Dear Week of Compassion,
Thank you, thank you and thank you from the bottom
of my heart for the generous check I received from the Week of Compassion offerings. My home was badly damaged during the recent flooding in Kokomo. This check was like a rainbow after the storm. I am a single mother with 3 boys at home. I have been a Disciples of Christ member my entire life. I have raised my sons in the church, hopefully instilling in them the love of the Lord and the unity of the church family. Your generous gift has strengthened not only my belief, but theirs also. God has given me strength and guidance throughout my life and I know he is watching over me now. My prayers are with each of you as you serve the Lord through your ministries of caring.

Sincerely,
Lesley Connolly and sons
First Christian Church, Kokomo, IN

Dear Week of Compassion,
Thank you for your support of the people of Bosnia. Your donations have provided valuable assistance to us, as we work to rebuild our lifestyles, buildings, institutions and our trust in one another. As one small example, farmers returning to their overgrown land after ten years as refugees are able to get back on their feet through gifts and loans funded by your donations. They participate in the program by giving back money and produce that is then used — across ethnic lines — to help others. Therefore, each dollar goes two or three times as far as you might think! Your gifts are the first link in a long chain of giving that unites people on both sides of the globe and on all sides of the ethnic conflict in this region. You may think that a gift of money is not a very personal, meaningful thing. However, your donations have made possible personal contact between Bosnians and Americans and have brought hope and meaning to many lives. Thank you once again for your generosity, and may each one of you be blessed by the presence of God.

Dzevad Avdagic
Church World Service Balkans Office, Sarajevo, BiH

Dear Week of Compassion:
For years I have heard about the Week of Compassion
at church. But like so many things in life, I could not know the importance of this program until I experienced it firsthand. When I read in the Springfield newspaper that the tornado May 4th left my family with nothing, that was not entirely true. It left me with a deeper understanding of the Lord’s blessings in my life and with the knowledge of the incredible generosity of my friends, co-workers, and my church. So many in my church took off from their own jobs to work for us that first week. Because of them I was able to not only salvage many of my things, but, best of all, to salvage my hope for the future. They held us up and created in deed rather than just word the true meaning of Christian compassion. The gift from Week of Compassion both surprised and humbled me. While I made good use of the money, perhaps an even greater gift was to realize that my church at the higher levels really does care about its members and others of the community. I am prouder than ever to be a member of the Disciples.

Blessings to you all,
Nancy and Ward Sneed, Billings (MO) Christian Church