PINEVILLE, La. (BP) — Some young children may have trouble understanding the concept of donating money to a worthy cause but not 7-year-old twins Chloe and Sidney Burlew.
For their birthday, instead of receiving gifts during their party, the twins asked people to bring donations for the Main Street Mission in Pineville, La. Because of their unselfish act, the two girls were able to gather more than $640 dollars for the mission, which is a ministry of First Baptist Church in Pineville. The twins are members of Philadelphia Baptist Church in nearby Deville.
The girls got the idea from watching a movie about a little girl who asked friends to bring kids’ shoes instead of toys for her birthday party. Instead of asking for shoes, they decided to ask for money to give to the mission.
The girls knew about Main Street Mission from their grandmother, who volunteers there.
One day after the twins had cleaned out their room, they brought toys and clothes to the Mission. They ended up staying and helping hang up clothes and organizing toys.
“People usually spend money on toys for gifts for their birthdays and then a week later, they are all broken and it just seems like such a waste,” Amanda Burlew, mother of Chloe and Sidney, said. “The girls were taught the way to share the love of God is by loving others and so they thought it would be a good idea to give back.
“My kids aren’t perfect, they make mistakes. But we are raising our kids to love Christ and we are also teaching them to learn how to share.”
When the girls went to the Mission to give the money they had raised, they were told the money would be used to help fix the roof.
“They knew what they had done wasn’t a small deal,” Burlew said. “The girls were so happy they had tears in their eyes.”
Burlew encourages more parents to become involved in giving to similar ministries. She said they should especially look for ways to get their kids involved so they can experience charitable giving firsthand.
“As children grow, so do their opportunities for making a difference,” Burlew said. “Teach them that God can use them no matter their age.”
–30–
Hannah Boggs is a staff writer for the Baptist Message, newsjournal of the Louisiana Baptist Convention, where this article first appeared. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
