Christmas with a twist

We are fast approaching our first Christmas here in Cambodia – a hot, tropical, Buddhist country. Sounds crazy, right? I bet some of you are even thinking “What kind of Christmas is that anyway?”


We have opted to head to a small island off the Cambodian coast to spend Christmas with Dave's parents and younger sister. It will certainly be different!


But we are not the only ones aware that this is a special time of year. Despite what you might think, there is a Christmas of sorts taking place here, but it is sadly a purely commercial affair.

A Cambodian friend of ours recently told us that most Cambodians actually know about Christmas, but think it’s just part of the annual shopping cycle – another western holiday around which to sell more goods and make more money. Very few people know that it has anything at all to do with Christianity, never mind the birth of Jesus Christ.

We therefore have Christmas lights and decorations in some of the more western shops in Phnom Penh along with ‘Christmassy’ products like plastic trees and greeting cards with Santa Claus. We have all the commercial trappings of Christmas but absolutely none of its meaning.

The challenge for us is how to communicate the true meaning of Christmas to the people around us, people who have no prior knowledge of Jesus, the Bible or the Christian faith. With barriers like language and culture in our way, we have opted for actions over words – looking for opportunities to practically show people the love of God during the Christmas period.

This includes helping to throw a Christmas ‘party’ for the street kids we work with, giving small ‘goodie bags’ to some of our neighbors and donating some money to Christian ministries who are trying to spread God’s love here in Cambodia.

In the Book of Matthew, Jesus explains to his disciples that “whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me” and “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

This is challenging stuff, particularly at Christmas time, when there is so much giving taking place but seemingly so little of it directed to those in need. Maybe the challenge is more obvious here in Cambodia, where the ‘least of these’ – street kids, orphans, beggars, prostitutes, HIV/AIDS sufferers – are there for everyone to see. But it’s surely a challenge for all Christians, no matter where they happen to live.

With this in mind, we would like to invite you to join us in doing something a little ‘different’ this Christmas. Remembering that when you give to the downtrodden and despised you are actually giving to God, consider what you might give to those in need either in Cambodia or in another part of the world this Christmas.

Here are just a few suggestions for having Christmas with a twist:

1. Get a copy of the ‘Alternative Gift Catalogue’ (www.greatgifts.org) and select a present to give to someone in the developing world. As well as gifts such as goats, pigs and water filters, you might want to give a wheelchair to someone here in Cambodia. This scheme is overseen by World Vision, who will give the gift you choose on the behalf of a friend or family member. These are gifts that give twice!

2. Write a cheque to SAO Cambodia, letting them know that the money is for the ‘Vann Different Christmas Fund’. Then email us with instructions on where you would like the money to be directed once we have received it from SAO. You may wish to make a Christmas gift to one of the following projects that we can recommend:

Hischild provides basic healthcare, food, literacy & numeracy, fun & games and Christian teaching to kids living and working on the streets of Phnom Penh through its purpose-built bus. This is a fantastic programme and one we give up our Friday nights for. For more information, click here.

White Lotus is a residential program that provides care, shelter and training for women and girls who have been or are at risk of being sexually exploited. Laura hope to spend some time volunteering with this ministry next year, a holistic project that focuses on meeting the physical, emotional, spiritual and social needs of the girls they work with. For more information, click here.

SPPA aims to empower poor villagers from rural and urban areas to set up and run their own micro-enterprises. An effective combination of solid Christian values and sound Business principles, these micro-enterprises are resourced to produce a range of natural food and homeware products, sold across Cambodia with all profits returning to the villagers. For more information, click here.

Asian Outreach Cambodia is a Christian organisation that equips Cambodian Christians and Churches to transform their local communities through a holistic approach to community development - encompassing education, healthcare and spiritual support. For more information, click here.

3. Give the gift of hope to a child in the developing world this Christmas by becoming part of the Compassion Child Sponsorship Programme (www.compassionuk.org). You can even choose the part of the world you want to sponsor a child from and begin a special relationship that will have a lasting impact on someone’s life. We are doing this already and think it’s great!

4. Why not give some time to the ‘least of these’ in your local community. Whether at a local church, homelessness project or Shelter Drop-In Centre, there is bound to be an opportunity to give your time on Christmas Day to help feed the homeless in your town. This can be a special thing to do as a family and will certainly be a special gift to those you are serving. Give them a call and offer to volunteer for a few hours.

5. Open your calendar for 2007 and see if you can’t give some time to people who need to experience the love of God during the upcoming year. There are countless short-term mission opportunities or volunteering schemes (UK or abroad) for people of all ages, giving you the chance to give of yourself and show others the love of God through your actions. Pick up a copy of the Short Term Missions Directory or visit www.christianvocations.org for more ideas.

Some of these things will not be realistic for you or your family and some of you will already be doing these things - maybe for several years already! Regardless of what you end up doing this Christmas, we hope that it is a time filled with blessings from the God who just loves to give, give, give.