By Evelyn Jeffries


John and Elizabeth (real names withheld by request) live in a modest home with their six young children. John worked as an electrical engineer for a company in which he purchased a small amount of stock. Several years later, John and Elizabeth redeemed the stock for far more than they had paid. About that same time, their last child was born. When the child didn't breathe and couldn't cry, his life was saved through neonatal resuscitation. Elizabeth says, "We were so grateful the doctors and nurses knew what to do and had the wherewithal to help our child to live. We realized we could have lost him."

When the stock sale proceeds arrived, John and Elizabeth decided they wanted to help somebody else. An article in the Church News described how neonatal resuscitation could save many babies through training and technology. John also recalled that while on his mission in Argentina, he had served a family that had asked for a blessing for their sick baby. John was appalled by conditions at the hospital when he went to give the baby a blessing. The baby later died, and John felt bad that the child couldn't be saved.

With John's mission memories and their own recent experience in mind, the couple donated half of their stock sale earnings to help newborn children in developing countries. Elizabeth explains: "We were trying to say thank you to Heavenly Father for the things he'd already given us. We're excited that a relatively small amount of money can make a huge difference in another country. We're so impressed by what's going on. I hope at some point that we can do something else."