Strength In Numbers

Strength in Numbers

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

My brother-in-law Marin is from Romania, a country in Eastern Europe. When we’d gather as extended family, he’d tell us stories of what it was like to grow up and live in the poor conditions of rural Romania at the time. His life, we found out, had been quite different than ours. Harsh winters and poor housing, along with few ways to get necessary supplies to make things better, have led to a hard life for his family members still living in that poor area.

As Christmas drew near one year, he and my sister-in-law approached our family with an idea. What if we took the money we would normally spend on each other’s gifts and, instead, pooled our resources to buy pigs and other food for Marin’s family in Romania? We thought it was a wonderful idea. Each family gave what they could, and in the end we were able to collect enough money for his family to buy several months’ worth of food. Each year since then, we have continued to send Christmas wishes and money to his family in Romania.

You don’t have to know someone from another part of the world to be able to send money or needed items. One friend told me that she and her extended family decided to adopt another family in need in their own community for Christmas. They pooled their resources and bought the family a new washer and dryer along with personal gifts for each family member. She said the people were overwhelmed because they hadn’t expected to be given such a wonderful Christmas present. My friend said it was by far her family’s favorite Christmas memory.

Because two are better than one, joining forces with those around us to bless someone or help out with a problem, either locally or across the ocean, can make all the difference in someone else’s life. We were meant to do life and show kindness in community because there is strength in numbers.

—Kendra

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Find others that you can join forces with to bless someone else this Christmas season.