By Hannah Cameron, LeadHer International Program Director
As an organization, we have been honest from the beginning about the struggles we face when seeking to “go international” with LeadHer. We’ve been pretty clear in communicating our worries and fears. We’ve been very much aware of our inadequacy and insecurities. However, through all of our conversations, we’ve always recognized that God was leading us out of our familiarity into territory that might seem uncomfortable and unapproachable to us. We knew if He was leading, He would fill in every gap and take care of all the details. It’s not the big picture that is cause for concern, it’s the baby steps in getting there that frighten us.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”- Matthew 6:33
So often we focus on the end goal. We celebrate the miraculous, as we should, but fail to praise God and proclaim His goodness at every work of His hand. After all, it’s the “little things” that lead to the big things. It’s the little things that make us capable of doing the big things. It’s the little things that actually turn out to be the big things in life and echo in eternity. Scripture is clear in expressing that God’s ways are not the ways of the world. He tells us it’s the servant who “wins” in His kingdom. The least of the world become the greatest and the greatest becomes the least (Matthew 23:11, Mark 10:45, Mark 9:35, Luke 22:26 ) . Often, the things that have the biggest impact and move the heart of God most are the ones we’ve humbled ourselves to do and seem insignificant to us.
One of our biggest concerns in the development of our international program was the issue of language barriers. We aren’t yet in a place where we’re able to offer our teaching videos in any other language other than English. As God started connecting us with people in countries where English isn’t the primary language, we (or at least I) started panicking a little. We never wanted to position ourselves where we had to say “no” to someone who had the desire to bring LeadHer to her country solely because women in her sphere of influence didn’t speak English. However, we also knew that we were not in a financial state that allowed us to provide subtitles, do voice overs, or develop an international teaching team. There are obviously many solutions to this problem but none that could be an option for us currently. So, how could we meet a need with the resources we currently have? Then came the “Aha moment”.
There are plenty of text translating programs available to us. So, if we could find people who were willing to transcribe our teaching videos, then we could transfer the text to a translating program and make them available in any language. That way, even if we couldn’t offer women teaching videos in their native language, we could offer them a PDF file that they could print off for a hard copy of the monthly study for their chapter! I am so proud to say that we’ve had a team of volunteers that have stepped up to the plate to enthusiastically transcribe our teaching videos. I cannot help but smile when I think about something that seems so small to this team, a task that they do with such willingness. This “little thing” is being used to extend the opportunity of growing in faith and leadership to women worldwide who may not have gotten that opportunity without this team’s willingness to do this tedious task. I truly believe that their reward is great for being willing to do the behind the scenes things so that the end goal could be accomplished (John 12:26).
One of our volunteers transcribing November’s teaching video.
Don’t neglect the little things! Don’t be afraid of them. If God has called you to a work bigger than you (if it’s God it’s going to be bigger than you), don’t let the details keep you from following His call. He will fill in all the gaps in ways you could have never expected or imagined. He may provide you a team of people to come alongside you specifically to do the little things, or He may be calling you to do the seemingly insignificant tasks. If so, don’t belittle the work He’s called you to just because it’s behind the scenes. HE sees, and it’s quite possible that He’s using your ounce of willingness to do the tedious work to contribute to a big work in one person’s heart (which would be worth it, amen?!) or around the world. You never know!