Don’t you just love it when kids get involved? Their enthusiasm and can-do attitude infects their parents, their church, their community.
Calvin, adopted from Ethiopia, heard about the need for formula in House of Joy orphanage, especially preemie formula that is impossible to purchase in Ethiopia. His grandma, Dinah Monahan, is traveling with me to Ethiopia the end of the month and Calvin wanted to load her suitcase with formula for the babies.
The pastor’s wife of New Valley Chandler church listened to his story and enthusiastically backed the idea of giving Calvin’s church family the opportunity to donate formula. Dinah and her assistant Kelli are now packed to the gills with life-sustaining formula … all thanks to Calvin and his amazing, supportive family.
And MANY THANKS to New Valley Chandler, too!!
Calvin and his brothers and sisters are active in a homeschool co-op called Branches. Gwen, Calvin’s sister, is taking a tie-dye class and she and her buddies are making all sorts of cool things. The teacher suggested they sell what they make as a fundraiser for a cause. Gwen immediately piped up and told them about the orphanage need for formula and now sales are in full swing!
Kids get ideas and forge ahead to make them happen. These two stories are not isolated. We even had a young boy try to sell rocks to earn money to buy toys for kids in Ethiopia! That one was not a huge success, but I loved the heart of the little guy. An adopted pre-teen wanted to give back so he started a Go Fund Me account and raised $4000 for orphanage expenses. A sibling of an adopted sister knitted baby hats, and the brother of many adopted siblings raised fistfuls of money for water filters. A boy adopted from Ethiopia saved his own money to purchase bibles and soccer balls for kids in his birth-country.
Seeing children problem-solve and execute plans involves them in world-sized problems and primes their hearts to be the next CEO of Samaritan’s Purse or NewLife Ethiopia – or for certain, world-changers in their churches or neighborhoods.
Hats off to these amazing kids! And a heart full of gratitude to all the kids and adults who gave so Iftu and many like her will grow strong and healthy.