Volunteer Spotlight

Women in the Window130 DianeWomen in the Window International is delighted to introduce our featured volunteer, Diane Serrano!  Diane first got involved after attending a fundraiser in 2012. From that point forward, she has eagerly and graciously assisted with many events (she is our creative decorator extraordinaire!), projects in the office, and our prayer gatherings.

Moreover, Diane’s commitment to the ministry extends to our Servant Leader team. She and her co-leader serve as our Advocacy Coordinators, focusing their efforts on human rights assessment and activity in the 10/40 Window, particularly South Asia, to set captive women and girls free. For the last three years she has traveled to India, where human trafficking is rampant, to minister to and provide training for our ministry partners there.

We are also thrilled that Diane recently joined our staff as bookkeeper! In addition, she will be working as our interim Executive Assistant while Jessica is on maternity leave at the end of the year. Diane’s willingness to serve in whatever capacity is needed is an incredible blessing to everyone at Women in the Window, as well as a beautiful reflection of Jesus, our ultimate servant leader.  We hope you will enjoy learning more about Diane in the brief interview below.  If God is leading you to serve with WiW, please learn more about our volunteer opportunities and contact us!

Diane, what compelled you to serve with Women in the Window?
In 2009, I attended a seminar titled “Learning to See God in a Broken World.” There, I was jolted to awareness of issues like human trafficking and sexual slavery. Deeply moved and overwhelmed by the complexity of these issues, I began wrestling with how to respond. Soon after I heard Indian social activist, Sunita Krishnan, give a talk in which she issued this challenge: “Don’t tell me of the hundred ways you cannot respond to this problem; instead, can you apply your mind to do one thing?” That one thing, for me, became clear when I heard Kim Kerr share the vision of Women in the Window International – to replace poverty and injustice with dignity and purpose in Christ. The compassionate nature and practical scope of the work being done around the world compelled me to begin volunteering with WiW, where I now serve in the area of Advocacy.

What has been the most enjoyable aspect of your volunteer experience so far?
By far, the most enjoyable aspect of my volunteer experience is the mighty women that I am privileged to work alongside, both stateside and overseas. Gifted, determined, courageous, and compassionate are but a few words to describe them; women who come from very diverse backgrounds, yet work in unity of faith and purpose.

What’s one of the most interesting things you’ve learned about WiW’s ministry?
Multiplication! A key principle of each training is that it should be easily reproducible and sustainable. Women are able to personally apply what they learn in practical ways and share with others, within their circle of influence. It is amazing to see the far reaching and life changing impact of these trainings as they are “multiplied” by women within their homes, churches, communities, and nation.

Where have you traveled with WiW?  How did you see God use the training to transform the women?
Travels with WiW have taken me to a number of regions in India, ranging from rural towns to the red light districts of big cities, where violence, poverty, and suffering are common threads, particularly for women. I have seen God use the trainings to reorient the way the women think about themselves and their potential to effect change. Rather than see themselves as their culture does, relegating them to secondary or menial status, they gain the understanding that God created them with inherent dignity and value. Through the study of narratives in Scripture, they are encouraged to see how Jesus demonstrated that women are worthy to hear and receive God’s truth and are capable to share it with others.

What is a passage of Scripture that has special significance for you?
Isaiah 40:31: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” This has long been a treasured verse at the end of a chapter that highlights the greatness of God. It is this great and glorious God who gives power to the weak and renewed strength to the weary!