My wife and I have been doing a lot of talking lately – about Christmas, about gifts, and about changing it all.¬† As a result of our talks and prayers, we’re doing things differently this year.¬† We’re still putting together a Christmas list, but the items on it are changing dramatically.
The truth is this:¬† My wife and I need NOTHING.¬† We’re not rich (by US stardards), but we’re not poor either.¬† When we need a jacket, we buy one.¬† When our kids need shoes, we buy them shoes.¬† If the roof springs a leak, we get it fixed.¬† When we want to go to Starbucks, we go spend money at Starbucks.¬† We don’t need any of these items at Christmas, because we can afford them during the other 11 months of the year.
Yet if you look at the rest of the world, you’ll discover that they are actually IN NEED of those most basic items – clothing, food, shelter.¬† It just doesn’t make sense.¬† At least to us.
So here’s our solution.
For our friends and family who would like to get us a gift this year, we’re asking them to make a financial donation toward a non-profit Cause that God has placed on our hearts.
Gift options include:
* Visit the World Vision Online Store.¬† This is so cool.¬† You should go there just to check it out.¬† You can buy anything that people in the Third World need.¬† Goats, cows, clothing, mosquito nets, water… the list goes on.¬† We’re asking that people purchase something that touches THEIR hearts.
* Give a Financial Gift to Living Water International.¬† Our friends and family can simply make an online contribution.¬† I helped dig a clean water well in El Salvador in October, working with Living Water International.¬† To say that they’re an amazing group of people is an understatement.¬† They are balancing perfectly “giving a cup of water” with “in the name of Jesus”.¬† And I feel like I’m only getting started in this work in El Salvador.
* Give a Small Business Loan through KIVA.  You can go to the KIVA website, and actually fund a small business loan to a Third World entrepreneur.  This is the coolest thing in the world.  Once they pay you back (no interest, one-year term), you can either take the money back, or re-invest it in a new entrepeneur.
* Give locally to Fresno First Baptist Church.¬† For many of our friends and family, they’d rather keep the money in the community to help people in our own town.¬† I get that.¬† So we’re asking that a financial contribution be made to this great church, located in the heart of the city.¬† I know the men and women on staff, and I am completely confident that any contribution made will go to change lives in Fresno.
* Finally, if you’re buying other Christmas gifts for people, please visit CausePort.com.¬† This is an amazing site a friend of mine has created.¬† It allows for online purchases from tons of major manufacturers, and donates a portion of your purchase to a cause of YOUR choice.¬† So whether or not you decide to give the Molanders a gift, you can certainly start including CausePort.com into any purchase you want to make, year around.
And then….
My deepest hope for Christmas is to open cards that describe the story of each donation.  Why did our friends pick that gift?  What happened in their hearts as a result?  Were my nieces, nephews, and other children involved in the decision.  All that stuff.
So that’s our plan.¬† It’s not perfect, and probably riddled with flaws we haven’t considered.¬† But at some point in our lives, we just need to do something.
We just need to do anything.
We can’t save the world, but we can partner with God in redeeming just one square inch of someone ELSE’S broken life.
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