This is What I Have to Give

Carson’s Inspiring Story of Giving it All

On Friday, June 12, an ICC office worker opened an envelope sent in by a donor and found a check for $15.60. Along with the check, the envelope contained the following brief explanation.

“My seven-year-old son, Carson, read your newsletter before I could get to it. He emptied his piggy bank, donated the money he had earned by filling buckets with rocks, and then convinced his three-year old sister, Sophie, to empty her piggy bank, too.”

The words, written by Carson’s mom, made such an impression on us here at the office that we simply had to share them with you. Upon making a call to his home, we learned that Carson earns money by picking up rocks for his parents. He is also an avid reader.

A True Gift of Love

On this one particular day when he picked up the June issue of the Que Pasa and read about how orphans had been rescued from poverty in Guatemala, Dominican Republic and the Congo, D.R. Carson’s heart was melted.

He went to his room, got his piggy bank, and dumped its entire contents out on the kitchen table, saying to his mom, “This is what I have to give.”

He then looked down the various categories on the donor list, checked the box that said, “Please use my donation where it’s most needed,” and then wrote in the amount of his gift in the blank that was provided.

Three Levels of Inspiration

We share this story with you because Carson’s donation inspires us on three different levels.

1. The first one being that when Carson read about orphans who had been rescued from poverty, and saw photos of how God’s love is being shared with those children, his heart was moved, and he was drawn to play a part of that rescue. In doing so, he was acting out on the natural desire that God has placed in every human heart, namely, that all of us want to live a life of purpose, all of us want to make a difference, and all of us want to be part of a cause that is bigger than ourselves.
2. The second level of inspiration that Carson’s story brings to us, is that he was not content to become a donor all by himself. He felt the urge and he acted on that urge, to get others involved. In this case, he went to his three-year old sister, told her the story of the orphans that had been rescued, and she in turn, emptied her piggy bank. (How precious is that?!)
3. Finally, the financial sacrifice that Carson made causes all of us adults to shudder, in that he, like the widow giving her two mites, gave all that he had.

Such a pure act of unselfishness inspires all of us to give serious thought about the level of our own giving.