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Author and speaker Jon Acuff guest blogs about five simple ways you can finish strong for 2022 … and gives you the tools to end the year on a high note!

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I need to start today with a bit of a confession.

I am a goal nerd.

I love goals!

One year, I read 100 books.

One year, I ran 1,000 miles.

One year I hired a table tennis coach because I wanted to see how good I could get at ping pong. Raise your hand if you’ve ever hired a Team USA–sanctioned elderly man from mainland China to throw hundreds of ping pong balls at you while yelling, “Kill, kill, kill!”

Just me? I’m the only one who did that? Cool.

I tweet about goals.

I’ve written books about goals.

I even have a podcast about goals called All it Takes is a Goal.

If you are a fellow goal nerd, then you know that this is the best time of year. Not only do we get to close out last year, but we’re on the eve of a new year. It’s the best of both worlds!

If you’re not a goal nerd though and you’re curious about how you, too, can finish strong for the year, you’re in the right place. There are five simple things you can do:

1. Do a quick year-end review.

Did you ever have to do a boring, long project review at work with dependencies, performance metrics, and synergistic, cross-department reference charts? Yuck. That’s not the kind of review we’re going to do. I just want you to look back over the last year and think about three things that people smarter than me have been thinking about for decades: What do I want to start doing? What do I want to stop doing? What do I want to keep doing? As you reflect on the year, what’s something new you want to try? What’s something old you want to stop? What’s something great you want to keep doing?

2. End the year with generosity.

One of my goals is to be as generous as the portions of fries they give you at Five Guys. Have you ever ordered their fries? That cup overfloweth! Sometimes, in the midst of a busy year, I’ve overlooked opportunities to be both grateful and generous. As I review the last 12 months, I always discover reasons to be grateful. I notice good things that I missed the first time around because I was hustling so fast. This gratefulness then tends to turn into generosity, as I look for new ways to pass on the gifts that have been passed on to me.

Gratefulness changes me. Generosity changes the world.

In addition to the tax benefits of year-end giving, when I give to organizations like World Vision, I know that the way I finish this year changes next year for individuals, communities, and countries around the world.

3. Ask a friend one small question.

The end of the year can be stressful for a lot of people. There’s family drama, year-end work projects, holiday expectations, and a swirl of other emotions stacked into this season. Reach out to one friend and ask this question: “Is there anything you need?”

Why does asking this question matter? Because when you ask someone what they need, they become visible and valuable. That’s what everyone in your life wants to know. “Do you see me? Do I matter?” A little question like that can have a significant impact, especially after a stressful year. Crisis magnifies kindness. The small things you do for your relationships this season are worth 100 times what they were two years ago because we’ve all been so isolated. Ask that one small question and then don’t be surprised if it leads to a big conversation.

4. Ask yourself one big question.

If I’m not careful, I can make my list of New Year’s resolutions too complicated. I’m tempted to brainstorm 200 things until the amount of my goals is so large that it topples onto me, and I give up all of them before I’ve even started. So, let’s keep this real simple. I just want you to ask yourself one big question: “What do I want to be true a year from now?”

Sit down with a notebook and dream for a few minutes. A year from now, it’s the end of 2023 —  what’s true of your life? Did you join a new church? Did you run a 5K? Did you write a book? Did you start a podcast? Did you go on a trip? What will you have done that you get to reflect back on?

It’s a big question, but it’s a fun one to explore if you’ll give it a little time.

5. Focus on the four components every great goal requires.

The goal nerd in me can’t help it. I can’t end this list without giving you a set of specific tools. Goals are not complex. They always involve the same four components: results, actions, time, and motivation. Results are what you flirted with in item number four on our list. What do you want to accomplish? Actions are the physical steps you’ll take to make those results happen. What will you do? Time is everything from the deadline you pick to finish your results to the hours you plan to invest. Motivation is the fuel, fire, passion, or drive that will keep you going way beyond January 1. Most people are okay at dreaming about results but neglect the other three. We’re not most people though. We finish this last year strong and start the new one even better!

I hope you had a wonderful 2022. It’s not over yet though — you’ve still got a chance to finish strong. When you do, let me know how it went. You can find me online in all your favorite places. Shoot me a DM, a tweet, a comment, or whatever works best for you. I’ll be the one trying to figure out how to read books and get better at playing ping pong at the same time. What a nerd.

Finish strong by giving a year-end gift to help kids and change the world through generosity.

Jon Acuff is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including his most recent one, Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking. He’s an INC Top 100 Leadership Speaker and the host of the popular All it Takes is a Goal podcast. You can learn more about him at acuff.me.

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As you plan your holiday shopping this year, here are our top 12 best Christmas gifts for 2021. What’s your favorite way to choose joy at Christmas?

Hear from 12 of our celebrity and influencer partners about their favorite ways to choose joy through Christmas giving!

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Our 12 best Christmas gifts for 2021  

Christmas gift #1: A goat and two chickens

As the holidays quickly approach, it’s easy to get wrapped up (no pun intended) in the hustle and bustle of the season. Choosing to intentionally slow down and stay present and joyful during the season is what we continue to strive for here at Pacific Thyme farm.

It’s been four years since we moved to this land that we now call home. We began the process of working the soil, growing our own food, and growing our farm family. The goats and chickens serve as a very essential part of the farm. The chickens provide beautiful organic eggs, and our goats are a wonderful help with farm clean up. They also bring us so much joy! Watching them grow and providing them food from the garden feeds into the entire ecosystem. It’s also a great opportunity to teach our children how to care for the animals.

Goats and chickens can fill a need for families and communities facing food shortages and poverty. We can help support World Vision, and their programs that empower these families all over the world, by gifting chickens and goats to families and communities in need. I can’t think of a better way to choose joy this holiday season.

—Rachel and Byron Talbott

Christmas gift #2: Be chosen by a child

I’m so honored, humbled, and grateful to share about my family’s experience with World Vision’s Chosen child sponsorship program and the little girl in Tanzania who chose us as her sponsor!

We surprised our six boys with the opportunity for our family to be chosen as a sponsor by a child back in February — it has been one of the greatest gifts we could have been given. They regularly ask how she’s doing, pray for her, read her letters, and send her gifts. While we’re helping support her and her family, we’re truly receiving the greatest blessing as we learn and grow and give.

I so encourage you to be a part of this experience and bless someone in your life and a child and family in another part of the world this Christmas!

—Ariel Tyson

Christmas gift #3: “Love and Grace” silver-toned necklace by Danica McKellar

It was my joy to help select the beautiful details of this silver-toned necklace. I hope everyone feels the joy of the holiday season while wearing this beautiful necklace crafted by fair-trade artisans in India.

Helping to design the “Love and Grace” necklace was meaningful to me, and I loved teaming up with artisans.

So I’m excited to share this necklace! I love wearing special pieces of jewelry, and this makes the perfect gift for other mothers this holiday season — donations for the necklace go to World Vision’s programs that empower vulnerable kids and families around the world.

—Danica McKellar

Christmas gift #4: “Around the Table” color-block salad servers by Leanne Ford

My wish for you this holiday season is that you be blessed while blessing others. When you give a handcrafted gift from World Vision’s Gift Catalog, like the salad servers I helped design, you’ll help empower people all around the world out of poverty for good.

I love that these salad servers are handcrafted by artisans in India. They earn fair wages to support their families, and they also get resources to make it through tough times like this pandemic. This year, kids and families in poverty need help more than ever. And so, it’s been a joy to partner with World Vision to feature these handcrafted salad servers in their Gift Catalog.

I love these salad servers. I love designing and I love designing with artisans. And then I love it, on top of that, when my design has a beautiful cause, so this was pure joy. Salad servers were a really natural thing for me to help create because I love using them. I love hosting. I love presenting a beautiful plate.

—Leanne Ford

Christmas gift #5: “Circle of Strength” upcycled coasters by Breegan Jane

When you plan your holiday shopping, this year I want to ask you to do more: Choose joy and give gifts that give back. I’ve partnered with World Vision to help come up with a set of coasters that can help you help children and families lift themselves out of poverty.

I love the details of these coasters, and everything that goes into them. Women artisans in Tanzania, some of them refugees, weave these gorgeous pieces by hand. They use recycled fibers and local grasses with traditional techniques. They’re sustainably made, beautiful, and more importantly, women empowering.

These artisans were affected just like many small businesses across the globe. This year is going to be about so much more than just gift-giving, and this is a fantastic way to start. It’s the year to do more.

This is the year to give the gift of beauty and choose joy through action. I want you to choose joy this year and give a gift that’s beautiful and does a whole lot more.

—Breegan Jane

Christmas gift #6: “Bonded Together” tote by Wé McDonald

My faith in God keeps me humble; it keeps me strong. During the holiday season, I keep noticing that this is about so much more than just me. That’s why giving back is a blessing — it blesses me, but it also blesses someone else.

What I love most about my tote is that it’s big. I am a girl who has a lot of stuff with her at all times, and I know women don’t have pockets most of the time. So I’m happy that the bag is not only functional but also it comes from women artisans who are disabled in Viet Nam, and you get to see that their work pays off.

These women get fair wages and that’s very important because to be an independent woman in countries like that is almost unheard of. They can own their work and become business savvy and work well with other women, and that’s an experience that you cannot take for granted.

When you look at the tote, think of the women who made this bag for you. How can you not feel joy in something that somebody out there made specifically for you to enjoy? So when you fill it up and take it with you, not only do you have an amazing, beautiful, cute, big bag, you have a story to tell.

—Wé McDonald

Christmas gift #7: “Further Together” waxed string bracelets by Kristoffer Polaha

What it means to choose joy this Christmas season is to allow yourself to be fully impacted by the Christian narrative. If you can truly unpack how profound that story is, then you’re left with no other choice but to choose kindness, love, joy.

The reason I love Christmas so much is it’s the season when the days are darkest. There’s no light but then, all of a sudden, we’re reminding ourselves that there’s a light beyond all of that — that’s joy.

With these bracelets, you get three of them which can be like father, sons, and friends. I also like the idea that they could represent the Trinity. And then, when you give this gift, you’re supporting people around the world to rise out of poverty into sustainability. Since COVID-19 hit the whole world, the fact that you can have an impact globally by making a donation here in the States is pretty awesome.

So when you give these bracelets, it’s a way that you can choose joy. You can choose love. You can choose faith. And as you’re moving through the world, you can look down at your wrist and see a reminder to go through the world trying to bring the kingdom here on earth.

—Kristoffer Polaha

Christmas gift #8: “These Three Remain” rose gold–toned bracelet by Melissa Joan Hart

Choosing joy at Christmastime is so important. I know a lot of people are suffering around the world, whether it’s because they live in poverty, or they’re hungry, or they’ve lost someone and they’re not celebrating with their family this year. But I try to focus on the center of Christmas — that Jesus came for us.

I think it’s more important than ever to partner with World Vision this year because of what the whole world has been through. The bracelet that I’m featuring in the Gift Catalog is made by women artisans in India. India was hit so hard by the pandemic. This helps them out so they can creatively support their families and then, the donation will go to help World Vision’s other endeavors around the world and in the U.S. — and you can give someone a really pretty gift!

The handcrafted gifts can help people choose joy this season, because you get to give someone a gift and, at the same time, those donations equip World Vision to help people in need.

I hope when people wear this bracelet that they think about the three things that are on there: faith, hope, and love. We need these three things so much, especially around the holidays.

—Melissa Joan Hart

Christmas gift #9: “The Tie that Binds” wrap bracelet by Meagan Good

World Vision’s Gift Catalog is going to be part of my Christmas tradition. I want to encourage people not just to look at my bracelet, but to look at all the cool things that they can share with someone.

When you share a gift like my bracelet, you’re not just saying, “Here, this is something for you. I care about you.” You get to say, “This is something that will help someone else, too.”

My handcrafted gift helps people choose joy because it’s directly connected to prayerfully giving someone else joy — the person who is the recipient of the bracelet, but also the person who gets blessed because you donated to impact their life.

It helps me choose joy because I believe that it’s making a difference. I know that it’s making a difference. And it helps everyone else that’s a part of it or connected to it choose joy because they’re part of making a difference as well.

—Meagan Good

Christmas gift #10: “Wrapped in Hope” dip-dyed scarf by Patricia Heaton

I love scarves — I have a ton of them! This “Wrapped in Hope” dip-dyed scarf is made by beautiful women artisans in Viet Nam who have been making silk scarves and other items for many, many years. You can get this scarf for free for a $100 donation to the World Vision Fund.

It’s funny to think that Christmas shopping could bring joy. A lot of times it’s a hassle, but through the World Vision Gift Catalog, you can find joy while shopping because it’s easy and you’re going to make a difference in a person’s life.

Joy is something that you can choose regardless of your circumstances. As a Christian knowing what the bigger picture is — what our lives are about and who is actually in control — made it easier to find those joyful moments during the difficulty of last year.

It’s a very joyful opportunity to celebrate this holiday season with a gift from World Vision. It can remind you that you used your resources to make someone else’s life better. We need that little shot of joy every day in our life.

—Patricia Heaton

Christmas gift #11: Clean water

I hadn’t truly understood the joy that the gift of clean water brings until I spent some time in rural Africa with World Vision.

Most of us couldn’t imagine even dipping our toes in some of the water sources that people around the world drink from. And yet so many people live their whole lives with stomach pain or diarrhea from drinking unclean water. More than 800 children under the age of 5 die every day from diarrhea caused by contaminated water, poor sanitation, and unsafe hygiene practices. And millions of women and children walk an average of 6 kilometers every day to get that water that makes them sick.

I will never forget meeting Mera in Zambia. She had been bedridden before World Vision started working in her village. Her young granddaughters often missed school to care for her. I met Mera a few months after World Vision drilled a borehole and equipped Mera and her community with clean water. Mera was literally standing up and dancing for joy, singing a song of praise! Her granddaughters were able to attend school again and were dreaming of their futures. What a gift!

And Mera wasn’t the only one in her community filled with joy! So many stories shared, so many lives changed — all because of clean water. Choose joy through clean water this holiday season!

—Rachel Teodoro

Christmas gift #12: Giving Tuesday

I’ve often struggled with the notion that I want to help, but the problems of the world seem so overwhelming that I’m not sure where to start. One of the reasons that I love partnering with World Vision is that their impact is evident in the areas of the world that need help the most.

Giving Tuesday is a tremendous opportunity not only to support the incredible work that World Vision does but also to double that impact. Any gift given to the World Vision Fund on Giving Tuesday, November 30, is matched up to $1 million — meeting the needs of today and beyond by empowering kids and families to create change that lasts. What can match the joy of giving?

If you’ve found yourself — like I have — wanting to make a difference, but not quite sure how, contributing to the World Vision Fund this Giving Tuesday is the perfect way to choose joy and double your positive impact.

—Abby Lawson

What’s your favorite way to choose joy during the Christmas season? Whether giving the perfect gift to a loved one, empowering a child, or contributing to lasting change, you can find your best Christmas gifts for 2021 in the World Vision Gift Catalog!

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Imagine for a moment that Jesus is back here on earth — for just one day — to give us practical advice for following him in 2021. With all of the current and complicated challenges facing our world, what would he remind today’s Christians to do?

Looking at Scripture, what He told us then is what He would tell us right now:

“Love God, love your neighbor, and make disciples.”

It seems like, in today’s ever-changing cultural climate, that third mandate has long been forgotten. Jesus’ greatest commandment (Matthew 22:36–40; Mark 12:30–31) lays out who we are to make our highest priorities, but these two commands are undergirded by a commission to build His kingdom.

Our world is becoming more and more polarized, and fear, mistrust, and extreme reactions have become the default setting for many people: both on and offline. As a mother and leader, this shift can feel both disappointing and discouraging. Harsh words and angry lies are not the voices of influence I want around my children. That’s why I wrote a book series introducing young readers to the strong and faithful women of the Bible. It’s what inspired me to start Truth Becomes Her, a movement that empowers young women and teaches them about their God-given worth. It’s why I invest in advocacy and the urgency of sharing the gospel, both in my own home and in the hard places in this world that my family can reach.

It’s true that real empowerment and enduring change don’t just happen on their own. As a five-time cancer survivor, I’ve learned firsthand the importance of perseverance, by way of mental fortitude, emotional strength, and spiritual attunement to the heart of God. I’ve seen His faithfulness in powerful ways. When we’re willing to charge into the battles He has called us to fight — when we’re willing to show up, press forward, and refuse to give up — that’s when He shows up.

So, what challenge do we really face in this present season?

The real challenge is two-fold: to find real and tangible ways to express love to God and others and to get strategic about living in light of eternity.

As parents and mentors of young people, our answers to their questions count, but our actions are crucial. If we’re not modeling the love of Christ, it will be easier for our kids to be victimized by fear and the pain of their temporal reality. We need a plan, a clear strategy to keep our families centered on Christ.

That’s why I absolutely love Ignite, World Vision’s comprehensive experiential curriculum that takes kids at every grade level through lessons and experiences, teaching them how to take meaningful action that meets real world needs, right now, for real people.

With Ignite, students work with their teachers (in Christian schools, homeschool groups, or Christian clubs at public schools) to choose an issue they care about that is impacting their community. This could be homelessness, food insecurity, accessibility for people with disabilities, access to clean water, or any other number of issues.

For years I have loved and advocated for the work World Vision is doing, both in the U.S. and around the globe to empower families to create sustained, lasting change in their own communities. The Ignite partnership gives young people a way to join in that mission, guided by meaningful support and structure. Most importantly, it’s all grounded in their Christian faith: with the love of Christ and the truth of the gospel guiding everything they do.

Scripture is full of verses about how God sees injustice. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17, NIV).

Jesus boldly says that whenever we give food and water to the hungry and thirsty, give clothes to people in need, whenever we welcome a stranger, or visit those who are sick or in prison: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40, NIV)

With all the suffering and injustice in our world, I don’t just want to sit around and talk about it. I don’t want to share a bunch of Facebook posts and pat myself on the back. No, if you’re like me, you want to know what the next steps are and to do them. You want to know what practical actions you can take right now.

The Ignite partnership is a practical roadmap for doing exactly that. This generation is hungry to make an impact. They are hungry to be the kind of change makers God calls them to be. As the adults, parents, and mentors, who have been assigned to nurture, encourage, and support the next generation, we play a vital role in raising up children who live each day seeking to be more like Jesus and, most importantly, doing what He has commanded.

What are we going to do this week to model that?

Let’s resist simply settling for the current state of the world, becoming naysayers, or aiming for survival by shielding ourselves from the harsh realities of the world. Instead let’s become warriors of the Word who embody the pure and truest form of the gospel in every way.

How might people you encounter be inspired to live for Jesus, because of the reflection of Christ they see in you?

Erin Weidemann is a member of World Vision’s Speakers Bureau and the founder and CEO of Bible Belles. She lives in Whitefish, Montana, with her husband, Brent, and their daughters, Rooney and Roxy. Learn more about Erin at erinweidemann.com.

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No matter where you live in the world, there’s always something special about coming home. In this guest post from home and organization blogger Abby Lawson, she shares what she learned about the meaning of a thriving home while visiting Ecuador and experiencing World Vision’s new invitation to child sponsorship, Chosen.

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I have always agreed with the sentiment, “There’s no place like home.” There’s something about coming in the door and being surrounded by your loved ones in a thriving home where you feel welcome and loved, where you can be completely yourself.

As a blogger who writes about organization and home decor, I am fortunate my love of home extends to my work. I have the joy of helping people create a thriving home that they and their families truly adore spending time in. (Which has seemed all the more important as shelter-in-place orders and physical distancing have had many of us spending more time at home than ever before.)

And even though before-and-after room transformations and pretty pictures are fun, creating a home you love isn’t about the “stuff.” It’s about creating a welcoming safe space where everyone who enters feels the joy of being in community with those they love, a backdrop for years of fond memories.

Never was this more clear to me than last fall, when I had the privilege of being welcomed into the homes of a few families that World Vision is partnering with in Ecuador.

I sat in the home of Diana and her two adorable children, Lupita and Karey. As Diana showed us how to prepare a delicious meal, she told our group how World Vision had given her the education and resources to learn to make healthy, balanced meals that would help her children thrive.

Diana had created a garden in her yard where she could grow her own herbs and vegetables to use to nourish everyone in her home.

With the help of World Vision, she also set up a sweet shop on the lower level of her house where she and other family members make and sell baked goods to help support their household.

Diana, her children, and her parents, who also lived with them, were able to create a more thriving home because of World Vision’s work — something that will not only benefit them but also their community and their other family members, hopefully for generations to come.

On that same Ecuador trip, we were also welcomed into the home of Angela and her family. They were excited to tell us about how school supplies and provisions from World Vision helped improve Angela’s ability to learn and excel at school and how they had been a blessing to the rest of their family as well.

I felt so honored to get to know this family, and it was amazing to see the positive impact World Vision was making on their home and on so many others like it.

Later in the week, we saw Angela and her family again as we attended one of World Vision’s first choosing parties, where Angela and several other children had the opportunity to choose their sponsor.

It was so incredible to witness the smiles and excitement on each child’s face as they walked out of the room with the photo of the person or family they had chosen to sponsor them. (Including Lady, who chose our family as her sponsor!)

The children had the opportunity to write their new sponsor a letter, explaining why they had chosen them and introducing themselves, to start a relationship that will be a blessing to both the sponsor and the child for years to come.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to see the fruits of World Vision’s work in action. Their impact is truly amazing. Allowing a child to choose you as their sponsor not only positively affects their life, but it also helps create thriving homes and communities for generations into the future.

You can make a difference when you sign up to be chosen. World Vision’s new invitation to child sponsorship, Chosen, empowers children by providing them with the opportunity to choose their sponsor. It can change the trajectory of their life and the lives of their families and communities for the better.

Will you be a part of helping to create thriving homes around the world? Sign up to be chosen today.

Abby Lawson blogs about home, organizing, and decorating at justagirlandherblog.com.

The post How to create a thriving home wherever you are and worldwide appeared first on World Vision.

Are you struggling with anxiety during these difficult times? Max Lucado offers five steps to interrupt that downward spiral and offer your anxiety about the coronavirus up to God. Nothing is too big for Him!

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Anxiety is an out-of-control thought pattern. It settles over the mind like a severe weather system, spewing thunderclouds and casting lightning bolts. Life feels like an airplane in a tailspin. It feeds on what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.

What if the coronavirus changes my life forever? How long until there’s a vaccine? Until the economy recovers? I could lose my health. I could lose my job. I could lose it all.

Down. Down. Down. Don’t give in to this thought pattern. It’s a sinkhole. Don’t catastrophize your way into quicksand. Take a deep breath and then …

1. Pray about it.

At the first hint of an anxious thought, take the thought captive. Don’t tolerate the devil, not even for a second. Lasso the anxious thought with a word of prayer. Lord, there is an intruder at the door. Please take over!

2. Identify the culprit.

Generalities are not permitted. None of this: “I’m worried.” Get specific: Lord, I’m worried about the layoffs at work. Now, that’s better. But even more detailed: I’m worried that I will lose my job. Will I be able to find more work? Will we have to move? Specificity disarms anxiety.

3. Take a reality check.

Is this a legitimate concern? Or is this a vague, ill-defined, rumor-fed possibility? They say layoffs are inevitable. Who are they?

4. Take an action step.

Assuming the concern is legitimate, what can you do? Make a list of two or three steps you can take to resist the urge to try to solve everything immediately.

5. Ask: “Can God solve this?”

Is this challenge within His skill set? Is He overwhelmed by this setback? Are the angels pounding on the door of heaven trying to convince Him to come out of hiding? Is He resisting? I can’t handle this challenge. It is too great. I don’t know what to do! I’m stumped, stuck, and stalled out.

No … I don’t think so either. God is never baffled or belittled. Take the problem to Him.

Reflect on this verse: “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17, NIV).

And, pray it through:

Lord,

Thank You that “before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely” (Psalm 139:4, NIV). Thank You that there are no surprises with You. Help me find deep comfort in the fact that You are unshockable and nothing is too great, too terrible, too large, or too heavy for You. Help me see the problems that I face today in light of how big You are. Amen.

© Max Lucado (adapted from Anxious for Nothing, Thomas Nelson, 2017). This post was originally published at maxlucado.com.

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the country and the world, we turn to God for wisdom and comfort. Join us in prayer for people affected by this crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic can be troubling for adults, but especially scary for children. Here are some tips for talking to your kids about the coronavirus.

Amid crisis, there is hope. Read how World Vision Family Emergency Kits are bringing hope to food-insecure families across the U.S.

The post Anxiety and the coronavirus: How to interrupt the downward spiral appeared first on World Vision.

What is it like to live under lockdown because of the new coronavirus outbreak?

The Chinese government has taken extraordinary measures to control the spread of the respiratory disease, with many cities in lockdown, affecting over 51 million people.

Che Zifa, a World Vision staff member in China, shares his perspective on living under lockdown and the opportunity to care for his community by helping to distribute health supplies.

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There’s a lack of access to masks, and I can’t go outside because I don’t have a mask. My wife has a mask, so she has to purchase our supplies for our family. My wife works at the county health department, and she has been working since the outbreak began. She can’t have a day off, and it has been a tough time for her.

This Lunar New Year has been a tough one since my two sons and I had to stay at home. We can’t go outside like we used to. Also, we cannot visit our relatives or hang out with our friends.

Caring about communities

My colleagues and I have been in touch with World Vision project communities so we can learn how the outbreak is affecting them. Moreover, colleagues responsible for sponsorship also ask about situations of the children in the community. Timely communication with the community shows us that parents have enhanced supervision on children. For example, they ask their children to wear a mask when being outside or not to go outside at all. Also, they tell their children to wash their hands more frequently.

Meanwhile, we find that the community lacks prevention awareness of the new coronavirus and the residents don’t have protective items such as masks, soap, or liquid soap. What’s more, some residents have not attached much importance to this outbreak due to their lack of knowledge. So they push their luck, which is one of the challenges threatening the safety of communities.

Distributing masks

World Vision quickly responded to the new coronavirus. The masks purchased by World Vision were delivered to Honghe County Feb. 2. My colleagues and I took charge of the distribution. That was my first time out since Jan. 23. I felt touched when distributing masks to our partners. I felt quite delighted that we can still give timely responses to meet the needs of the community and our partners in this drastic time.

A little episode happened during this distribution. Some of the masks were delivered to another city nearby because the local express company refused them. Two colleagues of mine and I had to drive back and forth for more than five hours to get the masks. Although we all wore masks, we still felt nervous. Therefore, we barely approached other people. After getting the masks, we started a second distribution. My colleagues were joyful seeing our partners wearing the masks we had delivered.

Since Feb. 3, we have donated more than 7,500 masks to the local government and relevant departments as a way to support the control and prevention of the new coronavirus outbreak. In addition to the donation of protective items, we plan to hold educational activities in the project community when the spread is under control. Those activities will help raise the public health awareness, and teach people to wash their hands correctly and more regularly.

I hope that the outbreak will pass soon so that we can all go back to normal life and work.

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World Vision teams worldwide, and particularly across Asia, are doing all they can to keep children, families, and their communities safe. In China, we aim to support nearly 390,000 people in 10 provinces where we have development work. This emergency response will include providing face masks to communities and health workers, distributing hand sanitizer and other personal hygiene items, and supporting efforts by local health authorities, schools, and other partners to communicate stay-safe health messages.

World Vision is also preparing to respond to community needs within the United States. Our response supports schools in low-income areas, specifically where cases of the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, have been confirmed. We plan to provide a bottle of hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes for every student in 900 schools.

Donate today to support World Vision’s response in the U.S. and worldwide to help keep people safe from the new coronavirus. As it continues to spread, our staff are providing emergency protective supplies in affected areas both abroad and here in the United States. Your donation will help provide things like face masks for health workers, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes for children and families, and in some cases, health training to keep everyone safe. Please pray for the health of everyone involved and donate today.

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