In her own worlds, Lyss talks about her experiences as a Miss World Canada delegate, what being a woman of God means to her, and how reaching out to others is an extension of Christ's love.
(photos supplied)
My name is Alyssa Piazza, I am 22 years old and am from Sudbury, Ontario. I’ve always been inspired by people who are passionate and have used their zeal to become world changers and that is what I am trying to do with my own life. I firmly believe that the voice of a single individual can make all the difference in this world.
What does being a woman of God mean to you?
Being a woman of
God to me means that every day I strive to be more like Jesus. It means I
choose to daily take everything I am and have and place it before God saying
use me in any way you want, take me anywhere you want me to go. It means that
I’m constantly asking Him to break my heart for what breaks His, to give me
revelation of who He created me to be, and for the courage to live that out.
You're a contestant in the Miss World Canada pageant. Tell us a little about the pageant. Why did you get involved? How did you get involved? What is your role in the pageant?
This year I was
selected as a national finalist for Miss World Canada 2013. I can tell you I
had never thought of doing a pageant, or really had a desire to do a pageant
before this. It is something God literally placed in front of me and asked me
to go, and even though I had no idea what it would entail or how pageants
really worked I just said yes to Him. My journey to the pageant itself was such
a beautiful and challenging one. God really used this experience to teach me
more about my identity in Him, and really how critical it is to be speaking His
truths over myself daily. On May 1st I joined 35 other exceptional ladies in
Vancouver B.C at the beginning of pageant week. We had a week full of press
events, photo shoots, interviews, and so much more. It was absolutely crucial
that everyday I spent time with Jesus and kept my heart and self focused on my
purpose for being there, and making sure I stayed true to myself and didn’t
compromise who I was or my values in any way, which was not always the easiest
thing to do. Thankfully God has surrounded me with some great people in my life
who kept me reminded of those things to. Going into this my ultimate goal was
not to take home the crown. My heart was really to grow as a person, to
challenge myself, to represent the heart of God well on and off the stage, and
to use the platform God had given me wisely. The night of the pageant I did not
win which was not at all a disappointment to me. I was runner up for Miss
Congeniality, which my fellow Delegates voted for, and that in itself meant
more to me than the crown. I was so thrilled that my beautiful friend Camille
Munro was crowed that night, and was also incredibly proud of all of the other
ladies because they really are amazing women who have hearts to change the
world. It is not easy to do what we did, to be so willing to do something in
the world and put ourselves out there despite much of the criticism and trails
many faced to get there.
What an amazing experience to be able to really ground yourself in Jesus on such a national scale!
You spoke a little about going where the Lord leads you. You've done a lot of work with underprivileged kids, and are a huge advocate against human trafficking. Tell us a little about your work. What keeps you motivated?
In regards to much of what I do, one of the main comments I
hear a lot is “Alyssa, it’s so great that you ‘do’ humanitarian work”. I
wouldn’t say I “do” humanitarian work. It's a way of living. Being conscious of
the world around me, and issues facing the world. Doing my part with the voice I've
been given to fight for what's right, and to love people. It's not something I
choose to "do" on occasion, it's something I choose to live out
everyday. Jesus didn't say "Hey guys, I need to do some humanitarian work
and stop these people from stoning this woman, or go heal the sick, and love
the broken." It was his lifestyle, and if I'm striving to be like Him,
than it should be the way I live out every day as well.
God has really
given me a heart for young people. I so desire to see others get a revelation
of their identity, so they can live out their destiny and become all that God
created them to be. So with that passion I have had incredible opportunities to
work with youth globally. I have spoken at, and mentored conferences in my
city, as well as co-lead a self-esteem and empowerment program for young girls
ages 12-15 in my city. Last summer I was absolutely blessed with the experience
of living in Chicago Illinois and working at a summer camp with under resourced
youth. The program was summer long for them, and we spent time speaking truth
and identity over them, and just loving these incredible teens where they were
at in life. I can’t tell you how much this experience changed me. The teens I
worked with were some of the most amazing people I’ve met and I do not say that
lightly. People have often said how great it was that I helped these teens, but
really in many ways they did the same for me.
I am also a huge
advocate against human trafficking because I’ve seen and heard the realities of
it both here in Canada and throughout the world. That 27 Million people are
enslaved around the world today (take time to picture faces of people in your
mind as you read that number, and not just a big statistic). It is the fastest
growing crime on our planet. This means that daily men, women, and children are
being sold and exploited. I couldn't turn a blind eye, and pretend I didn't
know what was happening, so had to somehow get involved in the movement to
abolish modern day slavery. It has been such a journey and God has blessed me
with platforms such as Miss World Canada to create awareness about this very
present and horrific reality in our world today. In Proverbs 31:8 God calls us
to “speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves, for the rights of all
who are destitute” and I take that seriously for my life. Injustice breaks the
Fathers heart, and like I mentioned earlier I have countless times prayed for
my heart to break over what breaks His and this something that absolutely does.
I refuse to keep silent, to be desensitized, or think it’s too big of an issue
to do anything about. I challenge all of you readers out there to get educated
about human trafficking, and find out how you can help end it.
Anything else you'd
like to add/ share?
Basically I am just
a girl who has chosen to follow God’s leading for my life, and to be not just
His hands and feet to the world, but His heart. It keeps me humble that without
Jesus I’m a mess, and could never do what He has destined for me to do. But
with Him all things are possible and that is the journey I am on, watching Him
do the impossible through me.
Thanks Lyss!! I can't wait to see what God has in store for this next chapter of your life!!
No comments:
Post a Comment