(Photo courtesy AMG International)
USA (AMG) — Most of the United States is celebrating Independence Day.
The team at AMG International is celebrating Christmas in July with the launch of the 2014 Christmas Card Project. AMG asked sponsored children in their childcare centers all over the world to draw Christmas pictures and send them in to the AMG headquarters in Chattanooga, TN.
They received over 1,000 of them and turned the best ones into *Christmas cards that will be available for purchase. Sold in packs of 8 and 16 (for $12 and $20 respectively), each card bears some kind of Gospel message along with a little about the work of AMG. Funds raised by the card sale will go toward the childcare ministry projects, which dovetails neatly with the July planning for the Bundles of Love.
(Photo courtesy AMG International)
When AMG’s field leaders distribute the Bundles at Christmas, it is not merely a handout, but a time of celebration. Each Bundle of Love includes items specially selected to benefit the individuals receiving them, whether school supplies and uniforms, shoes, clothing, blankets, books, or toys. AMG also provide copies of God’s Word to those who do not have one.
AMG also distributes Bundles of Love to national workers, church planters, and national staff. Each resident of AMG’s Valley of Love, a community of individuals suffering with leprosy, also receives a Bundle of Love. $20 makes it happen.
(Photo courtesy AMG International)
What impact can such a simple gift have? It is hard to measure, but the joy on the face of each person who receives one speaks volumes. In a life of hardship and sacrifice, something unearned and unexpected can refresh a hurting soul. The gift is appreciated, but the giver is loved. Think about the best gifts you’ve ever received: do you cherish them because of how valuable they are in themselves, or because of who gave them to you and the stories behind them?
These are joyful celebrations where the Christmas story and the Gospel are retold, tying this gift with the ultimate gift God offers each of us. In this way, the symbol (a Bundle of Love) is deliberately connected with the wonderful reality of eternal life given by God.
Is there any better Christmas gift that you could give?
*At present, cards can only be purchased by phone.
You can reach AMG International here:
6815 Shallowford Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421
USA: 800.251.7206
INTL: 423.894.6060
FAX: 423.894.6863
