CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE GENESIS OF THE MOTHER LETTER PROJECT.
By now you know the story. Instead of purchasing Christmas this year, our family is “creating” Christmas and donating the “difference” to a small African village. To that end, I am collecting a series of open letters-the Mother Letters-for my wife’s Christmas present. How do I leave a letter, you inquire? Email HERE, or comment HERE. Please refer to the FAQs in the side bar for answers to more of your questions. They explain the project in greater detail.
ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS… GIVE A PIG
In the spirit of the Mother Letter Project, I am encouraging you to pick a charity and donate a little “difference” this Christmas season. To that end, I have been running 5 charities in 5 days. Read here for previous charity posts.
Many of you know much about Heifer International. Heifer International is a group dedicated to using a “holistic approach… to build sustainable communities.” What does that mean, you ask? The good people at Heifer are attempting to end “world hunger and poverty….” Simple as that.
The idea is timeless. You have all heard the saying before. Give a man a pig, and he’ll eat for several days. And if that man knows how to smoke and salt some bacon, perhaps he’ll eat for a month. But teach a man to raise pigs and… well… he can sell some of those pigs at the market place so he can purchase milk, honey, and perhaps pair of shoes or two. Moreover, that man can teach a neighbor to raise pigs and so on, and so on.
I have seen their methods used on the field and it is positively enlightening.
How can you help? Visit Heifer International’s donation page. Or, visit their online catalogue and give a man a flock of ducks or geese. Or, get a group together (your family perhaps) and donate a water buffalo.
How can you pass on donating some “difference” to purchase a smelly water buffalo? Come on. After all, it is Christmas.
Have fun; be encouraged. And above all, have a merry Christmas!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
oh what a great charity
a few years back my family started a tradition to break free from the ‘gimme’s’ on Christmas and start giving more in honor of one another 
we each honor each other’s family, and give a chicken or goat through world vision. they send the ‘honoree’ a little card telling them about the village family that their gift went to, who gave in ‘their name’ and so on. our kids love this, and every year now anticipate this happening. it is a great way to teach the little ones about not taking anything for granted and being grateful for this great country that we are so blessed to live in 
Have a beautiful Christmas
hugs
shelbi
That’s what I’m talking about.