This week in good news (Nov. 15-21)

More amazing shoebox stories, calls to prayer, and COVID walkathons are bringing hope into your news feed this week.

Jordan Feliz tops Billboard chart after season of trauma with song of proclamation (Update)

Jordan Feliz's latest hit, "Glorify," just hit the number one spot this week on Billboard.

The Dove award winner topped the Billboard Christian Hot AC/CHR National Airplay Chart with his multiformat hit song, the Christian Beat reports.

It's Feliz's third time in the number one position.

94-year-old starts walkathon fundraiser to combat COVID cabin fever

“You try to stay joyful,” was John Plett’s response to how one lives in a personal care home during a global pandemic.

Now 94-years-old, Plett has lived in several care homes across southeastern Manitoba.

“There are changes, but you learn to live with them ... and I have the Lord Jesus Christ with me so that helps too.”

Instead, Plett has taken up walking. More specifically, he has taken up walking to raise money for a Mennonite Central Committee food relief initiative that he and his daughter invented.

Tim Tebow gives the shoes off his feet to homeless

Tim Tebow recently took the phrase "giving the shirt off his back" to a new level when he donated the shoes he was wearing, in addition to 50 other pairs, to a homeless shelter.

The former NFL quarterback visited St. Vincent de Paul in Phoenix late last month and brought the shoes to donate to those staying at the facility, CBN News reports.

When he was leaving, however, Tebow noticed there were more guests than shoes.

Man measures success based on positive impacts in peoples lives

"When it comes to success in life, I measure it based on how much I positively impact the lives of people around me," says Cam MacDonald.

MacDonald is the Co-Director of Life's Vision. His passion for giving value to all life stems from his birth.

"I was born at 29 weeks gestation, the first of two twins born that day. I, therefore, deal with Cerebral Palsy as a result," he says.

Crime goes down after shoeboxes distributed in El Salvador

The local chief of police noticed a significant drop in crime after Operation Christmas Shoeboxes were distributed in his community.

In 2015, Garry Krushel, the Logistics Coordinator for Winnipeg and Southern Manitoba, and his adult daughter went on a distribution trip to El Salvador.

"Another way of telling us how important shoeboxes and the delivery of them, the delivery of God's love into these kids lives is, was told to us this way. We were at a small rally in one community where they had invited the chief of police to speak."

Christian rapper shedding light on trafficked boys with new song

Phil the Voice, a survivor of child abuse himself, is speaking and rapping against human and sex trafficking, bringing to light that it's a big issue with boys too.

His brand new song about this topic is 'Stop the Traffic', and he shares on social media that it is dedicated to the 1,100 boys trafficked daily.

A call to prayer

A Manitoba farmer is hoping to reap a harvest of prayers in the province as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

As tensions rise in the province and Manitoba enters into "Code Red," Barry Barkman says he felt led to start something.

"Between (the Phil Wickham) song and 'pots for docs' the idea of a focused prayer time for our province was born."

Ducks, horses, and pigs bring healing to kids struggling with anxiety

Children and teens facing anxiety are finding calm and connection through animal therapy offered in Southern Manitoba.

"The farm is in St. Malo, Manitoba and we offer animal-assisted counselling to children and teens with a variety of different needs," says Lucy Sloan, the owner of Lil' Steps Wellness Farm.

Sloan says the animals are her co-workers.

Recovery housing project breaks ground

A new housing project in Elmwood is aimed at giving recovering addicts and those experiencing housing instability a safe home.

Riverwood House broke ground on Monday. The 40-unit housing complex set to open between 12-14 months is being spearheaded by the Riverwood Church Community.

Province putting $10 million towards pandemic supports

Disability services, child-care, and child welfare sectors could be eligible for the new pandemic response benefit.

Families Minister Heather Stefanson is announcing a $10 million fund for a new Pandemic Staffing Support Benefit. This benefit is to be used to address urgent staffing needs in family-focussed sectors.

Free mental health program in Manitoba now widely available

The BounceBack program is now available with increased access to help people facing stress, worry, and anxiety during the pandemic.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) has created this program to help adults and youth 15-years-old and over to help manage their stress, low mood, depression, worry, and anxiety.

One woman packs almost 1,000 shoeboxes this year, says 'it's my happy place'

A retired Winnipeg nurse, alongside her 'elves', have packed and dropped off 904 boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year.

A convoy of vans and trucks, all carrying between 100-200 shoeboxes brought and dropped over 800 off at Grant Memorial Church last week, and she's packed even more since then.

"I have several people that help me, this is not just my single enterprise. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to collect and pack this number of boxes."

Children walking 16 hours in one day for a shoebox

One couple have been on multiple OCC distribution trips, but on one to Africa they recall young children walking 16 hours for a surprise.

The couple started packing boxes 25 years ago when they're children were younger and continued on ever since.

"We noticed one year when we were filling out the form for the donations that go with the box, there was a question on the form that said 'Would you like to go on a distribution trip and hand out boxes?' And the wife and I said 'Wow would we ever'.

Stopping the exploitation of children, together

While the road to recovery is long after a child has been trafficked, International Justice Mission says there is great hope in ending human trafficking in our lifetime.

Anu George Canjanathoppil, the Executive Director of IJM Canada. "I'm a survivor of violence. A decade ago I was pursuing education because I thought that was the solution to addressing and ending poverty," says Anu George Canjanathoppil, the Executive Director of IJM Canada.

Family violence awareness course launching in Manitoba

A new program developed by Willow Place hopes to challenge misconceptions and provide deeper understandings of family and gender-based violence.

Willow Place, in partnership with the province and other community stakeholders, has created a self-directed training program. Challenge for Change will be free for civil service members and up to 1,500 other people.

Father, family, drives 14 hours to deliver OCC shoeboxes

A professional truck driver says a task he has been doing for more than a decade is one way he can serve Jesus.

For the past 14 years, Ryan Banman and his family has been driving 14 hours straight to bring thousands of Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes from Winnipeg to Calgary.

"I started doing it the year after Hurricane Katrina," he says. "I wanted to do something to take down but FEMA was not allowing it."

Update: Tec Voc students volunteering to build beds by hand

By Christmas, students at a Winnipeg high school will have built and donated 150 beds to children in need.

Technical Vocational High School students from many different programs have been stepping up to help give members of their community a good night's sleep.

"We talked about how we could potentially grow our operation once we were established," says Jim Thiessen, chapter president of Sleep in Heavenly Peace Winnipeg.

50 countries come together online to sing God's praises

eople from 50 countries around the world have come together to sing the words of the well-known song 'Amazing Grace'.

Basically, the entire world has been affected by COVID-19 in one way or another.

In the midst of the pandemic, an organization called The Normal Christian Life put out a video on YouTube with singers from almost every tribe and tongue, to sing the lyrics of 'Amazing Grace'.