Happy Thanksgiving!

It seems like just yesterday we were starting 2019 but now, here we are entering the big holiday season which means 2020 is just around the corner.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I know many people are planning their meals and some are even more about planning their Black Friday Shopping. I have never been one for the whole shopping thing...maybe online and I do check out Cyber Monday deals. But the one day coming up in the next week that has grabbed my attention the past couple of years is Giving Tuesday. So in an effort to use my platform, however small it may be at the moment, here are a few suggestions for how you can get involved.

1. Convoy of Hope

I love Convoy of Hope! The work they do around the world and domestically is life-transforming for those who are in poverty. Whether a woman in Africa needs assistance starting a business to support her family, children in Haiti are getting meals through feeding programs or rural communities across the US are getting their needs met, Convoy of Hope is there. They are one of the first on scene in natural disasters providing clean water, immediate aid with food and more as well as being a part of the rebuilding process. One of my favorite aspects of Convoy is their transparency and how their donations are used. "At Convoy, accountability and transparency are an integral part of everything we do. From every purpose restricted donation, Convoy of Hope’s Board of Directors may allocate between 12% and 20% of that donation to cover its administrative and fundraising costs. If restricted donations exceed the need of the crisis, the capacity to respond to a crisis and/or when local conditions prevent effective assistance, Convoy of Hope’s Board of Directors may allocate these funds to other worthy projects that help Convoy of Hope fulfill its global mission of helping children and families in need." Do you see this?!? no more than 20% of donations is used for administrative purposes. That means that at minimum 80% goes out for compassion based purposes, here in the States and around the world. That is amazing!

2. Speed the Light and BGMC

I love these ministries!

Speed the Light and BGMC are the student missions programs of the Assemblies of God.

STL is a student-led initiative for the youth of AG churches to provide missionaries with all they need to speed the light of Christ to the darkest parts. I can't sum up BGMC any better than they can. "BGMC is the missions education program for all kids in the Assemblies of God. BGMC equips kids to know, to care, to pray, to give, and to reach the lost. We have a two-fold purpose, to reach the children of the world and to create a heart of compassion in kids." Together, these programs help young people think beyond themselves and get involved in ministry around the world. They learn about different cultures, needs and how to be less me-centered as they understand the heartbeat of God for those in great need.

3. Christian Appalachian Project-Annie F Downs

So I have to be honest...I only discovered this ministry recently. According to their website, more than 41% of households in parts of Appalachia live in poverty. 41%. Let that staggering statistic of people in our own country sink in.

If you have been around me for long then you know I love Annie F. Downs, author and podcast host of That Sounds Fun. Today she released a special episode highlighting the work that has been accomplished because people heard her heart and donated to CAP in an effort to get books in the hands of children who otherwise may not have them. And that, my friends, is mind-boggling. As I listened to the episode today and heard her say that through CAP and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, children in 3 counties of Appalachia will receive 1 book each month over the course of 3 years meaning they will have a library of 60 books by the time they start school. And that is something to be celebrated but also, broke my heart. See, I think my kids had at least 60 books on their shelves as toddlers and preschoolers...I wish they'd read more now but that's another story for another day! I guess my point is, it never occurred to me that kids in the US, not more than a 6-8 hour drive from my home, may not even have one book. And what about kids in my own community? My mind can't fathom! I was building a library for my kids before I ever even started having kids! To think that there are parents who just can't afford to do that is a shattering thought.

4. Project Rescue, A21 and F.R.E.E. International

Want to fight a global catastrophe? Then support these ministries that are boots-on-the-ground agencies combating the evil that is human trafficking and modern slavery. While there are many organizations involved in the fight, these 3 are the ones closest to my heart.

Project Rescue has a phenomenal story of their beginnings and the long-term effects of reaching those in India, Moldova, and other Eurasia countries in effort to rescue women and children from the clutches of sex slavery. I have read several books by the co-founders that radically changed my life and perspective. The question shouldn't be "what can I do?" No, the question should be, "How can I not?"

"On average, it only costs $3 per day to rescue and provide life-changing care for one woman or child…Imagine the difference that we can make together!"

A21 is in 14 different locations in 12 countries. Eight of the offices focus on fiercely intervening and six provide restorative care. "We are a nonprofit organization fueled by radical hope that human beings everywhere will be rescued from bondage and completely restored. We are the abolitionists of the 21st century. We work with you to free slaves and disrupt the demand." Christine Caine, my spiritual superhero, is the founder of A21 and was my first introduction 8 years ago to the atrocity of human trafficking. A21 rescues men, women and children from any type of slavery from the sec industry to labor and also provides care to the most vulnerable and marginalized to prevent further trafficking victims.

"F.R.E.E. works to abolish sex and labor trafficking primarily in the U.S. with innovative collaborations through public and private partnerships." FREE's current headquarters are located in Las Vegas, Nevada and was started by freedom fighters who had been serving in India when they realized that this horrible industry was alive and well in the US. This year, through Speed the Light mentioned above, students in Illinois gave almost $80,000 to help purchase FREE a new mobile command center that will be used all over the country to find, rescue and restore victims of human trafficking but we all know the need doesn't end there. FREE also provides restorative care to those who have been set free.

I could assume that we all know how to direct our money at an given time of the year, even this Giving Tuesday, but I also know that sometimes the need can be so great that we don't know where to begin. I hope that these suggestions direct you in paths that you can not only see the need but step into it and help fill it. On our own, all of these needs are too much. but together, we really can make a difference that can change the world.