W4W - Beautiful Connections

Meet Diko, Ina and Boy. They're from Wadupe, South Sudan. Diko and Boy make toy trucks out of plastic water bottles, chase each other with sticks and laugh when tickled. Ina has an attitude almost as big as her smile and can out jump rope all of the girls in her class.

Meet Tyler, Bradley and Emily. Tyler and Bradley go to school in Waxhaw, North Carolina and are great big brothers to their sister Emily. A few weeks ago, Tyler, Bradley and Emily got together with some of their friends at church to sell packets of gummy worms on Valentine's Day. 

The cool thing about it is that the money they made selling gummy worms here pays for Diko, Ina and Boy to get rid of real worms in their bodies over there. Diko, Ina and Boy don't have access to the medicine they need to get rid of the worms that make them sick and keep them from going to school. Tyler, Bradley, Emily and their friends want to help.

To me, this is a beautiful connection, one that sheds light on what's really at the core of Worms4Worms. This project is so much more than providing impoverished children in South Sudan with access to medication. It's this connection, this partnership between kids from completely different cultures, different backgrounds and different stories that brings depth and meaning to the situation. 

Sometimes when it comes to helping other people we often focus on the easy solution of money and miss the opportunity to participate in something greater than ourselves. I think of the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible. The Samaritan could have easily thrown down some money and been on his way. But instead he cleans this man's bloody, broken body, carries him to safety, sacrifices time to care for him and makes a commitment to return and continue the relationship. What a beautiful picture of love. 

This is why I get excited when kids from Waxhaw, North Carolina sell worms on Valentine's Day. It's because these children here get the opportunity to love on children over there through little plastic bags of gummy worms. 

So I will brag on Tyler, Bradley, and Emily and their friends Lydia and Abby. In the next couple weeks these kids are going to sell more gummy worm packets in their neighborhoods. I'm so excited for them but also incredibly grateful. They're giving love back to some kids that didn't hesitate to love on me, and I hope one day they get to meet each other. 

If you want to partner with Worms4Worms, check out the rest of our blog, and shoot me an email at abbyemoore@gmail.com.