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Millions of people in Asia earn too little to sustain their families; they are unable to educate—or in some cases even feed—their children. Since its inception, Gospel for Asia’s Christmas Gift Catalog has been part of helping more than 1.5 million families to receive practical gifts that meet basic needs and generate income.
“Christmas is about hope, and these gifts bring tremendous hope to people whose circumstances do not have much hope,” said Chris Brewer, a GFA staff member who helped launch the ministry’s first Christmas Gift Catalog in 2006. “All this is done in the name of Jesus, the author of the ultimate hope experience.”
Gifts offered through the catalog include mosquito nets, which protect families from life-threatening illnesses; chickens, which provide eggs—and chicks—to sell; and sewing machines, which serve as a means of income for people who lack formal education and job opportunities.
“My husband passed away six months ago, and I started working in others’ houses to feed my five children,” said Sushita, who received a sewing machine in June. “It was so difficult for me to sustain the family, but now I can use this sewing machine for stitching clothes and earn some more money to sustain the family. God is our provider.”
While donations toward items in the catalog are made around Christmastime, the celebration continues long after, as GFA-supported workers in Asia distribute gifts to individuals throughout the year. Many of these gifts will help provide for families for years to come.
This year, for the first time, the gift catalog offers the chance to give toward a medical ministry fund, which helps provide free health care to families in need through programs such as medical camps conducted in remote areas that are far from doctors or hospitals and where people may lack basic health knowledge.
Nathan Nelson, the project director of GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog, says the opportunity and potential to help so many families is what drives him.
“Imagine if it were my family that couldn’t make ends meet,” he said. “Then somebody comes by and actually prays for me and shares hope with me and practically helps me out of a situation. That’s huge. I want to help as many families as I can that way.”
Gospel for Asia offers the Christmas Gift Catalog for free, and a list of catalog items can also be found online at www.gfa.org/gift.
To learn about how a pair of gift goats were an answer to prayer, visit https://www.patheos.com/blogs/gospelforasia/2017/12/two-gift-goats-provide-recurring-revenue-gospel-for-asia/
PHOTO CUTLINE: Like this family, who received a piglet, many people are experiencing the provision of a loving God through practical gifts available in GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog—from livestock and sewing machines to mosquito nets and water filters.
About GFA World
GFA World (gospelforasia.net) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in more than 880 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 163,000 needy families, and teaching to provide hope and encouragement in 110 languages in 14 nations through broadcast ministry. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.
