42.2% of people alive today have never heard of Christ, and therefore have never encountered the true meaning of Christmas. Our partner James S. tells how Cambodians heard the Christmas message for the first time through the Christmas Blessing Project.
“During last year’s Christmas celebration, I asked the people of Ang Dang Slum Community a question: ‘Who knows the meaning of Christmas? Whose birthday is today?’ The people responded: ‘It’s Santa Claus’ birthday!”
Most of the people of Ang Dang Slum Community had never heard about Christ, so their perspective of Christmas could go no farther than Santa, sleighs, and reindeer. But even James, a native Cambodian, didn’t expect such widespread misunderstanding. “It surprised me,” James said. “Almost 90% of the adults in Ang Dang are confused about the meaning of Christmas. Even the leader of the local children’s school thought Christmas was Santa Claus’ birthday. They learned it from TV.”
Soon, these dear Cambodians would hear of Christ for the first time. As a light in the darkness, James S. proclaimed the true meaning of Christmas to the crowded room: “Christmas is a Christmas of love. Because God loves us, He sent His only Son Jesus into the world to help us. Jesus never sinned, but died on the cross to pay for our sins. Then He rose again from the dead. Now, He’s in Heaven with the Father. One day He will return to receive those who believe in Him. If we believe in Him, we can be with Jesus when we die in Heaven.”
Some people laughed as they realized their mistake, but more serious spiritual results would soon follow. The Christmas Blessing Project planted seeds of trust that opened up doors for James to visit families and lead them to Christ in their homes. James saw God’s hand at work: “After sharing God’s love in the Christmas outreach, we saw changes. We could see more peace in their homes. The people had more joy. When we visited families and God answered prayers, other families started asking for us to pray for them. God has started to change this community through prayer.”
The 2016 Cambodia Christmas Blessing Project provided mosquito nets for 150 adults, school supplies for 250 children, and healthy meals for all. But most importantly, it proclaimed the gospel to many Cambodians for the first time in their lives. Perhaps this may remind us what we celebrate on December 25th: at Calvary, God offered mankind a free gift greater than any other in history — salvation in Jesus Christ. That is the true meaning of Christmas.
