Christmas is all about giving, right? But what about when the giving gets tough? What about when the giving causes an already strained life to be pushed to the limit? What then?
These are questions that we all have to answer for to varying degrees in our personal lives. And these are questions that we are answering in Haiti. Because of gang violence, hundreds of thousands have ben been displaced from Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas this year. Many of these people are women and children.
Numerous families have made their way across or around the savanne to the area where HAFF is located which leads us back to the original question. Giving is one thing when we can give out of abundance. But what about when we have to give out of our own poverty?
God answers this question in His Word so clearly. Hebrews 13: 16 says, "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." We are called to give, and giving is a sacrifice. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to give up everything (including God the Father) to be born as a human baby, live the sinless life we could not, die for our sins, experience separation from God for us, and conquer death that we might live.
IPB made the difficult choice this month to take on several new students as a way to show love to these displaced children. Our Haitian community is growing. We are looking for ways to share the love of Christ through physical provision and spiritual healing. We don't know what the future will look like, but we know God says in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
More students means more school lunches. If you are able to give, $49 feeds a student for a month! We know Giving Tuesday is over, but the need of our students are not. Please also pray for these students and families as the seek to find ways to survive.
God's way is perfect! We are praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ stateside and in Haiti that each will know the love and peace of Christ this Christmas season and give out of both abundance and poverty, trusting God as we do His will.
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