I’m here recounting my interview with Sylvia Anderson. Unfortunately, we experienced some technical difficulties during recording, so I want to recreate it for you. The last portion of our talk focused on the challenging position of her team, including helping people in crisis and supporting them.
I asked Sylvia how she keeps strong for her clients. She has to keep herself refreshed, or she gives out stale water, she said. One way is that when she’s off the grounds she leaves her work at the office.
Since we’d been talking about how they make it clear to their clients that they’re the same, I wondered how transparent are they with clients? “We have to be careful because clients are in their own crisis, and if we share our current crisis, then they jump on board to solve our issues. It’s a welcome but unhealthy diversion, so we only share situations that we’ve come through and had victory in or have learned lessons from.” “Everyone needs a support system.” Current staff struggles are saved for sharing outside the EGM circle. Sylvia continued that everyone needs to have a support system of two people in their lives; one we can let see us in our weakness and another who can be a truth teller, who has permission to take us aside and share a hard truth we need to hear.
So to give back, I wanted to show you how you can learn more about the mission. You can go to their website at www.EGmission.org. They offer poverty awareness training, volunteering opportunities, and tours. They’re always happy to talk about their mission. There are resources for all people in the community who need help, whether they are homeless, struggling to maintain their home, or dealing with the associated struggles.
I asked Sylvia for any final thoughts. She said, “We have a responsibility to the poor. Isaiah 43 says ‘bring my sons from afar and my daughters from ends of the Earth, everyone who is called by my name who I created for my glory whom I formed and made.’ That’s what we’re doing; bringing in God’s sons and daughters, and if we’re not giving away to people who have no way to give back to us, then we’d better check our faith.”
