It’s December 17, and it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Although December 25 looks a little different in Haiti. There aren’t enough resources to support a large cultural celebration, and Christmas isn’t a primary event for unbelievers because of it. But the church celebrates, and the theme of all our Christmas activities is the fellowship we share with one another because Jesus came to earth as a baby so many years ago.

At the Children’s Homes, we buy a bunch of presents, wrap them up in Christmas paper, and bring all the kids together for a fun gift exchange. Each child will pick out a present and give it to another kid, and the goal is always to bless someone else. Everyone has a chance both to receive and give, and the focus is on community, not the gifts themselves. We’re trying to communicate to our kids that this is family, and the best way to celebrate Christ’s birth is by looking for ways to care for one another—just like He overlooked His own interests when He became the “newborn King.”

We’re certainly facing some unexpected challenges this Christmas season. Gasoline is scarce because the gang controlling the port is limiting trade, and this means that we have less access than usual to goods and services we’ve come to rely on. While we pray constantly for God to change the hard realities of Haitian society, we are conscious that the reason we can pray in the first place is because of what Jesus already did for us that first Christmas. Our greatest hope is in the truth expressed by a well-known Christmas hymn—

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.

Learn more here about how you can give.