We have all been blessed so much. Even if you don't think you have much - you are probably richer than about half the world. And it's such a blessing to be able to give to others. That may mean giving of your time and not just monetarily.
Most of you probably have your favorite charity or non-profit that is special to you that you like to help. You may be like me and feel SO overwhelmed. There are SOOOO many great things to give to and there are so many who need help. Sometimes I feel just so burdened.
I think a great place to start is just to find one or two that you can give to and help them. It won't be the same as your friends or others around you - but find what makes a difference to you.
If you are looking for places to give to or ideas - today is for you. Look through all the links and maybe something will strike a chord.
And you can blog about your favorite charity or if you ARE a non-profit/charity - you can link to your website.
For us personally - a few things we give to (outside of giving to our church - which I think tithing as obedience to God to your local church is VERY important):
Arkansas Children's Home - my dad was on the board for a few years and this is such a great organization. They take in kids who need a place to live and put them in family groups. It is run SO well and I have seen the success stories that come out of here.
Compassion International - obviously you have probably heard me mention them a time or two. If you don't want to sponsor a child - you can always give a one time gift toward Child Survival Programs that help mothers and babies and are helping raise mortality rates in third world countries.
Our church does an annual clothing drive and a Christmas store to meet the needs of our community. We always plan as a family to give to these. Buying toys for the Christmas store is probably my favorite Christmas tradition.
PATH - this is something new that our church is getting involved in. This is Partners Against Human Trafficking. This is the one in AR but I'm sure there are ones in every state. It's helping women to get out of trafficking and start a new life with counseling and guidance. Our church is helping in a small way by providing art supplies that they will use in their counseling sessions. I was gathering up stuff yesterday. Such a small thing - but hopefully it will help. There are so many organizations that help with the horrible thing that exists SO MUCH in our world today - modern slavery. A few that I would encourage you to check out are IJM and As our Own.
I hope you can get some new ideas for giving and serving today!
