Giving

On Wednesday I was surprised to learn that it was Global Food Crisis Day. Several Christian radio stations across the nation and world had teamed up to help "sound the alarm" on the current global food crisis that is happening in many 3rd world countries. It would make sense that if we, the rich of the world, are struggling through this economic crisis, then those who are really poor and impoverished would be struggling even more.

So as we ran errands on Wednesday to the grocery store and drove to church and back that evening, my girls and I listened on the radio to some heartbreaking statistics and stories of families, and specifically children, that are dying of starvation. As a weathered adult, I was not too terribly shocked by most of what I heard. But to my innocent and egocentric children, it was very eye-opening. It spawned some great discussion in the car about how blessed we are and how we don't know what it's like to go without a meal. 'R' even asked some great questions like, "How do they know that a child dies every 7 seconds?"

The best part was that it moved my girls to action. As we discussed they began asking, "What can we do to help?" At first I was unsure of how much the girls would want to give. I suggested emptying a piggy bank in their room to see if we could put together the $13 to feed a child for a month. With eagerness and excitement they both helped count out the money. They were so invested in the project that they ended up emptying 3 other small piggy banks in the house so that we would have "even more money to send to a hungry kid." (They had very concrete concepts of us actually mailing the coins to a family in another country.)

When all the counting was done and all the pigs in our house were empty, the girls had collected $33 for Compassion Ministry. 'R' especially was thrilled that we had surpassed the original one month goal and had enough money for a child to eat for 2 1/2 months!

It may only be a drop compared to the massive quantities needed, but it was a great lesson for my older girls about giving and compassion. It was also a humbling reminder to me of the responsibility God has given us to be His hands to all of His children!

May we never grow tired of learning and giving for God!

If you want to help give, go to www.compassion.com