#MyGivingStory
By Tonya Bennett
In 2004, I journeyed with my church group on a mission trip to Port-de-Paix, Haiti. This trip came about from my desire to help those less fortunate by giving of my time and resources.
Due to limited vacation time, I had to take time off work without pay for the 10-day trip. Fortunately, I was the one who received an enormous “payment” of a once-in-a-lifetime adventure where I was able to experience sights and sounds that I never would have noticed in my safe, routine life. A few of those “payments” included:
--The joy and laughter of children turning ordinary plastic Wal-Mart bags into kites by adding a string to it, and then running all over the school yard watching the “kites” blowing in the sky.
--A new sense of appreciation for fresh and packaged meats after seeing meats left out for hours and covered with flies in their open market.
--Transforming a baby at the orphanage, ill with Tuberculosis, from her “fog” of just sitting on the floor alone and without toys or personal attention into a smiling, laughing baby that lit up after human touch, eye contact and interactive play with toys we provided. (Unfortunately, due to the volume of babies and limited health care personnel, infants do not receive the touch and interaction needed during the critical first-year of life to develop and grow compared with babies that do.)
In summary, the purpose of #mygivingstory is to encourage others to venture out of their comfort zone and help others—near or far—by donating their time, money…or simply their leftover Wal-Mart plastic bags.
Review from #MyGivingStory