There was another swim too – the same day – across the Moray Firth. Four RAF servicemen wanted to raise money for the breast cancer ward in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Then there was a report on the Race for Life that took place in Inverness – over 3000 women ran 25k to raise funds for Cancer Research. And at the bottom of the page there was an advert for readers to give generously to the people of Myanmar (Burma) in the light of the horrendous cyclone there.

That was all on just one page of a daily newspaper.

And for every fundraising event reported in the papers, there are probably at least another ten the press have missed.

With so many requests for support it can be hard not to get to the stage where you feel like going into generosity meltdown! If you give to everything then there's every chance that, at the end of the month, there could be no money left to pay your own bills or to put food on the table! And with so much need around you can start to wonder, too, if there's any point in giving. What difference is the little we can offer going to make in the face of the enormous depth of need there is in our world – at home and abroad?

There's a story in the Bible about a man called Elijah. He'd arrived at a village where God had told him he would meet a widow who would feed him and sure enough, at the town gate there she was, gathering sticks to make a fire to cook by. Elijah asked her if he might have a glass of water and some bread. The woman told him she had no food – just a tiny amount of oil and some flour and that she and her son were going to eat it and then wait to die (not exactly a cheery story so far, I know, but bear with me!). Elijah asked if she might use the last of her oil and flour to feed him – he told her if she could find the courage to do that, then God had told him her jar of flour and her jug of oil wouldn't run out.

So the woman made the visitor some bread with the last of her supplies and took it to him, and when she went back home she found her flour was replenished and so was her oil.

A story that reminds us that, while it can be hard to keep on giving, there's something about being able to help others that replenishes us – our hearts, our souls.

This is Christian Aid week – another request for help! Lots of people who know only too well how many demands are made on us, have volunteered their time to go round the doors in our area to invite you to support the work of this organisation. Whatever you can give will be most welcome – from pennies to thousands! I know there are lots of worthy causes – but please give this one some thought.

And whatever you support, I hope you find your souls as well as your purses are replenished.

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