When you think you have nothing to give....

Ann has been writing about Guatemala and I wasn't prepared for it to crack me wide open, a ravine down the middle of myself.  Her words about Mamas and babies and houses of tin and deadly mudslides and gangs on every corner touched a part of me that I didn't know existed.  Here in this little house I do my simple life and I think I don't have much, can't do much.  On Sundays sometimes missionaries come talk and I listen but never before have thought they were talking to me.  Four children fed on one small income was the ministry I claimed, and blocked my ears to the cries of others outside that circle.

I can't do that any more.

There are kids out there every bit as bright as mine, shining stars in this world, waiting for someone to come along and notice how precious they are.  And here in America we think we know poverty but we have no idea.  A pedicure as a treat might be nice, but what if you could give abundantly more to others than you do to yourself? 

One of my favorite organizations is World Vision.  Every fall/winter they come out with their catalog of giving full of ideas for helping others less fortunate in varying degrees of affordability.  $35 buys $385 worth of clothing for children.  $75 buys a goat for a needy family.  Education for 1 child?  $32.  Besides practical day to day necessities, you can also donate to their Widows and Orphans fund or their various funds to help with the care of HIV/AIDS victims.  You can become a sponsor of a child through World Vision or Compassion International for as little as $38/month (I challenge you to follow the link and look into the faces of these children without crumbling.).

This year, as we think about Christmas and celebrating as a family, we are going to make a change.  Instead of making lists of what they'd like to get, my children will be contemplating what they'd like to GIVE.  Hopefully, together, we can make a difference in the lives of others.

"Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17