My name is Brock Gill. I'm a communicator and an illusionist. I get to travel all over the world doing magic, meeting people, and enjoying one of my favorite past times: CHOCOLATE.
 

While visiting South America for vacation, my wife Auny and I decided to go see a mission project sponsored by Compassion International (www.compassion.com). We went to a house in the metropolitan city of Guayaquil in Ecuador to visit a Compassion family. As we sat down and looked at their new house, made of bamboo and boards, we noticed there were no windows or doors. There was no kitchen or bathroom. There was nothing glamorous about this house, but the family of four who lived in it was happy.
 

I asked the 8 year-old little girl, Genesis, what her dream was. Genesis responded that she wanted to be a veterinarian. Her mother said, "Yes, she wanted us to buy her a parrot, but that money would feed us for a couple of days. So I told her to ask God to give her a parrot." Genesis and her younger sister Emily began to pray for a parrot, and two days later a parrot was, literally, at their door. They held out a piece of bread and the parrot came to them and ate. The girls now have their pet parrot. Their mother said, "We believe in prayer and now we are praying for our house to get paid off so we can open up a mechanic shop out front." The family told us that they paid $13 dollars a month for the house and that they owed $430 on the mortgage. I realized, right then, how rich I really am because I had spent $13 on lunch! My friend from Compassion leaned over and said that three lattes would pay for this family's mortgage each month. A light bulb came on in my head, and I realized that I could do something for these people.

Every Christmas Auny and I have a party where we take up a collection to bless a family who needs a little extra cash that year. This last year we raised $400 without much effort. I knew that we could help these friends in Ecuador just by having ... a party.

So here is what we did: We decided to have a party--with a purpose. We invited everyone we knew over to our house and asked everyone to put $10 in a cup at the door. We'd brought chocolates home from Ecuador and added chocolate from other countries, and we hosted our first chocolate tasting. After everyone had tasted the chocolates, we gathered in my living room and I told the story of Genesis and Emily's family, and then I asked if people wanted to give money toward the family's mortgage. The result: We raised $600!! We were able to pay off a family's mortgage by simply having a party!

After having our first Party with a Purpose, other people started hearing about what we'd done, and they wanted to join in. So we have developed a plan that you can follow to help you raise money for missions at your own home, church, or school. We've even put together The Chocolate Project's *chocolate tasting kit* that you can purchase to throw your own Party with a Purpose. This is such a great idea because, well, who doesn't love chocolate? And who wouldn't want to have a party?

and who wouldn't want to ... "Eat chocolate. Change lives?"

So there you have it! It all started with a girl and her parrot, and now it has become a way for you to taste some of the best chocolates on the planet--chocolate from all over the world--and you'll bless people at the same time. Join us now as we spread the word and change the world one bite at a time.