These are My Weapons Against Child Poverty #WorldVisionGifts #TMMWVC
There is a saying in martial arts that my kids repeat over and over each time they grade. My husband knows it too. I am paraphrasing a bit but it’s a little like this – I come to you with empty hands. If I should be forced to use them. These are my weapons: my empty hands.
It’s the end of 2014 and so everyone is wrapping up their year with little red bows and packaging it away to start fresh on January 1st. There is beauty and peace in that. We are building our resolutions, hopes and plans. We are collectively hopeful on January 1st each year and it is a beautiful thing. I will be away with my family resting and welcoming the new year in from somewhere new. I will be out exploring more of the world because it is vast and magnificent, even in the context of all that still demands repair, even in the context of child poverty. I will disconnect from my social channels for a week and leave business in the hands of my helpers while I choose to hug my family, read some books I long to finish and capture some shots of stingrays. I plan to smile a lot, clear my head and breathe. But I choose not to forget 2014, because it was epic.
There are so many things to do as we wrap up a year, celebrate Christmas, and start a vacation. This morning I was eating breakfast thinking through my To Do list with my daughter when a Magisto video popped up reminding me I had made a video of my experience in Bucaramanga, Colombia and I had forgotten all about it. So we watched it together. I took some time to explain each one of these beautiful people I met in this remarkable city. I told her of Jhon Vera and the place he was born. I grappled with images and words of things she has never seen. I see vultures, garbage strewn throughout the mountainside, smoke from the area high up the mountainside where even the longtime residents of slums know never to go. I also see Jhon passing out one day near the end of our visit because he is a kid working so hard with the weight of a country’s children on his shoulders. He is very simply exhausted and too young to know to pace himself. I don’t know what my daughter hears when I tell her all of this. I know she is listening though and some days that is the sweet spot where something resonates and sinks in. She is fortunate, like a lot of Canadian kids she has everything she could ever want or need. I try to paint a picture and my eyes tear up because this kitchen is bigger than many of the homes I saw where these children grew up. And my heart jumps right up into my throat making the tears spill out wondering where is Johan and Jhon and Yenni, Wilson, Maria and Carol? How are the people I met in Asomiflor? What does their Christmas and New Year look like? Trees and presents and things. None of that is really important in the bigger scheme of the world, in the context of child poverty and violence and human trafficking, child labour, clean water, natural disasters.
Of all the things I reflect on in this past year, this is the thing, the experience, that captured and stole my heart. In September I travelled with World Vision Canada to see their work in the field. We visited some extremely impoverished and vulnerable areas of Colombia. I spent close to a week there and I found this group in Bucaramanga on the third or fourth day we were there and they captured my heart as they told me their stories. I still struggle to find the words to describe why this was so impactful. This group of young people were all former sponsored children. You can see in the video here the pictures that were shared when they first came to be sponsored children as part of the World Vision Canada program. Now these youth all work inside World Vision Colombia building community and life and hope and dignity for all the children in Colombia. That is what hope and dignity looks like.
So what does any of that have to do with martial arts or weapons? I am thinking of my year end wrap up. We sponsor a child now. We gave many people gifts from the World Vision Canada gift catalogue this year and I continue to share my stories from this experience in Colombia. We have made some choices and changes as a family so that we are giving back more this year. But weapons? What weapons do we have as Canadians? I have weapons more powerful than guns and violence and drugs. These are my weapons – my hands, my heart, my pen, my voice, my computer.
The World Vision Gift Catalogue remains a gifting option all year. Child sponsorship is impactful all year round too.
https://www.thriftymommastips.com/world-vision-gift-catalogue-2014/
I believe we can change the world together.
You can also follow World Vision on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/worldvisioncan/
and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldVisionCan
Happy New Year! What are your weapons this year?
17 Comments
Robin (Masshole Mommy)
World Vision Canada sounds like such a great organization. They do such good work.
nicole
We are excited to visit other countries and really learn their culture, wherever we may land. 2014 was a blessed year and gift giving is always fun but its time to give back and experience others and their world.
Kori
We bought gifts for one of the local schools in our neighborhood. Next year, I’ll have my daughter help me make giftboxes for kids around the world.
Mary @ Stale Cheerios
It sounds like 2014 was a very thought-provoking, insightful and wonderful year for you. Happy new year, and I hope that 2015 is just as good of a year.
Michele
World Vision Canada really sounds like a worthwhile organization. I not only think about the poor in other countries but right here in the USA there are children who go hungry day after day. It about breaks my heart. I give to Food banks whenever I can.
Paula
You are right. There are people who need help all over the world. The important thing is to give.
Elizabeth O.
I’ve always respected Worldvision! It’s such a great organization, so I try to be active.
Samantha Angell
Wow, what a moving post! I had never thought about things in that perspective. I suppose this year perhaps my weapons could be the ability to travel- I love to travel, and have often gotten involved in the communities I travel to. Will have to continue this!
Paula
Thanks so much Samantha. I agree. Travel opens minds and hearts and puts everything back in perspective.
Myrabev
Sometimes we forget about what’s happening out there and only reminisce in what we have, but like world vision canada we need to remember those who are not as fortunate as us and give back where we can.
krystal
That is such a blessing to sponsor a child! I would love to know how that goes and what to expect if I were to do that in the new year.
Cherri Megasko
This was a very thoughtful post. Indeed, we can all use our hands as weapons to fight child poverty when we post on blogs, update statuses and write checks.
Shaney Vijendranath
What a great organisation! I love reading about the good people do and how everyone can get involved to make a difference. Together we can change the world!
Sara {Frugal Mama & The Sprout}
It truly is an eye-opener when you see first-hand the real poverty that is in other places of the world. I went on a trip to Cambodia for several weeks and saw things there that will stick with me forever and have changed my views on a lot of things in my own personal life.
Eliz Frank
World Vision is one of my favorite charities that I give to monthly. I believe in the work they do.
Paula
Absolutely love hearing this!
Shannon gosney
That is so awesome that you sponsor a child. This sounds like a really great program! Thanks for sharing.