You Already Know How to Change the World

Susan Morris was reading Noel Yeatts’ book, AWAKE, when God began to prepare her heart for a journey she never imagined.

“Do you want to be safe, or do you really want to change the world?” she read.

It was the kind of question a person can’t easily forget. Though many would call her brave, Susan knew in her heart she’d been playing it safe. She began to pray for opportunities to step further outside the bounds of comfort and safety . . . but she had no idea how that prayer would soon change her life.

In April of 2015, Susan traveled to Guatemala with 27 other women as part of a trip led by Leading & Loving It—a ministry dedicated to equipping, connecting, and impacting pastors’ wives and women in ministry. This passionate group of women traveled to Guatemala to see firsthand the impact of Baby Rescue—a project that would soon become a heartbeat of their ministry.

Susan was standing at the dump of an impoverished Guatemalan village when she knew she’d never quite be the same. Her heart began to break as she watched children, covered in filth, scouring the heaps of trash for leftover food. It was a moment she promised herself she’d never forget. Overwhelmed with emotion, Susan leaned over and snapped a photo of her boots in the soil.

I wanted something to remind me of what I had seen when I returned home. I wanted to remember the mom who walked three hours one way with her children so they would have food for the day. I wanted to remember the filthy, 2-liter bottle her child held up for me to fill, one that he had just picked up in the dump a few feet away . . . I wanted to remember that my feet stood on this soil and that in that moment, I knew I could make a difference.

When Susan returned home, she made the commitment to save the lives of five malnourished children in rural Guatemala through Baby Rescue. Though it was no small goal, it was one she knew she was being called to accomplish.

I saw so clearly in Guatemala that [transformation] requires each of us being obedient to what God is asking us to do—only then can the miraculous happen. I made a decision to be obedient no matter how insignificant or enormous that looked.

As Susan began her fundraising journey, she was reminded of another powerful quote from AWAKE: “Doing a world of good is often times just doing what you already know how to do.”

And so that is exactly what Susan did. She reached out to her church family by making the Rescue Program one of their main outreach initiatives—she created t-shirts, coffee mugs, and custom art pieces with proceeds going to her fundraising campaign.

Susan also raised awareness about her campaign through her daughter’s dance studio, where she gave the students an opportunity to purchase a pointe shoe and write their name and amount donated on it.

Today, Susan’s efforts have surely paid off—she has raised enough funds to rescue all five children.

“We have rescued five babies, and this just by doing what I’ve already been doing—nothing spectacular or special,” Susan said. “I’ve realized the people want to make a difference . . . they’re just waiting for someone to give them the opportunity.”

We are so thankful for all the dedicated women of Leading & Loving It who have raised over $50,000 through creative fundraising, passionate advocacy, and unwavering commitment—enough to save 42 precious lives! 

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Have you been playing it safe?  Maybe it’s time to step out in faith and save lives . . . just by doing what you already know how to do.

You can impact the life of someone in need right now by giving to
the Impact 2016 initiative. You can change one life for less than $6!