ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE

SOUTH PUGET SOUND CHAPTER WOV DEVOTIONAL 9/16/09



WV Vision Statement
Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness. . .our prayer, for every heart, the will to make it so.
Statement of Faith
• We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.
• We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.
• We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.
• We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration of the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.
• We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
• We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.
• We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

All Things Are Possible
Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27

Randy Pausch, Professor Carnegie Mellon University gave a speech as part of an annual series known as “The Last Lecture”. Those who give the last lecture are asked, “What would you say if you knew you were going to die and had a chance to sum up everything that was most important to you?” Having been told one month earlier that his pancreatic cancer was terminal, this question was not hypothetical for Randy. He died on July 25, 2008. Over 2 million people watched it on utube. He appeared on the Oprah show and on Good Morning America. He also compiled his thoughts into a memoir as a testament to the power of childhood dreams. Both the lecture and the book were compiled for his three young children as lessons for them from their dad, an accomplished man in the world of computer technology . Here is a list of the lessons he wants to share with them:
• Roles of parents and mentors (mentors, teachers, friends, colleagues) are important
• Decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eyore (He admonished, be a Tigger—make life fun)
• Never lose the child-like wonder
• Help others
• How to get others to help you
You can’t get there alone
Tell the truth
Be earnest
Apologize when you mess up
• Focus on others, not yourself
• Brick walls let us show our dedication
• Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted.
• Get a feedback loop and listen to it
• Show gratitude
• Don’t complain just work harder
• Find the best in everyone no matter how long you have to wait
• Be good at something—it makes you more valuable
• Be prepared—“luck” (I would insert success here) is where preparation meets opportunity.
• Don’t judge people by what they say, but rather by what they do

Gary Mortenson in his co-authored book Three Cups of Tea writes his story of passion for achieving universal literacy and education for all children, especially girls. He is a former mountaineer and military veteran who spends several months each year building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He asked in the acknowledgments section at the end of the book what motivated him to do this and stated that “The answer is simple: when I look into the eyes of the children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, I see the eyes of my own children full of wonder—and hope that we each do our part to leave them a legacy of peace instead of the perpetual cycle of violence, war, terrorism, racism, exploitation, and bigotry that we have yet to conquer.” (Page 335) He refers to Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen’s idea that you can change a culture by giving its girls the tools to grow up educated so they can help themselves. (Page 234) Mortenson says that through the school that Central Asia Institute, of which he is the director, has built and supplied he has seen that idea in action and that it was working so well after only a generation that it “fired me up to fight for girls’ education in Pakistan”. Mortenson’s story is chilling and compelling. He sacrifices everything that he has and everything that he is to achieve his legacy of hope by providing schools for illiterate girls in foreign lands. Mortenson also lived out the lessons that Randy Pausch wrote for his children and he too accomplished incredible works for the children in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Both of these men were men of influence in their world. Pausch revealed his success strategy in his lecture and his memoir. Mortenson revealed his success in his book which is a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Because of what Mortenson has done by example, CNN just ran a special showing how the US military is now going into rural towns in Afghanistan and building schools so that Americans can change their image. Both of these men had big dreams! I suppose that they would join us in our notion to “Go big or go home”. Mortensen and Pausch had grueling moments when they felt that achieving their dreams may never happen. They both faced impossible odds and yet accomplished their dreams and their goals.

As I was exposed to these two stories I began to think about us as women of influence and wonder what our story will be and what legacy we will give to the women who follow us in the South Puget Sound Chapter of Women of Vision. Will it be a list of lessons? Will it be making a difference in our community by being Jesus’ hands extended to children in impossible places? Will we be able to convince others to capture our vision jut as these men were able to convince others to capture their vision? We are all bursting with zeal and enthusiasm ready to do whatever it takes to raise up a group of women who can make a difference for poor and marginalized children and their families. Our greatest source is Jesus who makes all things possible, including bringing hope and life to the fullest in impossible places. So let’s dream big, achieve our goal of $30,000 raised to sponsor our ministry areas and capture the imagination and zeal of other local woman as we bring life in its fullness to poor and marginalized children and women remember that with God all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27)