Acts of Joy
“Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
I love giving joy away and that’s why one of my commitments is to support various charities and community groups that are setting this world on fire with joy and making a difference for the generations to come. Here are a few that I am actively working with and support today. I would encourage you to check them out and discover how you can add joy to someone’s life today.
Charles Mugisha was born to a Rwandan family living as refugees in Uganda. His parents fled Rwanda after the first genocide in 1959. In 2001, while in seminary in the US, Charles felt a burden to help Rwandan children, refugees and the genocide survivors. He began to write the ministry plan for Africa New Life. And that summer he and Florence returned to Rwanda to see what God wanted to do with them and through the ministry. When they returned the U.S. for the next semester, Charles and Florence brought 30 pictures of children who needed to be sponsored and the ministry was born. Today Africa New Life provides for more than 9,000 children on track towards a high school graduation, vocational training and university graduation. Africa New Life’s goal is to see lives transformed through meeting basic needs, to give hope for the future for those living in poverty in Rwanda, and to share the freedom and hope found in Christ.
Katie Davis found Amazima Ministries in 2008 because she has a desire to see lives transformed, relationships restored and communities changed. Amazima is made up of people in Uganda, the United States, and around the world who work diligently to love the person God has placed right in front of them. They focus on educating and empowering the people of Uganda with God’s love.
Founding Pastor Jon Hauser and his wife, Teri, knew God had given them a vision to start a different kind of church for Fargo-Moorhead” A church that was guest-friendly and that would invite, welcome, and engage all people regardless of their spiritual, economic, educational or life background. A relevant church that would speak the language of our community, a church willing to try new things to fulfill the mission Christ gave His church “to go and make disciples”. In 2000, the Hausers moved to Fargo and with the help of nine other adults launched this new church called “Prairie Heights.” Prairie Heights is committed to mobilizing our people and resources in order to meet the needs in our community with no strings attached focused on the areas of cars, kids and marriages. They have a great servilization program and team.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. Working in nearly 100 countries around the world.
Missy Heilman founded BIO Girls in 2013 with the mission to help all girls know they are beautiful inside and out. BIO Girls is a program for girls in grades 2-6 that builds self-confidence and life skills through positive mentoring, physical fitness and Christian-based curriculum.