The Unclaimed Gift: Give Generously

“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” Luke 6:38

In my quest to give back this Christmas season, I am always on the lookout for gifts that are dual purpose. That is that my purchase helps change the life of the person who made it as well as the person who received it. I have, over the course of my life, seen so much waste around Christmas. I was, sadly, one of “those” parents who bought my kids everything that was on the must-have list only to see it discarded shortly after the holidays.

This year, as I said in a previous post, we are giving the grand kids memberships to zoos, aquariums, museums and even amusement parks. Things that last. Things we can do with them. Not stuff to fill their bedrooms or their closets only to be tossed out halfway through the year when the next important must-have comes along.

For my friends and family, I have been seeking gifts that benefit some of the ministries that I support. When I was at Declare Conference I made some wonderful friends who have fantastic ministry partners from around the world.

The jewelry alone will make you swoon. There is everything from clothes to toys to jewelry to books to artwork and did I mention jewelry? One of my friends even puts together a box of cool stuff (the last one had coffee in it so I was totally in heaven) and sends it out monthly for a small price that changes the lives of the ministries it supports.

I have included a few of my favorite ones here. I hope you enjoy shopping and remember that your life will always get better by giving. Just click on the red links to go right to the page or copy/paste the web address into your browser.

HandMadeInHaiti

www.etsy.com/shop/HandmadeFromHaiti

My friend Shelley has a ministry called 1 Heart 1 Mission in Haiti. When she goes to Haiti she brings back jewelry made by women and men who are struggling to feed their families so they don't lose their children. All the money that is raised through her etsy shop, HandMadeInHaiti is used to take care of the orphans,provide food at the feeding center for 266 kids and any other monetary need such as helping pay the teachers and staff at the school and orphanage. The school is free for the children. Every piece is unique and every purchase blesses another family in Haiti.

Goose Goose Designs
www.etsy.com/shop/goosegoosedesigns

Goose Goose Designs began with a desire to find neutral designs in children's accessories like paci straps and bibs. When she couldn't find anything she liked, she began making her own. The children's infinity scarf is an exclusive design by Shanna. While stationed in Germany, Shanna's mother began collecting Hummel figurines. Shanna "claimed" GOOSE GIRL as hers. Because of her choosing that one, her father began calling her "his little goose girl". Hence her shop is called "GooseGooseDesigns."

Fair Trade Friday Club
http://fairtradefriday.club/

Fair Trade Friday is a monthly membership club that delivers a box of 3-4 high quality items to your door by the first Friday of the month. The items in the box are fairly traded and provide employment to women all over the world. 100% of the proceeds from each box goes to the empowerment of impoverished women as an avenue to introduce them to the Gospel. Plus, they are really cute!

Eternal Threads
http://eternalthreads.org/

Eternal Threads began as a mission to help one group of women in India and has become a global community of women. Even though these women live in diverse areas of the world they share the same needs and hope for the future. Because they live in extreme poverty they need a means of creating income to care for their families, preventing their children from suffering from lack of nutrition, health care, education, shelter and the possibility of being exploited or trafficked.

I hope you were able to find lots of lovely gifts to share. Make sure to include the ministry message with each gift so that the person who receives it can share that information with everyone who asks. Together we can change the world by giving.

Acts 25:35 reminds us that "the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Give generously this holiday season.

Blessings and thanks for being along for the journey,