Siblings Spread Kindness to Boise Residents

A kaleidoscope of colored pencils, crayons, and markers spreads across the kitchen table as 10-year-old Sage Birdsall carefully folds a handwritten letter and her 7-year-old sister, Cali, puts the finishing touches on her marker masterpiece.

The siblings send their homemade artwork to friends, neighbors, and nursing home residents in Boise. “We've been drawing pictures and writing scriptures on little cards and sending them to the nursing homes,” Sage said.

The Birdsalls are Jehovah’s Witnesses and are just one family among many who are using the challenges of the changing world scene as an opportunity to teach their children powerful object lessons in compassion and community service.

Their artwork includes kangaroos, tigers, sheep, giraffes, penguins, and Cali’s favorite — sloths. In an attempt to cheer up a friend who was suffering from health problems, the family sent a picture of a sloth hanging from a branch with the caption: “Hang in there.”

When asked why she likes doing this, Sage answered, “Because it makes people feel happy that a random person is giving them a gift.” Cali said she feels the same way and hopes, when people receive her cards, “that they’ll keep it in a special place and always remember it.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, the girls’ parents, Josh and Stephanie, encouraged them to imagine how lonely they might feel if they were an older person in a care facility. “I asked them how they would feel if they received a bright, colorful card with a picture or a scripture,” Stephanie said. ”That really helped them understand why we were starting this project.”

“Jesus taught that there’s more happiness in giving than in receiving,” said Robert Hendriks III, U.S. spokesman for Jehovah’s Witnesses. “So when children are taught to recognize the needs of others and reach out to them from the heart, they are learning life skills that will contribute to a happy life and also benefit society at large.”

The Birdsalls credited resources from the organization, including videos on its official website, jw.org, for helping the girls do just that.

In 2013, Jehovah’s Witnesses debuted a video series designed to help parents cultivate qualities in their young children like kindness and empathy. The animated adventures of Caleb and Sophia, a lovable brother-sister duo, teach lessons in everything from sharing with others to respecting people of all races.

The Birdsalls see the free series on jw.org as a powerful tool in raising compassionate kids and feel that the videos will continue to have a good effect on their children as they grow up.

“With jw.org and the videos, it's a way for them to visually interact with things that are appealing to them,” Josh said. “And hopefully that will help them to develop those qualities like showing empathy and compassion.”

“The videos are invaluable, and the lessons they teach are great for kids and adults,” Stephanie said. “It’s for everybody. You don't have to be religious or spiritual.” As Stephanie began to explain where these lessons can be helpful, her daughter Sage piped in with the succinct answer: "Life."

For the Birdsalls, sending cards to friends and neighbors is a simple way to put those lessons into practice. Stephanie said that the project has given the children purpose and meaningful work during a difficult time.

For Sage and Cali, the project is special because it gives them a way to show love. “It helps you to learn how to help people,” Sage said, “even when you don't know who they are.”

Titles in the Caleb and Sophia video series (available on jw.org) include:

• “Be Kind and Share”
• “Help Others”
• “Love Your Neighbor”
• “Respect Older Ones”
• “Love All Sorts of People”
• “Giving Makes You Happy”