December 2010

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

December marks a wondrous time on our Christian calendar: the celebration of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. It’s a time when we reflect upon God’s greatest gift to us, and we symbolically honor this gift by sharing presents with those we love.

I don’t know about you, but in recent years, I’ve become overwhelmed with Christmas gift-giving. It seems that each year, retailers begin advertising Christmas specials even earlier than the year before. Everywhere you go, retailers proclaim that they have the biggest, best gift. It just seems that somewhere along the way, we’ve forgotten why we really celebrate Christmas in the first place.

That’s why this year, I’m determined to honor the real meaning of Christmas and the spirit of selfless giving. And, I’d like to ask you to do the same by making a gift  to CBM.

Believe me, I know that you, too, are receiving pleas for help from a variety of organizations in need. And while they are all worthy causes, I truly believe that the needs of those CBM serves are the greatest. You see CBM reaches out to the poorest of the poor around the world—people with disabilities living in developing countries. These folks are society’s forgotten. They have limited—and most often—no access to the basic necessities of life including adequate healthcare, livelihood, or education. Sadly, many also struggle to find enough food to eat. For these people, help is nowhere to be found. There are no social service programs. No free clinics or food banks. They live each day on the edge of survival.

This Christmas, you have the wonderful chance to make a remarkable difference for the millions of people with disabilities living in crushing poverty. Now, you can ensure that they have the opportunity to be fully included in society. That a single mother receives a micro-credit loan to start a business to support her child with a disability. That a child’s future isn’t over simply because of a broken leg.

I’d like to share Shibre’s story with you because it illustrates just how vital your gifts to CBM really are. Shibre, 8, lives in Adama, Ethiopia. Like children everywhere, she loved to use her imagination to explore and discover. Her favorite activity was climbing trees and rocks. But in the poorest parts of the world, a child’s imagination can also mean disaster.

When she was just three, Shibre slipped and fell, wedging her foot between two rocks. In a split second, her tiny leg cracked below the knee and the bone splintered through her skin.

Though her grandmother, Bissa, wanted to help her, with no money, she did the unthinkable: nothing.

That’s how quickly a life can change. A simple childhood accident can lead to a lifetime of disability and poverty.

Shibre never received any treatment for her injury, and her wounds “healed” to leave her leg horribly deformed. The girl who once enjoyed the freedom of playing and running around was now forced to crawl on her hands and knees. She wasn’t able to go to school. Children in her village cruelly taunted her.

Desperate to help, Bissa sold everything she could to pay for treatment, but it seemed no one could help…until CBM. Workers found Shibre on a routine outreach visit, and she was referred to a specialist hospital where she had surgery. Shibre received in-home therapy and is now in school again. With education, she has a real chance to escape poverty.

Though Shibre is grateful for CBM’s help, it’s Bissa who is overwhelmingly thankful for CBM’s priceless gift. Elated, she told us, “I am happy and joyful. I can say that you are my granddaughter’s savior.”

This is the impact your gift this Christmas can have. Just as God gave us the greatest gift through Jesus, I pray that you’ll give a child like Shibre the greatest gift: new life.

May you and yours experience God’s richest blessings this Christmas season, and best wishes for a joyous new year.

 

In Christ,

 

Loretta Dodgen
Chairman of the Board, CBM-US

 

December 2009

I’ve been taking inventory. Not the typical kind of inventory you think of this time of year. I haven’t been inventorying the Christmas presents I have or haven’t bought, or the pounds I’ve gained or lost, but have been thinking (and doing a mental inventory) of spiritual gifts.

As a Christian organization, even we can overlook our spiritual gifts. Hidden talents that are sometimes right there in front of us. As I spent time looking around the table at our Christmas meal together, I realized how grateful I am for the quality of individuals who are part of the CBM-US family. Each of them represents and fulfills a different purpose, although we are working together toward a common goal.

Their intellectual gifts—financial, administrative, Website oversight, donor relations, project coordination—are being used to help some of the world’s poorest people. But their spiritual gifts—their heart and sheer dedication to find ways to help those children and adults—are perhaps even more touching.

We’re at the time of the year where we take a few steps back and look back over the year, considering all that has happened. As we have redoubled our efforts to reach out to donors and tell them our story, we have also worked tirelessly to do more with less so that we can uphold our commitment to the people we help.

Every so often we have the pleasure of getting to know some of our donors personally and discovering their spiritual gifts. Many of our donors have been with us for years, continuing their financial gifts even during times of hardship and transition. I would like to be able to reach out to each of you, as I’m able to do with our staff, and offer an embrace of friendship and a heartfelt “thank you” for all that you’ve done to change the life of a child, or a mother or father or grandmother or grandfather who would be living in darkness or silence without you.

And my hope for you is that you’re able to spend a little time thinking about your own spiritual gifts and finding new ways to utilize those gifts as we celebrate the spirit and season of Christmas.