6 Stories from Syrian refugees
Read six Syrian refugee stories that demonstrate how Syrians are finding hope for the future even as they mourn lost family members and lost homes.
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Home for Christmas — Praying for Refugees
This is part six of our 12-part series, 12 Prayers of Christmas. Check back and join us at we pray together leading up to Christmas. By Julie Stewart A theme that is common this time of year is ‘going home for Christmas.’ We sing about it and plan months in advance for the holiday. We all … Read More
Praying to End Violence Against Children
Above we see students who have the opportunity to brainstorm ways to end violence against children in their communities. Not all children have this opportunity – in fact over 1 billion children, half the world’s children, are trapped in a cycle experiencing violence themselves. Violence is not just physical – it takes a toll on … Read More
A Prayer that All Lives are Valued
This is part four of our 12-part series, 12 Prayers of Christmas. Check back and join us as we pray together leading up to Christmas. “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the … Read More
A Prayer for Advocates
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV As Christians, we are called to advocate on behalf of the poor and needy, but it is not something we have to face on … Read More
Praying for our Leaders
Did you know that nearly 90 percent of the U.S. Congress are Christians? To me, that is an astonishing statistic! As a person of faith, when I heard this, my mind immediately began to ask the obvious questions; “How can a group of Christians be so divided?” and, “Why don’t they just pray together and … Read More
Praying for People in Poverty
This is part one of our 12-part series, 12 Prayers of Christmas. Check back and join us as we pray together leading up to Christmas. “I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” Psalm 140:12 NIV There are 836 million people in the world living in extreme … Read More
Progress and Hope on World Aids Day
I vaguely remember the rise of HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. I can recall hearing stories of disease and death, but not really understanding what that meant—the devastation this horrible disease was causing families and communities. I don’t think the disease became even a little bit real to me until I saw the television movie “The … Read More
American Greatness Requires American Generosity
This post was originally published on the Hill. Recently, when talking about development and humanitarian crises around the world, a colleague commented to me, “The world is on fire. Too many of us are watching it burn.” While this may seem like a pessimistic view, the truth is that the world is facing an unprecedented … Read More
It Comes Down to Resilience
Last February, a standing-room-only crowd of Congressional staff, U.S. government officials, and development and humanitarian practitioners gathered for a briefing in Washington, D.C. entitled “El Niño’s Strength: Smallholder Farmers, Food Security, and Resilience.” At the time of the briefing, El Niño (a naturally occurring weather phenomenon) was already showing indications of its strength and severity, … Read More
Joining the Bucket Brigade
Leigh Sides, an advocate from Flower Mound, Texas, wanted to know, “How can I be useful?” She asked God, “Whatever it is you want me to do, I want it to count.” A month later, she received an email from World Vision’s Advocacy team asking her to sign up for an in-district meeting with her … Read More
From Born Too Soon to Born On Time —Thoughts on World Prematurity Day
Additional contributions by Aaron Brose. It is very likely you know someone who has given birth to, or maybe even was, a preterm baby—a “preemie” as they’re affectionately called. In the United States, preterm birth may come with complications, but hospital and medical teams are well-equipped to provide life-saving care and give parents information about … Read More