If we’ve learned anything from social media, we know how quickly and completely a simple photo can bring tremendous joy! Today, let’s look back at our top seven Instagram posts of 2017, the stories behind them, and how one photo can fully demonstrate the joy of God!
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#1: Ebola free
Her face. That sign. They say it all! The World Health Organization announced that Sierra Leone was officially Ebola free March 17. Praise God!
This amazing and joyful announcement lands our top spot … and we couldn’t agree more!
#2: Prayers for the hungry
In the midst of the fun and festivities during the Fourth of July here in the U.S., this joyful face stood out and reminded us to count our blessings and continue our fervent prayers for people affected by the devastating East Africa Hunger Crisis.
We pray that children like this precious baby would sense that God is near, holding them in his loving hands. With thousands of likes on this post and 38 prayer comments, we know you were lifting up children and families across the world, too.
#3: Standing with refugees
There is no greater joy than this reminder from World Vision U.S. President Rich Stearns, who reminded us as Christians to “love our neighbors, to care for the needy, and to welcome the stranger.”
World Vision stands with refugees; the support and comments strengthened us in our resolve to live out our faith as we care for the most vulnerable.
#4: Clean water
Clean water. Those two words bring tremendous joy to World Vision! Our Global 6K for Water hosted more than 25,000 people who walked or ran for water so children around the world don’t have to.
Together with our amazing donors, we provided access to clean water for 31,386 more people through this one event! Now that is cause for celebration — and why it hits our number four spot for Instagram post of the year!
#5: Best friends
Friendship is one of those special relationships that bring joy into our lives. In this Instagram post from #NationalBestFriendsDay, we gave thanks to God for the precious friendships he places in our lives, knowing exactly the people we need to live a life that brings us closer to him.
In our work at World Vision, we are fortunate to see this kind of friendship all over the world in every community we serve — just like this friendship between Sibomana, Ndayisenga, Kidamage, and Nsengiyunva in Rwanda! They are so close that they walk everywhere arm in arm. And when we asked you to tag a friend who has been there for you, we recognized and appreciated 22 friendships through your comments!
#6: Prayer requests
In this photo, we see the powerful imagery of children praying. There is joy in prayer because we are pursuing God’s glory. John 14:13 says, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
We decided to take a chance and not only ask you to comment with your own prayer request, but to also take a few moments to pray for someone else’s request by replying with a prayer of your own. It came in at number six of our top Instagram photos of the year, and we know your prayers are powerful.
#7: Giving back
Our seventh top post of 2017 gives us a glimpse into the generosity of Pastor Jornito Jorge in Mozambique, who — after receiving training from World Vision — dedicated his life to helping children overcome poverty.
He says, “Through this training I learned to wear the shoes of somebody else. If this was me, how would I feel?”
The Bible calls us to live a life of generosity, thinking of others before ourselves, and with that comes an outpouring of joy!
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Joy.
One little word holds so much meaning. It is a word I strive to incorporate into World Vision’s daily Instagram posts. Whether it’s a post highlighting the transformed lives of a country free from Ebola or a photo showing a life forever changed by clean water, you will find God’s glory and joy present throughout our feed.
Thank you for walking with us on this journey of joy in 2017. We can’t wait to see what your favorites are next year!
Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and share in this joy at @WorldVisionUSA.
Share your favorite moment of joy from 2017 by leaving a comment below!
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