Christmas stands as an eternal reminder of one sure thing: God’s passionate and incarnational love for His lost and broken world. Perhaps we should let that story reshape what it means to give gifts at Christmas. What could happen if we collectively pooled together the money we saved by Spending Less and gave it to those in dire need? On December 13, we’ll take up an Advent Conspiracy offering (a direct result of spending less) to bless people around the world. Here’s where that money will go:
Clean Water
Lack of access to clean water is a real crisis. It steals the lives of 5,500 people each day- more than war, natural disasters, AIDS or even hunger. It is a silent killer, one that quietly preys on the world’s most marginalized and forgotten people.
Access to clean water is the foundation for other forms of development. Without easy access to water that is safe, countless hours are spent in water collection, household income is spent on purchasing water and medical treatment for water-related diseases. These factors contribute to keeping people trapped in poverty. The statistics indicate a two-way relationship between extreme poverty and lack of access to safe water. Water management is a key factor in the global battle to remove the scourge of extreme poverty and to build secure and prosperous lives for hundreds of millions of people in the world.
Through Advent Conspiracy, we will contribute a percentage of the offering to clean water projects in three countries where we have relationships: Honduras, Kenya and Romania.
Wheelchairs
In developing nations where poverty and economic isolation are the norm, the physically disabled must crawl on the ground or wait to be carried by loved ones to reach their most basic of needs. Disability creates poverty when it excludes the disabled from full participation in the economic and social aspects of community. In many parts of the world, the disabled lack access to jobs, health services, transportation, or any form of rehabilitation. Disabled individuals may suffer additionally from inbuilt social stigma, cultural suspicion and economic prejudice; many times they are exposed to abuse and violence, some of which may be considered culturally acceptable. They are subjected to danger, disease and hopelessness. Their families strain to care for their loved one within an already overburdened existence. For most individuals in this situation, a wheelchair is a dream far beyond their wildest imagination. Free Wheelchair Mission, builds wheelchairs simply and inexpensively. For a little over fifty dollars, a wheelchair can be built, transported and delivered around the world, to lift someone up off the ground, and change a life forever.
Through Advent Conspiracy, we will contribute a percentage of the offering to providing wheelchairs through Free Wheelchair Mission in three countries where we have relationships: Honduras, Kenya and Romania. To learn more about their work visit www.freewheelchairmission.org.
One less gift. One incredible present in the name of Christ. Let’s pray that we celebrate Christmas differently this year.
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