If you haven’t done so already, take two minutes to check out the performance of the Detroit Youth Choir on America’s Got Talent last week. Just click on the picture below for almost instant joy:
I don’t know any of the young people in this choir, but I’ve spent most of my life working with young people in Detroit, and there’s a reason that you can feel the power of these words in their song:
I am invincible, unbreakable
Unstoppable, unshakeable
They knock me down, I get up again
I am the champion.
The reason is because I bet every single young person in that choir has lived those words. And I also bet that very few of them got up on their own after getting knocked down. They were the fortunate ones to have a parent, coach, pastor, neighbor, teacher, family member or friend who would not let them give up, even when everything in the world around them looked like trying harder would be futile.
The Detroit Youth Choir has only had two people as lead conductors over its 23-year-history. Their faithfulness through all the long and difficult stretches laid the foundation for these 52 children to become an overnight success.
In much the same way, we have been blessed at International Samaritan to have a handful of people give generously to fund the start up and growth of scholarships to children living in garbage dump communities in Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica and Nicaragua through the years. Some of those students have graduated and are working as teachers and accountants, as well as mechanics and cooks. The miracle of their success came from seeds planted and nourished faithfully by Samaritans through the years.
Last week we sent letters to all of our friends asking them to support a scholarship so that we can reach 260 more children next year.
I’m asking you now to prayerfully consider joining them. The difference between success and failure for children growing up in poverty often comes down to having someone in their corner fighting for them. Please help them be champions.
Where are the Bright Spots in your Life?
My heart aches for the times we live in. The atrocities committed in Dayton and El Paso this past weekend don’t seem like isolated events. They seem like the inevitable result of living in a world consumed with glorifying oneself on social media, with demonizing...
What Coco Gauff and our Scholars Have in Common
Last week, a 15-year-old girl named Coco became the youngest person ever to win three matches at Wimbledon, including an awe-inspiring comeback after being down 6-3 and 5-2 in the second match. The thrill of that victory, and the beautiful bond so evident between her...
Straight Out, Flat Out, and Honest.
One of my strengths is that I never see a glass as half full; I see it as mostly full almost all the time. My natural optimism helps me in my work, but I've learned that it can also hurt me. Sometimes the glass can actually be half empty—or even completely empty...
