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Giving Good Gifts

"Why is it that we give gifts at Christmas?" This, the first line of the Christmas story board book that we received shortly after Hunter arrived in late Dec., 2008. It is this story that I read to him while he lay, all 5 lbs. of him, a blindfold covering his sensitive eyes, in a wondrous gift of an incubator. I read. He slept. I prayed. And he worked hard to breathe. And what a gift it was, that incubator. Surly, by God's grace. incredible nurses and this little incubator we have our first son healthy and happy (well, mostly :) )

 
Not unlike that incubator that kept our little man so safe and warm, free from the world he was not very ready to enter, sometimes gifts can be the saving kind. And as we celebrate the greatest gift ever given, Jesus Christ, I wanted to share with you some places that you can go to share the same kinds of gifts: life giving and changing gifts, in the name of Christ, with children and families across the world who are in desperate need of them.
 
 
 
Operation Christmas Child is something that we do every year. I've mentioned it before here and shared the link. If you have never participated in Operation Christmas Child, it can be a wonderful tradition to starting off the Christmas season right by giving gifts to those who may have never received a gift in their life.
 
 
Instead of our kiddos receiving gifts under the tree from us this year (they will have stockings stuffed full of small and needed items) our family has decided to give the gift of clean water.
 
 
Compassion also offers a Christmas Gift Catalog that includes many different ways of helping families in need. There are gifts big and small and every one counts. Every. Single. One. And of course there are always children waiting for a sponsor. What a Christmas gift that would be!!
 
Did you know you can help feed a family for a month with just $12.00 a month?? Unbelievable right?! But it's true. Children's Hunger fund does that for hundreds of families each month. They also offer a Christmas Catalog. And right now if you give a gift from the Catalog from now until the 30th you will receive Mark Swayze's song No Matter How Far for free! You can listen to his beautiful song in the video below.
 
 




And one last but not least....though K.P. Yohannan might say that he does serve the least of these in Asia, sharing the Gospel and loving those forgotten. He is president and founder of Gospel for Asia. His mission group offers a Christmas Catalog and you are sure to find something there to make a difference in the lives of the children in Asia.

Our children, in years past, have enjoyed us giving them some money to "spend" in one of these Christmas Catalogs. As they browse they shout and holler (yes, in a good way) about how little everything is. And how excited they are to be giving. They can't believe so little can go such a long way. And really, neither can Justin and I!

As I think back to all of those Christmases ago (7 of them to be exact), sitting, reading, praying for that little one I hate to think what life would be like with out that incubator. Again, I remember it as one of the blessings of living here in America, in our nation of impressive technology. It was a gift. It is a gift. No bigger or smaller than the ones highlighted above. Simply, a good gift.





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