Yesterday, when I walking in from my trip, the first thing I did was check the mail. This is the first thing I always do when I return home from a trip. I’m not sure why I always think there will be something exciting waiting for me. It’s not like there is ever anything exciting in the mail anymore. The only exciting things I ever receive are the things that I order, for myself. However, yesterday there was something exciting. Actually, two somethings. The first was a sweet card from my husband welcoming me home. The second, The World Vision Christmas 2010 Gift Catalog.
I love this catalog. Even though I’ve never been in a position where I could buy gifts from the catalog I still loving looking at it and knowing it’s there. However, this year is different. My immediate and extended families are all doing “other things” this year, meaning we aren’t spending money on gifts for each other. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE exchanging gifts with the people I love, but this year, the change means that I get to give a gift that keeps on giving.
Here’s how it works:
World Vision, a Christian not-for-profit organization, has picked 100 countries and has figured out what the people need. Then, they decide what gifts will go the furthest. So, they are giving families goats and cows and oxen and sheep and chickens and ducks and rabbits and teaching them to fish! This is amazing to me. I love the idea of giving a family 2 chickens for $25. These chickens will provide eggs for the family to eat and eggs for them to sell. They will also provide more chickens who will give the family even more eggs to sell as well as chickens to sell. So, for $25 you have just given a family not only a source of food, but also a source of income. Isn’t this brilliant!
There are also ways to help girls being sold into the sex trade and girls who need an education. There are donations to help build clean water wells, to provide families with mosquito nets, to give fruit trees and vegetable seeds. Or, for $100 you can stock a medical clinic with $1,100 worth of meds.
Also, If you are buying gifts for people and can’t decide what to give them, there are gifts you can buy from World Vision and the money for the gifts goes to that category. For example, when girls in Thailand are rescued from the sex trade they are rehabilitated and given jobs making jewelry and other hand crafts as a source of income and reclamation into society. So, you can buy a necklace or a bracelet, or the set and that money goes directly to the girls who are working to make the jewelry. Or, you can buy one of those popular skinny water bottles, with the clip on top, and that money goes toward digging clean water wells. There are also some beautiful Christmas ornaments. The money for that goes toward a general fund that will go to what World Vision thinks is most necessary. There are several more gift items, these are just examples.
I have thought about getting together with some friends, pulling our money and seeing how far we can make it go. Maybe you can do the same thing too.
If you are interested, the website is www.worldvisiongifts.org.
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