Tis The Season with World Vision

 It's December 1st, and everyone is now thinking about Christmas and shopping and gift giving. I just wanted to toss the following out there as a possible option for people this year...

So many of us have so much and want for nothing, while there are so many out in the world who have so little and want for the simplest of necessities. World Vision is an incredible organization that helps offer these necessities to needy families and individuals. It is the group that I sponsored a little boy named Festus through. (click here to see the blog post on him...)

As I have talked with some of my friends, we have decided that instead of exchanging gifts for Christmas this year, we are going to make donations to World Vision and give a gift that will really matter.

Below are just a few of the many options and ways that you can give and make a difference for a fairly small cost...

2 Chickens...$25 (Chickens are used as food and fresh eggs. They can be eaten to sustain the family, or sold so that they might purchase clothes, medicine, or other needs. Chickens are easy to breed, so this gift will multiply and can benefit an entire village.)

3 Ducks...$18 (Ducks are also used for providing food. They are especially beneficial to those living in Bangladesh as many times their chickens are killed because of the torrential rains.)

1 Rabbit...$16 (Rabbits reproduce rapidly and offer a great way to feed hungry children.)

5 Fruit Trees...$30

Fast Growing (drought resistant) Seeds for 1 Family... $17

$385 Worth of Medicine...$35

Bed Nets For 1 Family...$18 (Mosquitoes kill nearly 800,000 people a year. These nets are one of the best ways to help protect children from Malaria.)

$385 Worth of New Clothing...$35

2 Soccer Balls...$16

Though the above are for children in other countries, you can also help children here within the United States...

(Due to corporate sponsorships, the gift you give will be multiplied...)

$150 worth of Urgently needed clothing and other necessities...$25

$150 worth of School Supplies...$25

To check out their online livestock and gift giving catalog click here...

To learn more about sponsoring a child click here...http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/pages/sponsorship-redirect?Open

World Vision

World Vision...Have you ever heard of it? I had, but I didn't really hear about it until Thursday night.

Meet Festus...

Festus is the one my heart was drawn to, to sponsor. As you can see, he is absolutely adorable. He is three years old and lives in Zambia. How can you just not fall in love with that face?! (And as a sidenote ladies and gents, his birthday is June 20th. I will be throwing a birthday party for him. We will all bring gifts and donate them to a local charity in his honor. So circle the date on your calendar now, as it'll be an absolute delight!)

The program of World Vision allows you to sponsor a child for $35 a month. This allows the child to receive necessary care and supplies that they would otherwise would have to go without. Things like food, clean water, shelter, and schooling...things that most of us take for granted on a daily basis.

As I listened to the program explained, and heard people share their stories of how their lives had been touched and changed by sponsoring a child. As I sat there I thought of how many blessings I have in my life. I thought of all of the frivolous things I spend my money on...the cupcakes, my Sonic brewskie habit, the 'As Seen on TV' devices, the list could go on and on. I can minimize those spendings and happily send that money to Zambia. Is there a vice you spend a lot of money on? Something that you'd be willing to give up, so that you could support one of these kids? Give it some thought ...

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Want to get involved? Click here to go to World Vision's website where you can have all of your questions answered and get signed up to make a difference in the life of a child who desperately needs your help. Maybe you want to help, but can't do the $35 a month? There are one time gifting options of livestock or needed supplies, you can check that out here.

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