Last Friday, I had the great privilege of speaking to 11,000 students at Liberty University’s very first convocation of the year. As with all my experiences speaking at my alma mater, the overwhelming energy of the student body gives me great hope for the next generation of Christ followers. These students have the potential to change our world for the better with passion, creativity, and the good news of the Gospel.
The video above contains the full version of my message, “Love That Can Change the World,” which I hope will challenge and encourage you, no matter what stage of life and faith you find yourself.
In my address, I shared with the students, faculty, and staff my experience in the Dadaab refugee camp and the great needs I witnessed there, encouraging them to reject the roadblocks that keep one from moving from pity to true compassion in action. More than anything, I want the future generation to be empowered to practice the kind of love that Jesus did on earth—love that isn’t afraid to step out of comfort zones into the places where help and hope are needed the most.
As the crisis in the Horn of Africa continues, I want to focus for a moment on the importance of using our voices to share the story of the people of Somalia. While funds are still desperately needed to ship containers of aid to neighboring refugee camps, one of the most urgent necessities is simply making others aware of the ongoing tragedy faced every day by 12 million people.
While I can speculate why Somalia isn’t being covered as a prominent headline in the media, I know that as Christ followers, we can make our voices heard. Proverbs 31:8-9 (NIV) says,“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Speak up. What a simple way of obeying God’s instruction to us about the poor . . . simply tell their story. Make it prominent in your speech, your thoughts, and your words. Although we may not be able to save every Somali child, we can save a few by making their stories a part of our own, every day, for as long as it takes.
I invite you to visit our crisis page today to see other ways you can get involved in spreading the word. One of the reasons I love social media is because of its power to unite and connect people to a common cause. Just think of how easily you can start a conversation with this type of communication at your fingertips. (On this same page, you can even watch the five-minute video I showed before addressing the students at Liberty.)
Thank you again for all you’re doing to help fight the famine with us. Through your incredible efforts, we have raised over $156,000 toward the cost of shipping containers of food and medicine. I pray this extraordinary response continues for as long as it takes to bring relief to the Somali people.
Above all, please continue to pray that through World Help’s presence on the ground, we can demonstrate the love of Christ in a way that will change lives forever. We believe He has a plan and purpose for the Somali people, one in which we hope to participate for the glory of Christ. Join me in using your voice today, so we can provide help for today . . . and hope for tomorrow.