I tuned my radio to my favorite station today and they are playing Christmas music from now until the holiday is over. It is the time of year when holiday music rings through car stereos and shopping experiences are full of jingle bells, decorations and lights bringing a warm atmosphere and new life to homes across America as families gather together. We go on a mission for that perfect gift for our loved ones, and then overdo it just because we can. This is the season of Love, resounding Joy and the season of family.
Last year the average American spent the following during the holiday:
Gift Recipients
Family members: $431
Themselves: $119.82
Friends: $94.52
Miscellaneous: $43.50
Co-workers: $26.70
Total: $750.68
These are only the gifts we gave. As we all know, there are houses and yards to light up; trees to decorate; cards to write or print, stamp and mail; flowers, food and candy to buy; travel plans to confirm…and on average each American family that traveled spent $2000 for the holiday last year!
As we watch our children open their gifts on Christmas, please remember the 147 million orphans worldwide who won’t receive a gift from a parent, or anyone.
What about the orphans? The children with no family, in war affected areas, children orphaned by AIDS, children who have no idea about Christmas?
You can make Christmas possible for these children!
These are children who suffer daily just through their daily life. As we celebrate this season with our families we must remember those who cannot and will not be celebrating. But we have an opportunity to change that for a few children in Northern Uganda, and you can help!!! This holiday season remember our Acholi children who live in survival mode each day.
For the first time ever they will receive the love of God through new shoes, new mattresses and a family Christmas feast!!!
Would you consider giving if your gift didn’t include something that goes under a tree? What if your gift allowed children to rest above the ground cleanly and safely as they sleep on a new mattress replacing filthy rags over mattresses soaked with urine, mud and years of wear? What if your gift allowed children to walk for miles without their feet touching soil. New shoes would bring new life to these precious souls. What if your gift would allow the children to eat until full without worry that there will never be any more??
Only you can help us make this happen for our children! You do not need to have a PayPal account to donate. Simply select Pay by Credit Card Option after clicking the button.
Here is what we need to make this happen:
$250 for the bull (yes a bull) for the celebratory feast They will also dry the left over meat for future meals
Donate a Bull or a Part of the Bull to the Children:
$25 each sleeping mattress per child and caretaker (They need about 30)
$30 for each child to have shoes and pay for their meals for the next month (there are 30)
$50 for each caregiver that has worked without any pay whatsoever for every single day. This will give them encouragement and allow them to buy necessary items they need for their own lives. (there are 4 of these) Please ask yourself how can you help us make a difference this Holiday for these children? How can we bless the adults that care for them selflessly without pay?
Donate Any Amount to the Christmas Celebration in Acholiland!!
Make payable to “Little Miracles International” on the “for” identification line of the check, please write the project name “Christmas in Acholiland” and send to:
Christmas in Acholiland
Little Miracles International
PO BOX 19776
Amarillo, Texas 79114
What in that great list of gifts of American spending each year above, can you give up to give a needy at risk child this season?
The children deserve what we can afford, and we must show them the love of God on this holiday season.
Tags: Acholi, Acholi Tribe, Africa, African, AIDS orphans, beef, bull, caregivers, child charity, children, Christmas Celebration, Christmas giving, Christmas in Uganda, Christmas presents, donate, dried beef, East Africa, feed a child, Humanitarian Aid, impoverished, Kitgum, love at Christmas, love for the orphans, needy, Northern Uganda, Orphan, orphanage, Pader, please give, poverty, shoes for orphan souls, shoes for orphans, village, war affected orphans
This is a video created about the World Vision center in Gulu, Uganda, that is rehabilitating ex-child-soldiers. It recently aired on the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer. They interviewed a few of the young people who escaped from the LRA during battles in the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this year, and you get to hear directly from them about some of the challenges of trying to re-enter their old lives after years living as soldiers in the bush.
Please pray for our Richard, Mary and James and other children we work with so they may forgive themselves for the atrocities that they may have been forced to commit, and pray that they will all become whole again. You can read about this film here.
Tags: child soldier, Democratic Republic of Congo, East Africa, Gulu Uganda, Jim Lehrer, Lords Resistance Army, Military use of children, Northern Region Uganda, paul hillman, PBS NewsHour, Uganda, uganda blog, Ugandan Child Soldier, vicky collins, world vision
I know our donors would like a little update on our Acholi children in Northern Uganda.
You can find our group on Facebook, called “Strong Heart Child Sponsorship”. We will try to give frequent updates on the children. There we have the group private so you will have to request to join: Facebook Group for Strong Heart Child Sponsorship.
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God called me and said “Go North.” I didn’t understand why but walked in faith when I arrived in Uganda. I had no fear. It was not an easy trip. I saw things I hope that no one has to ever see, yet I’m glad I saw them. In Northern Uganda I found the most precious children literally at the end of the earth, and at the ends of themselves, praying daily. I was shocked and deeply changed by what was revealed to me there in that war-torn zone of Northern Uganda.
This week I walked in faith again. I walked in faith that God would provide more, and hoped, the kind of hope that is Biblical. I had fervent belief that waiting will accomplish the impossible. It is so hard when I can’t just “fix things” for the children that I call family now. It is hard when you just can’t give them money and then that helps. It is hard when I hear Richard, their orphanage director say “Mama the food will end next Wednesday.” It is hard knowing that the kids need new shoes and clothes and medicine. It is hard when you can’t do a thing but get desperate with the children. You get down on your knees with them, and pray. You get down on your face. You go to that low place where only faith lives.
You beg God, the Lord of the Heaven and Earth to do what he only can do. ….and there I was in that place, and two Angels that heard my cry, sent a total of $200 to our program unexpectedly while I was talking to Richard on chat. We both got to celebrate and he promised to borrow a camera to take pictures for us.
The plan is to get all the kids new shoes and clothes! I pray there is enough, but you know what? God promised there would always be enough. So I have hope today, yet again for the multitude of tomorrows needs that the children have.
Thank you for the dear sweet souls who had their hearts touched enough to help. You are loved by all the children and they thank you too.
How can you help us help the children?
Tags: child charity, child sponsorship, Donations, Donors, humanitarian, Humanitarian Aid, Humanitarian Projects, impoverished, Kitgum, Northern Uganda, orphanage sponsor, orphanages, orphans, poor, poverty, sponsor, Uganda, Ugandan Orphan
