The holidays are going to look a bit different this year. And the way we celebrate probably will too. So this the perfect year to start a new tradition! Our Christmas Gift Catalog features over 37 gifts that go to children in our programs. And you can make choosing a gift even more fun and meaningful. Let your child or grandchild choose the gift!
Wendy Brown, Director of Education at Children of the Nations, has been doing this with her grandchildren for about 5 years:
“They love looking through the catalog and hearing the stories of children's lives in a different culture. I give them each an amount to spend and they choose what they would like to give.”
Many of the items include descriptions of how it will benefit the child, family, or community it goes to. The Clean Water Well explains that it will “Help bring crisp, clean water to hundreds of thirsty children with a share of a clean water well.”
A child who has always been able to take clean water for granted might not understand that there are many people who don’t have it.
Poverty is a difficult topic to explain to a child. Explaining through these individual items is a great way to approach the subject.
You could also pair it with a Bible verse, such as Proverbs 19:17, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done (NIV).”
Your child will learn that there is poverty in the world and that it is good to help others.
Wendy says, “As a grandparent, I have the opportunity to speak into my grandkids' lives from a different perspective. My relationship with them can more focused on the ‘big picture’ of developing them into who God meant them to be.”
Especially in a year like 2020, learning about others who are in different or difficult circumstances can help put things into perspective.
Wendy says, “They learn that they have much to be thankful for—they have food every day, they have the opportunity to attend school, they can live in safety and security while others are not as fortunate. They also learn that, as an individual, they have the power to contribute to the improvement of someone else's life. They can make a difference.”
Learning that you can make a difference is powerful. It encourages you to do good for others.
And our children need your family’s support more than ever this year. The pandemic has been especially hard on people who live in impoverished countries, like the countries where the children in our programs live.
These gifts make a huge impact in the lives of those children.
$25 will feed 250 children. Not 25. Not 100. Not even 200. But 250!
$10 will provide an age-appropriate and language-specific Bible to a child!
The children in your life will love that they get to make a real, tangible difference in another child’s life.
Thank you for giving gifts that truly make a difference for children! Merry Christmas to you and your family!