Feel Great About Blowing Up Your Money
By Jonathan Jackson, Owner and Operator of BOOM Fireworks, which benefits Bete Hosanna
Jonathan and Danielle Jackson
We adopted our son, Henry, from China through America World in 2017. We were very moved by the experience of seeing so many orphans in his orphanage, and Danielle decided to return to volunteer for a couple of weeks at the orphanage. Shortly before she left, America World informed her that China had canceled the opportunity for the trip but that a similar one was going to Ethiopia. God allowed Danielle to be present at an Ethiopian orphanage on the very day the girls who had “aged out” had to leave the orphanage.
Many had been institutionalized their whole lives and had no outside contacts or forms of support to help them begin life on their own. And some were being preyed upon by those wishing to take advantage of them. Watch a video about the mission team’s experience for a deeper dive into this story.
When Danielle saw this, she knew something had to be done. I had been buying fireworks wholesale for many years for an annual show I put on for July 4th and suggested opening a stand to raise money for Bete Hosanna. In 2019, we opened BOOM Fireworks (Building Opportunities for Orphans Ministries).
Every customer hears about the vision and the mission, and each year, we love to see our customers return and ask Danielle if she has already visited and how things are going in Ethiopia. Our growth is slow but steady as word of mouth spreads. I already have a passion for fireworks, and I turn into a junior high kid when I’m at the stand. But I also have a passion for orphans. Who would have ever thought those two would overlap? That’s God meeting us where we are and using our skills, no matter how unusual they might seem.
What does the future hold for us? Another young couple is interested in opening a second stand, but we are probably a couple of years away. In the meantime, we are blessed to grow in sales each year. It is such a blessing to tell our customers that 100% of the profits go to help the ministry in Ethiopia.
I love to tell every customer who has heard the story of Bete Hosanna, “Hey, this year, you can feel great about blowing up your money!”
America World families continue to amaze us with all the creative ways they find to support vulnerable children around the world.
For the past five years, BOOM Fireworks in Greenville, SC, has used celebrations to create lasting change in children’s lives. The stand, located at 1700 N Pleasantburg Drive, will be open through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. for anyone living in the Greenville, SC, area to visit and support!