Dear friends and family,
She was a beautiful little girl, probably not more than two years old. She toddled over to me in tears, inconsolable. I couldn’t understand why she was crying. Even though I was in Africa, I thought through all the normal American childcare questions. “Is she hungry?” No, they’d just eaten – and though it was a less than appetizing meal of maize, her stomach was full. “Wet diaper?” No, the children here have never seen a diaper- this little girl wasn’t even wearing pants. Then it hit me… she’s sleepy. I reached for her, and she instantly fell asleep in my arms.
I had to leave her there, on a mat in the dirt, alone, without even a blanket. I wondered if there was anyone who even cared if she was okay. I fought back tears as I walked away…
She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:7
A lowly birth for the Messiah. His first “baby bed” was a food trough for animals! I try to imagine that cold night, and the frustration Mary must have felt. Giving birth to a child in a stable, and laying him in a manger couldn’t have been what she imagined. I think of all the nurseries I see in America, pink and blue, beautiful, warm and safe… and then I imagine Jesus, as a newborn, out in a stable in the dirt and hay with the animals.
Our Lord deserved so much more! But then, doesn’t every child?
When I think about the birth of our Savior, I can’t help but think of the children I met in Africa. I think of their lowly births – into poverty and disease. I think of them, not sleeping in a manger, but sleeping in the dirt or on a cold cement floor. I think of how so many go to bed hungry and sick. I think of those beautiful little girls and boys who have lost both their parents and are now orphans, left alone in this world.
Maybe that’s why Jesus cared so much about “the least of these”- because He’d been there. Maybe that’s why He commanded us to care for those in hopeless situations, for He is the one who came to bring hope to a hurting world!
Matthew 18:14
This Christmas, there are millions of children in need of hope– children in desperate situations who need to see the love of Christ from you. Here at AIM, we are working to help orphans in Kenya, India, Pakistan, and Cambodia, but our most desperate needs are in Swaziland, Africa.
Our dream for Swaziland is to see The Nsoko Project succeed. Swaziland is the most AIDS infected country in the world, with over 130,000 orphans. We recently broke ground in the city of Nsoko to see an orphan village built. It will be a community full of love, healing, and hope. It will provide homes for the orphans, a family environment, and projects to teach them to build a business and sustain their families, and we’ve already begun! Our first priority is to get a building and fence built to provide a safe place for the children. To see this happen, we need $22,000 by January 1st.
Your donation will provide a place for the children where they are safe from violence and abuse. It will provide an environment where they can begin to be educated and taught skills such as gardening, fishing, and how to run a business in the marketplace. These skills will give them a way to provide food and other basic needs for themselves and their families.
As we enter a festive time full of family, fun, and food, let us not forget these little ones. As you light your Christmas tree, pray about bringing light to the dark places around the world.
This Christmas, give the gift that will outlast you. Give hope to a child in need.
To give to orphans around the world, click here: https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=orphans
Thank you, and of course Merry Christmas!
In HIS hands,
Ericka
Development Coordinator
Adventures In Missions
[email protected]
To find out more visit: http://swaziland.myadventures.org or our partners at www.g42global.org
to look after orphans and widows in their distress…”
James 1:27
