“What if you had never received a Christmas present?”

“Christmas for the Kids 2011”

I was standing in the midst of a lot of children.  They were surrounded by stinking, smoking and raw garbage from the next door city of over three million people.  Some of the children had no parents, most had a mother or grandmother.  Their total wealth was their dirty, torn and often ill fitting clothes on their backs.  Oh yes, they also had bags and baskets filled with scraps of garbage they had collected to eat or sell so they could buy food.

My accompanying Filipino pastor looked at the children and then at me.  He said most of these children have never received a Christmas present.  That statement became a branding iron on my brain and memory.  I literally wept.

We have over 600 sponsored children who deserve Christmas presents in 2011.  What about their brothers and sisters as well? 

For all the these children, their siblings and parents to receive a Christmas present will be expensive.  We also include a gift for the pastors who care for the children.

 Our best estimate for a budget is at least $7,500.   

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 Giving A Christmas to Remember

By Kathy Bohlin

 You can help us put a big smile on the faces of our sponsored children this Christmas. Could you and we see to it that Christmas 2011 is a happy, happy time for them? Would you like to bless one or more of the poorest of the poor families in the Philippines?

 At the end of this message is an opportunity for you to personally participate.

We have been talking about and praying about what God wants us to do this Christmas for the 605 children He has given us in the Philippines. What we have heard is that God wants to bless families. We wondered how we could justify giving a gift to one “sponsored” child in a family while their siblings watching don’t receive anything at all because they are not “sponsored.” That would be cruel and we could never do that, but we need your help because it is a big undertaking.

It is amazing to see the number of families God has touched and changed as a result of the children being sponsored. It is common for an entire family to be saved and begin attending church and Bible studies for discipleship. We believe God wants us to bless them at Christmas. Some of them have never received a gift or had a special meal for Christmas. Here’s the plan and how you can participate.

We will be sending extra money for Christmas to the FCM pastors in the Philippines who care for the sponsored children. This is much better than trying to send gifts and food. The shipping costs are extremely high and there is sometimes a problem getting items through government customs. We need at least $7500. We need to receive the money by Thanksgiving so it can be sent to the pastors in time to prepare for Christmas.

 A SPECIAL NOTE TO SPONSORS: Thank you for your faithfulness to provide for the children you sponsor. Your gifts are having an amazing transforming impact on their lives. We know some of you would like to send gifts for the children you sponsor. We ask you please do not send gifts for your sponsored children. Instead consider giving an extra donation to provide Christmas for them and their families. Your money will buy so much more in the Philippines and does not have the cost of shipping. If you wish to send a card, we would be very happy to send your cards to your sponsored children. Please send the cards so that we receive them by November 10.

To help give the best Christmas ever to our kids and their families, send your gift before Thanksgiving. Please be generous. You will be blessed in return.

Go to Christmas for Kids to give a gift of blessing to the poorest of the poor.  You will be blessed.