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#3 “Stand-Out Moments”

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Be The Change – Episode #3

In our third episode, each of our storytellers recalls one moment in service that they carry with them still today. These are singular perspectives gained in Cuba, Crete, Romania and Tanzania that turned their heads and made them think about how important one individual can be on a volunteer team.

Our first storyteller is Jeff, who talks about service as a channel for understanding and friendship, and says one seemingly ordinary moment pulled it all together for him in a most extraordinary way.

Lynn tells a touching story about helping a young, withdrawn student blossom by taking a personal interest in his musical skill.  The personal connection that resulted typifies the mutual benefit of genuine service.

Caring for abandoned and disabled babies and toddlers has become Evan’s calling. But, in a pediatric hospital ward in Romania, Evan said a breakthrough moment between an autistic child and a talented volunteer left her breathless.

Lisa returns with a follow-up to her story in episode one.  In this episode, she recalls a moment that taught her how true communication occurs when we shed our own conventions and find a common language.

Episode storytellers: Jeff, Lynn, Evan, and Lisa

#1 “Deeper Dive”

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Be The Change – Episode #1

What happens when you take a risk and dive deeper into experiences, testing your boundaries or challenging your assumptions? We inaugurate this podcast series with the vision of our long-term host partner in Tanzania, Bishop Dr. Owdenberg Mdegella, and his open invitation to to help him serve his people in ways that might seem like a leap of faith.  “Why are people in America and Europe discovering a lot of things, and we’re discovering nothing?” he asks suppositionally. What is missing in the equation that we can change together? “One volunteer brings a lot of change,” he asserts.  It is his life’s work, and our partnership with him for over three decades, that inspire us to share these stories of service.

This episode begins with Lisa, who with her daughter Maya, pursues an ambition to “replace talking with doing” to help children who struggle, and returns home with a changed perspective of her role in Maya’s developing world view.

In our second story, Bishop Mdegella counsels us to change how we think about our own abilities to make permanent, real change in the lives of children.

“Sometimes, you just have to jump,” says Kenneth, our third storyteller.  After admitting to himself that his fear often stands in the way of personal growth, he decides to embrace this new experience and discovers he can truly make a difference in an unfamiliar setting.  Now, he says, he “thinks about all that I could have missed” with gratitude.

Episode storytellers: Bishop Mdegella, Lisa, and Kenneth

Music in this episode:
Blue Dot Sessions & Podington Bear
From the Free Music Archive
CC BY NC