Pay It Forward - The Adziwa Initiative
My oldest is a freshman in college. It has been quite an adjustment for me. Last weekend, we made the trek to visit her in St. Louis for Parent's Weekend. The primary emphasis for me while we were there was to make sure she got a few decent meals.
She has not been eating very well. Making the adjustment to college cafeteria food has been a difficult transition for her. I think it's the very first time I've ever seen her actually finish a burger at Chilis. It was a good visit. She got several meals and we stocked her mini-fridge. In hopes that she'll have enough snack food to tie her over until her return home for fall break in two weeks.
So when our pastor at The Peoples Church in Franklin TN asked for families in the congregation to sponsor
a family in Africa for $50 each month to feed children. It was a no-brainer for me.
I promptly went out to the lobby and committed to our $50 a month contribution. The thought of a child not having food was more than I could bear as a parent.
I think we often forget how lucky we are. We don't have to worry where our next meal is coming from. But there are families all over the world who don't know when or where their next meal will come from. The good news is my contribution will fund more than just physical needs.
The Adziwa Initiative provides:
- Spiritual growth through worship, bible study and prayer
- Physical growth through access to safe water, the assurance of a proper diet through nutrition education, supplemental meals and access to meals with proper nutritional value
- Emotional growth through fellowship within a safe, loving community
- Socio-economic growth through a quality Christian education
On Monday, my daughter called. In one of her classes, they had watched the movie, Pay It Forward. She had an assignment to write about how she planned to pay it forward while at Webster University. We talked about what it really means to pay it forward. The main idea being that you do something for someone that they would never be able to repay. Something that would be significant and make a huge impact in their life.
I thought the timing was interesting that this came up right after I had made a commitment to feed a family in Africa. While I don't like bringing attention to myself for this action, I do hope it may prompt others to consider what they can do. Something beyond a simple act of kindness.
How are you paying it forward? What have you done today or this week that would really make an impact on someone's life?
If you would like to help support a family and feed children who really need outside support, please consider a contribution to the Adziwa Initiative. All monies received go directly to sponsor a family. The picture above is of several boys who are part of the Adziwa Initiative.
Comments(4)