Giving Back

Whatever you call it – charity, giving back, paying it forward or something else, helping someone in their time of need can be food for your soul, giving you a quiet satisfaction you can’t get anywhere else. Through the years, we ourselves have been blessed to have people in our lives that stood up for us, helped us get back up, encouraged us to keep going and took their time to invest in us, and for that we are very grateful. In turn, we also want to be part of those who give to others that are hurting, need a hand up or an opportunity to better their lives and the lives of those around them. To help carry this out, we have chosen three organizations that we have been a part of at one time or another and are doing a good work.

Orphan’s Promise

www.orphanspromise.org

Orphan’s Promise has a special place in our hearts. We have seen the work they do first hand and been a part of it in a very small way. We have personally visited places where they are working with children in India and Ukraine. We are also the adoptive parents of two girls from an orphanage in Ukraine, where at the time there were over 100,000 orphans in that country. Most of these children can’t be adopted, or will not be, and need as much help as they can get to have a chance at a healthy, productive life.

The Salvation Army – Hawaiian & Pacific Islands

https://hawaii.salvationarmy.org

The Salvation Army is an organization that does a lot of helping hands work worldwide, and has been in Hawai’i for over 120 years. David served on their advisory board for a short time and we both have served on Thanksgiving dinner lines. They were also instrumental in helping our oldest daughter get her GED as well as helping with other life challenges in a difficult season. There is a large and growing need to help both families and individuals here on our island, and we want to support what they do right here in Hawai’i.

Good News Jail & Prison Ministry Hawaii

https://www.goodnewshawaii.org

In a country with so many in jail and prison, we can’t just turn the other way. As the old proverb goes, “…teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Along with life skills training and education, we believe that a changed heart is also key to a healthy, productive life. There are many reasons people end up incarcerated, and in many cases it just becomes a revolving door in and out of the system… and the children sometimes follow.  We have seen the power of a healed heart and how it can bring families and communities together. How much greater the need for this in our small island state…