Overflowing Thanksgiving

A reflection on gratitude from Unbound Outreach Call Representative Shantel Davis.

There has always been a sadness in my heart for those I’ve tried to assist, not because they were poor or had less, but because they’re in a position of having to ask for help. So, when asked what I wanted from the awareness trip to Guatemala I was about to go on, I said that what I wanted most was to understand how Unbound walks in solidarity with sponsored persons while respecting their dignity.

On the second day there, a young adolescent and her mother came into the community gathering we were attending and quietly took their seats. The daughter obviously could not walk on her own and seemed to have other disabilities as well.

During the gathering, the mother got up in front of us all and shared her gratitude for how Unbound has helped her family. She told us that she had kidney issues and often needed dialysis. That, combined with her daughter’s medical treatment, would have been beyond her means without help from Unbound.

Because someone was willing to sponsor a child with special needs, this mother and child were able to get help. And, because of the Unbound mothers group in her community, she had a personal support system.

As the mother expressed her gratitude, she cried. A Scripture came to me. It was 2 Corinthians 4:15:

Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

Unbound walks in solidarity with sponsored persons while respecting their dignity. #catholicmom