Give Gifts with a Purpose This Christmas Season!

ChristmasTown at the Creation Museum and ChristmasTime at the Ark Encounter are a perfect opportunity to view FT items! Enjoy a sea of lights, Christmas music, and many Christmas-themed events.

As I was preparing for this article, I asked several individuals how they would explain FT. The most common responses were “helping those from impoverished countries” and “helping farmers provide for their families,” one even responded that they had no idea what the phrase meant. Based on just the two definitions above, supporting FT by purchasing their items is a worthwhile cause. Indeed, the descriptions above are accurate but not all-encompassing. To completely define FT, one would have to include assisting those who have come out of very bleak circumstances in life and, from a Christian perspective, aiding those directly involved in evangelistic work.

Fortunately, such items can be obtained through online and many local retail outlets. In fact, many communities and larger cities in the US, Canada, and throughout the world offer conferences to encourage support of and bring awareness to the FT movement. Some smaller cities are getting involved as well. Lawrenceburg, Indiana, located a short distance from our Answers in Genesis Creation Museum, offers an FT marketplace, the next one being this weekend at the Dearborn County Fairgrounds. Locate similar FT shows or expos in your local area and take advantage of this opportunity to support those in underdeveloped countries, particularly with ministries that share the gospel while helping those in need. You can give gifts with an eternal purpose this Christmas season!

Many visitors to the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum are unaware of the powerful impact they can have when purchasing items in our FT retail sections. For example, the artisans with Project Lydia produce beautiful products like make-your-own-necklace beads—but these are far from what you would normally see in another retail outlet as these are handmade beads from paper! Many FT creations are one-of-a-kind items available only through their websites or directly from vendors, and a large percentage of those may only be available for a limited time.

While uniqueness alone would make an FT product a tremendous gift for a friend or loved one during this Christmas season, what truly makes it a gift with a purpose is that purchasing the Project Lydia items helps many women in Uganda who otherwise would have no possible means of supporting their families. Many of these ladies are widows or women whose husbands have abandoned them after they have found a “younger” wife, a sad practice in many developing countries around the world. These women are left with no visible means to provide for the basic necessities of life, such as food, shelter, and clothing—all things that many people in the world take for granted.

In 2009, Project Lydia stepped in, and as of 2023, they employ 250 women! The lives of these individuals have been transformed as they are taught handcrafting skills and create goods to be sold around the world! Practically speaking, buying a handbag, basket, or an authentic Ugandan doll from Project Lydia can put a plate of matoke (matoke is the national dish of Uganda, a dish of boiled and mashed plantains) in front of each family member for their daily sustenance! Project Lydia, a Christian ministry founded by missionaries Cliff and Julie Pash, provides spiritual support to women and hosts an instructional program for young girls who have suffered abuse and exploitation.

Friends, this is genuine Christianity. As Scripture says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” (James 1:27). AiG takes our responsibility as believers to help these individuals very seriously; partnering with ministries such as Project Lydia allows us to help them as they further the gospel and as they intervene in the lives of those in destitute circumstances. Disheartening as it may seem, it is easy to recognize that others live in poverty or that they need to hear the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet, we may get so distracted that we do little to alleviate those needs or may not know how to.

To further highlight the influence that Project Lydia has in East Africa, sales from their labors have helped to finance two primary schools, a high school serving over 800 students, and two deep water wells. When a buyer purchases a simple necklace or basket from Project Lydia, it is far more than just obtaining a cute gift—the proceeds will make a difference in the daily life of an individual, and because the gospel will be shared, an individual could come to Christ and become a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:26). Could there be any greater purpose as we go scouting for gifts to share with friends, loved ones, neighbors, and co-workers?

Another overlooked part of shopping the FT market is the purpose given to those who learn skills and make the products—they can be satisfied that they are being productive in their lives, which is a powerful thing! Have you ever felt that your life seemed to have no purpose or real fulfillment? Has someone you know felt they have no useful talents or abilities? Let us consider what many of these women felt before Project Lydia affected their lives—discouraged, low-spirited, driven to tears, wondering how they would provide for themselves and their families. Then along comes ministry workers who tell them about the Savior and offer to teach them to be artisans and skilled workers in a specific trade! These women can now provide for their families and have a sense of worth and a joy in creating that they have not experienced in a long time, if ever. Gifts with a purpose actually turn into two gifts with a purpose.

Two other artisans AiG works with that feature holiday items are Thai Village and Amani Ya Juu. The ladies at Thai Village are proficient craftswomen in Thailand who produce, among other items, a handmade nativity set that includes a beautiful wooden manger, storage box, and ten figures. Items like this allow these skilled ladies to support their families with the added blessing of being able to work from home. Amani Ya Juu is responsible for creating hand-sewn Christmas tree ornaments. Their ministry, located in northern Uganda, assists and gives hope to women who have been rescued from abduction.

While AiG is an apologetics ministry dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, we consider it a privilege and very appropriate to partner with 48 FT vendors throughout the world. It allows us to participate in the ministry of reconciliation that has been committed to us and fulfills what Paul states in Scripture, “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do” (Galatians 2:10).

Perhaps there are families in need at your local church or in your community. Opportunities abound to give “gifts with a purpose” this Christmas season!

Purchasing gifts with a purpose this Christmas is easy. Some select items are available on our website, while others can be shipped from our attractions by calling (859) 727-5447. As we partner with these ministries and individuals, we encourage you to partner with us to change lives around the world to the glory of God.