If you have not yet read it, pick up a copy of Three Cups of Tea and read it. The story of Greg Mortenson and his journey to build schools in remote regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan is inspiring. The associated organizations are the Central Asia Institute and the Pennies for Peace initiative.
Inspired by all of this, we’ve started a Pennies for Peace jar in our house. That got me thinking, however… what to do with all those nickels, dimes and quarters. After a week of the best minds in our family working on it, here is what we have come up with:
Nickels for New Pastors: Supporting the work of our alma mater, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary
Dimes for Dinners: Supporting the work of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s World Hunger appeal and local food banks
Quarters for Quarts: Supporting the work of WaterAid and other charities that provide clean drinking water, especially in the developing world
Perhaps you can come up with other creative ideas for directing our resources to those who are poor and suffering. I am also always interested in hearing about charities that are important to others and the reasons why.