Russia (MNN) — If you're curious, there are 30 shopping days until Christmas. You may know some people who have just about everything they need. Buying them a gift, while a nice gesture, may not make be very significant. However, providing a gift to a needy child in Russia and the form Soviet Union could change their lives forever.
For the 6th year in a row, Russian Ministries is helping national churches provide gift for kids in the former Soviet Union at Christmas.
Russian Ministries Moscow Director Paul Tokarchouk, speaking from Moscow, explains their "Project Hope, the Great Gift Exchange" program. "Through this project, we really would like to bring Hope to the needy kids–whether they're poor, abandoned kids, street kids, or they can be in the orphanages or boarding schools across our country."
While Russian Ministries supports the program, it's really a ministry of the national church. Tokarchouk says Russian Ministries provides the colorful boxes with a Scripture verse printed on it, along with a Bible or other Christian book. But the local church fills the boxes with gifts, candy, personal care items, and more.
Tokarchouk says his prayer is that "many kids will hear the Gospel–the Gospel that brings hope for their lives. This year we would like to reach more than 50,000 kids."
You can partner with the Russian church by helping fund the ministry. $50 is all it takes to purchase the box, Bible, and presents that go inside.
As you do that, you ensure that these kids will hear the Gospel this Christmas. "We always encourage churches to hold some kind of evangelistic Christmas outreach. It could be with Christian puppet teams, or it could be some other activity," says Tokarchouk.
He says about 300 Russian churches will be involved in the program this year and send Project Hope gifts to kids in the arctic north, the terrorist torn south, or orphans and street kids in the inner city.
While some groups send gifts into Russia which are purchased in other countries, Russian Ministries is providing churches the funds needed to purchase the gifts IN RUSSIA. That helps the Russian economy, while also increasing the political stature of the church in the community.
If you would like to help give eternal hope to a child, click here today. When you help, you'll receive a wonderful print.
