Dianne Sivulka, Part 3

[00:00:00] Welcome to Women Worth Knowing, the radio program and podcast posted by Cheryl Brodersen

[00:00:10] and Robin Jones Gunn.

[00:00:12] There are so many Christian women with fascinating stories whether missionaries

[00:00:16] and physicians, reformers, authors, wives, mothers or travelers and international ministry

[00:00:23] women.

[00:00:24] Their examples are inspirational to us all like Diane's.

[00:00:28] That's right.

[00:00:29] So we had two episodes so far with Diane but we felt Diane Savaka, we felt like that was

[00:00:35] just for you as listeners to get to know what the ministry is about.

[00:00:41] So we focused pretty much on the ministries traveling with the purpose or travel with

[00:00:45] a purpose and then tears out.

[00:00:47] But there are so many stories that we wanted to hear the story.

[00:00:50] We wanted to get to and time just went too quickly.

[00:00:53] That's right.

[00:00:54] But we would encourage you listen to part one and two and really consider if this might

[00:01:01] be something, I think that something a trip like this would possibly make you more of

[00:01:07] a woman worth knowing because you got a story to tell.

[00:01:10] I'll tell you what Cheryl and I are eyes are popping back and forth across the day and

[00:01:14] the wheels are turning it's like oh we could go here or there.

[00:01:17] That's right.

[00:01:18] But we really want to hear the stories.

[00:01:20] So we're going to try to non-interact because we love to.

[00:01:24] Both of us, we love this.

[00:01:26] But you know tell us some of the stories or maybe your first experience with Tiersa.

[00:01:31] Okay yeah so back in 2021 I was in Serbia and I mentioned this in the last episode but

[00:01:40] I was in Serbia visiting our relatives ran into a woman that I've known for many many years

[00:01:45] and she told me about Tiersa.

[00:01:49] She started helping out with some of the stuff that they do with the emerging leader program

[00:01:55] and the micro enterprise and I had no idea even who Tiersa international was.

[00:01:59] I had never heard about this ministry but that night when I got back to my computer, I

[00:02:05] googled it and went to the website and as I just poured through page after page I just

[00:02:12] said to myself, what is this Christian ministry that is helping women around the world that

[00:02:20] I have never heard of before?

[00:02:23] And I think what really drew me in was it was the opportunities for women.

[00:02:29] I think we know that a lot of women around the world face a lot of hard things you know

[00:02:34] if you are a person who watches the news or reads or is a sponge for information, you

[00:02:43] very quickly know that there are places even today in the world where women can't be educated

[00:02:50] where women are sold into being a child bride as young as 12 or 13 years old.

[00:03:00] And so when you learn that in many places around the world, this is the story of women's

[00:03:06] lives and that there is an organization, a Christian ministry that is coming alongside

[00:03:10] to do something about that.

[00:03:12] It just grabs you.

[00:03:14] And then what I love too is as I learned more is that I learned of the sustainable

[00:03:20] nature of helping.

[00:03:22] So I think sometimes our old models of charity have been where we enter a place as the

[00:03:29] foreigner who has all the answers and we just kind of operate with handouts.

[00:03:36] And there is a time and a place for that I believe with relief organizations, there

[00:03:41] is a time and a place for that.

[00:03:43] But I think what gets me really excited is equipping people to actually be able to change their

[00:03:50] own lives.

[00:03:52] And so that's what tears it does.

[00:03:53] And I think it's a sustainable way to truly make a difference, not just in that woman's

[00:03:58] life but also in her family and in our community.

[00:04:01] And what we're seeing is that it's transforming communities and it's transforming nations.

[00:04:07] And so it's really incredible.

[00:04:09] So if you didn't listen to the last episode, let me just kind of recap.

[00:04:14] Tears of International is a Christian global nonprofit that is essentially a network of

[00:04:21] women leaders who are indigenous, who love Jesus.

[00:04:27] We're in 35 countries.

[00:04:28] We are mostly in Africa but then also in India, Mexico and Serbia.

[00:04:34] So there's my personal connection.

[00:04:36] You'll have to listen to the first episode I guess to catch that one.

[00:04:41] But the other thing that I loved too when I first looked at Tears' website was that they

[00:04:45] also do the trips.

[00:04:47] And so that was obviously a real connection with me too.

[00:04:51] Oh, trips, trips that are culturally immersive and celebrate the local people and history

[00:04:58] and culture and really based on education and learning but then also the opportunity to

[00:05:03] see how gods at work.

[00:05:04] And that's what the tears are.

[00:05:05] So where was your first trip with Tears of?

[00:05:07] Where did you go and who'd you meet?

[00:05:09] I went to India.

[00:05:11] And when I first got to know Tears, the first thing I said to my husband was, I just

[00:05:17] found this organization that I'm in love with and I need to know more about how they

[00:05:21] work and how they operate.

[00:05:23] And so, to be honest, India was never a destination that was on my radar but it was the one

[00:05:30] trip that they had that year that fit my schedule.

[00:05:34] So I was like, well, okay, I'm in India.

[00:05:36] I'm going to go to India.

[00:05:38] So I sign up for this trip.

[00:05:40] I fly to Delhi by myself.

[00:05:43] Which is a long flight by the way.

[00:05:46] And I arrive and I'm there in the baggage claim area and all the women from all across

[00:05:51] the United States who are on this trip.

[00:05:54] There were quite a few of us, I think it was 14 of us.

[00:05:58] We met for the first time in the baggage claim.

[00:06:02] And that began an incredible experience because not only did I fall in love with the culture

[00:06:11] but the people and the style of ministry.

[00:06:14] So the very first morning we got to our Havelle late at night in Old Delhi went to bed.

[00:06:20] The next morning, we were greeted by some ministry leaders for an artisan shop called Kushbhu.

[00:06:29] And so Kushbhu is one of tears as many, many partners.

[00:06:34] And as we sat down for breakfast, these two women who run this ministry, they shared

[00:06:40] their heart.

[00:06:41] They shared their testimonies, how they came to faith.

[00:06:45] They shared about the women that they are serving in their community.

[00:06:49] And basically what Kushbhu does is they are an artisan market.

[00:06:54] So they train women who are very marginalized.

[00:06:57] I mentioned Ronnie in the last episode but I'll just briefly mention her again as a group,

[00:07:01] we all split up the next day when we visited the workshop.

[00:07:05] We all split up and went home with one of the artisans.

[00:07:08] And I got to go home with Ronnie and see her very humble apartment.

[00:07:15] We took our shoes off and walked inside and she showed us how to make Marsella Chaiti

[00:07:20] and we sat on her bed.

[00:07:22] And she wanted to tell us how she came to faith, how she came to know Jesus and how being

[00:07:30] a part of the Kushbhu community had changed her life.

[00:07:34] Because when she came to faith, she had been marginalized from her family who did not

[00:07:40] appreciate her leaving Hinduism and so she was really, she'd become an outcast.

[00:07:48] But she had found faith in Jesus and she found faith in a community that believed in her

[00:07:55] that said you are beloved, you have a purpose, you have skill, you have ability, you have

[00:08:01] a future.

[00:08:03] And so with what she has learned how to do, she's a beautiful seamstress and what she's

[00:08:07] learned how to do is be able to create products that sell both locally and globally.

[00:08:14] And I mean the smile on her face when you see these women working together, there's actually

[00:08:20] on this very day it's so weird that we're recording this today because on this very

[00:08:23] day there's a church partnership with tears of international that's in that workshop

[00:08:28] today.

[00:08:29] Wow.

[00:08:30] So I'm just going to have a look at the printing and I've just been just thinking and

[00:08:33] praying for them today knowing that they are having that experience and they'll go and

[00:08:38] have butter chicken and non bread for lunch.

[00:08:40] Okay, that doesn't really good.

[00:08:43] So what of your experience with tears of what has been probably besides running the most

[00:08:50] memorable or the most for you maybe life changing?

[00:08:54] Yeah, so because it's a network of global women leaders who are indigenous.

[00:09:01] I think the thing that really month after month because you know with nonprofit work

[00:09:06] it's hard anyone who does nonprofit work and fundraising which is primarily what we

[00:09:11] do on our side here in the US.

[00:09:14] We are equipping them.

[00:09:15] We are resourcing them.

[00:09:17] We have curriculum that does our leadership development, our micro enterprise, our skills

[00:09:23] training.

[00:09:24] So we are doing the equipping where the capacity builders become alongside but the thing that

[00:09:31] impresses me so much is that when we get to have interaction with these women leaders

[00:09:37] I am blessed and just in awe every single time.

[00:09:43] So for example yesterday morning we had our monthly prayer meeting.

[00:09:47] So we do this once a month where all the global leaders from around the world and all of

[00:09:52] the US staff which is small there's just a few of us actually.

[00:09:56] We gather together for a Zoom meeting and it's a prayer meeting so we go through and women

[00:10:02] talk about what's happening in their programs.

[00:10:06] I don't remember if I mentioned it in this episode of the last but these women are either

[00:10:10] leaders in their churches, they have nonprofits that they're running to meet a need or they

[00:10:15] have a social business where they're employing women.

[00:10:18] All of them are faith-based and they're all sharing the gospel and the love of Jesus.

[00:10:24] It's beautiful so that these women will know that they are loved by God.

[00:10:30] But in these prayer meetings as I sit and listen to these women whether they be from

[00:10:37] India or South Africa or Zimbabwe or Kenya or Ethiopia wherever they're at Mexico, as they

[00:10:44] share, I love hearing how they are struggling.

[00:10:50] I don't love hearing the struggle but I love hearing them be authentic and sharing where

[00:10:56] the challenges are that they're facing and there's hard stuff like the minute one of the

[00:11:01] ministries we partner with in South Africa, they had two deaths this last month.

[00:11:06] There was a young woman who was gang raped and killed and she was a young woman who

[00:11:14] was in their program and was coming each day and that devastated them.

[00:11:19] It broke their hearts and there's been so many tears and questions but this is also

[00:11:27] the reality of these hard places where these people are living and working and so as these

[00:11:33] prayer requests are shared I love seeing how the women, many of them, actually most of

[00:11:39] them have never met each other in person because one might be in South Africa and one

[00:11:44] might be in Mumbai but they come alongside each other and they encourage one another.

[00:11:52] They share words of encouragement with Scripture, they share personal stories of how God has

[00:11:58] brought them through difficult times and then they pray for each other.

[00:12:02] My team here on the U.S. side I mean what can we do but just sit there and take it all

[00:12:08] in and thank God that we get to be a part of these women's lives and help them do what

[00:12:14] they're doing because they're doing such beautiful work.

[00:12:18] So yeah it's amazing.

[00:12:20] I love the work of Tears and the motto is so good when women rise, the world rises with

[00:12:28] them.

[00:12:29] Yes.

[00:12:30] And you see that happening?

[00:12:31] Yes.

[00:12:32] What an alternative to our very self-indulgent, self-centered culture.

[00:12:37] To say look there's a whole world out there, you know it really doesn't matter.

[00:12:43] You know if the hairstylist got your color right on your hair.

[00:12:47] There's a whole there are bigger things, there are bigger issues and issues that deal with

[00:12:53] life and death and there's pain that's not your own pain and allows others, you know

[00:13:01] these other women to empathize and I think especially for younger like teenagers I know you

[00:13:07] said on one of the trips some of the girls are 18 years old and you think that is so

[00:13:12] it's life changing.

[00:13:13] It is, it really is and I think it's it's it's such a trajectory that is away from self

[00:13:21] towards others that is just such a great trajectory to.

[00:13:24] Yeah.

[00:13:25] And I think when it comes to you know when we talk about the long lasting change that

[00:13:30] there's going to be this trickle effect that goes on and on and on where we're seeing

[00:13:34] that really profoundly is in our leadership development program.

[00:13:41] So with the micro enterprise and with the skills based training a lot of those women are

[00:13:46] more of your marginalized women who are illiterate, who have been denied an education, who you

[00:13:54] know what can they do and many of them have actually turned to trying to make ends meet

[00:13:59] by doing illegal things.

[00:14:02] We've got women in prison in in South Sudan who who only could provide food for their

[00:14:10] families by selling illegal alcohol, you know and it's what they were doing well then

[00:14:15] they were caught and then they were put in prison and we have a beautiful ministry there

[00:14:18] that is serving and and when those women come out teaching the micro enterprise so that

[00:14:24] they can start their own small business and find another way but then also finding Jesus

[00:14:29] with those programs.

[00:14:30] But anyway, but let me get back to the leadership development, leadership development is a completely

[00:14:35] different thing that we do and this actually targets women in these countries who are

[00:14:40] college educated so these women have had a different life experience they have, they

[00:14:46] are still South African or Kenyan or Ethiopian or Indian but what they have, what they have

[00:14:54] gone through college they have had, they have grown up with some level of, not I wouldn't

[00:15:01] say wealth but with means and what we are doing with them is this two year program it's

[00:15:11] an emerging leader program and it's essentially a Bible study.

[00:15:15] It's a ten module Bible study, it's our own curriculum that we developed a few years ago

[00:15:19] and it takes them through what does it look like to be a leader to lead like Jesus who are

[00:15:25] you as a person and how has God equipped you and all the women who do this are know that

[00:15:31] God's called them into a place of leadership.

[00:15:34] So then what happens is these women are mentored by older women then they become mentors

[00:15:39] themselves and then these are the women that are turning around that are starting small

[00:15:44] businesses, nonprofits stepping into church leadership and so this is how we're seeing nations

[00:15:51] change because it's this trickle effect that goes on and on and on.

[00:15:56] Next month our trainer her name is Esme and she's in South Africa she will be going to Kenya

[00:16:02] to train 50 brand new mentors in Kenya and those mentors will turn around and then train each

[00:16:11] one of them about four mentees and we'll step into that two year program.

[00:16:16] So this is a cycle that we're seeing repeated year after year and what's happening across

[00:16:22] these communities is incredible.

[00:16:25] You know it reminds me a little bit we did a podcast a couple years ago I think on Josephine

[00:16:31] Butler and what she saw and this is in England is that these girls were having to turn

[00:16:38] and widows to prostitution because there were no alternatives.

[00:16:43] And way back when in this is in the 1800s she started these schools, these training schools

[00:16:48] that would train them how to type, how to how to sew it would give them skill sets but

[00:16:56] there was persecution against them and I'm certain that theorist has probably gotten

[00:17:02] some pushback.

[00:17:04] I mean there's some warfare there right?

[00:17:06] There is there is and when I was in India we were in Hyderabad and we were sitting with

[00:17:13] a group of women many who had come out of brothels, many who were HIV positive and we sat

[00:17:19] with a woman who I don't recall her name but she was burned from head to toe and I had

[00:17:26] personally never experienced something like this or been close to someone like this

[00:17:31] but sitting right next to her I mean it just it was, it really caught your attention

[00:17:37] because I didn't really know what had happened to her but she shared her testimony and when

[00:17:41] she had come to faith her husband had burned her with acid.

[00:17:46] And we gathered around her she wanted to share her story it had been a number of years

[00:17:52] and so the wounds were healed but they were permanent and she wanted to share her story

[00:17:58] and she wanted to share what Jesus had done in her life and she's actually a very hopeful

[00:18:02] woman but what was incredible was the my my main takeaway from that encounter was as these

[00:18:10] 14 women here that I'm traveling with we are gathering around her to hear her story.

[00:18:16] The woman who was leading the trip she looked over to one of the women who was actually

[00:18:20] a board member for Tearsah who she said to her Debbie will you pray for this woman?

[00:18:30] And I didn't know Debbie at this point but as soon as she started praying I could see

[00:18:34] that Debbie was a woman who was well acquainted with suffering.

[00:18:38] Wow.

[00:18:39] And I mean it's hard to describe like those kind of moments because it's just, it's beautiful

[00:18:45] how God can knit our hearts together even through suffering and hard things.

[00:18:51] You know, and then many years not many years but many days later I then came to know Debbie

[00:18:56] story and I think that's what's so beautiful about the work that Tearsah does is that everybody

[00:19:02] has a story.

[00:19:05] Everybody's story is worth knowing and absolutely we're shaking our heads yes because we

[00:19:11] release listeners can't see us.

[00:19:13] No matter where you live whether you live in a small village outside of Hyderabad or

[00:19:18] you live somewhere here in the United States God has every single one of us on a journey

[00:19:24] He wants us to know him he wants us to know how much he loves us and that every one of

[00:19:29] us has value no matter what you've been told your whole life.

[00:19:35] And yeah, and he has special work for every one of us to do.

[00:19:39] And that's why when you're going to these places too, you are imparting and affirming

[00:19:44] that value but in affirming that value you are realizing I have value.

[00:19:51] I have the value that I can come and affirm there's value in affirming someone and encouraging

[00:19:57] so.

[00:19:58] And not because and my value doesn't come because of anything that I've done but it's

[00:20:03] realizing that it's his power working through me.

[00:20:06] And that is life changing just to be used by God is so life changing.

[00:20:11] So really you think about the next generation though what these women are able to provide

[00:20:15] for their children if they did not have the means that the resources that tears that

[00:20:24] is able to provide for them so that they can provide income or they can get their children

[00:20:29] into school so that the next generation right is right changed where that wouldn't

[00:20:36] have been possible.

[00:20:37] Yeah, yes education and opportunities are incredible you know and we really don't get it

[00:20:43] because education is not valued here like it is in other parts of the world opportunities

[00:20:48] we kind of take them for granted so we don't understand but what we do know you know

[00:20:52] in there are many organizations doing many great things for families for men which are

[00:20:58] all important but tears are really focuses on women because that's the heart and by

[00:21:05] the way I don't know if you know this but tears comes from numbers there's a story

[00:21:09] nice.

[00:21:10] It's also in her.

[00:21:11] So there's a story in numbers where five sisters this is when the Israelites were

[00:21:20] wandering and they inherit it.

[00:21:21] They inherit it and they went to Moses and asked because the men had died in their family

[00:21:27] and so moved and that was even bold to even go ask Moses because in that society that

[00:21:31] was really not welcomed if you weren't invited to come and approach the leaders but they

[00:21:37] did and they boldly did and Moses went and talked to God and God said yes give them

[00:21:43] the rights of their inheritance.

[00:21:45] And so I love also in scripture that strike comes up three times.

[00:21:48] Yeah, yes we can show the importance the boldness of the women to just ask.

[00:21:53] Yeah and what we see over and over again and this is across the board in Christian and

[00:21:59] secular circles that we know that when women are invested in they turn around I mean the

[00:22:06] percentages are staggering they turn around and they invest in their community and it

[00:22:12] really is life changing not just for them but for the people around them.

[00:22:17] Which reminds me of when Paul is telling Titus have the older woman teach the younger

[00:22:23] women yes and that's what they're doing and boy the there's a socially physically emotionally

[00:22:31] mentally you can just see the payoff in all of that.

[00:22:38] You know, there's an artisans division that I have received some of their beautiful

[00:22:45] items that have been made and then are available to purchase in the US through very limited

[00:22:51] yes shops yes so we have the we do those partnerships now when we work with artists and

[00:22:58] markets we really want them to be sustainable in their own communities but it is possible

[00:23:04] to also get their goods here.

[00:23:05] So for example, we just did a pottery collection which will be arriving soon and that was

[00:23:11] a special order so I recommend if you're interested in beautiful leather goods from Kenya or Ethiopia

[00:23:17] beautiful block printed textiles from India I recommend following along on Tearsa it's

[00:23:23] Tearsa.org and you can get on the email and receive that communication when those are

[00:23:30] available for purchase but they are beautiful and every single handmade item tells a story

[00:23:35] because those are made with love and you know that an opportunity has been made through

[00:23:39] the creation of those.

[00:23:41] So Tearsa is T-I-R-Z-A-H.

[00:23:44] That is correct?

[00:23:45] T-I-R-Z-A-H.org.

[00:23:48] That's really.

[00:23:49] It's a wonderful ministry that's really doing good work.

[00:23:55] Yeah, it is.

[00:23:56] I'm really hopeful that our listeners are understanding that there's the we bring stories every

[00:24:03] week of women that have had these remarkable things that have happened in their lives because

[00:24:08] God has just opened doors for them but for all of our listeners there's opportunities

[00:24:13] for God to lead you into something that you didn't even think of just like Diane was saying

[00:24:19] and even hear about Tearsa.

[00:24:21] But that he-P-I-Z-A-H-O-N.

[00:24:22] Yes, just this opportunity to travel look at travel on purpose.

[00:24:29] Thank you.

[00:25:00] Tell some of the stories and the fruit of this ministry.

[00:25:05] Thank you.

[00:25:11] Thank you for listening to Women Worth Knowing with Cheryl Broderson and Robin Jones'

[00:25:16] gun.

[00:25:17] For more information on Cheryl, visit Cherylbroderson.com or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

[00:25:22] For more information on Robin, visit robingun.com or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

[00:25:28] Join us each week for a lively conversation as we explore the lives of well-known and

[00:25:32] not so well-known historical and contemporary Christian women.

[00:25:36] If you think there is a woman worth knowing, we'd love to hear from you.

[00:25:40] Email us at www.ccm.com.

[00:25:45] We hope you've enjoyed today's episode.

[00:25:47] Make sure you rate us on your podcast app, subscribe and share it with a friend.

[00:25:51] Thank you again for listening to Women Worth Knowing with Cheryl Broderson and Robin

[00:25:55] Jones' gun.

[00:25:57] Women Worth Knowing is a production of Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa.