Christmas Care

In the far north, northwest and southwest regions, 785 children ranging in age from three to 15 years received a pack. The packs consisted of a school bag, Bible, pair of shoes, clothing and food such as rice, millet and corn.

These children live in war zones. Many of them are living with the trauma of having lost their parents, the majority are not going to school, and others are still facing insecurity.

“Christmas Care has brought smiles to children living in crisis zones. Christmas Care shows these children that they are not alone in the tragedy they are going through. God is with them. The beneficiaries did not fail to express their gratitude.” Front-line worker in charge of distribution

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Packs were provided to 600 children. Each pack contained notebooks, pens, pencils, a pencil sharpener, erasers, pencil case, ruler, colouring pencils, towel, two pairs of cotton socks, toothbrush, toothpaste and a Bible.

“I and the other ministry team members could feel the presence of the Lord in the place and even the children could feel His presence and the prayer times in this distribution meeting were very touching. We could see how happy the children were and even their families because we were supporting their kids with these gifts in such difficult financial times.” Front-line worker in charge of distribution

“I am happy that I am one of these children to receive the precious gift. My father couldn’t afford a new school bag for me this year and I prayed to God and told him that I needed one because my old bag was already damaged. Today, God answered my prayer, so I want to say to Him that I love Him for taking care of me!!” Nane, one of the boys who received a gift.

Christmas Care-related story from Egypt:
Maye is 12 years old; she is living in one of the outskirt villages in Alexandria. They do not have a church in their village and no Christian ministries are serving the people in her village.

Her father treated her poorly; beating her whenever she committed even the smallest of mistakes. Maye was fearful of him.

Maye was a beneficiary of a Christmas Care pack in 2022. At the time of the distribution, the leader announced to the children what their bags included, he went on to say that the most precious gift in the bag was the Bible, which can change a person’s heart completely, if it’s read every day. Maye became excited by this gift that could change a person’s heart. She decided to give the Bible as a gift to her father.

Once home, her father asked her what she had received, she replied, “Nice things like, a school bag and stationery. But the church leaders sent a gift for you too.” Then she gave him the Bible. She suggested they read the Bible together every day. Her father agreed.

In time, her father accepted an invitation from the church leaders to attend a revival meeting, where he gave his life to Christ.

This one copy of the Bible included in a Christmas Care pack led to Maye’s father discovering Jesus, and an improvement in his relationship with his daughter.

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Packs were distributed to 90 children in Tigray, Adwa city. Tigray was under civil war and many children were affected and a lot of families were looking for support. The packs contained food such as rice, macaroni, spaghetti and a Bible. These packs helped children and their families survive.

“They responded with joy because it reached them in the time of suffering.” Front-line worker in charge of distribution

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Christmas care packs were distributed to 216 tribal children in three different areas. Packs included a Bible or storybook, teddy bear, water bottle, sweets, calculator, pencil pack, sharpener, colouring box, eraser and pen pack, plus a 10kg bag of rice.

“The Christmas care package given to me on 24 December was very precious to me. No one ever gave me a gift like this. I like Jesus, and how he loves people. I will attend Sunday school hereafter and pray for my family.” Pavithra pack recipient

“I come from the Gypsy Banjara tribe and from a very poor background we don’t have proper food to eat. The pastor came to our place and gave a pack to me. I’m so happy to receive toys, Bible, story books and other stationery items and food items. I have never seen toys and nice pens before, so it was a great blessing for me to receive this pack. Kindly continue to pray for me.” Jatawar, pack recipient

“Receiving new school bags and school essentials was greatly appreciated by the parents as they could not afford to buy them. Some of these children are too shy and embarrassed to go to school because they would not have a bag, school supplies etc but the Christmas Care project has given new hope and inspiration to these children for the new school year. Covid took a lot of joy away from these children and receiving a gift pack and especially a Bible Storybook made them so happy.” Front-line worker in charge of distribution

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We distributed it in six different places in the Chitwan region; 250 children benefited from this project. Christmas pack included: Bible story book, bear, toy, calculator, toothpaste, brush, pencil pack, sharpener, colour box, eraser, pens, winter cap, socks, warm clothes and a school bag.

“Receiving a school bag and supplies meant that the families did not have to buy them for school the next year, and the parents came to thank us that these gifts would really help beyond Christmas. The children were so encouraged by the Christmas Care pack and the Bible storybook they received that they went and encouraged their parents to be bold and come to church with them. The pastor shared that he was delighted to see some of these believers took courage and showed boldness to attend church even though they knew they would face challenges from their Hindu and Buddhist neighbours.” Front-line worker

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Packs were provided to children who are children survivors of terrorism from across northern and central Nigeria. They received soap and toiletries, an English Bible, notebooks, pens, pencils, school textbooks, a shirt or blouse, trousers or skirt, school jumper, tracksuit, a T-shirt, shorts, and thongs for playtime.

We were able to also bless some local impoverished widows of Jos South and Barkin Ladi. These women’s husbands had been killed by Boko Haram, militant Fulani herders, or in a related tragedy. We gave them approximately 7.5kg of rice. Rice has become very expensive and is outside the financial reach of these widows.

“All beneficiaries expressed their sincere appreciation to God for their benefactors. The widows prayed for those through whom God provided the gifts. One widow told us her husband was killed by Boko Haram in 2011 and she has struggled to feed and educate her children since then, but that the help she has received at Christmas and during the year [through our VOM partner ministry], has enabled her to continue to trust God for His provision.” Project Coordinator

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Food packs, Bibles for adults, story books, children’s Bibles, dried fruit and sweets were distributed to Christian families in the brick kilns and those living in slums and poor areas of Kasur, Gujranwala, Sialkot and adjacent towns.

“Christmas is a glorious and very special festival of joy and celebration for all Christians in Pakistan. We were very pleased to help and bring smiles to hundreds of people’s faces, especially handing small tokens of Christian love to underprivileged children, widows and victims. Like every year we targeted areas that were underdeveloped and underserved. Children were overjoyed for having Bibles and other Christian literature, for many children it was the first time in their lives they saw a children’s Bible and other Christian literature. They were so grateful and thanking God for sending these gifts.”  Project Coordinator

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Gifts were provided by our ministry partners in the Middle East to locals and refugees. Christmas can be a difficult time of year; some must choose between feeding their families or buying their children a present.

The Christmas gifts were one piece of warm clothing, Christian literature and a voucher to a local store to buy food and other necessities.

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We distributed more than 695 to six locations in different parts of Mindanao.

“The backpacks are answers to prayers, especially of the back-to-school items. We thank you so much for the touching of the needy Christians and children in the Philippines.” Front-line worker, Mindanao

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Christmas Care packs were provided to 397 children of persecuted Christian families. The Christians living in these areas are poor and often face discrimination because of their faith. They frequently have difficulty finding work to provide for themselves and their families.

“Praise the Lord, hundreds of poor and persecuted children and families have been greatly blessed by the Christmas Care packs. While many Christians couldn’t afford to buy Bibles for themselves, some others’ Bibles were taken away from them by the local authorities – as part of their scheme to try to stop Christians from following Christ and going to church. So, they were very happy and appreciative when they received not only spiritual food but also physical necessities. Young children were also very thankful for receiving Bible story books, school supplies, food, and other things which they did not have before.” Project Coordinator

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