Category: Difference Makers

Leonardo da Vinci once said, I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.  Knowing is not enough; we must apply.  Being willing is not enough, we must do.  His words make a lot of sense.  When the time is right, we must take action.  Doing so is more important than understanding while doing nothing.

With this in mind, how are we supposed to respond to atrocious problems that exist both around the world and across the street?  How do we respond to the thousands of people still living in tent cities in Port au Prince, Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake?  What can we do about the problem of modern day slavery and sex trafficking in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America?  How can we end hunger in the United States?  These problems are daunting and seem impossible.

I’m convinced that the way to make a difference in this world is by starting.  It’s like the old saying:  How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time. 

That’s why I’m so proud of the people of Celebration Church.  At the beginning of every school year, we hear from teachers and school administrators across the city and region that 1,000’s of kids come to school each year with no school supplies and with no hope of their parents purchasing them school supplies.  So, over the past several weeks, we’ve been able to collect almost 1,000 backpacks worth of school supplies (from the lists given to us by local schools) and distribute them to children in need.  It’s been amazing to watch people, many who didn’t even go to our church, want to be involved in making a difference.

One man from our congregation felt like he wanted to do more to make a difference, so he agreed to be responsible for filling 40 backpacks.  At an average cost of $40-$50 each, that was a $1600 – $2000 commitment.  However, as he shared with people at his company about the project, almost all of the 40 backpacks were filled by others in his company who wanted to join Celebration Church in making a difference in the lives of local students.

Over the last few days, our office has received lots of thank you notes from students upon their receiving of the backpacks.  Here’s what one student wrote to us on her thank you note:

It’s time for us all to make a difference in the world, so do something today to start.  Invite someone to church.  Volunteer at a local shelter or food bank.  Write a letter to encourage someone in need.  Tell someone that you love him or her.  Don’t worry that you might fail.  Start.  Try.  Make a difference.

One of the most interesting questions that people ask me is to describe what I do.  I explain to them that I am the Worship Services Coordinator for a multisite church working with both campus pastors, worship leaders, and creative and technology driven ministries.  Sometimes I even impress myself with that description.  That is, until this past week, when I had the awesome privilege of hearing Pranitha Timothy speak.

When Pranitha Timothy is asked to describe what she does, she answers, “I free slaves and work to restore them to a life of dignity and wholeness.”

Pranitha, the child of medical missionaries and a brain tumor survivor, is the Director of Aftercare at the International Justice Mission in Chennai, India.  She has personally led over 50 slave rescue operations and then later served as the chief legal witness in court regarding those operations.  This year, she was a featured speaker at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit.

(Check out her introduction at the Summit by clicking on this link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlqZijPKeI )

According to the IJM website, the International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems – police, courts and laws – effectively protect the poor.  Read more about this phenomenal organization at www.ijm.org.

Pranitha and the International Justice Mission work toward four main outcomes:

1. Victim Relief – Freeing slaves from the hands of their oppressors.
2. Perpertator Accountability – Prosecuting those responsible for modern day slavery.
3. Survivor Aftercare – Helping victims rebuild their lives following their release from enslavement.
4. Structural Transformation – Strengthening communities to prevent further enslavement practices.

After hearing about Pranitha and the International Justice Mission, I turned to one of my colleagues and said, “I don’t do anything at all compared to that.”

God, thank You for extreme difference makers like Pranitha Timothy.  Keep her safe, along with her co-workers as they work to set the captives free.