God has given me a passion for helping women around the world. It’s an area I’ve felt blessed to work in at Samaritan's Purse. Through my work with the ministry, I’ve seen the struggles of women firsthand.

It’s humbling to know that many women deliver their babies on the dirt floors of their homes. Some who are a little more fortunate give birth at a community health facility that is no more than what you or I would call a picnic shelter.

But as a woman and now a mother, I’ve identified with these women on a level that I think we all can. No matter where she lives, a mother wants the same things for her family. We want to love our children, to keep them safe, and to make sure they’re taken care of.

When I’ve traveled to places where Samaritan’s Purse is working to feed the hungry or provide animals and agriculture programs so families can better cultivate their own food, I’m reminded that what might not be a big deal to us, is a big deal in other places.

In the U.S., we have huge grocery stores with shelves filled with food. It’s something we often overlook because it’s so second nature to us. As mothers, we take pride in feeding our families. We prepare lunches for our little ones, we do our best to make family dinners on a budget and during tight schedules, and we know how a full belly for a cranky kid (or husband) can go a long way to changing a sour attitude into a positive one.

It’s a job—there’s no denying that—and it’s one many of us take joy in. But not every mother around the world is able to feed her children in the way she wants to, or worse—in the way her family needs most.

This is why feeding programs and projects involving animals and agriculture are a big deal. Something as simple as providing a family with a goat not only means added nutrition for little bellies who will drink the milk, but also added income for the whole family. And when that goat gives birth, our recipients agree to give the offspring to another family so they too can know the relief that comes with being able to feed their family. The blessing is continually passed on, along with the hope of the Gospel, to all who receive a goat. How amazing is that?

As mothers in a modern society, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. We try to keep up with the healthiest trends to ensure our families are well fed, fight our way through crowded grocery stores, and maybe even get a little too upset over overcooked chicken or the kiddo refusing to finish her peas.

Even as a little girl traveling to Samaritan’s Purse projects with my dad, Franklin Graham, God was planting a desire deep in my heart to help women around the world. But you don’t have to travel to another country to see for yourself how something as simple as providing food through animals and agriculture programs is a big deal.

Check out this adorable comic to see how goats really can change lives: Why Goats are a Big Deal.

And the next time you’re overwhelmed when it comes to dinnertime, take a breath, remember how blessed you are, and thank God for what you have. I know I will.

Blessings,

Cissie Graham Lynch

Cissie Graham Lynch
Cissie is an NFL wife and mother living in North Carolina. She is the daughter of evangelist Franklin Graham and granddaughter of Rev. Billy Graham. She works at Samaritan's Purse to help bring aid and hope to people around the world in Jesus’ Name.