I’ve just added three new links under Religious Information, and I’d love to see some interest in them.
1) Operation Christmas Child - This project of Samaritans Purse delivers shoeboxes as gifts to children in poverty around the world.
2) Child Voice International - If you have heard anything about being a child in Uganda, then I hope you understand the magnitude of a project committed to helping the former child soldiers of the country and the child brides of the warlords. That’s what CVI does. I’ve met Conrad Mandsager, and he’s a good man. He has a hard time talking about this without tears, though. I think that’s a good thing, in this case.
3) Angel Tree Project - If a parent is in prison, a child can often not expect much in terms of Christmas. That’s where the Angel Tree comes in. I volunteered with Angel Tree one year, and brought gifts to half a dozen families. I thought I understood the project, until the moment when I actually brought a bag of presents in to a tiny apartment, and a 9-year-old boy turned to his mother and asked, “Are these the presents Dad sent?” It means a lot to the parents left behind as the other is in prison, it means a lot to the inmate to be able to give his/her kids a present, and it means a heck of a lot to the children, who didn’t deserve the situation.
These are all Christian charities, living out Christ’s love for “the least of these.” Please, give generously. (And, no, I get nothing back from any of this. I’m just promoting them because I love them.)
October 4, 2007 at 11:48 am
Operation Christmas Child is definitely one of my favorites! A wonderful family event that benefits impoverished and spiritually hungry children around the world.