NOW IN IT'S 12TH YEAR, THE CATALOG OFFERS A VARIETY OF PRACTICAL, INCOME-GENERATING GIFTS TO HELP FAMILIES IN ASIA BREAK FREE FROM THE CYCLE OF POVERTY.
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 http://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.
GFA (Gospel for Asia) and its world-wide affiliates have—for more than 30 years—provided humanitarian assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially among those who have yet to hear the Good News. Last year, this included more than 82,000 children, free medical services for more than 180,000 people, 6,000 wells drilled, 11,000 water filters installed, Christmas presents for more than 600,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry.
