a post for thursday, on friday, in the early morn

Today (Thursday), I bought a "My Little Pony" coloring book for a dollar from Target, so I can tear the pictures out and send them to my girls Shalen and Scarle to color. :)

Tomorrow (Friday) I get to see my sister and my nephew. :) :)

And in a little over a month, I will be DONE with this horrendous semester. :) :) :)

my grown-up Christmas list.

This year has changed me a lot. My priorities have shifted and I see the world differently than I did a year ago. One of the biggest reasons for this was picking up a second sponsored child through Compassion International last year, and now that I have started sponsoring a third one (just a couple of weeks ago!), I have realized a few things. One, I have far more than I could ever possibly use or need. I am working on purging my belongings, which is difficult for me as I have sentimental attachments to everything! But I am determined to reduce the amount of junk I own and live simply. I refuse to be a perpetual packrat.

Two, this life is not about me. Not me, not me, not me. It is about others and what I can do to serve them and show them the love of our Father in heaven. So much of the world lives in abject poverty, and though I’ve said I care about them for years, my actions have not backed up my words. It’s time for that to change.

Since I don’t *need* anything (though I may *want* many things!), I have decided to do something this Christmas to give credence to my rhetoric. Rather than asking for more useless stuff that will merely accumulate in my room, I have decided that what I want for Christmas this year is to change the world. I have listed three of my favorite charitable organizations, and opportunities for giving to them that mean something to me. There are, of course, many other ways to give to these organizations, but for Christmas this year…I want to rescue a child(ren) from slavery, provide a bicycle for a missionary, save the lives of babies, prevent the spread of preventable diseases, and give a family a way to support themselves and be lifted out of poverty. The ones marked *** are my favorites, but I especially want to rescue a child from slavery and buy a bicycle for a missionary.

My challenge to you is, “What are you doing to make your Christmas count?”

Blessings and love.

Bethany

Compassion International

***Donation to Compassion’s Tanzania Clean Water Projects (especially relevant now as I have a sponsored child in Tanzania!). Sixty percent of diseases afflicting Compassion-assisted children in Tanzania are waterborne diseases. Less than half the population has access to safe, clean drinking water. https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/Tanzania+Clean+Water+Projects.htm

***Donation to Compassion’s Child Survival Program. I love babies. Love them, love them, love them. And 26,000 children under five die every day, nearly all of preventable causes. This program helps provide prenatal care, health screenings, nutrition education, food, and church support for expectant mothers and mothers of small children to help ensure these children can survive until they are old enough to be enrolled in Compassion’s sponsorship program (around age 4-5, typically). You even have the option of supporting a single Child Survival Program project. https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/CSP.htm

***Donation to Compassion’s Malaria Intervention Fund. Most of the million people who die each year of malaria are children. Mosquito nets, available for only $10, can drastically reduce the rate of infections and save lives. https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/malariaintervention.htm

Gospel for Asia

***A bicycle for a Gospel for Asia missionary. For $110, a bicycle can be provided for a native missionary which dramatically increases the area able to be covered by the missionary, thus providing opportunity for more areas to be reached with the Gospel. http://www.gfa.org/gift/gifts-for-missionaries/

A rickshaw for a native family. For $133, a rickshaw can be provided to give a family a way to make a living and meet their family’s needs. http://www.gfa.org/gift/gifts-of-outreach/

***Biosand water filter. For $30, a sand filter can be provided for a village, allowing them water that is 98% pure of dangerous pathogens. http://www.gfa.org/gift/gifts-of-compassion/

***Vocational training. For $30, vocational training can be provided for an individual to give them a way to make a living and support themselves and their family. http://www.gfa.org/gift/gifts-of-compassion/

***Flock of chicks or rabbits. For $11, a small group of chicks or rabbits can be provided for a family, giving them food and an extra source of income. http://www.gfa.org/gift/from-the-stable/

Lambs. For $65, a lamb can be provided for a family to give them food and income sources. http://www.gfa.org/gift/from-the-stable/

Goats. For $60 a goat (or for $120 a pair of goats) can be provided for a family to give them food and a source of extra income. http://www.gfa.org/gift/from-the-stable/

Samaritan’s Purse

***Gift 8—Rescue a child from bondage and abuse. For $75, a safe haven, basic necessities, and counseling can be provided for a vulnerable child. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 12—help stock a fish pond. For $50, you can stock a fish pond and give a whole village a source of food and income! https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 16—honeybees. For $30 a hive can be provided to give a family a source of food and income. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 24—emergency shelter. For $100, emergency repairs can be made to a damaged home. For $200, an emergency shelter can be constructed. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 27—emergency medicine. For $60, fifty people can be provided with life-saving emergency medicine. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 28—help fight epidemic diseases. For $75, up to five people can be provided with vaccines, testing, and/or medications to fight some of the most common and preventable diseases. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 33—care for AIDS orphans and widows. For $45, an AIDS orphan or widow can be provided with a month of meals or other necessities. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

***Gift 41—bikes and vehicles for the mission field. For $100 a bike or other method of transportation can be provided for a native missionary or pastor, allowing them to share the Gospel over wider territory. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 46—“Jesus Loves Me” lambs. For only $4, a lamb that plays this song can be given to a child. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

***Gift 49—help a young doctor answer God’s call to missions. For $50, you can contribute to reducing a young doctor’s student loan debt, enabling them to get out on the mission field more quickly. As this is precisely what I want to do (except in nursing), this is something I feel strongly about! Let’s get these doctors on the mission field! https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 50—help stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. For $25, a church worker can be equipped with training, materials, and other resources to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/

Gift 52—help cure tuberculosis. For only $15, medicine can be provided to save the life of someone who has contracted TB. https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/gift_catalog/