Teacher and students sponsor an African child!

Does anyone recall the teacher and class who decided to sponsor a child at the exhibit? Would you mind sharing this story with me or the rest of the group?

It's just amazing to see and hear the wonders that took place because you gave up your time to help us create the Experience.

Blessings to you all,

Cindi

cbuffalo@worldvision.org

A Day of Many Blessings

There wasn't any secret about how excited I was about the World Vision Experience Village at the Puyallup Fair. My church will be hosting the traveling exhibit next spring, and a couple of years ago the impact of going through the original exhibit deeply moved me (I have been to Africa twice since experiencing the original exhibit). Bringing such an experience to one of the nation's largest fairs really got my attention. I knew doing this was not without risk. But God was clearly in this project. I couldn't wait to get there!

I arrived a couple of hours before my shift was scheduled - mainly because I wanted to see the village - but also in order to have time to take in the fair. When I walked up to the main entrance of the village, the first person I saw was a great friend from law school. Somehow we had lost touch for about ten years. Mike was greeting people at the entrance to the exhibit. He greeted me warmly, and we both began to welcome people to the exhibit. The time passed very quickly. Mike was perfect for the role of greeter. An attorney, he also works as a motivational speaker about safety. You see, Mike is a hero among us. As a state trooper before becoming a lawyer, he was run off the road during a high speed pursuit. His miraculous recovery from third degree burns over virtually his entire body is in the annals of medical history. Mike just feels that every day he walks in grace as a gift from our gracious and loving God.

An attitude like Mike's is "catching" - soon I was reaching out to people from clear across the midway, just as he was. Hundreds of people were pouring in to see the exhibit and experience Africa in the way offered to them. Oh, and did I mention, the rain was pouring too! Mike explained to me that a small percentage of the people would leave the exhibit - they wanted to be there - but it was too emotional an experience on that particular day. That's okay, he assured me - they tried and their heart is in the right place. They will come to this when God has prepared them to act and respond.

I thouroughly enjoyed my shift as a greeter at the Village. Being there with Mike made it extra-extra special - he "trained" me as a greeter in the lightning-fast couple of hours prior to my shift. He poured out love and warmth to the crowds on a wet day. And just by spending time with him, showed me (again) what it means to walk in grace as a follower of Christ. See you at the fair!

Blessings and all the best to you!

Scott

Impacting children through the lives of children

My favorite part of the village became watching all of the young children walk through, wide eyed, truly feeling that they were viewing another world. It was wonderful to see the children drumming their hearts out, pounding the corn, squeezing a homemade soccer ball and genuinely interested in all of the activities provided. They seemed to truly imagine themselves in the place of other children wondering what it would be like to live in an African village. I even witnessed children asking their parents to sponsor children on their behalf. Children inspired to help other children is an amazing thing.

I will never forget the father that had to physically escort his daughter out of the village, because their family was leaving. Her wail of discontent lingered long after her body had departed. It was a sign of the joy of being in the experience and a reflection upon its impact for children who walked through. For me, it was a pleasure to be asked to volunteer. My hope is that this tradition will continue, as it's success clearly indicates a need- a social need beyond rides, cotton candy, and scones.

Tonya

Father and Son Experience

I wanted you to know I had a great time doing this , originally Angelica (wife) and I were going to take all our kids to the fair and take turns doing this in two shifts , but my two younger kids had some Attitudes the night before and got in trouble. I ended up going with my oldest son (13yr) and I will be honest I had fun and he learned so much. We participated in every area and now people see us wearing our village shirts and say I went there. It was a great Father and son experience to be able to show him more of what I do here at world vision to the point where he is now bringing World Vision to his school where his teachers partner with him to show videos and information for a class in Social Studies and Language Arts. Its awesome to see the outcome of the Village Experience with my family and friends and the community where my kids attend school....Jesse Tapia

Thank you!

Hi WV Friends!

Thank you for inviting me to be a part of this amazing event! Everyone worked so hard to put this together and pull it off and the Lord really blessed your work. I volunteered early on in the fair, and met some lovely people (Barbara!). I couldn't wait to bring my 3 girls through...finally on the last day of the fair we made it. I have to say this "villiage" was one of their favorite things they did at the fair this year. I hope it's back next year!

Melissa

Welcome!

To each of you who volunteered at the World Vision Experience: Village, we thank you! Our event at the Puyallup Fair helped hundreds of boys and girls - all because of you.

Because the Village was such a powerful event, we invite you to share inspirational moments and favorite stories about your fair experience.

Again, thank you and God bless!