Making a Difference THIS Christmas...

It is about 18 days until Christmas!  How are your preparations coming along?  I would like to take the time to post my reflections on the magical season.  God is touching my heart in a special way this Christmas.  I have a stronger tug on my heart to serve the less fortunate this holiday season. 

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." ...'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"

Matthew 25: 35, 36 & 40 (ESV)

After researching the opportunities how my family could make a difference this holiday season; I decided to post it for all my readers in hope that you too will be encouraged to make someones Christmas a little brighter!  Short on cash, don't worry you can still make a difference!  I linked the websites to each project, just click on the bold title.

If you have a little extra cash:

1.  Angel Tree: A Program of Prison Fellowship is a non-profit that focuses on children whose parents are incarcerated.  After imprisoned parent requests The Angel Tree to be involved in their child's live, the Christmas gift is given to boys and girls addressed from their parents.  But that's not all, the program also gives the best gift-the gift of the Gospel.  Children stay connected to their parents, even while incarcerated and often reunite with a born-again parent with the help of Prison Fellowship...giving everyone a second chance.

2.  Be a Santa to a Senior:  Home Instead Senior Care.  A non-profit program that identifies local seniors who might not otherwise receive a gift this holiday season and places their gift request on a paper ornament.  You can find these "ornaments" at participating locations such as grocery stores, banks, medical offices, and other like businesses.  Simply buy the requested items (slip in a luxury item or two) and return to the participating location.  You can find participating locations at the website:  http://www.beasantatoasenior.com  Shed a light into a senior's life...a generation which gave so much to this country and generation!

3.  Angel Giving Tree:  The Salvation Army.  Many of you probably are familiar with this project.  The Salvation Army makes paper ornaments with children's request of gift.  You can donate online, or find a participating business.  Simply fill the request and return to the participating business or The Salvation Army directly.  This was the program that gave my family gifts the first year after moving to the States from Kazakhstan.  It was magical for us kids to receive so many toys at once!  Heartwarming and touching for our parents who had so little at the time, who for sure couldn't afford Christmas gifts.  

4.  Heifer Project:  my husband and I first learned about this project as newlyweds.  The non-profit-international program focuses  on empowering families worldwide to be self-reliant through providing live stock, bees, trees, seeds, basket kits, and other items along with proper training how the struggling families can produce food and sell/exchange excess.  "If there is one thing I could give to the struggling people of the world it would be self-reliance. Everyone deserves the dignity of providing for themselves and their families. That's why I support Heifer International." - Walter Cronkite, journalist and Heifer supporter.

If you don't have the extra cash...you could still make a difference:

1.  Adopting someone for holiday dinner.  Look at your circle of acquaintances with new eyes.  Do you know a college student who can't travel home this Christmas?  A co-worker with no relatives?  Perhaps new neighbors in the house next door?  A recently widowed church member?  Think of them as extended family-and invite them to share your holiday dinner.

2.  Writing a letter to a teacher/mentor.  On Thanksgiving day NPR hosted a story on teachers in American and how they make a world of a difference to this country.  NPR's phone lines flooded with grateful listeners sharing their stories on how real teachers made a difference in their lives.  It made me realize that there were a few teachers and religious mentors in my life that made a huge difference!  Taking a greeting card, or just a plane piece of paper and writing a simple letter of thanks will not cost you more than a price of today's postage stamp, but it will warm the heart of a teacher/mentor this holiday season.

3.  Volunteer your time at a local shelter, soup kitchen, non-profit organization like The Salvation Army.  Volunteering will not cost you a penny, but it will make a world of a difference to the people in need and your own heart. 

I hope this short list will get you thinking of how you could focus on others this holiday season.

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men"

Colossians 3:23 (ESV)