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Touching
Stories
THE HEART OF A CHILD
By Jann Mitchell
Perhaps
we should listen more to children.
Five-year-old
Logan was touched by tales he heard at pre-school of Tanzania
AIDS orphans living with their grandmothers. When his American
parents held a garage sale, he opened a lemonade stand for
thirsty customers, added spare change over several months
and recently donated $80 to GRANDMA-2-GRANDMA.
In
Stockholm, Sweden, 7-year-old Elva's little face crumpled
with concern as she leafed through my photo album of students
at Bibi Jann School in Mbagala. "The whole world must
help - I'll be right back," she says in Swedish. And
in minutes she was, clutching a small pile of her clothing,
topped by a stuffed tiger. The next day, my young neighbor
returned with a huge tote of toys and her and her little
brother's out-grown clothes.
In
Portland, Oregon, the third grade class of Jannice Davis
was moved to action after a presentation I did on the Bibi
Jann Children's Care Trust. So the West Hills Christian
School 8-year-olds set to work, with the promise their teacher
and her husband would match what they collected. Three bibis
and their grandchildren were helped by the nearly $1,000
the class donated.
Also
in Portland, the Small Friends Pre-school has been equally
generous, donating money, a computer, toys, books and learning
aids to the school. They donated so many shoes and clothes
that we deemed it easier to sell right there and donate
the money, rather than pay to ship it all. Children in Portland
and Mbagala drew pictures for one another, and eagerly examined
the photographs I took of each group.
And
nine grandchildren in both the United States and Sweden
understand that "Gramma" is called "Bibi"
by Tanzanian children, and feel the link as they send clothing
and toys and pictures they make.
All
these children instinctively know what adults seem to forget:
That underneath our different skins, all people are the
same. We all need food, clothing, and shelter. We all need
someone who cares, especially when our parents have died
in this terrible AIDS pandemic. We all need the education
that provides us with hope for a better future. As Mama
always says, "Share with your brother."
Children
simply give from the heart. Won't you?
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