 Craig Thompson, Disciple Photo In Thailand, a 13-year-old girl arrives at The New Life Center, seeking relief from the cruel conditions that have brought her here. Her life up to this point has been mostly about survival. Here, she meets others like her. Some of them are survivors of sexual abuse, domestic violence, or human trafficking. Some have been forced to work when they wanted to go to school. What will the future be like when she is empowered to share her gifts with her community and the world? At the New Life Center she is met by people who invest in her life: they invest time, support, and resources. Here she is allowed to imagine a new future. Finishing school. Learning a trade. Even going to University to earn a degree. Here she is empowered. Here she finds a community, connection, and the support that she needs to envision a better life for herself. When you give to Week of Compassion, you invest in the futures of these girls and countless others like them. Your gifts provide education, vocational training, basic necessities, and much-needed community support. When we share the love of Christ in this way, we see lives transformed. Not just their lives, but ours as well. Because when we empower these young women to build lives for themselves, we help God build a better world for us all. In I Corinthians 3:9--the text for our Special Offering focus this year--Paul writes that we are all co-workers together in God’s service. Some of us plant. Some of us water. But God gives the growth. Paul reminds us that we are all called into the service of God, who cares for each and every one of us. We each have an important role to play in the work of building the future; and we each have gifts to share. As co-creators with God, we are called to be good stewards of all that we’ve been given: investing in others, working together for the good of our neighbors. What will the future be like when we work to plant and water together and trust God to give the growth? As we invest in futures and serve as co-workers with God, the future becomes a place of endless possibility and opportunity for all of us. What a great return on our investment! Many churches will collect a Special Offering for Week of Compassion during the month of February. For the purposes of promoting and celebrating this important ministry of the church, you can find materials and resources on our website, including this video about the New Life Center in Thailand. Thank you for “Investing In Futures” through your support of Week of Compassion! For more videos, Spanish and French subtitles, or to download the video file directly, please visit our Vimeo or Youtube channel.
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