11-year-old delivers baby sister before school

Tara Knightley lives on Dukes Road in Dordon, Birmingham, England. The mom of five was expecting her sixth baby and last Tuesday, when she felt labor pains, she asked her partner, Daniel Burke, to take her youngest children to his sister's house. Minutes after he left, her water broke. Nobody was available to help but her oldest daughter, eleven-year-old Caitlin Burke. Guided on the phone by ambulance staff, Caitlin assisted with the birth of her baby sister, Elsa-Monet.

                                                                                                                                      BPM Media
"I was a bit scared and shaky at first because I had never seen anything like that before in my life," said Caitlin, "but when my sister was born I was really happy. I think she's really cute and I love her very much. My friends and teachers are really happy and proud of me. I want to be a midwife when I'm older."

Her mom said she didn't know what she would have done without Caitlin's help. "I was screaming in pain, but Caitlin was calm throughout.  She helped remove the cord because it was wrapped around the baby. I could not do what Caitlin has done at my age, let alone at age eleven."

And what did Caitlin do after delivering her baby sister? She went to school, of course.

Syrian refugee pays it forward

Alex Assali fled Damascus in 2007. He had posted critical messages about Syrian President Bashar al-Assad online, and was a marked man. He lost everything and had to leave his family in Syria. Fortunately, he found safety and kindness in Germany, and now he's paying it forward.

                                                                                         Photo by Tabea Bu / Facebook
His motto is, "Give something back to the German people," and even though he does not have much, every Saturday he sets up outside Berlin's Alexanderplatz station to give out free hot meals to about 100 homeless Germans. His friend, Tabea Bu, posted this photo on Facebook. The image was also posted on Imgur and has been viewed 2.7 million times.

Canadian couple uses wedding funds to help Syrian refugees

Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian were planning their March 2016 wedding when they both realized how many displaced Syrian families are suffering. Jackson, who works for Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge, and her fiance agreed their wedding could be more than a lavish party. It could help spread awareness of the crisis. So they cancelled their caterer and venue, and married on Thanksgiving weekend in Toronto City Hall. Their reception was a fundraiser. They hoped to raise $27,000, enough to privately sponsor a refugee family of four.

Jackson explained their wedding was a moment for everyone to come together and say Toronto welcomes refugees and "this is what we want our city to stand for." Her new husband admitted it's easy to get caught up in the negativity surrounding the refugee crisis, but "Canada is welcoming to refugees and now is the time to act." So far the couple has raised $22,000. To help, visit http://www.ryerson.ca/lifelinesyria/

Now she feels she can do anything

Peyton Thomas of Hamilton, Ontario, is only six years old, but she wanted a skateboard and her Mom, Jeanean, bought her one. During their first visit to the skate park they felt intimidated by older boys who were smoking and cursing, but Jeanean encouraged Payton to try her board anyway. She made a few awkward efforts before a young man approached her. Expecting the worst, Jeanean was ready to intervene when the boy began giving Peyton all the pointers she'd need for a great ride, and picking her up when she fell. Within an hour she was showing off new skills.

                                                                                                                                 Cambridge Times
Jeanean never got the young man's name, but was so touched by his patience and kindness that she wrote about him to the local paper. "I am proud that you are part of my community and thank you for being kind to my daughter, even though your friends made fun of you for it. Now Peyton feels she can do anything -- because of you." The Cambridge Times later learned the skater was 20-year-old Ryan Carney, who brushed off the fuss about his actions.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Crumbs of Comfort" is taking a Thanksgiving vacation. New posts will resume in a few days. Meanwhile, we wish each reader a holiday filled with promises kept and dreams come true.

"IN EVERYONE'S LIFE, AT SOME TIME, OUR INNER FIRE GOES OUT. IT IS THEN BURST INTO FLAME BY AN ENCOUNTER WITH ANOTHER HUMAN BEING. WE SHOULD ALL BE THANKFUL FOR THOSE PEOPLE WHO REKINDLE OUR INNER SPIRIT."

ALBERT SCHWEITZER

Even if our borders close, American hearts stay open

California mom Cristal Logothetis noticed many refugees fleeing terror in Syria were carrying babies and infants in their arms. Americans often use baby carriers to keep our arms free, but these parents who must hike for miles could easily fall and drop their babies. So she started a Facebook page called "Carry the Future," seeking donated baby carriers or funds to buy them.  After collecting 2,000 carriers, she and ten other moms flew to Greece to meet ships loaded with refugees. One mom, Christine Anderson, shown here, writes on Facebook:

                                                                                                                    Carry the Future/Facebook
"I'm tired and hungry, but went to meet the 10 p.m. ferry tonight anyway. The first families came off the boats and we showed them we had baby carriers. We fit a baby on one mama with a small carrier. The father explains in limited English that they are from Syria and tells me the names of his four children. The toddler jumps into my arms and gives me a big hug and a 'thank you' in English. I put him on his father's back in an Ergo. The father looks at me and says 'relief!' Now his arms are free to help his other children. The mother embraces me and thanks me. I told the father that America is rooting for him. I hope we are." To see a 5-minute TV feature of this kindness, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPwBb9GyK5M

Side dish of Thanksgiving kindness

Ever hear of the AUMP church? Technically, it's the African Union Methodist Protestant church, established in 1813 in Wilmington, Delaware. It currently includes about 40 congregations in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. Today's crumb honors the New Jerusalem AUMP church on Woodstown Road in Mannington, NJ, (pictured here) where the congregation of about 23 women needed a few men to help with building maintenance.

                                                                                                                                               NJ.com
For some years, inmates at the Salem County Correctional Facility have gone into the community to help non-profit groups with repairs, cleaning, painting, etc. Four inmates gave hours of service to beautify this small church, but when they arrived on Wednesday, Nov. 18, they were surprised to be served a hearty meal -- a thank-you from the congregation. "We're just a little church on the side of the road, but we have all the love in the world," explained Evangelist Althea Saunders, adding that "they are our brothers, not inmates. We are grateful and love them as they are."