Today we’d like to introduce you to Hayden Risinger.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Hayden. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
For as long as I can remember, I have adored traveling. My parents took me on my first international trip at eight years old to Senegal, West Africa and I remember peering out the airplane window at a country below that looked so different from home. I love learning about the world and all it has to offer. The uniqueness of each culture, people group, and food inspires me, and I love seeing how God has made all people different, but how we can still connect in one way or another. Growing up, I continued to have opportunities to travel to many different places.
Several years later, I attended Texas A&M University majoring in Communications. During my senior year, I married my high school sweetheart. He shared my same heart and passion to live overseas to help others and share God’s love. We began exploring options of where to go. In 2017, we boarded a plane (or say ten planes total) and flew to a remote village in Southeast Asia with our 13-month-old babysitting in my lap. Traveling with a baby comes with a lot of new challenges. Have you ever tried to explain a 12 hour time change to a baby? Yeah….you can’t. What followed consisted of screaming all day and all night in overly tired protest. Even still, we loved every second of it.
After we arrived back in Texas from our Southeast Asia trip, we began making plans to move. Much to our dismay, life threw some changes at us preventing us from going forward with our plans to move. We were staying in Texas. I was surprised, to say the least. God was not surprised and had a plan all along. Still, it was a hard adjustment for me at the time.
You see, I’m a stay-at-home mom. My children are always with me. I could easily picture myself sitting in a remote village in Asia, sharing truth with other women and helping them while our children played nearby. It was unstructured. We could do life together in community with our children alongside us. But that doesn’t exist in America where it’s all about busyness, the individual, and only serving if you have childcare lined up. Or could it? I asked myself, “Do I really have to sit this season out until my children get older?” I sought out God and asked Him and He clearly said, “NO!”
My eyes were opened to the international women living right beside me, in my very own neighborhoods in Texas. Imagine if you moved to a new country, had no community reaching out to you, and were at home all day with your young children? You would begin to feel lonely, isolated, and a little stir crazy from being stuck inside your home. There are international mothers all around us who are raising families and searching for meaning among the mundane activities of day-to-day life. Some moved here and came from prestigious jobs in India, China, or elsewhere and are now at home and unable to work due to visa issues while their husbands make a living. Others are refugees who have been through horrific events and are still struggling to recover. Many American moms want to be involved, but don’t know how. Thus, Global Motherhood was born to be the solution to these growing issues.
Has it been a smooth road?
Starting an organization from the ground up took a big leap of faith and courage for me. I wouldn’t define myself as a leader by nature. I tend to be more soft-spoken and like to work in the background. However, its been a really rewarding process and I’ve grown more as a mother, wife, and friend because of it.
I’ve been fortunate to have several opportunities to present Global Motherhood across the DFW area. Some days, it feels like a smooth road and other days it feels very chaotic! One of the biggest struggles is trying to educate the public about the international presence around us and why they should prioritize it. Yes, we are all busy. But a lot of these women don’t even have the opportunity to be busy. Loneliness and boredom can do a lot of damage to your self-esteem. Giving just an hour once per month to be friends with someone and say, “I see you” can make huge difference.
Logistically, a few of the struggles I have run into include building a website, finding transportation for those without vehicles, and coordinating volunteer schedules. But even if it makes a difference for the life of one, it’s all worth it.
For anyone wanting to start an organization, my advice would be to surround yourself with people who will encourage you and push you. It’s easy to let dreams go to the wayside if you don’t have someone keeping you accountable to keep going when it gets tough.
We’d love to hear more about Global Motherhood.
Global Motherhood is an organization that partners American mothers with international mothers in friendship. Through our efforts, we hope to empower women with community and a sense of self-worth. As an organization, we help volunteers by walking them through a cross-cultural training and by providing monthly playdates as a fun way to interact. What mom doesn’t love playdates?
We aim for this to be a two-way road, benefiting both women involved and changing their lives for the better. I believe this is what sets us apart. You will find a lot of organizations out there that give aid to refugees or help internationals find jobs. These are huge blessings and so needed, but they are often one-time interactions and heavily one-sided. Global Motherhood encourages unity and working together. As an American, you can help an international adjust to life in the US, but what can you learn from them as well? I bet you will be met with more hospitality than you have ever experienced before. Or perhaps become a little less busy with tasks and more relational. Maybe you will go home with a bag full of new food and treats that they insist upon giving you. Maybe your children will learn pieces of a new language at the playdates and become bilingual. You never know.
Which women have inspired you in your life?
First, Stephanie Giddens, founder and operator of Vickery Trading Company, has been a source of encouragement and hope for me. She works with refugees, teaching them to sew and giving them practical life skills to help them find jobs. When I had the realization that I was called to be a part of something bigger than myself, I looked to Stephanie and asked, “Where do I go?” She said, “I’m not sure, but you should start something. You have what it takes.” The fact that someone who has been successful believed me and saw me having leadership skills gave me the confidence to give it a try.
Secondly, my first international friend named Hana from the Middle East inspired me with how easy it is to reach out. She desperately needed friends and some help with basic needs. Some days, I just sat on her couch and chatted about life. Other days, I helped her pickup her child from school, sign an apartment lease, and showed her how to use postage stamps. Anyone can show someone how to use a postage stamp! It’s so simple, but it made such a difference because the mailman began picking up her bills and she stopped getting late payment notices.
Contact Info:
- Website: theglobalmotherhood.org
- Email: theglobalmotherhood@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Meg Freidel Photography
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