I am always amazed and inspired by children who “get it” and do something that makes a difference in the lives of others. Sometimes “getting it” happens on their own, but often it happens because adults saw the giftedness and value within those children and gave them permission and opportunity to do something with their gifts. Here is an awesome story of the adults and children at North Broad Baptist Church in Rome, Ga., who, inspired by their study in Spark, took on a project last fall that ultimately led to them helping the people of Haiti.

Children at North Broad raise money for Haiti through card sales

 By Sue Poss

CBF Communications

“I feel good because I was able to help people who are sick, hurt or need food. If my house was destroyed, I would want someone to help us. $900 is not much help to repair even one house, but it is better than nothing.” Noah, age 9.

 Noah is writing about the note card project that he and other children at North Broad Baptist Church in Rome, Ga., worked on to raise money for missions and completed just as the Haiti earthquake struck. The children immediately decided to send the $900 they had raised to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship to be used in Haiti because they had studied about the importance of disaster relief last summer in Spark, CBF’s missions resource for children.

 “People needed some shelter, some food, and they needed clothes,” said Jaylon, 11. “It made me happy to have some money to help. We help the missionaries by sending money to Haiti. We pray for them.”

 The project was coordinated by children’s mission leader Lottie Finney. She had read in Spark’s “Caring for People in Crisis” unit how children could build a little house to collect money for missions. She modified that activity to create note cards with the children’s original drawings of houses on them. 

 The cards are blank inside and on the back read: “Making a House for an Offering: Many times people’s homes are damaged by natural disaster. Natural disasters can affect people’s plumbing, electricity, and the structure of their homes. Donations for these cards will be an offering to this cause.”

 “The children worked very seriously on their drawings,” said church member Gwen Dellinger.

 “Our miracle was that Haiti’s earthquake occurred on Tuesday and we were turning the money in the next day,” Dellinger said. “The children talked about the earthquake and that they had their money to help. I think this speaks to the connection between the curriculum, the activity, and a group of children coloring cards and selling them for an event that had not yet occurred.”

 “I watch the news sometimes and listen to the radio, and I know bad things happen,” said Barton, 8. “I thought that the card money would go for medical supplies for hurt people and it made me feel glad that I had sold cards. I hope that they are okay now.”

 The children at North Broad are a diverse group, and one of them has been homeless himself, Dellinger said. Through their mission studies using Spark, children and adults learn about the needs of the world.

 “Our children, no matter how diverse, do know much about emergency situations in the world,” Dellinger said. “What some did not know was how missionaries respond and how they can respond.”

 “When I drew the picture, I thought that it would be used to help people that do not have homes,” said Keegan, 9. “I was happy that we could help the people in Haiti buy food, clothes, and stuff that they need like going to the doctor.”