While they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” some moments are not caught on camera, yet are permanently ingrained in our minds. These moments are often the most special and are just one of the reasons giving to World Wide Village is so meaningful to me.
What inspires me to give to World Wide Village? The answer is simple…the people we serve. People with real names, real faces and real stories. People I have come to love. This short story is just one example of a thousand stories that I could share about why I choose to give to World Wide Village.
It was 2013 when my husband and I first traveled to Haiti with World Wide Village to help with medical missions in a rural village. During our trip we had the opportunity to meet Youventa, one of our sponsored students. After school finished for the day, Youventa walked across the small gravel road to our makeshift clinic just to give us a shy hello.
Being committed to helping Youventa, I hoped to connect with her family to see how we could best support them. Youventa had a 10-year-old neighbor named Rosalina who offered to walk us to her home, so we set off to meet Youventa’s family with a Haitian translator, Rosalina, Rosalina’s sister, Rosalina’s younger cousin and Youventa. In Haiti I always wear very sturdy shoes because of the poor walking conditions. We often walk through sharp gravel, rough “grasses”, bushes with thorns, occasional broken glass and garbage.
As we were walking I noticed that Rosalina and Youventa were the only two girls with shoes. Rosalina’s sister and younger cousin were barefoot walking along the rough path. The memories of the next moment will forever be etched on my heart as I watched a girl at the tender age of ten demonstrate so much love and self-sacrifice.
I remember watching as Rosalina’s sister walked barefoot holding onto Rosalina’s hand.
I remember hearing her sister’s soft cry as she stepped on a thorn in the rough path.
I remember watching Rosalina bend down and gently remove the thorn from her sister’s small foot.
I remember watching Rosalina selflessly remove her own shoes and offer them to her younger cousin as she lifted her sister onto her back.
I remember watching Rosalina carry her sister while she walked barefoot through the thorns.
These moments are what inspire me to give to World Wide Village and the work they are doing in Haiti. Girls like Rosalina deserve the opportunity to receive an education. Girls like Rosalina deserve medical care in their community. Girls like Rosalina deserve to live in a community where housing and jobs are available for their parents. Girls like Rosalina deserve to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the mission of World Wide Village and the reason I am inspired to give. This is #MyGivingStory. ~ Kim Anderson
Do you have a story to share? Comment here or visit http://mygivingstory.givingtuesday.org for a chance to win up to $10,000 for World Wide Village! What inspires you to give back? Is there a moment or event that changed your understanding of generosity? Who is the most generous person you know and how has that person influenced you? Share your story!