Jeanette Miller, an Iowa native, lived the command “to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering.” James 1.27b (GNT).
In 2010, Jeanette designated the Bible Society of India's children's ministries in a Charitable Gift Annuity with American Bible Society. Not only did the annuity help care for orphans, it also helped increase Jeanette's annual income.
Jeanette acquired an additional Charitable Gift Annuity in 2011. She divided it among the She's My SisterTM Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bibles for China, Prison Ministries and Essential (E100) Bibles for Armed Services Ministries.
Jeanette knew that each Charitable Gift Annuity provided her with income. She also enjoyed immediate charitable income tax deductions. However, her main goal was to use her earthly treasures wisely to provide the precious Word of God to widows and orphans. And while she faithfully met that goal, in one of Jeanette's final acts before cancer took her life, she asked our staff to help deliver a different kind of gift, “Send the dolls to the Sisters in Africa.”
As a result, dolls from Jeanette's personal collection were hand-carried to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The dolls were delivered by an American Bible Society staff member to women Jeanette had never met, each in turn learning about a remarkable woman who loved and gave with such generosity to the very end.
