is your love in action, inside the former Soviet Union

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A report from Doug Brendel to all who support or follow our New Thing ministry in Belarus...

What’s for

Christmas?

Your ancient sofa is in tatters. It’s an embarrassment. Replace it?

Impossible. You live on less than 1,000 Belarusian rubles a month.

That’s $15 and change per day.

Your child has never owned a store-bought toy. There are many more important needs to meet in your family.

Food. Rent. Utilities. All hard to come by.

Here in America, in the land of Amazon and Build-a-Bear and Carl’s Jr.,

we rarely think twice about this stuff.

In Belarus, it’s different.

When someone brings you a plastic tricycle, to give to your child, your heart pounds.

And you don’t wait for Christmas. No way.

Little Nikita will be pedaling through the park today.

When someone offers you sturdy furniture, to replace the rickety stuff you’ve hammered together again and again, tears come to your eyes.

Tonight, as your family gathers for the evening meal, sitting on solid chairs, eating off of a good table —

sure, it’s “used”; but to you, it’s brand-new — you thank God for the kind-hearted people who made your miracle possible.

In such a world, when love shows up, it’s a gift beyond description. It’s cause for thanksgiving.

It’s an opportunity to believe in the impossible ... a moment to wonder if maybe there really is a God who loves us all, and not just the rich.

And something changes, deep down inside you.

This is the life-changing, heartwarming, joy-generating work of New Thing.

We have a simple but beautiful mission: to field a small, dedicated Belarusian “Response of the Heart” team,

who devote their lives to meeting the needs of their own people.

They might not be able to help themselves ... but with friends like us, anything is possible.

200 tons of donated food and goods, over the course of a year.

Thank you for being a part of this.

Much love,

Doug Brendel

To give online — click here

To auto-give each month — click here

To send a check by snail mail — New Thing, 403 Linebrook Road, Ipswich MA 01938

To follow our photo blog — click here and choose “Follow”

Thanks again!