Leymah Gbowee: The dream bearer is always the dream carrier.

I felt like the Little Red Hen today.  I asked my coworkers if any of them would be going to hear Leymah Gbowee tonight as she speaks to IWU.  One asked who she was and I told him she was the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, but he was still not impressed or interested. In fact, no one was interested in going but me.  I don't mind going to things like this by myself.  It's just what I do. I was going to go regardless of what others were saying, but I had no idea the blessing I would receive from this evening, and it makes me a little sad that they missed out on a wonderful opportunity.  This woman is amazing, simply amazing and so genuine!  She doesn't take any of the glory for herself.  She puts it right back where it belongs with God.  She stated tonight that she doesn't use notes because she wants to rely on God's strength and not on her own.  She always prays that Jesus would fill her mouth with His words, and fill it He did! He spoke to my heart and I know He spoke to a great many students as well!

Leymah Gbowee recalled two stories.  One told of missed opportunities and the other told the story of how she came to lead Liberian women into a ministry of prayer and peaceful protest that would change her world from a state of war.  She had a dream and she went to her pastor and told him of the dream thinking that she would help behind the scenes while someone else implemented the dream.  The pastor kept telling her that the dream bearer is always the dream carrier, and so she set out on a course that God would lead. Her dream isn't over by any means.

After her short talk, she opened the floor for questions from students.  I got the impression that this isn't something that Nobel Peace Prize Recipients normally do, but she was so gracious.  The institute was protective of her since she had spoken at six universities in 2 days so they were wanting to wrap it up and get her back to Indy, but she kept taking student questions.  Finally, they said she had to go and she felt so genuinely bad about not getting to answer five of the students questions.  She told those five to come up on stage for a hug, and then she said, "Where are all the cameras now?  Why isn't someone taking a picture?"  So of course, I went down to the front row and took this picture.  One of the five students was Jacob Cotrell so I texted the picture to his mother right away, and I think I made her cry! It's not every day that you can say that your son hugged a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate! 

A webcast of Ms. Leymah Gbowee’s evening with us is now available at the link below!

http://www.indwes.edu/gbowee-Webcast/