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The Bible is full of references to joy.

In Luke 2, Jesus’ birth was proclaimed as good news of great joy.

Before that, the prophets spoke of joy. My favorite is Isaiah 55:12 — “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

Mother Teresa said, “A joyful heart is the normal result of a heart burning with love.”

Joyful children have hearts that burn with love. Their pure pleasure in the smallest of things, that sudden burst of happiness, fills us with delight, too.

We asked children all over the world, “What is joy to you?”

Here is what they said. —Jon Warren

Haiti

For 9-year-old Louisina, 13-year-old Sophie, and 11-year-old Jilienne, joy is being back at school. “We are so happy to see our school rebuilt,” one girl shares. On August 14, 2021, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Haiti caused widespread destruction affecting 800,000 people. World Vision responded immediately with life-saving food, clean water, and shelter, and helped support families through health, education, and child protection. Communities were equipped to repair infrastructure like the girls’ school. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Guy F. Vital-Herne)

Ghana

Brothers Godwin, 8, and Kofi, 12, get airborne through a local game called bonke. “Joy is bonke after COVID. No more stay[ing] home,” says Kofi. Their mother, a local farmer, has also felt a lift — out of poverty, that is! She’s been empowered through VisionFund, the microfinance subsidiary of World Vision, which equips rural entrepreneurs with small loans that unlock the growth potential of their small businesses. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Abban Enoch Johnson)

El Salvador

“Joy is playing with the ball,” says Wilbur, who uses a wheelchair. He rolls the ball again and again, knocking down colorful pins while his mother observes in the background. On this day, Wilbur scores double — happily hitting plastic pins one by one and getting ready to go into the white tents where he’ll pick his World Vision sponsor through World Vision’s Chosen^® program. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Abner Ely Castillo Castillo)

Uganda

“My joy is playing soccer with my friends. … It’s my best part of the day,” shares 10-year-old Timothy. He and his friends are elated after Timothy scores a penalty kick during a lunchtime soccer match. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Clive Inyhensico)

Myanmar

For this family, joy is the animals that have transformed their lives. Ngwar Tar, 62, and his grandchildren, Ngwar Lay, 5, and Nwgar Sar, 3, enjoy laughing and caring for the goats they received from World Vision. “Every day, we wait for our grandfather to go to the goat farm, and then we accompany him,” says Ngwar Lay. “When we arrive, we cuddle and feed the goats. We really like playing with them. They are not afraid of us, and they also love us.” (©2022 World Vision/photo by Saw Moo Kale)

Honduras

“Joy is learning how to write the number eight while singing songs to God,” says Dulce María, a 6-year-old sponsored child. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Catherine Turcios)

Ghana

“Joy is standing in the shadow of mama — I know we are safe,” say 10-year-old Precious and 13-year-old Martha. Their mother, Madam Ama Cynthia, has benefited from a VisionFund loan through World Vision, allowing her to buy the taxi they stand next to. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Abban Enoch Johnson)

Somalia

“Our animals bring me joy! The sound made by our goats makes me so happy because it means they’re there. We get our meat and milk from them, and when they’re not there (because of drought), we’re not happy. This one is a new one, 7 days old,” says 5-year-old Abdirahman. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Gwayi Patrick)

Uganda

“Joy is reading together and making fun,” says 7-year-olds Patricia, left, and Lillian, right. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Fred Ouma)

El Salvador

“Joy is running through the cornfield,” says Elmer, a sponsored child. He loves running after school. In his area, many families have struggled with their crops due to both droughts and floods. Elmer’s family and others have benefited from World Vision’s food security programs, which have helped them have enough food to eat — and even have surplus to sell for profit. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Abner Ely Castillo Castillo)

Ghana

“Joy is playing ampe on Saturday morning in the farm under the bright sky,” say sisters Theresa (left), 11, Charlotte (middle), 12, and Cynthia (right), 13. The girls love playing this local game. They have a chance to be kids as their mom is leaving poverty behind thanks to a farming loan from VisionFund, World Vision’s microfinance arm. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Abban Enoch Johnson)

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A few years ago, when our church learned about how many children are trafficked into forced labor on Lake Volta in the west African country of Ghana, we were compelled to help. We began partnering with International Justice Mission (IJM), an organization that rescues and protects people from violence, slavery, and other abuses around the world. I love that my church is always ready to step up. God’s people should always be ready for opportunities to help the poor.

The Apostle Paul went on three missionary journeys and started the majority of the New Testament churches. In his letter that we now call Galatians, he talked about his trip to Jerusalem. He told Peter and the rest of the apostles that he felt God had called him to be an apostle to the gentiles — the non-Jews. The other apostles agreed, with one request: that as he went out and taught, to remember the poor.

Paul completely agreed, and in the book of Acts, you see that everywhere he traveled, he was consistent with two things: preaching the gospel message of salvation and taking an offering for the poor. From the beginning of the church, Christians have been helping the poor. It was the church that started most of the orphanages. It was the church that started most of the hospitals. It was the church that rushed to help those who were hungry.

Too often in America, we don’t really understand the needs of the poor, and we don’t take seriously our obligation or responsibility as Christians to help the poor. Luke’s gospel is full of examples of Jesus instructing us to help those in need. The church should be out in front leading the way when it comes to this. And that’s why our church couldn’t just be content with the work we had already done. We wanted to do more.

Already feeling burdened for the country of Ghana, we decided to go deeper by partnering with World Vision. Through Chosen®, our congregation agreed to come alongside children living in poverty, and as a result, more than 2,600 children in Ghana got to choose their own sponsors. My wife and I have sponsored a child for several years, and we realized how much that has meant to us, so we decided it was time to sponsor another. We were chosen by a little boy named Balukdi, and we are so looking forward to connecting with him in the years ahead and speaking into his life spiritually as he matures so that he knows he is chosen and loved by the almighty God.

Everyone desperately wants to be loved, to be noticed, to be seen. Everyone wants to know that they matter. We were created by God to be in relationship with Him, and yet because of sin, that relationship has been broken, leaving us with a void, a sense of insecurity, or a feeling of insignificance. That’s why it’s so important to know that we matter to God, and to know that not only does He love us, but He chose us. Jesus said in John 15:16, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit …” Once I know that I am loved and chosen by God, it gives me a sense of security and confidence. It gives me purpose for today and hope for the future. I now understand my identity is in Christ.

By connecting with these children through a sponsorship relationship, my family and church will not only make a difference in each of their lives, but we’ll make an impact on the entire country of Ghana. When you’re willing to make a sacrifice, it’s then that we’re inviting the supernatural to occur. You’ll never see the impossible if you don’t step out and risk the comfortable for the sake of others. I truly believe God is going to do incredible things in Ghana, and our church and my family will get to be part of His work.

Steve Poe is senior pastor at Northview Church in Indiana. He and his wife, Sandy, have two married children and seven grandkids.

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Through another year of ups and downs, God’s faithfulness and miraculous activity in the world haven’t stopped. While progress on ending extreme poverty and boosting development slowed because of the pandemic and its impacts, God’s people always have reasons to hope — lots of them. We can trust that our sovereign God is still tending to His children and His creation. Discover 12 reasons to have hope in 2022 and ways we can pray for God’s continued providence.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 (NIV)

1. More young children are surviving thanks to clean water.

For years, the number of children who died daily from poor water, sanitation, and hygiene was nearly 1,000. Now, it’s dropped to over 800 a day. And the number of people lacking access to clean water worldwide decreased from 1.1 billion in 2000 to 771 million in 2020. While these numbers are still heartbreakingly high, their decrease represents such important progress in the fight against the global water crisis.

And during the annual Global 6K for Water, tens of thousands of people walked, ran, or rolled for clean water so kids like Ireen in Malawi wouldn’t have to anymore. When drillers hit water in her village in August 2020, life changed. Now, with clean water just steps away from her home, Ireen and kids like her have a better chance of continuing their education and staying healthy.

Provider of all, we praise You for this progress. Please refresh the hope of so many more like Ireen and her community with clean water. You are the One who provides water from the rock and streams in the wilderness. Work through Your people to continue these efforts.

2. Loveness Phiri became the 20 millionth person reached with clean water through World Vision’s work.

In even more hopeful water news, a global pandemic couldn’t stop the clean water warriors: Thanks to partners and donors, in February, the 20 millionth person was equipped with clean water through our work. And it’s only the beginning of a God-sized goal of empowering everyone, everywhere we work with clean water by 2030 — around 50 million people! That goal is furthered by completed funding for the Finish the Job in Rwanda campaign to equip all of our project areas in Rwanda with clean water as well.

Who was this 20 millionth person? Loveness Phiri, a Zambian mom. With access to clean water, Loveness will no longer have to wake up at 4 a.m. to walk the long distance to get dirty water for her family. With the hours in her day back, she’s started a business selling food. “I am now a businesswoman, thanks to World Vision. Our lives will never be the same because of the borehole they have provided for us,” she says.

God of mercy, we thank You for this success and the way You’ve used it to bless and transform millions of people’s futures.

3. The people of Yamaranguila, Honduras, are filled with hope for their futures.

Since the mid-1990s, World Vision has worked through child sponsorship to equip people to build better lives in Yamaranguila municipality, which encompasses more than 60 communities and has the highest concentration of Lenca people in Honduras. About 100,000 strong, the Lenca are the country’s largest Indigenous group; they’ve long experienced discrimination and challenges like entrenched poverty, lack of education, and more.

Child sponsorship and other World Vision programs have supported social, physical, and spiritual renewal throughout Yamaranguila. Thanks to the partnership of donors and families, children and adults are being empowered to build up their community. Poverty is on the run as a world of hope opens up.

God of new beginnings, we give You glory for the transformation in Yamaranguila and we celebrate the renewed hope that children and families here have. Please continue to bless their flourishing.

4. USAID is helping empower Zimbabwean families to move from fragility to resilience and build food security.

Over seven years, the ENSURE program — Enhancing Nutrition, Stepping Up Resilience and Enterprise — has equipped over 215,000 people in eastern Zimbabwe to improve their lives. Farmers have better crops. People are raising more livestock. Families are equipped with sanitation facilities and through hygiene behavior-change programming. Parents have income to buy food and send their kids to school. Children are healthier and have a stronger future ahead of them — one that involves completing school instead of dropping out to get married or work. It’s a future that dares them to dream of the possibilities and hope for a life full of choices beyond the poverty many of them have only known.

Gracious Father, be present with these families as they celebrate their progress, and guide those in our government responsible for foreign assistance with wisdom to make choices that support vital global development.

5. Collins, one of the first kids to choose his own sponsor in 2019, feels the support of sponsorship during the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing hardships.

When World Vision flipped the script on child sponsorship in 2019 with Chosen, Collins in Mwala, Kenya, picked Joel from Chicago as his sponsor. Because of the community-focused model of child sponsorship, Collins and his friends have a stronger support network to get them through the hard times caused by COVID-19.

And despite the pandemic, kids can still choose their sponsors! At smaller events in countries like Malawi, Kenya, and Ghana, children are getting the power to choose.

Good Shepherd, please watch over sponsored kids like Collins and their families as they face ongoing trials from the effects of the pandemic. Give us words of encouragement and a heart to care for people in need.

6. People in some of the world’s remotest areas are getting support to deal with the pandemic.

When COVID-19 hit, World Vision launched our biggest ever global response to a crisis, and by October 2021 we’d reached over 72 million people with relief. In just one example, the Solidarity ship is reaching remote families along the Amazon River with medical care and health knowledge to keep people safer from COVID-19. Though for many in the Western world, the pandemic may be inching toward the rearview mirror, for most of the children and families we serve around the world, it’s far from over. That’s why we’re still committed to making sure people around the world are receiving food baskets that feed a family for a month, personal protective equipment kits for frontline workers in under-resourced areas, and more.

Sovereign Lord, may Your hand of protection cover people who live in remote areas far from medical care. May vulnerable families know Your loving remembrance of them as they receive tangible help and support.

7. The WASH UP! partnership with Sesame Workshop is reaching vulnerable kids with hygiene behavior-change education.

What better way to get kids excited about washing their hands than with Muppets? Raya, a special Muppet for Sesame’s global educational programs, shows children good handwashing and hygiene practices through games and songs. In harder-to-reach areas, like villages in Iraq, this kind of play-based learning is vital to keeping kids healthy during the continuing impacts of the pandemic.

In Zummar, students at an elementary school sing health-focused songs that encourage them to stay healthy: “I am the superstar for water and hygiene; I promise to drink, drink, drink only safe water.”

Jesus, we ask for Your protection over vulnerable kids and families during this pandemic, and we praise You for the creativity that engages kids’ minds.

8. Shemema is using her powerful voice to speak out against child marriage.

Ten-year-old Shemema wrote this spoken word poem herself to encourage her peers, in Ghana and around the world, to say no to child marriage. Watch as she eloquently articulates the brighter future she’s pursuing thanks to her education. Strong, empowered girls like Shemema have huge potential to challenge harmful cultural traditions like child marriage and help transform their societies.

You can raise your own voice for change on behalf of girls everywhere with our Just Married campaign that’s working to fight child marriage at a policy level.

Loving Father, please empower and raise up more young leaders like Shemema who can turn the tide on practices that harm your beloved daughters. Keep girls who are at risk of child marriage safe, and prompt your people to address this issue so girls everywhere can thrive.

9. Globally, as many as 35% more moms and 58% more kids under 5 are surviving than they were 30 years ago.

Worldwide agencies like the United Nations and World Vision stepped up their collaborations in 1990, when global maternal and child mortality rates were staggeringly high. Thirty years later, the efforts have saved millions of lives. While it’s true that the pandemic is impacting immediate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, the long view shows us that this kind of progress can carry us forward. With better nutrition; access to quality healthcare, education, and clean water; and other programs, moms and their babies can get a healthier start and find more reasons to hope.

Mighty Healer, bless the world’s efforts to lift up the most vulnerable people, and may our care for others come from our love for You.

10. Child sponsorship is helping entire communities flourish.

Did you know that, because of our community-focused solutions, for every child helped, four more children benefit, too? This sweet video from our programs shows you what that means for sponsored kids like Farah and her friends. Sponsorship is helping their community stand tall, free from poverty.

Our King, stir even more of your people to seek flourishing for the world’s most vulnerable people.

11. Across the United States, communities are getting the resources they need to fight poverty.

Our goal is to care for vulnerable children in any situation, even those right here in the U.S. In 2021, World Vision’s U.S. programs reached over 12 million people — including 6.9 million children and youth — with resources and support ranging from backpacks to hygiene supplies. In the Navajo Nation, World Vision has been providing support through COVID-19 surges throughout 2021. Myron Lizer, the Navajo Nation’s vice president, says to World Vision donors, “You sent us a love message by living out your biblical principles to love your neighbor — we are grateful.”

Creator, thank You for moving in the hearts of Your people to love and care for their neighbors in the U.S. May we remember the needs of our brothers and sisters around us.

12. World Vision’s advocacy work is making a difference on Capitol Hill and around the world.

Advocacy efforts with the U.S. government for foreign aid and commitments are a vital piece of ending injustice for vulnerable people around the world. This year, staff and a mighty team of Volunteer Advocates engaged members of Congress to support funding and legislation to protect vulnerable children from violence and exploitation, keep girls in school, protect women and girls in emergencies, fight malnutrition, and end child marriage. These examples of hope move the needle closer to passing bills that support more of the work World Vision’s already doing around the world.

Our Just Judge, give our leaders wisdom and a heart for people in need around the world. May Your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.

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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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How will the year 2020 go down in the history books? I’d guess something like this: a global pandemic infecting millions and interrupting daily life around the globe. Economies shattered, businesses shuttered, streets emptied. No school, no sports, relationships reduced to computer screens. And in the U.S., racial injustice once again laid bare, and legitimate calls for systemic change colliding with unjustified violence and destruction.

Many will see only what they lost or what might have been. Others will lament the damage done to our country by a virus that destroyed bodies and hatred that harmed souls. By those measures, 2020 was a very bad year.

But as I look back on this challenging year, I choose to focus on what God taught me through it. That is how hope is revealed. You see, in times of trouble, we understand that our God is not only a God of the good times. He is a God of the here and now. And He never stops working in our lives, inviting us to align our hearts and plans with His. What God cares about never changes — no matter what.

I choose to focus on what God taught me through it. That is how hope is revealed.—Edgar Sandoval Sr.

What does God care about? He cares about you and me. He wants everyone to enjoy fullness of life in His kingdom, here on earth and for eternity. He cares about our salvation and the salvation of others. John 3:16 tells us why God gave us Jesus — to love us into eternal life. And when I read the Bible, it’s clear that God has special care for people who are poor and vulnerable. Everywhere I look in the Scriptures, God is pleading with humanity to care for them, too.

When I reflect on the past year through the lens of a vulnerable person — a child in Bangladesh — I feel a renewed sense of passion for the mission God has given me. Don’t get me wrong: I experienced the same whiplash as everybody else. As the new decade dawned, I was energized. World Vision had just launched Chosen, a new invitation into sponsorship that put the power to choose in children’s hands. Chosen was the result of several years of diligent and prayerful work, but ultimately, we regarded it as a gift from the Lord. We couldn’t wait to fully unwrap it in 2020 as we engaged more churches and sponsors in this mutually transformative relationship.

In November 2019, I had the pleasure of attending a choosing party in Bangladesh, where I met Masrafi, a 4-year-old boy who chose my wife, Leiza, and me as his sponsors. He and his parents live in an ultra-poor community of 41,000 people. I’ll never forget Masrafi’s shy smile and his mom, Surmi, telling me, “Masrafi will serve his community when he grows up.” I was so excited for all kids reaching toward new futures and for their sponsors joining them on the journey.

But by March, the virus had leapt continents and threatened our own communities. Dozens of U.S. churches, eager to partner with us and experience Chosen, had to cancel their plans. All our in-person events were put on hold. We were dismayed, but at the same time, we mounted a robust COVID-19 response in the U.S. and around the world.

From the beginning of the crisis, the most vulnerable people in the most fragile places were on my mind. God reminded me of them often in my prayers. I knew that while many of us hunkered down in our well-built homes with plenty of food and clean running water, families living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions were surviving with even less than before.

That was true of Masrafi in Bangladesh. His dad, Alomgir, previously earned about $3.50 a day molding bricks, but work dried up during the pandemic. He and Surmi worried about paying rent and feeding their son. Their stress caused them to quarrel. Surmi raised a bit of money by cleaning houses, but she didn’t tell Alomgir. “It would really affect his pride,” she says.

I prayed for this struggling family — and for millions more suffering from the secondary effects of the pandemic. And I was so grateful that as a sponsor, I could help in tangible ways. World Vision helped families in Masrafi’s community protect themselves against COVID-19 with prevention information and hygiene supplies. Those without income, like Alomgir, received cash disbursements to cover basic needs. And staff kept an eye on kids who were at greater risk when stress-fueled conflict boiled over at home.

Help that comes when it’s needed most creates hope.—Edgar Sandoval Sr.

Of course, this support doesn’t solve everything. But we cannot miss the deeper impact: Help that comes when it’s needed most creates hope. And it’s only a matter of time that those with newfound hope wonder about its source. Someday they will ask that life-changing question — the question to which Jesus is the answer.

Yes, COVID-19 turned our lives upside down this year, and it’s not over yet. It has killed so many and caused so much fear. And our country began the most painful reckoning of racism and injustice since the civil rights era. You could say that 2020 put hope itself to the test. Yet the hope of Christ overcomes! It never failed us. And we are bearers of that hope. That’s how I choose to look back on this year: as a time when thousands of sponsors faithfully and often sacrificially cared for children like Masrafi, when Americans gave so families in their communities wouldn’t go hungry.

It was a year when faith flourished — online instead of in churches. When a Zoom call with a friend could go from chatting about the weather to a deep conversation about Jesus in record time. A year when more people than ever waded into the turbulent waters of racial injustice by reading books, listening to their Black friends, and taking action. In our physical distance, we learned that community is not only a place but also a way of being.

Looking ahead, our mission remains unchanged — and more urgent. The world is still hurting, but we are still chosen to participate in God’s transformative work in people’s hearts and lives around the globe. The hope of Jesus has already changed history. And it continues today, through you and me.

Edgar Sandoval Sr. is president of World Vision U.S. Follow him at twitter.com/EdgarSandovalSr.

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