My favourite time of
the year, business wise. Spending time!
Yes, this is my
favourite thing to do with my business, and yet, it is also bitter
sweet. It is incredibly rewarding to see my efforts of the year be
fulfilled, and unlike with my household, I don't have a budget I need
to be vigilant of – spend it all baby! And yet, there there is such a great
need.
As the first waves
of Syrian refugees make their way into our country, I once again look
at the different support packages for refugees and displaced
believers online. Earlier in the year I was able to make a donation
to directly help refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq because of ISIS. As
we have seen and learned as the year continued, the situation has not
gotten better.
It seems like there
is more need than ever. Although I am excited to be donating more
than I ever had before, the few thousand dollars I have raised still
seems like a drop it the bucket. The more I read the more I become
aware of the immensity of the situation. And the crisis in Syria is
but one of many situations around the world.
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| Image from VOMCanada.com |
I will continue my
“tradition” (probably the only
Christmas tradition I regularly
keep)
with a donation to Voice of the Martyrs' “Christmas Blessing”.
Each year Voice of the Martyrs picks a different country to send this special blessing to.
This year Iraqi and Syrian children of Jordan's refugee camps will
receive these packages of not only some practical necessities, but
also a picture Bible and a toy.
Another
fund I find myself drawn to each year is Voice of the Martyrs'
“Family of Martyr's Fund”, designated to the families who
have had one or both parents incarcerated or killed because of their
faith.
A fund that I will
be donating to the first time this year will also be Voice of the Martyrs' “Relief and Development Fund”. Just as the name
suggests, the fund helps provide aid and assistance as well as
training and support to Christians in restricted nations both during
and after persecution.
Switching gears,
these next gifts will be from Open Doors 2015/16 Gift Catalogue.
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| Image from OpenDoorsca.org |
Gift#10(b) allows me
to support a refugee family from Syria or Iraq by providing food and
medicine. I'm excited that I am able to sponsor a family for the
whole year!
Recently we heard on the news about a Canadian pastor sentenced in North Korea. We hear about this because he is a Canadian and people are fighting for him here. Unfortunately these sort of things happen all the time. Gift#14 provides legal aid for pastors and leaders who are being falsely accused.
I
hope this post has not brought you down, but rather, an
encouragement, or even, as a reminder. I am very glad to be living in
Canada, and for the
kindness and welcome hearts of fellow Canadians as the plight of
displaced Syrians reaches our own county. It
is no longer “something over there” but rather many have opened
their hearts and wallets to help even some of these refugees find a
home, even if it is far away from the one they loved.
Let
this be an encouragement that even though our efforts seems small,
and the problem so large, someone is truly blessed by our efforts, and to them it is
a big deal. Whether this be donating to whichever charity you choose
to give to, as there are many, sponsoring a refugee family, or
helping a neighbour, it may
mean the world to that person. This
is what I choose to focus on.
As it says in Matthew 25:37 -41
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When
did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and
clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to
visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters
of mine, you did for me.’”
I hope that not only your holidays, but that your whole year will be bright!
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