Gospel for Asia’s Forgotten Christmas’ campaign remembers those in Desperate Need

As holiday shopping in the United States is predicted to top $1 trillion this year, GFA (Gospel for Asia, www.gfa.org) is urging American Christians to make the season more Christ-centered by adding someone they don’t know to their gift list.

GFA’s “Forgotten Christmas” campaign (www.forgottenchristmas.org) gives an opportunity to churches and individuals to provide income-generating resources that can help lift a family out from poverty in Asia, where millions struggle to survive below the $1.90-a-day poverty line.

Centerpiece of the effort is a touching three-minute video drama which follows a young American boy as he provides desperately-needed groceries for a struggling couple in his neighborhood.

“Christmas is about so much more than just gifts,” viewers are told. “Let’s bring Christmas back to what it’s really meant to be about: giving hope to others. Why not go further than just next door. Make an impact around the world this Christmas.”

They can do that through the GFA  Christmas Gift Catalog (www.gfa.org/gift), which features almost 40 different giving opportunities.

For just $11—the price of three eggnog lattes—a pair of chickens can improve a family’s financial situation by breeding more birds that can be sold or the sale of their eggs. Other poverty-breaking gifts include a lamb for $65, a sewing machine for $85, and teaching someone to read for $25.

“There is so much to enjoy in the Christmas season, but it is easy to lose sight of the real meaning, if we are not careful,” said GFA founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan. “Christmas is about Jesus coming into the world, showing us God’s love in tangible form.

“Through a simple gift that can really change their circumstances, we can demonstrate his love to those struggling in poverty. We can show them that they may have been forgotten by the world, but they have not been forgotten by God or his people.”

GFA hopes that in this 12th year of the annual appeal they will beat the 2017 campaign, which saw more than 230,000 families in Asia receive help.

One GFA supporter who provides help through the gift catalog each year said: “What a wonderful way to invest treasure into some of the poorest of the poor—a way that gives them new opportunities for self-support and dignity and demonstrates God’s love for them.”

Photo Cutline: Through Forgotten Christmas and GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog, families receive income-producing gifts like this cow. (GFA Stock Photo)

About GFA World

GFA World (gospelforasia.net) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in more than 880 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 163,000 needy families, and teaching to provide hope and encouragement in 110 languages in 14 nations through broadcast ministry. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.