Month: March 2018

Persist Through Opposition

Posted on March 28, 2018 by - Calling, Leading Yourself, Videos

God has a Grander Vision for each of our lives – a unique opportunity to fully live out our faith in the sphere of influence in which we have been placed. Following a prompting from God at a Summit in 2010, Mike Arnoult, Market Vice President of Walgreens, shares his Grander Vision for better worldwide health. Based upon inspiration heard at the Summit, Mike Arnoult led with persistence to bring preventative care to those in need all over the world.

Attempting Countrywide Transformation in Ukraine by Caring for the Elderly

Posted on March 28, 2018 by - Because of the GLS, Calling, Eastern Europe, Europe, Stories, Team Building

Valentina lived alone in a small shack on a remote mountainside in rural Ukraine. A byproduct of her culture, she experienced a long hard road of poverty, abuse and war. She had lost her hope. To drown her pain, she had become a lifelong alcoholic. At her advanced age, she was discarded by society, even by her own children. Her saving grace was a neighbor couple who had made it a habit to walk to her shack to check in on her periodically, even though she was mean, angry and rarely, if ever, grateful.

But one year, the winter on the mountainside was particularly harsh. The snow was waist deep, and the cold was unbearable. Her children came for their monthly visit to take her $50 pension check from her and get her drunk. Then they left her to suffer the winter alone, with no resources to care for herself.

When her neighbors returned after being gone a few days, they noticed there was not smoke coming from her fireplace chimney, so they went to check on her. Inside she was freezing and unresponsive. Immediately, they tried to warm her up dripping hot tea and milk to her lips, placing warm water bottles against her body. They did whatever they could think of to bring her body back to life. She finally awoke the next day.

The neighbor’s daughter, Veronika, a Marcel Fund compassion worker and nurse in the city, happened to be visiting that day. Suspecting pneumonia or worse, she knew Valentina needed to go to the hospital immediately.

They came down the mountain and made the trek to the hospital in the city, where they discovered not only did Valentina have pneumonia, she was also suffering from tuberculosis and cancer. By this time, the alcohol was leaving her system, evoking agitation and anger in her already miserable state.

But Veronika visited her every day. And a mean Valentina began to heal.

When she was able to leave the hospital, a Christian family at a local church in the city offered to take her in. They fed her, prayed with her and loved her. By the time spring came a few months later, the snow had melted, and her heart had begun to warm.

Valentina began asking questions about God. At 83, she heard the Gospel for the first time and gave her life to Jesus.

Today, she is on fire for Jesus. She is a completely transformed woman. Not only was she able to get help with her alcoholism, she was reconciled with her children as well. Today, she lives in the city with the family that took her in, is a part of a church and lives and serves in a community she loves, and that loves her.

Today, Valentina has hope.

A vision for the elderly in Ukraine

Valentina’s story is just one among thousands who have been impacted by the Marcel Fund Ministry in Ukraine. With a vision to serve one of the most marginalized, under-valued groups of people in the country, the Marcel Fund hopes to reach more than 12 million elderly with hope, care and the love of Jesus.

Though the elderly represent nearly a third of the country’s population, they are largely forgotten by society. Ninety percent are women, as most of the men passed in the war. Most are home or bed bound, or even worse, they’re in living in 20 x 20 rooms in elderly homes with 15-20 beds, and no hot water or heat. Their small $50 pension checks go to the elderly home, and even though they are fed, it is not good food, and no medicine is provided. They suffer bed sores to the point of bones coming through the skin, and essentially they are left to die.

But there is hope.

Debbie Sutton, president of Marcel Fund

Their heartbreaking reality of life is one of the reasons Debbie Sutton, president of the Marcel Fund Ministry, and her team care so deeply. When Debbie looks into the eyes of someone like Valentina, she doesn’t just see an angry, mean old lady, she sees someone who needs love. She sees someone who can transform the country.

“These people have lived through wars, when everything was taken from them,” says Debbie. “Just touching them, saying I love you and telling them about Jesus it’s shocking to them because most of them have never experienced this kind of care before.”

Initiating this ministry through the local church in Ukraine, Debbie believes transformation is possible for and through the elderly. Now Marcel Fund compassion workers are seeing change happen.

Transformation is possible.

Doing unpopular work and going against the grain of the norm is hard. So are callings. But through The Global Leadership Summit, God is equipping the called for hard work. For Debbie and her team, the GLS is not just a conference; it is a life source of information, encouragement, team building and leadership growth.

Each year, the Marcel Fund team leaves the Summit filled up and prepared for another year of serving the elderly the babushkas of their society. And as a result, thousands of elderly have already experienced hope through their service through the local church.

“I’m hopeful more than ever before for the way the Gospel is beginning to change Ukraine,” says Debbie. “Churches are realizing that if you win the heart of babushkas, you have access to the hearts of her children. Churches are changing their attitudes toward the elderly. They are starting to see the elderly have so much to offer!

“In our churches, babushkas serve as greeters, share testimonies, tell stories, become buddies with orphans and pray with young women struggling with whether or not to keep their babies. They have wisdom and understanding, and are some of our best witnesses in the country; they’re convinced of the power of the Gospel. They’re our best prayer warriors. And I truly believe revival will come to Ukraine because of the elderly. We need to value them. We need to listen.”

Why the Summit is so important to ministries like Marcel Fund

“The Summit is so important to us,” says Debbie. “I’m really thankful for the GLS. When I go, I’m often tired, overwhelmed, even empty. We always pray in the weeks before, asking God to give each one of us on our team something from Him, something personal, something specific. Then we go in anticipation. Many times God speaks to us indirectly – through the stories we hear, through a speaker or even through the loving way we are served at the location where we attend. It feeds us. It is so encouraging for to my team to hear this great content in their own tongue, in their own country. The work we do is really hard, even on a good day. I always come away from the Summit knowing that God uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways!

“Anyone can change diapers, but this is providing medicine for the soul. I can’t imagine anything better to remind my team of the importance of what they’re doing.”

“The GLS helps us keep our focus, clarify our ministry in each region, build strong partnerships and relationships and remain hopeful and patient in the process. Doors are wide open to us. We have seen God do some beautiful things because our team is not afraid to initiate ideas. The GLS has directly impacted my leadership and my entire team. I am a better leader because I attend the Summit.”

Why the Summit? When This Leader Gets Better, Children’s Lives Are Saved

Posted on March 26, 2018 by - Because of the GLS, Calling, Change Management, Church & Faith-Based, Confidence, North America, Stories

Albert Artis is regional manager at Destiny Rescue, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and restoring children enslaved in the sex trade. He did not anticipate how the path God was leading him on would take him on a journey to transform the lives of thousands of children. But even in the face of fear, Albert obeyed God’s voice with every step from 20 years in the transportation industry, to becoming the sole provider for his parents, to dedicated volunteer at his local church, Hope Life Fellowship, to now being a leader in an organization that rescued 620 children from sex slavery in 2017 alone. God has been at work in and through his life.

Albert took another step and attended The Global Leadership Summit for the first time in 2017. This event altered his perspective on the power of his influence as a leader. Applying what he learned, Albert is taking his leadership to the next level, and the lives of the children he serves depend on it.

2017 was my first year at the Global Leadership Summit, and it was life changing.

The knowledge I gained can never be taken away from me. I was inspired, challenged and motivated by leaders who have been in the trenches and triumphed. Having an opportunity to see ordinary people embracing the challenges of life, and doing extraordinary things in the world was life changing.

Regardless of their topic of discussion, all of the speakers challenged us to become better to be better communicators, passionate, trusting, vulnerable and to develop creativity and resilience. Seeing people learn to grow and mature despite their imperfections, and how God is doing great things through their lives helped me step out and move forward. I realized that though I’m imperfect, I can grow and learn as a leader and leave my mark in this world as well.

Don’t be afraid! We’re on a God adventure.

My biggest takeaway at the Summit was the reminder that life is an adventure, and the best adventure is a God adventure. We have one life to live, so why not live it to the fullest? I was reminded not to be afraid to step into the unknown. The unknown is what makes life exciting and puts us in uncharted territory where we have to lean on God every step of the way. I’ve learned not to let fear immobilize me.

In my life, I’ve struggled with the fear of failure. It is a spiritual attack. I believe when we are getting closer to our true purpose and calling, the forces of darkness launch a full attack. God has continued to prove himself faithful every time I said yes to his call, even when I didn’t know what the outcome would be, and even when there were challenges ahead. I’ve spent a number of years saying yes to serving at my church — mission trips, disaster relief, serving the homeless, youth, elderly and in our food pantry. I believe these steps prepared me for the decision to say yes to the position I’m in today.

Stepping into courageous leadership.

What started out as saying yes to a mission trip to Thailand with Destiny Rescue turned into God breaking my heart, and changing the trajectory of my life. For the last 20 years, I was self-employed in the transportation industry. Although it was apparent, I ran head on into my destiny, the transition into a new career was emotionally fearful.

On that trip, we visited one of the areas where Destiny Rescue undercover agents rescue children. The area looked like a multi-level shopping mall designed for sexual pleasure. A spirit of heaviness gripped me as I saw thousands of people walking the streets, going into the brothels and bars. It was at that moment I was heartbroken and saddened, knowing that children were being forced to work in such a dark, evil place. I could hear Isaiah 58:1 in my spirit, Cry aloud and spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet and tell my people.

I felt like God was telling me, Tell them that children are dying, crying, destitute and being abused.

I knew I was supposed to work for Destiny Rescue, but I was gripped with the fear of failure. Can I make it as a public speaker and fundraiser, something I’ve never done before? But there was no turning back. God instilled a burning passion in my heart that required courage to face every challenge with resilience, passion and perseverance. Through courageous leadership, I can use my sphere of influence to make a significant difference in the world.

Because of the Summit, I lead differently.

Before the Summit, my fear of failure would get the best of me. I had a tendency to give someone a project and take it back if they weren’t performing to my level of expectation. After the conference, I learned to trust people. I also decided to be more transparent and vulnerable in the areas where I need to grow and perform better with my team. As a result, it created a greater level of respect and commitment from the people who report to me.

My becoming a better leader is critical to our ability to rescue more children.

Destiny Rescue is growing. Every year we increase our reach and rescue more children. My goal is to be committed and faithful to the commission God has given me, to be a voice for these children, to continue to learn all I can about the issue of child sex trafficking and to grow with this organization.

I want to increase my sphere of influence so that we see the day when the atrocity of child sex trafficking no longer exists.

Attend the Summit, because your influence matters.

For anyone who may be on the fence about attending the Summit this year, don’t hesitate. When a leader gets better, everyone in the organization gets better. You have an opportunity to listen and learn from world-class leaders who are at the top of their field. They impart the wisdom they’ve learned at the peaks and valleys of their journey. Why not leverage their experiences as a platform to launch, rather than try to learn all by yourself? You can go much further learning from others. This is a conference that empowers you to succeed. Why would you not want to attend?