“Be A Storyteller”: More Than Just a Catchphrase
The following came from an America World mother, Rachel Goodier, whose family adopted from China and learned the great value in America World's Mission trips. There are so many reasons to go, but Rachel's insight as an adoptive mother adds a new dimension to Being A Storyteller on an America World Mission Trip!
If you have ever considered participating in one of the America World Mission trips, I wanted to encourage you to take the next step! These trips matter in ways I did not realize until I became a mother of a daughter visited by one of America World's Mission trips. We benefited in several ways thanks to those that said ‘yes!’ and were willing to go.
When we first received the referral of our daughter we found out that there had been a team that had visited her orphanage. We cherished the pictures and information we received from those that had seen our daughter first hand. It was one thing to look at a referral picture of our girl, but another to hear from someone that had personally seen her and spent time with her. We emailed back and forth with the team leader and valued her insight into our daughter, her orphanage, and her caregivers.
We were thrilled when shortly after we accepted our daughter’s referral another team traveled to her orphanage. It gave me such peace and hope that even though I could not be there in those moment to show her our love, others were.
When it came time to travel we were able to receive information on meaningful gifts to bring for the nannies/director as well as needed orphanage donations.
When our guide in Beijing dropped us off at the airport to fly to our daughter’s province she told us she had been there before with one of the teams. She said, “I know your daughter and have held her! She is so cute!”
Finally, after we were home and spent time looking through the photos of our daughter the orphanage had compiled on a flash drive, we were able to see trip members in the background of several photos.
Storytellers matter. You can make a difference in the life of a child, and who knows, maybe someday in the life of a family.
America World has more than 20 trips planned in 2015 already! Ethiopia, China, Haiti, Kenya & Uganda. Many of these groups still have openings so plan a trip to an orphanage with a group of friends today! Learn more about the important trips now and Be A Storyteller!
#BeAStoryteller on an America World Mission Trip in 2015!