December 9, 2011
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Goats, chickens and gumballs
As Christians, we should be at the forefront of outreach to the less fortunate. This compassion is a great force in reaching the world for Christ. So does this mean that we should welcome any immigrants who want to come? Should we automatically extend citizenship to those millions already here? Personally, I don’t believe that this can be the right solution. But I struggle with feeling that perhaps I am not being as compassionate and concerned as I ought to be for those struggling to survive in third world countries. Watch this video (gumballs of immigrationn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FM1YU-Ni_84 . Keep in mind that this was filmed in 1999 and everything he said has come true since then.
Inviting the entire world’s population into our country may sound like a kind and generous thing to do, but it is impossible. It is not the best way (or even a good way) to care for the impoverished population of the world. The most effective way to help these people, is to provide them assistance in their own country. To give them the tools they need to succeed in building up the economic infrastructure of their native country so that it too is a wonderful and prosperous place to live. This year, for Christmas, we decided to buy some gifts for third world families. We went through Compassion International (though World Vision and others have similar programs) We let the boys pick out chickens, seeds, bibles, soccer balls, mosquito nets and blankets to bless a family with. We raided their piggy banks to count out the money and see what we had enough for (we also contributed as well) We are trying to teach them that Christmas means they get only one gift from Mommy and Daddy and that we will give the rest of our christmas budget to those who have genuine needs. (after all, which one of us really needs anything??) The gifts you give will help a family both now and in the long term. A cow provides milk for the family and enough to sell. Chickens provide eggs and meat…and endless opportunities to sell more eggs and more chickens. It’s not just about feeding the hungry for one Christmas; it’s about giving them a gift that helps them get a start. To meet the basic needs of hunger and then provide them with a means of making an income. It is a WONDERFUL idea and we are so excited to participate! If you would like to see the options available to help change lives this Christmas, check out the links below.
www.compassion.com/giftcatalog