. (You can specify the community name and its code, 211057, in the special requests box next to your order.) Then, share those pictures with your circle of influence and invite people to sponsor. Guatemala is stepping into the change that comes over time. Let's echo the stories of their courage. This January 27th, the Child Ambassador Vision Trip Team will be heading to Guatemala to see World Vision's work in the field! This group of amazing and passionate volunteers have been faithfully sharing about Child Sponsorship, each connecting 40 or more children to sponsors! It hasn't been easy and many on the team faced some big challenges - but they've also experienced great joy as, one by one, they connected children to the hope of sponsorship and the love of Christ. Read their stories below and then read a little more about World Vision's work in Guatemala! Meet Donna Touros: Donna, we'd love to learn about your journey as a Child Ambassador. How did the Lord lead you to connect children to sponsors this past year? I've been a Child Ambassador since nearly the beginning of the program, at least ten years ago or so. I was a fairly new Christian and I'd been inspired by a friend of mine who said, "If you really want to grow in your faith, find something outside of the church that you are passionate about and get involved in it - and bring that passion into the church." So I found out about World Vision and sponsored a little boy named Wilber from El Salvador. I loved the letters and relationship so much that I started telling everyone about it. My church began hosting a Hope Sunday on a regular basis and many people started sponsoring as a result. After a lot of years of active involvement, my ministry kind of plateaued and life was filled with work responsibilities. But one day I talked to Megan (our Child Ambassador Team Lead), and I felt I could really be doing more now. I feel more comfortable in my job. I just need to focus more on the charities I'm involved with. And last year I had a stellar year! World Vision is now my top focus and I am embracing it more than ever. This really started with my faith journey and all of it has really been a journey of faith. What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? I have always had a burning desire to go back to Central America. This started with God giving me this relationship with Wilber and loving this relationship. And seeing this region on the news - I just love that World Vision is in this country and helping people be able to love their country, strengthen their communities, and make their community a safe place to raise their children. It's not about anything other than giving every child a safe place to grow up. Give them a voice in their community. Give them hope and a future there. How can we pray for you, Donna? I feel like I'm so richly blessed and these children are not. Please pray that I'm able to share these stories with people . So many people in the world don't have solvable problems. Pray that God will give me the words to say to the people he places in front of me and give me opportunities to share what World Vision does. I can be so focused on what's next instead of who is in front of me. Pray I can seize the day and recognize the opportunities and the words to say. I want to find opportunities to have another stellar year and connect more children to sponsors. Meet Linnae Gomez: Linnae, we'd love to learn about your journey as a Child Ambassador. How did the Lord lead you to connect children to sponsors this past year? My main focus as an ambassador is with my clients and friends/family. Through conversations about what I love to do (support kids) and how incredible the work that World Vision does, I open doors to talk about real change in people’s lives. First, I build trust into my client’s hearts to understand that I care and have values that they relate to. Then through shared connection, I switch the conversation to my life passion. My husband and I also put on an art show for the city of San Jose’ s artist community. With their help and involvement, we work to create a shared experience of art and conversation of spiritual things. I use this as a platform for a large scale art installation immersing the guests into the heart of a crisis. One year we focused on the Syrian refugees and last year we focused on the drought in Africa. What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? I am hoping to experience a change in my vision while in Guatemala. I would like my world view to shift and for the blinders on my eyes to open. Sometimes my head knows so much that my heart can’t catch up. I am hoping my heart wakes up and catches up. I am hoping that my tongue begins to speak from the heart and not the head. I am hoping to become a huge support to the people of Guatemala both in my city and in theirs. I am hoping to find a deeper connection to the team and learn to work together making each other stronger. How can we pray for you, Linnae? I have been having a lot of shifts in my work and am offering it to God to do something new and fresh. I am asking for more trust. I get headaches from stress and would like to physically be experiencing God’s peace as well. Meet Cari Conklin: Cari, tell us about your journey as a Child Ambassador. How did the Lord lead you to connect children to sponsors this past year? After going to the Middle East this Spring and feeling deeply how many Arabs, both Christian and Muslim, feel unseen and dehumanized, I came to see a new dynamic in sponsorship I hadn’t seen before: a way to connect families on a personal, human level to overcome and bridge communities here and abroad for our own transformation and reconciliation. I already believed World Vision’s models of community development is one of the best ways to transform communities and lives systemically. What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? I feel like we have another group of human beings that have been dehumanized and marginalized and I want to meet as many lovely, resilient, strong and beautiful human beings as I can so that I can share their stories and my experience in hopes of building more bridges for spiritual discipleship and international reconciliation. How can we pray for you, Cari? My new job has been very intense and I pray for the pressures of that not to prevent me from being present and open to being moved by the God’s spirit. Also for some health challenges not to interfere. Meet Melodee Miller: Tell us about your journey as a Child Ambassador, Mel. How did the Lord lead you to connect children to sponsors this past year? This last year, the Lord lead me down a path I never knew was possible for me! I felt led to run a 1/2 marathon and find sponsors for 13 children, one for each mile. I’ve never been a runner so this really was the Lord’s leading! It was amazing! 18 children were sponsored! So, I decided to do it again and another 15 were sponsored! It was definitely all God!! The others were through one-on-one connections with people over the year. It was such an amazing year and I’m so thankful God led me to do something so crazy! What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? I’m so excited to see World Vision’s work in Guatemala. My heart has been broken so many times over the border crisis. I’ve cried so much seeing the many families fleeing to try to make a better life for themselves and their children on a journey that is filled with danger and so much unknown. I was hoping and praying I would get to go to Central America to learn and see what is happening. My heart exploded when I found out that I get to go to Guatemala. I’m hoping to see the youth initiatives that are implemented to give children a safe space and provide opportunities for them. Ever since seeing the video at conference of the little girl who learned piano through WV’s music classes, I’ve been hoping to see a music club! I play piano and music has been a huge part in my healing from my past and it is one of the deepest ways I connect with Jesus. It would be so incredible to witness the profound healing impact that music is having on the children there. How can we pray for you, Melodee? For those that don’t know, the little 2-year-old girl I sponsored in preparation for this trip passed away two months after I sponsored her. She had a heart condition from birth. The news of her passing rocked me. Although I will not get to meet her this side of heaven, I will still meet her family. Please pray for that time and that it is everything the Lord wants it to be. Pray for my nerves and that the Holy Spirit gives me the words I need to say. Also, please pray for my husband and kids as I’m traveling while my family and I are still RV’ing around the country. They’ll be staying in two different campgrounds while I’m gone. Pray for peace for my husband and kids and that the move from one campground to the next goes smoothly. Thank you! Meet Emily Smith: Emily, tell us about your journey as a Child Ambassador. How did the Lord lead you to connect children to sponsors this past year? This year reminded me of 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth." (ESV). Year before last, God provided sponsorships through big events, like the Global 6K for Water. This year, I expected Him to create sponsorships in the same way. However, no events this year resulted in large groups of sponsorships, and I began to fear that I had lost my momentum. But God moved individual hearts in His own time, long after I thought the seeds I had planted were dead. My mom and two dear friends each unexpectedly decided to sponsor; a coworker stood in the gap for a little girl just days before her PF expired; a small church in my community pooled their funds to sponsor two kids together; a lady approached my World Vision table to tell me that God had been leading her toward sponsorship for months and that He needed her to sponsor that day. Time after time, God showed His glory by moving hearts in His own way and bringing a harvest at His own time. What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? Seeing World Vision's work in Guatemala is the answer to months of prayer. Central America has been on my heart for some time now, and I felt helpless to assist in the crises there. Due to some last-minute sponsorships, I didn't know that I had qualified for the Vision Trip when I arrived at conference this year. So when they made the announcement for Guatemala, I knew that God had arranged it. I'm hoping to spend time with people to gather their first-hand stories, hopes, and dreams so that I can amplify their voices to the world outside Guatemala and engage people in working alongside them for a better future. How can we pray for you, Emily? Please pray for the right words and right opportunities when sharing what I've learned after the trip. I want the experience gained on this trip to fuel my advocacy and CA ministry over the coming year to get more people engaged in serving Guatemala. Meet Vicki Casper Vicki, you've been a Child Ambassador for many years. How did the Lord lead you to connect even more children to sponsors this past year? This year, my journey as a CA has been full of a lot of prayer and waiting on the Lord, trusting Him to move more than my words as I reach out to potential sponsors. One by one he has brought hearts to embrace the children we represent. This was the year of the hare and the turtle; slowly but surely God moved inch by inch. AMEN. What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? I had the opportunity to see World Vision's work in Guatemala about 8 years ago and I am excited to see the progress. I am excited to see this beautiful land and its people again. How can we pray for you, Vicki? Please pray that God reveals even more to me about His work in Guatemala. Meet Dee Billing Dee, you've been a Child Ambassador for many years. How did the Lord lead you to connect even more children to sponsors this past year? Because God has challenged me to find sponsors for 1,000 children, I've been inspired to think larger with my Child Ambassador ministry. This God-sized goal makes me keep moving and thinking and asking God for ways to find sponsorships. I've been working on corporate partnerships and promoting Global Dinners to women's ministries. I also spend almost every Saturday at an outdoor event in the summertime. It's often slow and I don't always have a sponsorship but for every one, it's worth it! What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? I've been going every summer to Guatemala and even though I only see these folks once a year, they have such a grip on my heart. I've been reading a book that has opened my heart more to the challenges of the Mayan people and I want to learn from them and understand more of their culture. And I also would like to share Guatemala with some of the team who haven't been there before. It's such a beautiful country - the marketplaces and the colors. It's just beautiful! How can we pray for you, Dee? My granddaughter, Aryian, will be in my home and staying with my dogs. Her car is in poor condition so I just worry about her getting home from her nursing shifts. Please pray that she will have safety and things will go smoothly for her. Meet Merrill Swenke Merrill, we'd love to learn about your journey as a Child Ambassador. How did the Lord lead you to connect children to sponsors this past year?
The beginning of the year started out really strong because a coworker invited me to share the Matthew 25 Challenge with her small group. It really was such a perfect, intimate setting to experience it. But still, it was such surprise to me that 6 out of 8 people sponsored a child! But mostly, this was really of year of finding sponsors one by one. I had to be a little bit braver and ask people I hadn't known all that long. What does it mean to you to see World Vision's work in Guatemala? What are you hoping to see or experience? It means a lot - specifically because of what we see going on in Central America right now. I'm really hoping to be able to come back and share about World Vision's work there and a positive way of looking at the people of Guatemala and help change people's attitudes. I'm hoping to see and hear success stories that we can bring back and talk about and say, "It's working and people are benefiting." I want to share that we were there and met these people and heard their story. To say that is just so powerful. How can we pray for you, Merrill? Pray that our team can listen and learn so that we can come back and share with individuals and churches and get support for Guatemala and other countries in Central America. Also, please pray that my family stays safe and well while I'm away - especially my mom. And prayers for everyone's families while we are gone. 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. By Melodee Miller during the Child Ambassador Conference, 2018. (Compiled by Laura Walls.) At conference this year, we heard Child Ambassadors share their BEST tips on some of the ways they've shared sponsorship. It was so valuable, we wanted to put it on the blog to be sure the whole team has the chance to hear it, too! So here are Melodee Miller's tips on how to share one on one with people about sponsorship AND how to engage people in talking about sponsorship when hosting a table at a farmer's market or fair setting. Use it as a springboard for launching your own ideas! And stay tuned! In the weeks to come, you'll be hearing from our "Social Media Star" CAs, our "Small Group Savvy" CAs, our "Church Challenger" CA's, and our "Presentation Pro!" Not sure what kind of CA you are? Click the button below and take the quiz! Mel's tips for sharing sponsorship one on one:
Mel's Tips for Sharing at Tables:
Tippy taps - an ingenious washing station in areas where there isn't running water! Consider trying one at your next outdoor table as a conversation starter! Meet Cathy Kaufman! Cathy lives on a farm in western Nebraska with her husband of 34 years, Mike. They have three grown, married daughters and eight beautiful grandchildren! Cathy enjoys running a home-based skincare business and is a team-builder. She's grateful for the opportunity to "not miss a moment" with her family and takes joy in seeing that it empowers her God-given desire to rescue the most vulnerable children. Cathy's favorite non-World Vision hobbies are walking - especially on their farm - and finding God in those quiet moments in the countryside. She also enjoys seeing movies with her husband and loves to travel - especially to see her grandchildren! Cathy, what inspired you to become a CA? I believe God planted the spark for helping vulnerable children when I was very young. At the age of 5, I was concerned for the children of our migrant workers who came from Mexico and stayed on my father’s farm. Even at that age I tried to figure out what I could do to help them have a better life. Through the seasons of my life God fanned the flame of my desire to help children in poverty and developed an international view in me. About 10 years ago, while attending a Women of Faith conference, I sponsored my first World Vision child. I had such a sense that this was God’s calling for me. In the year that followed, I got on the website and sponsored 2 more kiddos. But in doing so, I realized that while God had given me a desire to sponsor ALL the children, He didn’t give me the bank account for it! His answer to that was a postcard in the mail from WV asking me to consider being a CA! Again, I thought this was God’s plan so I signed up and was thrilled to get my kit. But then that door was closed as re-structuring at my work place required me to work more hours which left me with very little time for volunteer work. I became an inactive CA, with my soul on fire, waiting for God. He had a lot of work to do in me and many changes to make in my life. One of those was my home-based business which trained this introvert how to do reach-outs, build a network and connect with people. Proof that God can use any vehicle to accomplish more than we can ask or imagine! Fast forward to January 2017, I was able to quit my job because of the success of my business. God prompted me that it was time to re-activate as a CA and I felt so much more prepared. My passion is now blazing and I’m “all in” for whatever God has for me in rescuing vulnerable children. What has been your favorite sponsorship event? Our Awana club always has the kiddos bring “a birthday card and gift” for Jesus at Christmas time. The leaders pick a charity to donate the money to, which is usually around $150-175. This last year they chose World Vision. God was certainly on the move…the children themselves collected over $500! The church missions board decided to match that amount and so did an anonymous donor!! Our Awana group now sponsors 2 children and 1 Refugee Responder! All to the Glory of God!! Do you have some encouragement for other CAs? PRAY~PRAY~PRAY - We can’t do this on our own. God calls us to step out in faith and leave the results to Him. Consider every “no” to be “not now” as you have planted the seed and you never know how God will “grow” it. On average people need to be approached 7 times with an idea before they act on it. So don’t take it personally. Don’t quit. Keep going. Can’t do this wonderful work we do without God…and grit!! Do you have a favorite verse that inspires you in your ministry? Many of my friends think I’m crazy for starting a new “mission in life” at 60 years old when I should be slowing down to retirement. I believe just the opposite. I believe that God has been beautifully weaving this into the tapestry of my life all along… and His timing is perfect. That’s why Esther 4:14 is my verse: “Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created.” I truly believe that. * You can reach Cathy via email at [email protected]. Contributed by Celeste Sherman in Stories from the Field Twelve years ago, out of a sea of little faces from all over the world, I fell in love with a little boy with a shy smile named Francisco from the Dominican Republic. Twelve years later, we had the opportunity to meet him, his brother Luis Miguel, who we sponsored for 6 years, and their mom and dad. There is nothing that can prepare you for the moment when your sponsored children go from two-dimensional photos on your refrigerator, to three-dimensional, living, breathing, handsome young men, with the same shy smiles. It was a dream that we never thought would happen. Five years ago, Stu was diagnosed with ALS, and knowing what the future could bring, we put this dream out of our minds. The amazing thing is, Stu was not progressing as many do with ALS. The past three summers, he has taken up hand-cycling and has actually been gaining muscle. Since this year marked 40 years of being married, we decided we needed to take a trip to celebrate. We were looking at cruises, but they were very costly, as we needed a room with a balcony for our service dog, Swanson. We were gifted money from the ALS Charitable Family foundation to take this trip, and did not want to go over our budget. Paula Hemphill, a Child Ambassador friend, suggested we go to the DR and visit the boys we sponsor. This had never occurred to me, but I immediately checked with World Vision to see if we could make this happen. World Vision and I worked secretly so I could keep it a surprise. I explained to the DR sponsorship team that we really needed special accommodations for the trip. We’d have a service dog, a walker, and limited mobility and I was told none of this would be a problem! So, on Easter weekend, I surprised Stu, telling him we were going to the DR to visit our boys. He was overjoyed! World Vision suggested what hotels to stay at, and we found a beautiful hotel in Santo Domingo, right within our budget. The end of July could not come soon enough, yet there were so many things to do. We shopped for things for the boys, had their "My World Vision" videos translated to be sure to know their favorite colors, sports, etc. We shopped for the family; some kitchen items, and things for their little sisters. We carefully packed everything in our suitcases and off we went. What would it be like? Would it be awkward? We could have written a song in anticipation: "I Can Only Imagine." Tuesday, July 31, started early with the World Vision staff picking us up at our hotel at 6:15 a.m.. We met our host, Yocasta, from World Vision DR, who warmly greeted us, and was every bit as excited as we were. We stepped into the WV van, with the famous logo and the words, "por los ninos." We were finally on our way. We also met the World Vision International (WVI) video crew, who accompanied us to document the trip. We were interviewed on the way to the boys' Area Program (AP), which was an approximately 4 hour trip through the beautiful DR countryside. We were again interviewed outside of the World Vision AP office and were told to wait while the WVI video crew interviewed the family. We were SO very close. The initial meeting had a flair for the dramatic, having the two of us stand in front of the door of the office, facing the camera, and instructed not to turn around until cued. The anticipation was killing us. Finally, we were told to turn around. We knew that boys would be standing there, in our heads we pictured it, but, when we turned around our hearts leaped like no other surprise we had ever experienced. It brought tears to my eyes, and all I could do is say… ‘OH MY GOD!!!! Look at you.’ And I reached out to touch them, perhaps, just to make sure that they were real. They responded without hesitation with huge hugs for us. We were escorted inside where the AP staff was waiting and, at the end of the receiving line, their beautiful parents, Francisco Sr. and Maris - smiling, hugging, and thanking us. The rest of the day was full, like a dream, and we still have to refer to the photos we have from the trip and the future video, to be sure it really happened. We learned so much about our history with our sponsorship. When we sponsored Francisco, their house was in very bad state of repair. Because of our sponsorship, World Vision helped restore their house. Francisco Sr. was able to save enough money to buy his own land and he and his brother have a growing coffee business, making specialty coffee, which is in high demand. Their mom, Maris, has been cleaning houses to help finance schooling for their two older daughters, who are in the university. One of the girls, Marianny, will graduate this year and be a teacher. She plans to help with the family's income. This particular sister is dear to us, as she initially wrote the letters we received from Francisco, when he was too young to write. Marianny often thanked us and sent blessings, and in one letter wrote that she hoped we could come to visit someday! We laughed together, as the boys helped me count to ten in Spanish and we admired the English words that they had been taught. We bonded over our love for the same baseball teams, Stu and Francisco are Red Sox fans, while Luis and I prefer the Yankees. The boys told us of the trophies they had earned; Francisco for a chess tournament, and Luis for baseball. We were so proud of them. We complimented their mom and dad for the wonderful job they did as parents and the beautiful hearts of the young men they raised. We learned about Francisco Sr. and Maris' love story, how they met and married, and they learned of ours. We went out to visit the community and saw some of the amazing work World Vision has done in this Area Program. As we were out walking and Stu was negotiating the ramp and some of the more difficult terrain, the family surrounded him and guided him and the walker. Francisco, who will be an engineer, immediately pointed out that the walker wheel was not working properly. We shared lunch together and more stories. We talked about our families, what we do for work, how coffee is grown and harvested, how I love coffee, their favorite foods, and music. They asked about Swanson, our service dog, and the boys played, petted, scratched, and hugged her. To Swanson's delight, they also gave her treats. The time came when we had to say goodbye. We gave many hugs, and then Stu, Swanson, and I had to board the van to head out.
At that moment, I was overcome with emotion, and burst into tears. Luis, the future teacher, immediately ran to the van, and threw his arms around me. OH my HEART. I will never forget the sight of the four of them, waving goodbye to us. When we were driving back, after several minutes to process in silence, I asked Yocasta when the date of closure was for this Area Program. This Area Program, Apolinar Perdoma, will close this year. We knew it was close as they are in phase three of their development, but were so awed at God’s timing in all of this. This visit was for this appointed, ordained time that God had set just for us and this family. The Sanchez family and the Sherman family will forever be united in love, thanks to World Vision. We will forever hold this time in our hearts. Contributed by Laura Walls in Stories from the Field I never thought I would one day be driving toward the former headquarters of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in northern Uganda. When I first became a Child Ambassador in 2010, I read a heartbreaking story of the LRA's brutality in abducting children in the middle of the night, forcing them to become child soldiers. I remember praying for the kids and their families, never thinking I might one day meet them. "You see the tall grass," our driver gestured to the grassy plains surrounding a cluster of neatly thatched, painted round homes, "The LRA would use that to hide. There was no way for anyone to see them coming." The tall grass rippled in the breeze as we drove along the narrow, dirt path. The land seemed so open yet cloaked such a harrowing past. I imagined, what if it was our family who was startled awake in the middle of the night to shouts, guns, and violence? What if it were my boys who were abducted and forced to do things against their will? What if they were forced to choose between my life and their own? How would they ever recover? Many of the boys abducted and forced to commit murder were as young as nine years old. Girls just ten years old were taken and forced to become "wives." My thoughts were interrupted by voices - children singing - their voices carrying on the wind. They met our vehicles and led us along the path to where the community had gathered. The children's matching blue school uniforms showed that, for these kids, a whole new future is ahead. We were met with more singing, this time joined by women waving palm branches and trilling joyfully, greeting us with the warmest hugs - the kind of hug that just rolls right into your heart. Because we are child sponsors, we are more then just ourselves. To them, we represent World Vision - the organization that has walked beside them in their grief, prayed with them, and through the power of God brought reconciliation and restoration of the abducted children and their community. They led us to a place prepared in a shady grove where we could hear all they had to tell us. .As community leaders shared with us, we learned that this area had experienced insurgency for 25 years. People were slaughtered, burned, and abducted. Homes were looted. Even after the war was over, there was a post-war effect. Many children were born to girls held in captivity and faced stigmatization and neglect. There was a lot of conflict having the child soldiers coming back into the community, even after they had been rehabilitated at World Vision's Children of War Rehabilitation Center. It meant people now had to face, "the man who killed my mother." It was hard to accept that the teens had done so against their will. Meeting them in their grief, World Vision gathered the community saying, "Let us sit down together." In these meetings, World Vision staff, community leaders, and community members were able to share their problems and their ideas for solutions. World Vision helped the community to process through music, drama, and dance and to build peace and de-stigmatize the formerly abducted children as they reentered the community. They reunited families that had been separated and integrated the returning children (now grown up) into a Farmer's Cooperative where they could work alongside others in their community, have income opportunities, and experience a sense of belonging. Samuel, a community leader proudly shared the changes in the community since World Vision came. "We acknowledge support of World Vision. We now have improved seed, training and best practices in farming. We have access to marketing and potential buyers. There is no more domestic violence. We have peace and unity. We have improved education. We have food security and our children now eat three meals a day. We are able to support other vulnerable families. Our children are able to pay their school fees. We have government support and recognition. And we are Christian and growing in faith." And all of this is because of child sponsorship. Child sponsorship knits the community together and provides the investment needed to make a long-term difference in the lives of children and their families. What an amazing gift it is to be part of this work! I came to Uganda so uncertain of how it would feel to be faced with such brokenness. I left seeing that brokenness doesn't need to be the end of the story. Through the power of God at work through World Vision child sponsorship, there can be healing, wholeness, reconciliation, and hope!!! "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." - 2 Cor 5:18 A beautiful new video about the impact of sponsorship in Uganda! Contributed by Laura Walls “[Jesus] took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.’ ” - Mark 9:36–37 The word "ambassador" comes from the Latin root for the word "servant." As Child Ambassadors, we are privileged with the chance to serve the Lord by advocating for children through World Vision! But while we are familiar with representing World Vision child sponsorship to our churches and communities, this ministry actually goes deeper than the surface of presenting an invitation to sponsor a child. While on the Vision Trip in Nicaragua in 2016, we had the opportunity to have devotions with the World Vision staff. Dr. Carlos, a Health Specialist, shared these thoughts with us: "In the gospels, Jesus tells us of his superior love for the children. They are weak and simple. So, too, we are to be clean in spirit and humble in spirit like the children. In Luke 9:46-50, Jesus says that those who receive a child in His name, receive Him. In this context, the children are our ambassadors into the kingdom of heaven." "In Luke 9:46-50, Jesus says that those who receive a child in His name, receive Him. In this context, the children are our ambassadors into the kingdom of heaven." As Dr. Carlos explains, the very act of receiving and sponsoring a child out of love for Christ, gives our friends and family the opportunity to receive and welcome Christ! We may not be able to fully grasp how that works, but we can rest in the knowledge that we are creating connections that go beyond this physical world. Through child sponsorship, we are weaving connections between the sponsor, a child, and our Heavenly Father. What an incredible calling it is to be a Child Ambassador and serve as a bridge to help people do something significantly dear to God's heart - welcome and receive a vulnerable child living in extreme poverty and share Christ's love with them. Slide Show: Child Ambassadors welcoming kids around the world. (Photos courtesy of the Child Ambassador Vision Trip teams.) |
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