Justice Friday, Christmas

Previous Post My Story Part 6

Christmas is coming! A time for giving, getting, eating, family and Jesus. I have alway’s loved Christmas. I love the feel of Christmas, the smells (those Christmas candles), the mood and the decorations. You alway’s know it is Christmas when the day after Thanksgiving you walk into the mall and see the decorations, hear the music and see Santa, the big fat alcoholic in a red and white suit sitting on his chair with kids on his lap.

 I have been thinking this Christmas about presents. This whole economy thing has really put a damper on consumerism hasn’t it! The thing about Christmas that I have found more this year than any other is that cirtain people all over the world wake up to tons and tons of presents sitting under the tree while others wake up to the same sore tummy, the same curable yet life taking diarrhea, the same fear that their HIV may turn into AIDS at any given time.

 Is there something we can do this Christmas to bridge that gap a little bit more? I think so. Many organizations are giving us an opportunity to purchase gifts for our friends and family, while providing income, medicine, and food the those who wake up each day with none. Below are a few things you can do to bless your loved ones and change the world at the same time.

 World Vision is offering the opportunity to buy a gift of food and provision for poor, malnourished families. You can buy a goat, help drill a well, provide the finances for an education and much much more. My dad has given world vision gift cirtificates for $25 and $40 to us so that we can use the gift to give to others. Our family helped purchase a pig for a family to give them food and piglets to sell for cash. The pig can also give them milk, according to Emma (haha). You can give from World Vision here.

 You can also give freedom through IJM’s Gift of Freedom Holiday Catalog.  Through IJM you can give $25 for a half day of investigative work to find people who have been trafficked into slavery. You can give $70 to empower IJM’s lawyers to represent victims of violent oppression in court, or you can give $40 towards the aftercare program that helps those who have been rescued from trafficking, specifically sexual.

 You can also give clothing. We gave Halfway There t-shirts to people this Christmas. 100% of all funds to purchase t-shirts go into the ground to dig wells in Africa. The cost, shipping and tax was payed for by the Halfway There office and so 100% of $19.95 shirt cost goes into the ground. You can purchase your Halfway There shirt here.

 There are many other way’s to give. What better present for someone to open than one that give life to others. It may not be what they sent on their list to Santa, but we need to change the perception and culture of Christmas to look more life giving and less selfish, it starts with us.