For the boys and girls that Buckner International serves around the world, peace emerges from the little things we tend to ignore. A pair of shoes. A new coat. And most importantly, God's Word.

For these children, it isn't about the item they receive. It's about knowing they are not forgotten.

Through the 2010 Buckner Christmas Gift Catalog, you can purchase peace for someone in need. Help a child learn to read and write. Feed a family for a week. Purchase diapers for an international orphanage. Buy building supplies for a home someone never thought they would own. As you help, you're making an eternal difference in the lives of those in need because the hope of Christ goes along with it.

While you begin planning the holidays with your friends and family, remember those who may not share in your comforts and do something about it.

If you'd like to provide hope for someone this Christmas, click here.

A tall order? Not necessarily. The actual goal–a special Christmas project–is
1,500 Baskets of Love to homes in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

A Basket of Love costs just $50 USD and is chocked full of essential
supplies that gets delivered to the home of the recipient by a local IN Network
church partner. The visit creates opportunity in two
ways: first, it meets a significant need. Second, it connects Christian nationals with residents and
opens the door for more effectively sharing the Gospel.

The program offers three ways to address
a need of the family. The first way is
through A Basket
of Food, which includes basic nutritious food–enough to feed a
family for two full weeks. The second way is A Basket
of Education that provides all the supplies a child needs
to attend school, empowering them to move beyond a life of poverty.

Lastly, A Basket of Medical Supplies provides protection against diseases which threaten a child's life, as well as supplies to improve the family's overall health.

You can give a Basket of Love in
honor of a friend or family member, acknowledged
with a gift card for each basket that you give.

IN Network invites you to join them this
Christmas in delivering love to a family in need — one basket at a time.

"We're talking about saving the life of a child," says the President of Medical Teams International Bas Vanderzalm. "Every year, more than 8 million children die of preventable diseases. That's a child every four seconds. And there's a lot we can do to make a difference in these children."

Vanderzalm says you can give the gift of life through the Christmas gift catalog. "We have ways people can help prevent malaria, help prevent diarrhea, and save the life of a child for very little money –maybe $20, or $8 — for medicines or a bed net."

Your gift does more than help physically. "Those who receive this help will understand this is coming because God loves them. We hope that as a result, their hearts will be transformed as well as their physical needs."

As you give your gift, you can actually make it a Christmas gift for someone on your "Hard to Buy For" list, says Vanderzalm. "You can make that in honor of someone, like your father or mother. Or perhaps an uncle or a friend. And they will get a card from us," thanking them for saving a life.

Your gift given now through the year of the year will be even more effective. Vanderzalm says, "We have a family that would like to challenge other people in supporting us and contributing through this catalog, so they have actually said to us that for every gift that we receive up to a total of $200,000, they will match the gifts."

To help Medical Teams International, click here, or call 1-800-959-4325 and request your catalog.

Patrick Klein, founder and President of Vision Beyond Borders, says it was difficult to get into the country at the beginning of the disaster. But now, "The government's clamping down even more. We just had two teams who were in there. They said the borders are getting even tighter. The goverment is looking more closely for materials being carried in. Thankfully our teams were able to get through."

Klein describes some of the items they've been carrying in to the country. "We've been taking in a lot of medicine, vegetables, seeds, and clothes, We're also getting Bibles in and trying to reach the people, especially in the delta [region] because there's been so much devastation."

Now, the government is clamping down on another segment of society. "It seems like the government has just tightened the screws even tighter. We just had reported to us that 50 churches were just closed in Yangon," says Klein.

Has the work of VBB been affected by this? Klein says no. "We've been working kind
of low level with some local contacts and trying to keep out a foreign
presence so it doesn't draw attention to them." 

Vision Beyond Borders is building orphanages in Myanmar to provide for the many children who were orphaned by Cyclone Nargis. Klein says the work is moving forward. "We have one already completed. We have three more under construction already, and we're hoping the fifth one will start construction in June."

It's important that these orphanages are opened with Christian caregivers. Klein says otherwise these kids will be raised in Buddhist orphanages. "The Buddhists are trying to get the Christian kids to renounce their Christian faith and convert to Buddhism. That's why we're working very hard to build orphanages as soon as possible — get them into good Christian homes, where they can be loved and get an education and grow in their relationship of Jesus Christ."

Funding is needed to make sure these orphanages can open. If you'd like to help Vision Beyond Borders, click here.