On January 19, 2004, I was privileged to be one of twelve young people invited to speak at the New York City Youth Nonviolence Conference. The conference was held to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader who left his mark on humanity because, instead of having the dream of power, he believed in the power of a dream.

Over 200 young people from around New York City attended the conference. Rachel Bostic, a graduate of Southern Adventist University who just moved to New York to work in our office, and I presented a workshop entitled "The Power of One: My Role in Changing the World."

I was a little worried about how our message would be received since the students were all high-school age. I anticipated it would be hard to keep their attention for 70 minutes, but was amazed at how engaged they were. I talked to them about my work at the United Nations and about some projects I had been a part of, including raising money for an orphanage in Jordan and for the children of Iraq. They told us about the activities they were involved in, from feeding the homeless to starting a campaign to clean up New York’s streets.

We talked about the problems they saw in their communities: gangs, poverty, and lack of quality education. We also talked about solutions to their problems. I came to the conference to share insights with these students, but they ended up teaching me so many things.

Through their eyes, I was able to see the problems they face every day — drugs and gang wars in schools and the lack of positive outlets for them to express their emotions and ideas. I also saw their compassion for others and a desire to make a difference in the world.

I was a little nervous about our presentation, but God blessed. I finished the session with a quote from the television show "Everwood":

“Great change only comes from conflict, but where nature’s greatest conflict consists of relentless pounding of water on rock, or collisions under the earth’s crust, for people to change, it takes other people.”

When I concluded my statement with the words, “be that person who brings about positive change,” one of the students blurted out, “That was the most enlightening thing I have ever heard.”

It touched my heart to see how receptive these students were to the motivational message we presented. Each of us has been given the precious gift of life by our Creator, but it is up to us how we use that life. One diplomat put it well when he said, “Will you change the world, or will the world change you?”

God calls us to be His ambassadors in the world, but not of it. I am very thankful for the opportunity we were given to speak to these young people and to share what God has done in our lives. I was also grateful to Michelle Brumagin at Insight magazine, who donated over 200 magazines to be distributed at the conference. This was a tremendous witnessing opportunity, and I am so thankful God continues to open doors for me here in New York City. “ . . . We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV).

Kelly Lynn Razzouk is a 22-year-old senior at Southern Adventist University. She is the daughter of Akram and Sinka Razzouk and a member of the Hinsdale (Ill.) Church. Kelly served as the General Conference United Nations Liaison Officer from August 2003 to the end of April 2004. She is an active member of the United Nations Non-Governmental Youth Committee and an avid human rights activist.