April 13-17th is National Volunteer Appreciation Week! In honor of ALL our treasured volunteers, Women in the Window International is delighted to introduce our Health Servant Co-Leader, Ila Swick. As a Registered Nurse and Lactation Consultant, Ila brings over 40 years of experience in women’s health to the Women in the Window team. When she travels to the 10/40 Window, she equips women leaders with wholistic health skills, covering topics such as hygiene, nutrition, pregnancy, childbirth, and infant health. In addition, she reminds the women that they are “fearfully and wonderfully made” by their Creator, and loved and valued just as they are! We are grateful for Ila’s passion to share practical knowledge, resources, and the love of Jesus Christ with the women in “the window”!
We hope you will enjoy learning more about Ila in the brief interview below. If God is leading you to serve with WiW, please learn more about our volunteer opportunities and contact us!
Ila, what compelled you to serve with Women in the Window?
I was compelled to serve because of WiW’s mission statement and core values, and the relational aspect of getting to know our ministry partners on a deeper level.
What has been the most enjoyable aspect of your volunteer experience so far?
Seeing the women’s responses during a training. The takeaways are always so positive and uplifting!
What’s one of the most interesting things you’ve learned about WiW’s ministry?
How broad and wide WiW’s ministry is across the 10/40 Window, and how many lives it touched in its first full year, 2014.
Where have you traveled with WiW? How have you seen God use those trainings to transform the women and yourself personally?
I have traveled to North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. When a woman expresses her heart and says that WiW has given her practical and spiritual “weapons” to lift her sisters up toward Christ’s love, it leaves an indelible mark on my heart. I have fallen in love with the women of MENA (the Middle East and North Africa) and pray to be a blessing to them in the future. Each time I go, I grow and mature as a woman, a Christ follower, and a member of WiW.
What is a passage of Scripture that has special significance to you?
Ephesians 1:3-8: We are blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, forgiven, and redeemed in Christ.
