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| Emily Everett with a group of children aided by the project. Photo courtesy of Emily Everett. |
Sharing God's Gifts
The Power of One
By Susan Passi-Klaus
Emily Everett left her home in Houston expecting to make a world of difference, but instead the world made a difference in Emily.
"I had gone on a mission trip to Brazil with the intention of getting small children off the street," Everett said. "But nothing that dramatic happened and I was really disappointed in myself."
Her mission assignment was coordinated through the Global Justice Volunteer Program of the General Board of Global Ministries.
One evening the 23-year-old assistant youth director at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Houston asked God, "What's the point?"
Her doubts surfaced at the end of a long day spent coaxing neighborhood children into playing a raucous game of soccer. Their playground was a busy street corner in the small city of Sao Bernardo do Campo. Everett and a team of local educators combed the streets to rescue small children -- not from the hands of abusers or criminals, but from a life of premature responsibility.
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| A boy finishes a graffiti art wall at the Project for Boys and Girls of the Street. Photo courtesy of Emily Everett. |
"When God calls you to do something, no matter how small, we have to trust that it is a part of His plan," Everett said.
That world of difference is made possible every time a United Methodist Church member contributes to the World Service Fund apportionment. The fund enables people like Everett to be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing for others.
"The world these kids live in forces them to grow up very quickly," Everett said. "In order to take care of their families, they are forced out on to the streets to sell candy or perform stunts for just pennies, usually becoming their family's primary breadwinner at 6 or 7 years old."
Admitting that she couldn't change the world in two months, Everett said, "I could play games with them, dance with them, sing with them and give them a chance to be a child for a few minutes every day. Small things can add up to making a world of difference!"
--Susan Passi-Klaus is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn.
World Service FundThe Global Justice Volunteers Program is one of literally thousands of ministries that United Methodists make possible through the World Service Fund. The apportionment underwrites Christian mission and ministry around the world. It enables United Methodists to reach out through the general church boards and agencies. Here's some of what United Methodists do through the World Service Fund:
* Enrich congregational life with worship, retreat, stewardship and camping resources and leader training;
* Provide quality college and graduate education;
* Allow cooperation and dialogue with other faith traditions;
* Give the denomination a presence in the mass media and make new communications technologies accessible to the church; and
* Express commitment to God's reign through ministries of peace and justice.
Global Justice Volunteers
