Paul with Rev. Bruce McBurney of First Wyoming United Presbyterian Church in Torrington and Community Presbyterian Church in Lingle, WY
Do you remember losing your first tooth? Perhaps a better question is do you remember the first time the tooth fairy came to visit? As a child, having your own money, even if it is just a little bit, is a big deal. Paul, a first grader in Wyoming, has a wiggling tooth he’s excited to lose. Like other kids his age, he knows that there is a promise of money when he leaves the lost tooth under his pillow. Perhaps unlike his peers, Paul plans to put that money in his fish bank for One Great Hour of Sharing.
With a goal of $100, Paul is joining a family tradition of doing extra chores and little jobs to help those in need. His father and his grandmother both worked, during their childhoods, to have a little bit of money to share, through One Great Hour. They taught Paul to do the same.
For 70 years, Presbyterians have opened their doors to people experiencing hunger, disaster, and a need for development all over the world through this Special Offering. During the season of Lent, we reach out and help because we hear the stories of Jesus comforting people who are hurting, healing people who are sick, and proclaiming good news to people who are poor. The generosity shared by Presbyterians is met by the generosity of the communities and people supported by this ministry, like 12 year-old Jessica in Haiti, whose family was displaced by the 2011 earthquake. Her mother secured a safe place to live and a new livelihood because of the self-sustaining villages Presbyterians helped to create with her community. Because her mother can now afford to send her to school, Jessica plans to become a nurse because she, like Paul in Wyoming, wants to help people.
For 70 years, through generations of Presbyterians, and now in the lives of a young boy in Wyoming and a young girl in Haiti, the Holy Spirit has called us to give of what we have, even just a little, and has combined it to become a lot. We pray that your excitement to share will match Paul’s this Sunday and next.
Please give generously to One Great Hour of Sharing:
- Through your congregation
- Text OGHS to 20222 to give $10
- presbyterianmission.org/give/oghs