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Columbia-Willamette Women of Vision
May 2022
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As I approached this month when we celebrate mothers, I came with mixed emotions as I suspect some of you do. Some of us have an amazing experience of being mothered by our own moms, a step-mother, or our mothers-in-law. For some, there is grief and pain associated with the idea. My own mother is no longer with me—she passed away a couple of years ago at age 94. She was a daughter of the depression, the daughter of a single mom due to her father’s untimely death. World War II separated her from the love of her life for three years (my dad), and she lost her brother to the conflict. She started a family in the late 1940s and raised them in the '50s, having her kids come of age during the '60s. She saw so much change and had to reinvent herself over and over. Sound familiar? These changes are not unlike what we are still experiencing.
Some of us are mothers ourselves and hope we are doing it well. In our World Vision projects, moms have the same desires for their children my mom had for hers. They all want their children to have good health, education, and something just a little better than they had. Mothers desire stability for their children and the opportunity for them to reach their full potential, whatever that looks like. We are worlds apart from mothers in Kenya, Honduras, and Syria, yet really so much the same.
I think of Marisol in Honduras. She is the mom to a group of young people, mostly young men. She mentors them and trains them in developing farming and self-reliance skills. These skills help them provide support for their families and communities, and when they have good opportunities at home, they don't migrate.
|  | A coffee producer in Honduras, Marisol mentors many of the young men in her community. | Sandy Grubb (Women of Vision) visits Syrian pre-schoolers in a refugee camp in Jordan. | |
We know Syrian women with disrupted lives, living in refugee camps with no end in sight, who make sure their children are getting an education and have time to just be kids.
So, the next time you think of your own mom, think of moms around the world and the women who are being the moms for those in their world who need one. They love on people, mentor them, care for them, and nurture relationships. Perhaps you also are mom to more than your own children. In the end it is all about experiencing God’s love ourselves and then taking care of one another with generosity and kindness—shining the love of Christ.
In Christ,
Nancy
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Refugee Women: Sharing from the Heart
Saturday, May 21, 2022
10 to 11:30 a.m.
IN PERSON at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church, Hub Room
4040 Sunset Drive, Lake Oswego
CLICK HERE to RSVP
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No one dreams they will ever become a refugee. One day life is normal, the next, everything changes in an instant as it did for Helen Bysko, a young mother from Chernihiv, Ukraine. Her family arrived in Portland a few weeks ago, and we'll have the special privilege of talking with her in person. We'll also be sharing two other touching stories of refugee women from Syria and Myanmar.
Don't miss this special event to better understand and pray for refugees.
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Save the Date! Don’t miss it!
Sunday evening, August 7, 2022
5:30 p.m. at Abigail’s Garden
The Abernethy Center, Oregon City
Columbia-Willamette Women of Vision invites you for dinner and inspiration in a delightful garden setting to bring life, hope, and a future to children in Honduras, Kenya, and Syria. Sean Kerrigan, World Vision’s VP of Philanthropy, will be speaking. After growing up as a missionary kid in Africa, serving as World Vision's National Director in Ethiopia and Rwanda, and heading up World Vision’s global WASH work, Sean gained a unique perspective from which he will share reflections on his life and work with the poor. We hope you will plan to be there.
Watch for your invitation coming soon!
If you have any questions, contact Kelley Wong ([email protected]) or Sandy Grubb ([email protected]).
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Monthly Prayer Call
Our chapter hosts a call each month (usually the second Wednesday of the month at 8 a.m.) to pray for the world, our projects, and each other. Join us!
Contact Roxane Sain to get connected: [email protected]
SAVE THE DATE AND WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS
Refugee Women: Sharing from the Heart
Saturday, May 21, 2022
10 to 11:30 a.m.
(See more details above)
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June Summer Book Group
Girls in the Wild Fig Tree by Nice Leng'ete
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
CLICK HERE to RSVP
Gathering starts at 6:30 p.m., discussion starts at 7:00
We'll be meeting at the home of Jill Sherman in Oregon City.
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July Summer Book Group
Find Me Unafraid by Jessica Posner and Kennedy Odede
Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Gathering starts at 6:30 p.m., discussion starts at 7:00
We'll be meeting at the home of Dinah Nicholson in SW Portland.
Watch your email for the invitation.
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A Midsummer Night's Share the Light Gala
Sunday evening, August 7, 2022
(See more details above.)
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About Us
Women of Vision is a volunteer ministry of World Vision that cultivates dynamic partnerships resulting in significant investments of time, talent, and treasure in support of World Vision’s work, facilitating transformational impact in the lives of the poor and our supporters in the name of Christ. Please partner with us! Click here to learn what that means and update your commitment for this new year (or for the first time).
The Columbia-Willamette Chapter of Women of Vision supports World Vision's work in Kenya, Honduras, and the Syrian impact area. We also volunteer at many local organizations to help the disadvantaged in our own community. Please read about this work on our website.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
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