Only once in a great while, have I been so thankful for something, that tears came to my eyes.
But never for something as small as an aspirin.
My friend Larisa nearly wept when I said, “We’ll send the aspirins.”
She directs the boarding school for children with mental and physical disabilities, in Osipovichi, Belarus.
Every year at Thanksgiving time, our New Thing family makes it a tradition to provide a year’s worth of basic meds and ordinary medicine-cabinet supplies, so the workers can care properly for the kids.
Tylenol, vitamins, hydrogen peroxide, Band-Aids, gauze, cotton balls ... but also: • meds they need for brain function, • meds to fight progressive muscle weakness, • meds to ease muscle tension in kids with cerebral palsy — and more.
Larisa can hardly believe it that New Thing keeps up this tradition so faithfully.
I guess she thinks we’ll forget, or we’ll get focused on other things.
But I can’t imagine forgetting those kids ... and I can’t think of a better Thanksgiving tradition.
I also know that Larisa has no other way to meet this need.
It will take a total of $3,642.12 for the whole year’s worth of meds and supplies.
But I also bring you good news:
Two friends have offered us an amazing $2,000 Matching Challenge.
If we can raise $1,642.12, they’ll give the remaining $2,000.
So I’m hoping for 30 friends to give a “Thanksgiving gift” of $54.74 today.
Or maybe you can be one of 17 friends giving $96.60.
But whatever gift you can give today, large or small, you’ll be doing a beautiful thing.
And come Thanksgiving Day, as you celebrate the blessings of life, you’ll have the extra joy of knowing that you helped the children at Osipovichi.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Thanks for journeying with us!
Much love,
Doug Brendel
P.S. You can meet the kids here, via our previous photo reports from Osipovichi: