“Oh my, how am I going to get it all done? “I ask myself this question every year, starting the day after Thanksgiving. The thoughts of decorating my home, getting Christmas cards out, deciding and shopping for the right gift for everyone on my list, baking, and attending Christmas parties all seem to be critically important and quite overwhelming. Can I get an Amen from anybody? And I ask myself, “how did the celebration of the birth of our precious Savior, in a manger, turn into this?”
My thoughts go to my beloved brothers and sisters in the refugee camps in Uganda. How will they spend Christmas? No doubt they will attend a worship service and give thanks for the birth of their precious Savior. There won’t be any decorating, Christmas cards to get out on time, or the perfect gifts to worry about. What they will worry about is how they will get food for their family. And to make it worse, school will be on break for the months of December and January. Therefore, they will also have to find food for their children who usually get their one meal a day at school.
It’s hard not to ask God, “Why”? Why was I born here, in the land of plenty? Why are my brothers and sisters suffering? I know my Father is sovereign, and He knows what He is doing. He does not owe me any explanation. But I do ask myself, what should my response be? Do I have any responsibility? A couple of verses which resonate with me are 2 Corinthians 8:14, “At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.” And 2 Corinthians 9:12, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” My understanding from these passages is that God will be glorified by our helping His sons and daughters in the refugee camps.
Let me tell you about a current plan to try to help our brethren move toward being self-sustaining. Our small business owners and farmers have been struggling to be able to sell their goods in the refugee camps recently. Since the United Nations food rations ceased, refugees do not have food for their families. Previously they could sell a small amount of the rations to have a little money for medicine and other essentials. Now there is no money in circulation in the camps. LWCT has just been able to purchase a large truck to transport our entrepreneurs, and their wares and produce to one day markets that operate in all the surrounding areas between the camps. They will go to a different market each day, where the Ugandan host community shops. Those markets draw large numbers of shoppers and quite a bit of trading goes on there each day.
We are praising God for the provision of funds to be able to purchase this truck. Pray for this business venture to be successful, and for the refugees to give God all the glory for this provision.
If you want to share the blessing of helping your brothers and sisters in Christ in the refugee camps, you can do this by check, credit card, or by Zelle, using annrao@me.com.
Please keep the ministry of LWCT in prayer.
“With God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
Blessings,
Ann Rao
