Life-changing, life-giving Christmas gifts

“Does your giving bring you joy? If not,

discover what stirs your heart

and sacrificially support it.”

Richard Stearns, President, World Vision, U.S.,

and author of The Hole in Our Gospel

Richard Stearns’ words above caught my attention because I feel a holy discontent over what we’ve done to Christmas—materialism; our attitude toward gift-giving—buying junk and trinkets and gadgets no one needs or wants; over-spending; competing; stressing over all we “need” to accomplish.

Last night just before I turned off the computer, I ran across Jeff Goins’ Discovering the True Spirit of Christmas in which he, too, writes of his discontent with Christmas in North America:

“Every made-for-TV movie I watched between Thanksgiving and New Year’s preached the same gospel: ‘It’s not about presents.’ But then, every Christmas morning, I was inundated with presents. It didn’t make sense.…

“My parents, and probably yours, would conclude every December 25 with the same nervous question: ‘So … did you get everything you wanted?’

“Are you kidding me? Everything I wanted? Is this what we want to teach our children about life? That you can get everything you want?

“… My parents had the best of intentions at heart. Most do. But this is telling of our culture.

“… Over the years, I’ve grown cynical about Christmas. I’ve run out of good gift ideas, gotten fed up with the shopping mall feeding frenzy.…”

If you, too, feel a holy discontent with what Christmas has become,

if you, too, are looking for a way to honor the real reason for Christmas, read on!

Last week I blogged about ways you and I can buy Christmas gifts that will meet real needs and bring real joy.

Another way is to buy gifts to help Rafiki Foundation, a ministry dear to my heart for two reasons.

First, it’s a ministry in Africa, for Africans.

Second, when I served as a Teaching Leader in BSF International (Bible Study Fellowship), my “boss,” (BSF’s Executive Director) was Rosemary Jensen, the founder of Rafiki Foundation. Rosemary played a huge role in training me for life as God’s child and making me who I am today. 

From Rafiki Foundation’s website:

“Rafiki” means friend in Swahili and depicts the purpose of the Foundation—to befriend orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). The mission of the Rafiki Foundation is to help Africans know God by caring for and educating orphans, providing materials and training in education and Bible study, and giving economic opportunities to widows.

Rafiki established ten Rafiki Training Villages within the African countries of Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. These villages provide living, educational, and medical facilities through Rafiki’s four programs: Childcare, Education, Training, and Widows.

Yesterday, Rafiki Foundation posted this on Facebook:

 

“When Lemmy arrived at Rafiki Village Zambia as a small three-year-old in 2007, he was only able to walk in awkward, halting steps. It was questionable whether he would ever run with the other children. He recently lined up with other boys his age (7) to compete in a field day 100-meter dash. Tension ran high as the whistle blew; the runners bolted; the crowd rose to its feet in an excited roar. Lemmy eyed only the finish line. Imagine his joy as he was called to receive his First Place ribbon!”

To help Lemmy and hundreds like him, click here to buy gifts for your friends and loved ones at Rafiki Exchange, Rafiki’s store in Florida. Your products will be shipped on time if your order is made by DECEMBER 14—tomorrow! Products ordered after tomorrow will be shipped to you in January.

Last week I also shared ways you can make Christmas special for two people with just one gift and here’s one more:

World Vision invites you to give a gift that’s too big for a box!

By giving a gift to one of the world’s neediest people in the name of (in honor of) someone on your list, you can help:

clothe and shelter little ones,

give emergency aid,

nourish and educate children,

provide clean water,

provide training, jobs, income, and self-sufficiency.

When you help needy families around the world in this way, at the same time, you can honor someone special on your gift list. World Vision will send you a card to give to your loved one.

Jeff Goins writes in his blog post, Discovering the True Spirit of Christmas:

“This year my wife and I are doing something different for Christmas.… We will be finding a way to connect with those in need.

“We’re buying gifts. But not just any kind of gifts. The kind that make a difference.

“In your hustle-and-bustle holiday, I hope you find an opportunity to something similar.… Check out World Vision’s Gift Catalog. It’s one of the best ways I know to reconnect with the true spirit of Christmas.”

So, Jeff Goins and I and so many other good folks hope you’ll check out World Vision’s Gift Catalog.  
 

Jesus said “I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40, The Message).

This Christmas, may we celebrate by giving to the overlooked and ignored, in Jesus’ name.

Together, we can buy life-changing, life-giving Christmas gifts for some of world’s neediest people—to God’s glory!