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The brighter side of a shark bite

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Bethany talks with 13 yr-old Ketsara Sae-Sia who lost her mother and home to the tsunami, comparing the lessons they learned on how to handle tragedy and loss. (Jon Warren/WV)
Imagine being a champion surfer and one day having a shark bite off your arm. Not only will you have to live through the rest of your life with one arm, your surfing career might well be at an end. Is there a bright side to this story? We wrote about Bethany Hamilton in the Spring 2006 issue of World Vision magazine. And her extraordinary story is now the subject of the major motion picture “Soul Surfer,” due for release on April 8 and starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, and Dennis Quaid. Bethany did indeed lose her arm to a tiger shark when she was just 13, but within a month she was back in the water, trying to find...
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A tribute to World Vision’s ‘birth mother’

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Lorraine Pierce at home in Carlsbad, California. (Greg Schneider/WV/2004)
Editor’s note: Lorraine Pierce, widow of World Vision founder Dr. Bob Pierce, died on April 4, 2011, after a brief illness. Mrs. Pierce was 94. It was by the vision and calling of Lorraine’s late husband that World Vision was founded in 1950. Today, Dr. and Mrs. Pierce’s vision and dream to help those around the world lives on. It is a time of mourning and also of celebration as the World Vision family honors the life of Lorraine Pierce, the spiritual ‘birth mother’ of World Vision, as many would say. I echo the words of our president, Rich Stearns, “The choruses in heaven must be especially sweet as this great saint is welcomed home.” As I spent time this...
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Child-Friendly Space opens in Japan

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World Vision's Maikba Yamano leads children's activities at the CFS. (Itoh Kei/WV/2011)
Editor’s note: In the aftermath of tragedy and disaster, World Vision uses Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS) to care for children by providing them with a safe place to learn, play and emotionally recover from the trauma they’ve faced. (For more on how we use CFS, read Freedom of imagination) The following was shared with us by Nanako Otsuki, communications officer with World Vision Japan. Zenin syugo, meaning “everyone gathering together”, is the name children in Tome City have come up with for their new playing ground, a World Vision CFS. The name fits perfectly for its purpose, providing children with a venue to come together and share their experiences as they begin the road to recovery. All the children come from...
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“My second family” – encouragement for a rainy day

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My second family -- encouragement for a rainy day. (WV/2010)
I always find the springtime one of the hardest times of the year to get through, especially in the Pacific Northwest. Christmas break is now a distant memory, winter still drags on, and the rain keeps coming down. Sometimes, we all need a little encouragement to get through the rainy days. My much-needed encouragement came from an unexpected place. A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of reading a beautiful goodbye letter from Viviana, a former World Vision sponsored child from Colombia. She wrote to her sponsors as her sponsorship ended and she finished high school: Dear Mike, Jennifer, and all of the members of my second family, I want to tell you that you have been with me...
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Suffer together, rebuild together — notes from a Japan aid worker

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In Miaygi, urvivors of the quake and tsunami gather their belongings and relief supplies. (Itoh Kei/WV/2011)
March 29, 2011- It’s 7:00 am, an aftershock shakes the building awake. It's big, lasts for maybe 30 seconds. Even two weeks after the quake and tsunami, tremors and ripples continue to wreak havoc and remind survivors of their fears and losses. I’m in Miyagi, one of the hardest-hit areas, with World Vision’s emergency response team. We’re.......
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