F or many people, the traditional gift-giving season is Christmastime as we celebrate the gift of Jesus, God’s Son, and seek to mirror that outpouring of love. But with Gift of Hope, you can give much-needed hope to people around the world any time of the year. After all, hope is needed year-round—as are basic needs that are met with the gifts below. These unique, meaningful gifts that give back are perfect for celebrating special occasions or honoring loved ones throughout the year, perhaps as a birthday gift, a thank you for a teacher, a Mother’s Day gift for a mother figure, or a way to make a difference on Earth Day. Or maybe you just want to give lasting hope as a way of sharing Christ’s love—no occasion needed! The stories shared here show the difference you make possible when you give a gift of hope, any time of the year.
Hope-filled clean water
In parts of the world, clean water is not available at the turn of a faucet knob. For young girls like Naserian, fetching clean water from a nearby well is a chore that she doesn’t take for granted. While the three-mile walk to the nearest well and the three-mile walk home can take up a significant amount of her day, 13-year-old Naserian knows that the journey is worth the outcome. Without clean water, Naserian’s family could get sick and not have enough to use for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. She makes the task fun by including her little brother Sasine.
Your gift will provide more communities and families, like Naserian’s, with access to clean water.
Hope at the climbing gym
Raul’s nickname among some of the leaders of the Fără Limite climbing gym in Romania is “golden hands” because, even though he’s only 12, he’s a huge help around the gym, especially when it comes to setting routes. Every Tuesday and Thursday, gym staff Ionut and Ruben set new routes so that the kids always have something new to climb on, and most days, Raul is there, too, always ready to help in whatever way he can. It’s clear that he has “golden hands” at home too—winter can be a really difficult season in Dallas, Romania, and Raul works tirelessly to find cardboard, paper, and even old clothes that he can burn in his family’s stove to keep their apartment warm in cold months.
Helping out with route setting is one of Raul’s favorite activities at Fără Limite, but it’s not the only way he’s involved. He also climbs nearly every day, travels with the climbing team to competitions around the country, and takes classes with Raluca and Damaris at the after-school education program. “I’m here all week,” he says, laughing, adding that his life would be worse without Fără Limite. He’s happy that he has a place where he can hang out and do something productive with his time instead of staying on his phone all day.
Raul has learned how to sew with Raluca, and Damaris is helping him catch up on his reading so that he can do better in school. Fără Limite has become a safe place and a healthy environment for Raul, a place where he can learn and grow and joyfully offer his own help back.
Your gift of hope allows kids like Raul to experience safety and respect, develop life skills, pursue education, and come to know the love of Christ, all through rock climbing.
Sponsor a student climber | $40
Plenty of plants and hope
Sandra shares what she felt when she heard about CEPAD’s (Council of Protestant Churches of Nicaragua) Family Gardening Program.
“It was in this moment that I felt this to be my opportunity to improve my home, land, and family by growing our own produce without using a lot of space or time.”
Since then, Sandra took what little land she had and started working with it. She shares about her experience in the program.
“Due to the workshops and ten diverse seeds for vegetables, plantains, and fruits, I’m able to take advantage of my garden. I make and use organic compost and insecticide. I can harvest in different months throughout the year, securing tomatoes, pepper, onion, carrots, squash, cucumbers, radish, yucca, papaya, pineapple, and plantains. Even more than learning how to grow my own produce, I’ve also learned how to save seeds, which makes my garden sustainable for future harvests.”
Thanks to some new knowledge and materials, Sandra is set up for success for years to come. She no longer has to worry about feeding her family or how she will afford her basic needs. With your gift of seeds, tools, and training, you can make this a new, hopeful reality for other women like Sandra.
Give seeds, tools, and training | $65
Story shared with permission from CEPAD; originally shared on CEPAD’s website.
Sewing hope: threads of resilience
Ganga is a remarkable young Indian woman with a story that embodies resilience and hope. Ganga’s life took a challenging turn after a life-altering accident left her father paralyzed, making it even more difficult to provide for their family. With just a seventh-grade education, she and her mother became domestic servants to make ends meet.
Ganga’s life took a turn for the better when she learned about a tailoring program where she lives in India. Her dreams are as inspiring as her determination—she aspires to create a brighter future for her parents and siblings through her newfound skills upon graduating from the tailoring program, when she will receive a sewing machine.
With this gift, you’re not just changing the lives of women like Ganga; you’re igniting a ray of hope in their futures. Your support can turn dreams into reality.
Hope and healing along the Amazon River
Last September, during an afternoon medical boat visit and Vacation Bible School (VBS) at São Benedito Village along the Amazon River, Tainá (the girl in the red jacket in the picture) had a powerful encounter with Christ. After receiving medical care, the medical boat team and the day’s patients discussed their identities in Christ, and Tainá had an emotional breakthrough. She confided about her troubled past, growing up with a drunk, violent, and abusive father. The VBS that day brought her closer to understanding God’s presence in her life.
Your gift provides medical care and allows the medical mission teams to keep spreading a message of hope and healing. The rivers are full, and the time is ripe for more people to discover Christ’s love through the gift of medical missions.
A shelter of hope at the border
Antonio and Lupita’s journey exemplifies love, resilience, and the power of unity. They traveled to Frontera de Gracia shelter for migrants in Juarez, Mexico, escaping the unrest and dangers that had clouded their hopes for a safe future in Honduras. While they had always been committed to each other, they had never been formally married.
During their stay at the shelter, they received valuable legal advice: it might be safer for them to cross the border as legally married spouses to avoid separation. The stakes were even higher as Lupita discovered she was pregnant. Their deep love for one another was evident to all.
In a heartwarming display of unity, the church women and other residents at the border rallied together, buying Lupita a beautiful dress and food to prepare a wedding meal. Antonio and Lupita were married at the Civil Registry, and a church ceremony was planned at Frontera de Gracia—a joyous event everyone was looking forward to.
However, the realities of their journey intervened. Their “number was called” by U.S. Border Control, prompting them to hastily move forward. They managed to keep their appointment for their civil wedding, officially becoming husband and wife. Yet, their church ceremony and celebration had to be postponed.
Before departing from Frontera de Gracia, they made a promise to Pastor Samuel. They were determined to find a new church in America for their family and celebrate their love with a worshipful ceremony before God and the Body of Christ.
Your gift can provide more people who are on the move, like Antonio and Lupita, a safe place to rest their head and food to fill their bellies as they legally seek a new, safer home.
Hope and peace in a refugee camp
The ripple effect of this peace training gift that gives back translates into more reconciliation, peace, and social cohesion for South Sudanese people who have been uprooted from their cherished homeland.
Joseph is someone who has received this hope. His life has already been transformed by this vital peacemaker training.
“In the refugee camps, what traumatizes people most is their own anger,” he shared. These emotions often stem from domestic violence, divorce, family care disputes, and the lasting trauma of the experiences that forced them from their homes.
“These things can traumatize a person,” Joseph continued. “People might think about these things all night without sleeping.”
After completing the peacemaker training, Joseph has begun applying his newfound skills. Now, when he witnesses disagreements in the camp, he steps in as a mediator before conflicts escalate into violence.
Your year-round generosity is a lifeline of peace for refugees who often find themselves engulfed in a sea of turmoil.
Equip a refugee camp peacemaker | $200
Lighter loads and hopeful families
In a small village, deep in the middle of Maasailand, the dust stirs as the women and children begin their daily walk to collect water. Worn hands hold empty 20-liter containers against tired backs and heads as they begin the hot, 14-mile journey to a shallow, sandy water hole. This is part of the daily rhythm of survival for many in Africa’s Great Rift Valley—all of this work for unclean water.
This used to be Parakuo’s situation. Her life and the lives of the women in her village began to change when the Reformed Church in America (RCA), Maasai Outreach Mission, and generous donors helped dig a deep well nearer to her village, providing clean water for the surrounding community. The women could now deliver clean water to their families.
Even with clean water, though, the long walk was hard and hot. The heavy containers weighed on the women’s bodies.
But that’s not the end of the story. Over the last several years, generous RCA supporters have recognized the physical weight of this work and have given generously to provide water rollers through Gift of Hope. Because of these gifts, the RCA and Maasai Outreach Mission distributed 320 water rollers to families in the area—including Parakuo, changing her life for the better once more.
Water rollers help women like Parakuo transport four times as much water in one trip. This means fewer trips to the well, saving time and enabling them to attend school or explore economic opportunities. While Parakuo still travels 10 miles to fetch water, water rollers ease the strain on her body.
“Before, I had to get water daily,” says Parakuo. “Now I only have to travel two times per week and I can spend more time with [my eight] children.”
Parakuo daily feels the positive impact of the gift of clean water and water rollers. It has improved her health and the health of her family. In addition to having more time to spend together, her older daughters are able to devote time to schoolwork. Water rollers have lightened Parakuo’s load and given her family hope.
Your gift of a water roller allows women and girls to access clean water and save hours a day transporting it back to their families.
