You Can Give The Best Christmas Present This Year
Have you ever bought a Christmas present for someone and couldn’t wait to give it to them? Especially if it’s the perfect gift for a child. You can picture their face as they open it, eyes lighting up as they tear off the paper! Your excitement is almost greater than theirs! It’s such a joy to watch how they play with a new toy, or carry a teddy around like it’s their most precious possession.
Picking out that special, perfect gift for someone is such an incredible feeling. If you’re anything like me though, it’s not always easy! But when you’ve finally found the perfect present, you just know what a difference it will make. It will be treasured and appreciated.
Sometimes, gifts are unappreciated. They might be enjoyed for a short while but then tossed aside. But for someone like Allu Pedda, a gift that you and I might find very simple, has the power to bring hope. To bring joy. To bring peace and to bring love. To be that perfect gift.
Little Munna longs to buy a present for his grandfather, Allu Pedda. But he can’t afford it. He knows what a difference a pair of protective sandals could make to his grandpa’s life. Currently, Allu Pedda struggles to walk or stand up for too long. Cuts on his feet often get infected. The perfect gift of special sandals costs just £10.
Thankfully children like Munna can rely on faithful supporters like you to give their grandparents the perfect gift. You are always there for people affected by leprosy, showing them your love. Showing them that you care.
Your kindness can give people like Allu Pedda a pair of protective sandals that they so desperately need. You will be helping children like Munna bring a moment of joy this Christmas. How many pairs of sandals can you provide? How many smiles can you make? Please give whatever you can afford.
You will be showing people like Allu Pedda that Christmas is for everyone. That people affected by leprosy deserve to be included at Christmastime.
Allu Pedda was diagnosed with leprosy 20 years ago. He noticed the tell-tale patches on his skin and went to a Leprosy Mission hospital. Thankfully it was there that he received the cure for leprosy.
Even though his leprosy was cured, the effects of the diagnosis remain. The rejection. The feeling of not belonging. He dreams of being part of the community again. But he never gets an invite to any party or meal. His family does, but Allu Pedda is left behind. Sometimes people send food back to him, but it’s not the same.
Munna can see how lonely his grandpa feels. It happens every time they get invited somewhere. Allu Pedda looks and waves as the rest of the family leaves. But his head drops as he goes back inside their home. He wishes he could go too. He wishes he had something to smile about.
Like many elderly people with leprosy, Allu Pedda is also struggling because of cataracts. He needs eye surgery. £63 can provide the gift of sight this Christmas.
Today you can be the reason that Allu Pedda and others like him can smile again. With a gift today, you can help provide eye surgery. Your kindness will restore precious sight. And show that someone cares. That you care.
You will also help to teach the local community that they shouldn’t exclude people affected by leprosy. You can make sure people like Allu Pedda can join in with celebrations too. Can you imagine the smile on his face when he can join his family and friends again and share a meal?
Allu Pedda is a shepherd. He needs to be able to see well and have sandals to protect his feet as he walks across rough terrain. There are so many risks and dangers when herding sheep. I’m sure there are times he is not just lonely but afraid that he might not be able to carry on doing his job.
It reminds me of the shepherd’s role in the nativity. We read in Luke 2:
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
(LUKE 2:8-9 NIV)
It’s hard to imagine how afraid they would have been at this remarkable event. Ultimately, it was good news. The shepherds were told the most important news of all time. Jesus, Son of God, Love’s pure light, was born.
It must have been quite a shock to the shepherds. They were often treated as separate from the community, like outcasts. They were looked down on even. As we can see in the scripture, they weren’t just in the fields. They were living in them. I wonder if they knew the magnitude of that announcement.
Like Allu Pedda, they wouldn’t have been expecting good news.
Today you can show love’s pure light to people like Allu Pedda. You can share the same message of the Angel, ‘Don’t be afraid, I bring you good news’. You can bring people like Allu Pedda good news they aren’t expecting.
Your gift of £10 can provide someone affected by leprosy with a pair of protective sandals
Or your gift of £52 can provide ulcer care
£63 can provide someone affected by leprosy with the gift of sight
A gift of £120 can provide surgery to repair hands damaged by leprosy
£700 provides a prosthetic leg, so someone affected by leprosy can have their freedom restored
Or £4,725 can provide healthcare for at least 25 people in a community.
Today will you include people affected by leprosy in your Christmas? Will you ensure people like Allu Pedda are not left alone and get the perfect gift they need? You can do this with a kind gift this Christmas. It could be the best present you’ve ever bought.
Thank you for your love and compassion this Christmas, I pray that you have a peaceful Christmas filled with joy.
My Gift To Help Families Like Allu Pedda’s
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