Give a gift the can change a life. (GFA photo)
India (MNN/GFA) — Have you ever had to choose who would receive a life-changing gift and who would not? Those are the challenges facing Gospel for Asia in the days ahead. Why? Christmas gifts are limited, but these gifts will lift each one out of utter poverty and point them to Christ. It does make a difference.
Here are a few examples:
Gospel for Asia reports 12 families came from six villages, and no one could say whose situation was most pathetic.
Chaitali and her husband worked as farmers to support six children, four of them studying in school.
Qudamah loaded coal onto his bike each day and sold it at the market, but he constantly worried that his family wouldn’t be able to survive much longer.
Wamil often thought that if she had enough money, she would buy a goat, but like Chaitali, she and her husband were only poor farmers. They would never have money for something as big as a goat. It was a useless dream–until a small Christmas gift distribution program was held in her district.
Gospel for Asia pastors throughout the district had nominated families in need of proper income sources, and Wamil, Qudamah, and Chaitali were among the 12 chosen. As cows, sewing machines, goats, and one piglet were distributed, the pastors saw the recipients’ faces glowing with gratitude.
“Earlier, I did not own any proper means of survival, but now the Lord has blessed me with a beautiful cow,” Qudamah said. “Now, through this cow…I can earn money to support my family. I am grateful to the Lord that He did not allow me to stay in the deepest pit of discouragements for long and now has lifted up my heavy burden.”
With a new sewing machine, Chaitali planned to open a sewing business with her four daughters.
And Wamil got exactly what she had wished for: a goat.
“The loving Lord heard my heart’s cry and granted me a goat,” Wamil said. “I thank the Lord for this gift, and in the days ahead, I will be able to thank God by giving Him my tithes.”
As each of the recipients returned home in triumph, their thanks were echoed across South Asia. Each year, thousands of families and individuals receive income-producing gifts through Gospel for Asia’s Christmas Gift Catalog, and lives are changed forever as they recognize the true love of Christ.
This year, please pray for the GFA missionaries deciding which families will receive which gifts given, and ask God to work mightily in each recipient’s life.
When poor families received gifts from Western donors, does it not create the possibility for non-Christian nationals (Hindus, Muslims, etc.) to charge that the recipients are being bribed? Or perhaps there is a strong inclination to feign conversion so they may receive gifts. I also wonder about Satan’s ploy to tempt the pastor to take some of these gifts for himself.
Thank you for responding to these nagging questions I have about the impulse for generosity toward the poor on the part of Western Christians. Having traveled to several underdeveloped nations, I understand the urge to give gifts to solve problems.