Give a gift that keeps on giving this holiday season
A gift of lambs means that a family in Asia has the means to provide for themselves.
This month, in our church youth program, we focused on the character trait, cooperation. The Bible verse we used is Ecclesiastes 4:9, which says, "Two people are better than one. They can help each other with everything they do.”
We looked at several instances in the Bible where a single person could not accomplish a task, such as the temple building in Nehemiah's day, on their own. More people were needed to do something great. Likewise, this Sunday school class takes up money every Sunday to go toward clean drinking water for children in Africa; it’s called the Africa Oasis Project. Together they raised over $1500. That's pretty impressive.
It got me to thinking about Christmas and the spirit of giving. Often times, as Christians during this season, we look for opportunities to give, but we give as individuals and so are limited in what we can accomplish. We are relegated to a few canned goods for Harvest Hope, or a gift for one child. However, if we put our resources together, we can do more for the greater good.
The Gospel for Asia offers just such an opportunity. To help needy families in Asia, The Gospel for Asia has a website where you can purchase items like chickens that will allow a family not only to eat, but will provide a source of income when they sell the extra eggs. A pair of chickens is only $11. They also have bigger ticket items that could be more useful, such as the Noah’s Ark Package which has 2 of each kind of useful animal, but who has an extra $1000 laying around, or $100 for that matter?
Well here's where cooperation comes in. Instead of donating to your own personal cause, with limited helpfulness, why not partner up with a group? Combine your resources and get some of the bigger ticket items that can really help pull families out of poverty?
We looked at several instances in the Bible where a single person could not accomplish a task, such as the temple building in Nehemiah's day, on their own. More people were needed to do something great. Likewise, this Sunday school class takes up money every Sunday to go toward clean drinking water for children in Africa; it’s called the Africa Oasis Project. Together they raised over $1500. That's pretty impressive.
It got me to thinking about Christmas and the spirit of giving. Often times, as Christians during this season, we look for opportunities to give, but we give as individuals and so are limited in what we can accomplish. We are relegated to a few canned goods for Harvest Hope, or a gift for one child. However, if we put our resources together, we can do more for the greater good.
The Gospel for Asia offers just such an opportunity. To help needy families in Asia, The Gospel for Asia has a website where you can purchase items like chickens that will allow a family not only to eat, but will provide a source of income when they sell the extra eggs. A pair of chickens is only $11. They also have bigger ticket items that could be more useful, such as the Noah’s Ark Package which has 2 of each kind of useful animal, but who has an extra $1000 laying around, or $100 for that matter?
Well here's where cooperation comes in. Instead of donating to your own personal cause, with limited helpfulness, why not partner up with a group? Combine your resources and get some of the bigger ticket items that can really help pull families out of poverty?
This Christmas, give a gift that keeps on giving with some of these gifts from the stable. Or even help a missionary perform their job better by providing bicycles so they can travel to remote villages with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ask your friends, or small group at church if they would be interested in coming together this Christmas season to help a family in need. For more information Click Here.
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