A Lasting Gift this Christmas
Christmas Gift by Petr Kratochvil
Recently, I was blown away by the generosity and ingenuity of an Audio Bibles For The Blind supporter, and I wanted to tell you about her. Allison felt called to get involved with Audio Bibles For The Blind, but she wondered what she could do with her own limited resources. And that’s when the idea came to her: Allison wouldn’t just give to support our ministry, she would organize her own fundraiser.
Allison gathered her friends and members of their church. Together, they organized two yard sales. The proceeds went to buy Audio Bibles for the blind and print handicapped. Not only were the yard sales a success, but Allison’s group raised more money than they expected! The pastor of their church was so moved by the initiative that he got the entire church involved, and they sent another donation to buy even more Audio Bibles.
Allison knows that we can’t all be on the front lines helping those who have lost their sight and need encouragement, but she also knows that each and every one of us has something to contribute to this ministry. Every single one of us must do our part.
That’s why I’m writing to you today. I’m asking you to help us provide Audio Bibles to those who cannot pick up a Bible and read for themselves the promises of God’s unending faithfulness.
When you send in a gift, you help us meet an immediate need for God’s Spoken Word. Your gift goes directly to providing Audio Bibles for children who were born blind, for the elderly who have lost their sight, or for accident victims who can no longer read from a book.
In addition to giving today, I’d like to invite you to get involved in a different way. I’m inviting you to find inspiration in Allison’s story and organize your own event to raise funds for even more Audio Bibles.
You see, we’re nearing the end of the year and we have more requests than we can fill. If we don’t raise more support now, we will have to turn down requests for Audio Bibles. We will have to say no to someone like Michael who recently lost his sight and wrote to us seeking encouragement and peace in God’s Spoken Word. I don’t want that to happen, and I don’t think you do, either.
That’s why I was so excited when I learned about what Allison is doing. She’s not just raising money to provide Audio Bibles, she’s also helping to spread the word about this ministry and get new people involved. Would you help us spread the Word, too?
We’re heading into the holiday season, and if you’re like me, you’ll be involved in several holiday parties, events, and gatherings. Why not use that opportunity to not only celebrate, but also to share the beauty of the Christmas story with those who cannot read it for themselves? How beautiful that your Christmas party would allow someone like Michael to sit by the fire and listen to the story of Christ’s birth!
Picture by Petr Kratochvil
Here are some simple ways you can give a lasting gift this Christmas:
• Organize a fall yard sale with your neighbors. Send the proceeds to buy Audio BIbles.
• Share the ministry of Audio Bibles For The Blind with your friends at a holiday party. Put a special basket under the Christmas tree where they can leave a donation to buy Audio Bibles.
• Go Christmas caroling in the neighborhood with your friends, and tell your neighbors that you’re collecting donations to give Audio Bibles to the blind and print handicapped this Christmas.
• Take up a collection at work and encourage your co-workers to participate instead of buying gifts for each other.
• Host a holiday bake sale to give the sweetest gift of all––the gift of God’s Spoken Word.
• Use your gifts to be creative, and let us know what you do!
The best part is that you don’t have to do this alone. By working together with friends from your Sunday School Class, Bible Study, Book Club, or any other social group you attend, you can put together a simple fundraiser doing what you’d do anyway for the holidays. But the results will last a lifetime when people like Michael have their spirits lifted and their souls enriched by listening to God’s Word.
Especially for Christians like Michael who go blind later in life, the loss is excruciating. When they lose the ability to read the Scriptures for themselves, they tell me that they feel they have lost a lifelong friend. And when people like Michael hear their favorite verses spoken aloud to them on their very own Audio Bible, it’s as if their friend has come back from the dead. Their smiles say more than their letters and thank you cards ever could. They are uplifted, encouraged, and so deeply moved.
This Christmas, I want to give away as many Audio Bibles as we possible can. But our financial support is especially low right now, and it’s going to take a Christmas miracle to meet all the requests piled on my desk, with more arriving each day.
You can be that Christmas miracle.
When you send in your support today, and when you organize a special event for Audio Bibles For The Blind, you give so much more than a few MP3 disks or audio cassettes––you give the gift of God’s eternal promises. Your support of Audio Bibles For The Blind brings back the lost friend, uplifts the down trodden, and offers peace to people like Michael.
Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity. Thank you for getting involved and making an eternal difference in countless lives.
“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness” (2 Thessalonians 1:11, NKJV).
http://AudioBiblesfortheBlind.org/donate
