Giving Tuesday

By |Published On: November 21, 2018|Categories: 4-Minute Radio Program|

Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I’ve asked my friend Shauna Amick. Good to see you Shauna.

SHAUNA: So happy to be here Joni.

JONI: You know what? I’m so excited that you are here because your work here at Joni and friends is all about giving, isn’t it? And there is a special Tuesday coming up, November 27th this year. What is going on?

SHAUNA: Well, it’s Giving Tuesday, Joni and I’m thrilled that we are talking about it right now today. We are highlighting Giving Tuesday because it is that global day just kicking off the whole time of the year where people are being generous, they are giving gifts, holiday gifts, but they are also thinking about their year-end giving. And I love talking about Giving Tuesday along with Joni and Friends, because Joni and Friends give such an awesome opportunity to give back into this ministry that God uses to transform so many lives.

JONI: I tell you, I know when you ask for people to support our work and I ask, both of us always have a big smile, always so happy to ask for people to participate for their support, because you and I go to the Family Retreats, right? We’ve gone on the “Wheels for the World” trips. We see people with disabilities and their families come to Christ. It’s a worthy cause, isn’t it?

SHAUNA: I can’t think of a better one, Joni. We are spreading the gospel. God is using Joni and Friends to bring hope and healing to the people who need it most. And that is why this global movement really it is a global movement of giving back. Giving Tuesday provides such a great, great opportunity and there are so many stories that we could highlight right now. One that I think of right away is somebody that I know from New England; her name is Kim.

JONI: You met her though Joni and Friends New England and the director there. Tell me about Kim.

SHAUNA: Kim is just a powerhouse for the Lord. She is a wheelchair user and what she has chosen to do all on her own is to have a beautiful little cloth bag on her wheelchair and as she goes about her day, no matter who she meets, she just asks people for their pennies and she and this bag on her wheelchair collects people’s pennies and she talks about the ministry of Joni and Friends and how every one of those pennies is going to be added up into an offering to the Lord that He will use to change the lives of families affected by disability.

JONI: Oh, how much that must please the Lord Jesus. To see this young woman in a wheelchair with a bag of pennies and God bless her boldness for asking. I am sure, not only does she collect a lot of pennies which translates into a lot of wheelchairs and Bibles, but the people who give the pennies are blessed.

SHAUNA: That’s right. Kim is an inspiration. She is not only collecting those pennies, she is sharing the gospel and she is really inspiring others to think about giving back to people who need it most. I know she has been blessed by the Lord in her disability and her heart has blessed others with disabilities.

JONI: She reminds me of that verse in Luke Chapter 6 where it says, “Give and it is going to be given to you in good measure; pressed down, shaken together and running over,” it’s going to be poured into Kim’s lap for with the measure she uses is going to be measured right back to her, and of course to our listening friends. And something tells me that Kim’s lap is going to be overflowing with a lot of pennies this Giving Tuesday so that she can give them back to the Lord for His kingdom use. God bless her.

SHAUNA: Yes, Joni and of course Giving Tuesday is also about giving our time as volunteers and giving our voices to speak up for the voiceless which again I know Kim does each and every time she tells people about Joni and Friends.

JONI: Well, friend, if you’d like to make a difference like Kim among the lives of people with disabilities, right in your own community and in the darkest corners of the world, remember us, remember Joni and Friends this Giving Tuesday, November 27th. Just go to joniandfriends.org and be a part of this global day of giving today! Just like Kim. Right Shauna?

SHAUNA: That’s right.

© Joni and Friends

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