Meet David, a courageous young man with a huge heart. At first sight, he may not seem like much of a threat. But, his small “stones” of love and compassion have been powerful weapons in putting an end to the “goliath” of poverty in this world.
About four years ago, when David was 7 years old, he attended an assembly at his school, John Knox Christian School in Stoney Creek, ON. There, a teacher shared a story of the challenges faced by people living in poverty in Uganda. David was so moved by what he heard that he asked his mother if there was something they could do to help. His mother, Danielle, suggested that he talk to his aunt, Maria, who worked at World Renew. When he did so, he was inspired to raise money for items in the gift catalogue because he realized they could make a big difference in people’s lives.
While David did not have much money himself, he was determined to do any extra chores at home to get money to get some of the catalogue items. He loved doing the outdoor chores like raking leaves, mowing the lawn and shoveling snow. Eager to raise even more funds, he convinced his grandparents to have an offering for gift catalogue items before they would open their Christmas gifts. He wrote emails to his aunts and uncles, sharing his ideas for what they could help to buy. For four years now, this tradition has garnered $2,870 for supporting various projects and resources like chickens, rabbits, goats, water filters, bags of seed, banana trees, emergency kits, maternal health kits, beehives and other items for people’s livelihoods.
David is an incredible inspiration! When he is asked how he feels about doing this, he says “Happy, because when I give a gift to someone, it is like giving a gift to God.” His consistent and faithful efforts are changing the story for many families around the world. Parents are now able to do agriculture projects that produce enough nutritious food so there are no more hungry months and no more malnutrition. They are now able to earn enough income to send their children to school. There is clean water for them to drink which has put an end to dysentery. When disaster strikes, they have emergency kits to help them get back to their normal activities as soon as possible. Best of all, these actions of love are done through the local churches in their communities. As a result, people come to realize God’s love is more powerful than any “goliath” of trouble, poverty or disaster they face.
We thank God for David and pray that his example will inspire many more to take up the challenge to finally put an end to poverty.
After all, if God’s love is for those in need, who can dare to oppose Him?
