Pivotal People
Join us in conversations with inspiring people doing amazing things. Their insights and experiences help motivate all of us to find our purpose that fits with our abilities, gifts and life situation. Get a "behind the scenes" look at successful people making a difference in the world and benefit from their advice for the rest of us. Our guests include authors, artists, leaders, coaches, pastors, business people and speakers.
Pivotal People
Silvia Ledon: Listening for God's Voice in Everyday Life
What if you could tune into a loving presence that guides you through life's most challenging moments? Meet Silvia Ledon, an award-winning author, teacher, speaker, and worship leader, who shares her remarkable journey from Quito, Ecuador, to discovering her spiritual awakening at just 17.
Silvia reveals the profound solace she found in nature during a time when her family faced significant health challenges, an experience that inspired her acclaimed children's book, "The Voice of God Discovering God." Through her touching narrative, Silvia aims to teach children and adults alike to listen for God's voice in all aspects of life.
We also explore the transformative power of perceiving God as a loving, benevolent figure rather than someone to be feared. Silvia discusses the universal message in her book that emphasizes the importance of compassion. Don’t miss this enriching episode filled with faith, hope, and the unseen impact of kindness.
Connect with Silvia and get her book: https://www.asigrow.org/
Find her on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/silvialedon/?hl=en
Order Stephanie's new book Imagine More: Do What You Love, Discover Your Potential
Learn more at StephanieNelson.com
Follow us on Instagram @stephanie_nelson_cm
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I'd like to welcome Sylvia Ledone to the Pivotal People podcast. If you don't know Sylvia yet, you're going to love her. She is an award-winning author, teacher, speaker, worship leader and she's all about encouraging others to live lives of freedom and joy. And the reason we're talking today is because she recently came out with a children's book, and it's actually an award-winning children's book. It's called the Voice of God Discovering God, and it's 28 pages. It's a simple book, but this is a life-changing book. I'm not a grandmother yet, but if I ever am, this is the book that I want to buy for my grandchildren and read to them a hundred times. So we'll get into the book further in our conversation, but first I want you to get to know Sylvia. So, sylvia, welcome.
Speaker 2:It's great to have you here.
Speaker 1:I am so glad to be here and I just want to ask you before we launch into your great book. I'd love to hear you tell us the story of you. You know what your upbringing was, what you do, who you live with, where you live and what ultimately prompted you to write this book.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. I was born to a Cuban mother and a Guatemalan father. I was born in Cuba, but I was raised in Ecuador. I lived in the capital city of Quito and I was there until I graduated from high school, at which time I moved to the United States. So I grew up in Latin America. My family was not a family of faith at all. Family was not a family of faith at all. My dad was an atheist. My mom was I don't know agnostic confused. She didn't know what she was, but I did not hear anything about God growing up. But I had a best friend. Her name was Becky Becky Brown, and we were four years old, together in preschool, and Becky used to and I don't know if you know anything about Quito, ecuador, but it sits on a valley overlooking we're actually on a big volcano, on the skirts of a humongous volcano called Pichincha, so you can see this volcano anywhere from anywhere in the city. So we would sit outside of our preschool and she would look at the mountain and say God made this mountain for us. And it was the first time I heard any mention about God and I grew up with this sense of knowing that there was a beautiful God that created everything out of love for us, and I did not know anything else, but I knew that. Later on, I became a Jesus follower. Once I was 17 years old, somebody shared the story of Jesus and I fell in love with him. But through my childhood, that's all I knew and that is how I grew up.
Speaker 2:Much later in life, you know I think it was mainly after 2020, I had, just like many families in the world, we had to deal with COVID, and my husband was severely sick with COVID. He was hospitalized for 12 days and I really did not know if I was going to see him again. And my mom was hospitalized at the same time with COVID in a separate hospital, and the last time I saw her she was non-responsive, so I thought I wasn't going to see her again. And our adult autistic, nonverbal autistic son, who lives with us, he contracted COVID at home, and so this was early in. This was in May of 2020. And I was so overwhelmed, not knowing if I was going to see either my husband or my mom or both ever again, and just trying to take care of myself so I could take care of my son, wondering if he was going to end up in the hospital without me. That was my worst nightmare because he's nonverbal and so the amount of stress that I was under during that time.
Speaker 2:I remember not having any words to say or pray. I would just go outside. I would spend a lot of time outside so that I wouldn't get sick. I would spend time and I would stand by the tall oak trees in my backyard, would stand by the tall oak trees in my backyard. Spring had just sprung, so the leaves were beautiful and green. And I remember just standing there without having a word that I could utter. I was so overwhelmed emotionally. But I knew that. I knew that. I knew that I was standing in the presence of God and I would just say I am going to stand by the trees and that's all I would do. I would literally stand there for hours and just feel the comfort and the presence and the joy and the love. I felt so taken care of by God.
Speaker 2:And out of that experience I wrote this children's book and basically the children's book talks about looking for listening to the voice of God in all places. It could be in nature, it can be in a loving hug, it can be in an encouraging word. It can be, obviously, it can be in scripture as well, but it can be found at all times, because the point of it all is that God is always speaking and we are the ones who are not always listening. But we can learn how to do that. And just to wrap up this story and to give you a full circle, I was talking to my mom about the book by the way, both my mom and my husband survived COVID Good and I was talking to my mom about it and she said to me what is your goal? What would you like to accomplish with this book?
Speaker 2:And without even thinking about it, I said I would like to be Becky Brown, who was my four year old friend. I said I would like to be Becky Brown and I never saw Becky Brown. I was a friend of hers for one year and then she disappeared from my life. I never saw her again. I never knew where she ended up. What the States? Do we know anything about her? My mom says no. I said well, mom, with a name such as Becky Brown, that is such a common name, I don't know. I mean, she might be married, she might have a different last name. How do I even begin to search for her.
Speaker 2:I came home and I was telling my husband the story of my conversation with my mom and he said to me have you tried finding Becky Brown? And I said you too. I was like, okay, but I know enough that when I hear the same thing twice, I stopped to think you know, is this God trying to tell me something? So I went on Facebook and I typed Becky Brown and I live in Richmond, virginia, and I typed Becky Brown and I kid you not, she was the second person I clicked on. Oh my gosh, I clicked on one. I know. I clicked on one person. I thought okay, no, she's too young. I clicked on the second person and it said in the about section on Facebook from Quito, ecuador. My heart stopped. And then it said that she teaches Spanish at Liberty University in Lynchburg, virginia, which is situated an hour and a half away from where I live.
Speaker 1:Oh, my gosh, I have goosebumps. That is such a beautiful story. I have to hear the rest. I have to hear the rest.
Speaker 2:Well, the rest is easy and simple. I got a hold of her. Her husband is in the faculty. Hear the rest. Well, the rest is easy and simple. I got a hold of her. Her husband is in the faculty of the university. I found his number.
Speaker 2:I called in the middle of the night because I did not want to talk to him, just in case this was the wrong Becky Brown. Yeah, I left the message and I asked her to text me if it was her. And she texted me the next day and she sent me a picture of both of us, which is the same picture that I have of both of us and she said is this you? And so we got on the phone and I told her the story that I'm telling you right now, the story of how her conversations with me changed my life, oh my goodness. And she did not remember any of it, she was not aware of any of it and she was floored. Eventually we met and her name is mentioned in my book, at the end of my book, because this story is something that I will cherish forever.
Speaker 1:Oh, sylvia, that is such a beautiful story. Oh my gosh, I told her before we started this podcast, because we don't know each other. Just reading about her book on Amazon made me so excited to have a conversation with her. I had no idea that amazing story was coming. Thank you so much for sharing that, and it's everything about what you said.
Speaker 1:When I hear something twice, I think is God trying to tell me something. Wow, yeah, I think so. I just love that. Well, one of the things about your book just that struck me was how there's a quote I really like I don't know if I'm pronouncing it correctly. Aw Tozer says there's a quote I really like I don't know if I'm pronouncing it correctly.
Speaker 1:Aw Tozer says what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. Talked about the impression you had of God throughout your childhood, which was extremely simple that he loves you, that he loves you. And when you think about what comes into your mind when you think about God, there's lots of possibilities. One is a grown adult could think that God is mad, god is mean, god is not approving of our behavior, so why would you want to connect with that God, and how would that affect how you lived If you were afraid of God? How would that affect how you lived? How you lived If you were afraid of God? How would that affect how you lived? Conversely, if you really think God is a loving father, a loving creator, how would that affect how you lived? And so when you talk about a children's book 28 pages that and I'm going to have you share more about it, sylvia but 28 pages that lets children know at a very early age that they are created by and dearly loved by their Heavenly Father, not only are we changing the whole trajectory of their life, but we don't have to undo all the stuff that gets baked into people by the time they are adults.
Speaker 1:I want to read one quote from your Amazon reviews, and I think it's so important. It's Through the church. Those in the church, those who've been disenfranchised from the church and all who are seeking to know God will find this book to be a helpful resource. Not just because you're a child. You're an adult who's disenfranchised from the church. I want to know God. The voice of God may even be used as a devotional and includes discussion questions to make it useful for study and reflection with all the children in your life and, I'm going to say, with adults too. I highly recommend this book for personal use and in worship and church school settings and this is the Reverend Christopher Carr in Richmond, virginia.
Speaker 1:But what struck me, sylvia, was the whole idea of disenfranchised adults, number one how do we prevent that from happening? So another person said what an extraordinary book with such an important message. We wish all children would have the opportunity to have this read to them at least once, if not 100 times. Actually, all adults need to read this too. The message is true, gentle and such a powerful reminder that God is with us. And that's from Jeremy and Monica Chambers, who have been on this podcast, who are delightful people. So, having said all that, tell us about the message of your book and then tell us how you wrote it, because I've never considered writing a children's book and I think that's super interesting.
Speaker 2:The message is that it's exactly what you were saying. The God is a God that is kind, that loves us and that is constantly searching out. I've heard it said that God is like the hound of heaven, and that is not in my book. But the concept is God is always talking to us, he's always available, he always wants to communicate with us. There's one page in the book that says God's voice is not harsh, it is gentle, it is not scary, it is kind, and it addresses that concept that we oftentimes, both children and adults, get this idea in our minds that God is something to be feared, that God is something to be feared, someone to be feared, someone who is constantly pronouncing judgment on us, someone who we must hide from. That induces shame, induces fear, and when, in reality, is if we were to step back and and see okay, what is the closest thing that we can approximate our image of God? And we look at Jesus, we know that he was not any of those things. Now, this book does not mention Jesus, and I did it like that on purpose, because I feel that the message of the love of God is universal. I feel that it applies to everyone, just like it applied to me when I was four and not knew anything about God. The words of Becky Brown awakened me to the spiritual reality that God was present and active and beautiful and loving, and so I feel that this message is universal, which is why some of the reviews that you read have to do with that. It doesn't matter who you are. It's not about church attendance. It's not about Bible reading. It's not about Bible reading. It's not about even which faith you belong to. It's about the fact that God wants to connect with all of us, everyone that is made in the image of God, which that is everyone and there is. I have found that a lot of people have really, really resonated I have heard this over and over again with the end of the book, because at the very end I have a list and I will read you just a couple of things. But these are discussion questions and a lot of people in my reviews have talked about how they really appreciate the discussion questions at the end and it says let's talk about it.
Speaker 2:There are some things that God is always saying. This is after the discussion questions, like the discussions are. Has God spoken to me today? What has he said? How did it make me feel. But then it says there are some things that God is always saying. Which of these have I heard deep in my heart lately? And I have a list here of just a few things that God is always saying that we can. Can we listen for those things? Can we hear them?
Speaker 2:Let me just give you a good example. One of them is you are never alone. My love for you is bigger than the whole world. Your heart is safe with me. I created you to be just like you are. You are beautiful. I see you. I understand you. You are my precious child. I am with you as close as the air that you breathe. You bring me so much joy. I love it when you think of me and I hear you.
Speaker 2:These are messages that God is always communicating with us. As opposed to you are bad, you are broken. These are the things that we encounter in life. We encounter that we are broken, but God is saying I love you, you are mine. There is nothing that will keep me away from you. I am as close to you as the air that you breathe. You can call out to me. So that is the message that I would love to convey with this book and I feel very blessed because the illustrator of this book, diana Canales. She was able to capture exactly what I envisioned for this and these illustrations are so beautiful and gorgeous that, even if it's just for the illustrations, I feel like you want to read this book, you want to have it in your home.
Speaker 1:So here's what I'm going to say. If people go to the show notes the Pivotal People podcast if you go to the show notes, they have this new feature at the top that says text me. So you can go there and you can text me, and the first five people who text me, I'm going to send a free book. So many times we don't know the ripple effect of what we say or do, and this Becky Brown story is just going to stick with me forever and I am going to tell so many people this story. It's so amazing so I don't know the ripple effect.
Speaker 1:If I can get this book into the hands of at least five people, who will share it with a child, share it with an adult? I'm not going to know the ripple effect of that until I get to heaven, probably, but I know it's going to be something. So send me a text. I'll order it for you from Amazon, so please include your address and it'll be fun to see if there are any stories that come from that. It is an award-winning book, so it's, besides everything you've heard about it being wonderful. Other people have approved that it is too, so you can trust me on that one. Tell us how can people get in touch with you? What's the best way?
Speaker 2:Yes, sure, my website is asigroworg or O-R-G. That is the name of my self-publishing house, because part of the adventure of this book was that I decided to become an indie publisher and learn everything about the process, and that was an adventure and a huge endeavor in and of itself. I had never done anything like that, but I handled everything from book design to everything was done by myself, so the name of my little tiny company is as I Grow, so asigroworg. You can find not only the information for my book, but a new children's song that I just wrote as well. You can download it from there and you can contact me for any speaking engagements, for any speaking engagements. I do school visits and I also love speaking to parents, grandparents, adults in general. I speak to all audiences. As you can see, I am very passionate about just really connecting with a good and loving God and I am always happy to speak, especially in the East Coast, because I am in the East Coast.
Speaker 1:Yes, Well, thank you so much. I'll have all of that on the show notes, but asigroworg looks like the best way to contact you, and I also found your own personal website, Sylvia S-I-L-V-I-A, Lidon L-E-D-O-N. Com. Is that?
Speaker 2:com. Yes, that address is currently going to take you to my old website because we haven't transferred the domain just yet, but yes, it will eventually. Sylvialidoncom. Asigroworg will eventually take you to the same place, and you can find me. Sylvia Ledon, sylvia with an I L-E-D-O-N. You can find me on Facebook as well.
Speaker 1:And Instagram.
Speaker 2:I've seen and on Instagram.
Speaker 1:yes, Well, thank you so much for your time. I just so appreciate, you know, if no one was listening to this podcast. I just so appreciate that story. But I know a lot of people are going to be blessed by that. And what a reminder to that little four-year-old girl. Becky Brown had no self-consciousness talking about the God that she knew, right. So what if we all just talked about the God that we knew? And Bob Goff, one of my favorite authors. He says you know, we don't necessarily need to go around and preach the gospel, we can just tell people how Jesus, god, has acted in our lives. We can just tell people our stories. And that is just the most beautiful story. And what a wonderful ending that you were able to connect with her. That I'm sorry. That is a God story. There's no room for coincidence in that story.
Speaker 2:And it made me think how many things are we going to realize one day when we pass this earth and we are able to see the impact that we had on other people that we didn't even know about? Right, you know, even a short, simple kindness to a stranger, you just never know how that is going to impact other people you never know and the impact it has on ourselves too.
Speaker 1:You know when you could be snippy or snarky to someone waiting on you and then you think, wait a second, I don't know what's going on in their life and you're kind to them. Instead, that makes us feel better, simple kindnesses. Well, thank you so much. I am looking forward to getting your book, reading it, telling people about it, and I just wish you the best of luck with it, because what an incredible. You're not going to know how many people you impacted. What an incredible ministry doing something you obviously absolutely love. Thank you so much.
Speaker 2:It has been such a pleasure and an honor to be here. Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm looking forward to your next book. Now that you have the publishing thing down, you can do a lot of them.
Speaker 2:The next one is on the works, for sure. Oh good, all right.
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