Recent Posts

A different kind of Cyber Monday

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Mindy Mizell in Gift Catalog

I dread holiday shopping. It’s difficult enough to figure out just the perfect gift for each and every loved one on your holiday list. But if you add in the hassle of navigating crowded shopping malls, long lines, and busy parking lots, I know I’m destined for an instant stress headache before I even walk through the store’s doors. No wonder so many of us have resorted to ditching traditional brick-and-mortar shopping and have opted for virtual shopping. And it’s no wonder this Cyber Monday could exceed $1 billion for the second year in a row. I’ll admit — I’ve given and received my fair share of Christmas sweaters. There is a stack in my closet, and I have no...

Holiday gift guide: 30 meaningful gifts under $50

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Lindsey Talerico-Hedren in Gift Catalog

Does your holiday shopping list look anything like this? iPad 2: $499. Kindle Fire: $199. UGG boots: $150. Long lines. Busy parking lots. Good finds for $30 are now good finds for $50 — and it’s really a bargain if your $300 gift is reduced to $200 in a Black Friday sale. If this sounds familiar, you can save your anxiety and checkbook this year by giving a gift whose impact will last much longer than the latest version of that electronic device. Celebrate the true spirit of Christmas this year with a gift that can change lives. Use this as your guide to some meaningful (and inexpensive) holiday gifts from World Vision’s partners, our Gift Catalog, our U.S. programs...

Giving thanks and counting our blessings

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Peter Warski in Conversations

Happy Thanksgiving, World Vision friends and family! We’ve been counting our blessings all this week as a reminder of what we are truly thankful for. This post highlights blessings 1-6 from Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and also includes four more reasons we are giving thanks. BLESSING #1: The people we serve — children, families, and communities around the world. BLESSING #2: The many faithful donors and supporters of World Vision’s work. BLESSING #3: The many compassionate and beautiful children who remind us every day what it means to have a child-like faith in a God who loves us. BLESSING #4: Rooftops over our heads. BLESSING #5: Food in our bellies. BLESSING #6: Prayers for provision for our neighbors, near and far,...

Rooftops, full bellies, and prayers (blessings 4-6)

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Laura Reinhardt in Stories

We’re counting our blessings each day this week in celebration of Thanksgiving. Blessings #4, 5, and 6: for rooftops over our heads, food in our bellies, and prayers for provision for those who currently endure without these basics. * * * The holiday season has officially begun. Weeks before Thanksgiving, Christmas ads appeared on TV and in newspapers. Last week, I was in New York City, where the window displays and Christmas lights are an art form, which delights native New Yorkers and the thousands of tourists who flock there to experience this special time of year. I confess that I feel like a kid again — filled with wonder and awe — when I get to visit New York...

Blessing #3: Compassionate kids

Posted on November 22, 2011 by James Addis in Conversations

10 ways to raise compassionate kids | World Vision blog

We’re counting our blessings each day this week in celebration of Thanksgiving. Blessing #3: The many compassionate and beautiful children who remind us every day what it means to have a child-like faith in a God who loves us. * * * The fun and sometimes frustrating thing about being a writer is that you never quite know what kind of story you are going to get. Sometimes, great leads turn out to be disappointing. Other times, what looks like a humdrum story turns out to have a twist that blows your socks off. So it was with a sense of nervous anticipation that I called Teresa and Carl Camera of Austin, Texas. I’d been asked to write a feature...