Igniting Your Soul Through Giving

It was a 52-foot shipping container that had been converted into an office / meeting area just outside Johannesburg South Africa.  The community in which this shipping container resided was actually a township called Katlehong which was informally established in 1945.   There were some 4.5 million displaced refugees living in this area, living in abject poverty.  The poorest of the poor without jobs, running water, and  electricity in the majority of this area.  I was there with a small entourage from the states, offering what we could to bring encouragement and help to a few lives.  The role I specifically took was in assisting in an AIDS clinic, as this was essentially the epicenter for this terrible disease.  1 in 4 people we encountered had HIV, 1 in 5 had full blown AIDS.  It would prove to be a most difficult journey and perhaps one of the most personally impacting outreach efforts I have ever served.

I sat with 6 or 7 hospice volunteers in this shipping container to discuss the program of support they offered clients.  They discussed the statistics, their programs of response, the outlook and finally, we got to discuss how they as volunteer workers came into this program to help.  As I sat and listened my heart was deeply touched by the personal connection each had with their work.  Nearly every one of these precious friends had lost a family member or two to this disease.  They were committed to making a difference.  It wasn't that they were trying to stop the ravishing effects of this disease, they simply wanted to offer dignity to each client in this season of their life. To give a gift of love and care as they transitioned from this life. I was afforded the opportunity to spend time with several who succumbed to this disease while I was there.  It was profound to give my gift of time, showing that someone really cared for them as they slowly made that eternal transition.  I learned so much about what it means to give while working alongside these selfless caregivers.

Throughout my time in South Africa I was afforded the chance to really put giving into action in other ways.  I can recall a scene where a few of us had gone to a couple of orphanages where the children who lived there were given just one meager meal a day if, in fact, they had any food available. Upon learning this, we immediately drove into Johannesburg to a local grocery store and spent all the money we had in our possession on that day to completely fill a combie from floorboard to ceiling.  We then went back to these orphanages  and distributed all of the food to the kids and caregivers. It would provide meals for well over 3 months.  The image is of one little girl whose name is Geri - the same name and spelling of my own sister.  Giving like this ignited my soul.

The foundation of HowGiving embodies this same behavior.  In giving we receive.  HowGiving was designed to help us be the best givers we can.  It doesn't necessarily require a trip halfway around the world but thankfully, through this app and the technology that supports it, you can make a difference just about anywhere on earth.  HowGiving also brings it closer to home, providing opportunities to consistently remember the important people in your life.  The app is 100% FREE and in using our app to remember others, HowGiving is giving back to several charities and causes represented within our software program.

This season and every season, ignite your soul through the act of giving to the people and causes you care most about.  You will be forever changed.  I can personally attest to that.


Brian Crowe
CCO, HowGiving