Three years ago, my family was busy getting ready….not for Christmas…but for a trip to the other side of the world. Vaccines? Check! Passports? Check! Anti-Malarial Medicine? Check, Check, Check! We were stepping out on faith and taking our two-year-old daughter to Kenya with us. Everyone we knew thought we were crazy. Our parents threatened to kidnap her and keep her here, but we believed we needed to go as a family…so we did.
From icy, cold winter weather, we journeyed to sultry days and long, sweaty nights. We worried. Was she getting enough of that crushed little pill down every day? We mixed it in pudding and fed it to her for breakfast every morning, but there was always some left in the pill crusher. And, let’s face it, she never ate all of it. We just had to hope, pray and pull that mosquito net tightly around her bed every night.
Because when your baby is sleeping in a land where malaria kills people every day and all you hear ALL NIGHT LONG is the bzzzzzzzzzzzzz of the insects that cause it, that thin layer of mesh is quite a comfort. It can also be a lifesaver.
The use of mosquito nets can help prevent malaria, and do you know what? Mosquito nets are not expensive. In fact, for only $10 you and your family can help fight malaria around the world. How? Read on….
Compassion International has a special Christmas gift catalog called “Gifts of Compassion,” and for as little as $10, you can give a gift that can change somebody’s life. Think about it. $10 for a mosquito net and the chance not to get a deadly disease. $16 for a chicken and nutritious meals…and maybe even income. $40 to help a new mom stay healthy and provide for her baby. $55 for a water filter and safe drinking water…for a village. A little goes a long way.
So, this Christmas, would you consider helping a mom on the other side of the world sleep peacefully because her baby is sleeping protected? Could you give up a meal out so someone could have meals year-round?
I can’t help but think that by January 1 my daughter will forget the Barbie I bought yesterday, but the people whose lives are changed by these gifts will never forget.
You really have a gift…..everthing just flows…..you make it so real….I love how you turned it to reaching out to others and how we can show the love of Christ by giving Christmas away by helping others.
Thank you, Heather.
Hi, I found your blog through Lisa-Jo, The Gypsy Mama, and would love to know more about your trip to Kenya! I lived there for 8 years and the people there are dear to my heart.
Linda
Linda,
thanks so much for visiting! I lived in Kenya from 1999-2001. My husband and I visited there in 2003, and we took our daughter in 2007. We arrived the day of the elections and were there during some of the post-election violence. At that time, we were working in western Kenya. My husband’s been back once since, but I’ve been busy having another baby! I love Kenya and its people, too! I visited your blog and can’t wait to read more about you and your book….The only thing better than being in Kenya is getting to talk about Kenya with others who love it like I do! (Edit: I didn’t mean that its better to just talk about Kenya with others, but that it is the next best thing to being in Kenya….I have a 9-month-old in my lap right now, and my brain can’t keep up with him and my typing at the same time.)
Oh, I’m so glad you “met” Linda – she is amazing as is her Kenya story. And do you follow Kristen from We Are that Family? Kenya completely changed her life too! I’m a huge Compassion fan and love what you are doing sharing about them over here. Blessings on you and your family this Christmas season.
~Lisa-Jo
Thank you, Lisa-Jo! I do follow Kristen and The Mercy House…amazing!
Hi just found your site. I didn’t know those nets were so cheap. My family tries to donate to an organization that helps others every month. We will make an effort to add Compassion to our list. Thanks for the information. Merry Christmas!
Thanks so much for visiting…and for putting Compassion on your list! Have a wonderful Christmas!
As an African (but not a Kenyan) thanks for bringing this up.