"It's a win-win situation-there are no losers."

Dale & Anna Shepherd, Washington
part of the World Vision family since 1982

It began with a TV ad for World Vision. "We saw those children's faces-the look of discouragement," Dale recalls, "and we knew it wasn't right."

They wanted to do something, but there was just one problem. Dale and his wife Anna were hurting financially.

Still, they prayed about how they should respond-and the answer was obvious. "There wasn't much to pray about," says Dale. "We were already convicted. We just talked to the Lord about it, and we've been donating ever since."

Twenty-seven years later, they have no regrets. And there have been a few pleasant surprises along the way. "The more we give, the more we get," says Anna. "We don't give for that reason, but it really does work that way."

A few years ago, Dale and Anna sold their home and used some of the proceeds to set up a charitable gift annuity with World Vision. "When we first learned about gift annuities, we thought it was a wonderful option," says Anna. "You get paid now, and at the end, the ministry gets the rest."

Dale adds, "We want to use our money for the Lord's work when we don't need it anymore."

There's been one more surprise for Dale and Anna: they've passed their legacy of giving on to the next generation. "We never told our children this is something they should do," Anna says, "but growing up, they saw our excitement for giving. Now they are adults, and they sponsor children of their own."

"You never know how your kids are going to turn out," Dale says. "It's a joy to see ours following in our footsteps."

"We all have a chance to leave a legacy of some sort. When you leave an inheritance to an organization like World Vision, you're helping them prolong someone else's life-even after you've gone to be with the Lord."

Do your current plans reflect the legacy you want to leave?
If you have questions or would like to speak with a member of our gift planning staff, call 1.800.426.5753 or email giftplanning@worldvision.org

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