Christmas Gifts

If you are struggling to decide what to do for your loved ones this Christmas, I'd like to propose that you do something for others in their honor in place of traditional gifting of things.  I have three organizations that I love that would truly make a difference in the world.  Each of these organizations has a Christmas Gift Catalog on their website:

1) Compassion International - http://www.compassion.com/catalog
Some of my favorite gifts that will go to needy families around the world:

**Safe Water for Life - for $79, give a water filtration system that can provide enough clean water for an entire village for over 60 years.  Yes, you read that right - for over 6 decades, with simple maintenance.

**Care for an infant for one year - for $55, provide medical care for a new child for the first year of life.

**Provide Shelter / Support - for $42, provide shelter, food, and clothing for an orphan or abused or exploited child for one month.

Or, of course, you could sponsor a child for $32 a month and help provide food, education, and love each month.


2) Gospel for Asia - http://www.gfa.org/gift
This was my Mom's favorite charity, and so I just donated in her memory for Christmas. Some of my favorites:

**A pair of Rabbits - for only $11, provide a pair of rabbits that will be a source of income and food for years.

**A pair of Pigs - for $65, provide a pair of pigs that can produce up to 20 piglets a year; each piglet will grow to be over 200 lbs within 5 months, and will be a source of long-term income and food for a family.

**Provide for widows and orphans - for $75, help missionaries provide for widows (who are often blamed for their husbands' deaths in SE Asia) and orphans

**Mosquito nets - for just $10, you can provide netting that will protect a family against mosquitos, helping to prevent malaria and even death.

Or you could sponsor a child for $35 a month, or sponsor a missionary for $30 a month.

3) World Vision - http://www.worldvisiongifts.org
I received their catalog this last week, and used to sponsor a child with Mom when I was a kid. Some of the more interesting gifts here:

**Drought-resistant seeds - for just $17, you can provide a family with hybrid or drought-resistant seeds to help stave off famine and starvation.

**Multiplying gifts: World Vision partners with companies that agree to multiply your donation by a certain amount.  A couple that I like a lot are:
*****Life-saving Medicines and supplies - you give $60, they multiply it by 10 to provide $600 worth of supplies.
*****Clothing - you give $50, they multiply it by 10 to provide $500 worth of clothes

**Help sexually exploited girls - for $35, help provide food, safe shelter, counseling, medical care, and vocational training to women and girls rescued from human trafficking.

Or you could sponsor a child for around $35 a month.

Mom felt strongly about the importance of blessing others when God has blessed us.  My pastor quoted someone a few weeks ago in his sermon: "Do for one person what you wish you could do for everyone." 

This Christmas, will you join me in doing for at least one family in need what I wish we could do for every family?