The Autumn magazine marks the 9/11 anniversary by explaining what stayed the same for World Vision despite the attacks.
"Christ of Peace" statue in Cochabamba, Bolivia. (Jon Warren/WV)
Many things changed after 9/11, including here at World Vision. Security tightened at our U.S. facilities and even more so at our offices in conflict-prone countries. Ten years later, like everyone, we’re more cautious and vigilant.
But the thing that never changed at World Vision is who we are as Christians in the world. God’s command to love our neighbors is no different; no caveats added—we are not to “love neighbors in safe places” or “love neighbors who believe the same things we do.” Instead, the call of Romans 12:21 became only more clear: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Dr. Ray Norman
One colleague who exemplified this was Ray Norman, who in 2001 was the head of our office in Mauritania, West Africa. I remember hearing, just weeks after the terrorist attacks on the U.S., that Ray and his daughter had been shot. This fresh horror suggested that some places had become too dangerous. But World Vision’s Mauritania office remained open, and once Ray and his daughter recovered, they met with and forgave the Muslim man who had attacked them. Ray shares his compelling story in our Autumn magazine.
This weekend’s 9/11 anniversary was in our minds six months ago as we started working on this issue. It struck us as an opportunity to talk about what it means to be “Christ’s ambassadors” to families and communities living in poverty around the world (2 Corinthians 5:20).
In this Autumn issue, Rich Stearns echoes past World Vision presidents in his passion for our Christian commitment, and his January trip to Bolivia inspired him to tell stories about what that commitment looks like in sponsorship communities. Marilee Dunker adds the historical perspective about how God used her father, World Vision founder Bob Pierce, to invest in and influence a young Indian Christian who went on to become a powerful witness in his country and beyond. This kind of seed-planting continues today.
I remember where I was when 9/11 happened. But what’s more important is where I am now—serving in a ministry deeply committed to overcoming evil with good.