The idea that Christmas is a season for charity has become so popular that it has crossed over from a church "thing" to become a "corporate social responsibility" valued by many secular companies. But ironically, whether intentional or not, the habit of giving attention to orphanages or special homes on a "once a year, touch and go" basis doesn’t leave a sense of long term care.
 
Jesus' heart was never far from the poor and hungry.  His teaching, "when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you" or "if you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor,...” does give us an idea that it was an act that could happen on a regular basis and not just a one time goodwill plan.
 
A recent survey in the Klang Valley suggested that more than a quarter of the population live in squatter settlements and low cost housing areas, with most families there earning less than RM 1,000 a month. So how do we turn things around?
 
While we continue to pray for the nation's government to be more welfare focused and God willing things will improve soon. But we could start as a caring community to start identifying a poor neighbourhood/family around us and make plans to help them. While it might not be instantly possible to raise the living standard of everyone there, the least we can do is make sure no family goes to bed hungry every night. What better way to share God’s love than to celebrate the spirit of giving, loving and caring all year long.
 
At AYA we started something called "Projek Ke-cheer-ian", an effort to bring some cheer to those in need in our community. What started as a one time Christmas Cheer effort at a low income flat in our neighbourhood with a commitment to bring in food and other essential items is now in the pipeline to become a 365 day Christmas cheer initiative for the poor and needy.
 
We dream of one day acquiring a truck with the huge words "Christmas Cheer" painted on the sides, with the tagline "Projek Ke-cheer-ian" underneath it.
 
We dream that one day, through the connections and recommendations from our partners, the truck would be able to go to various corporations to pick up daily donations of food and essential items. We dream that the poor and hungry would recognise our trucks from a far and start celebrating and cheering.
 
But until that day comes, we'll just have to keep trucking on with whatever provisions we can bless the poor and hungry with.
 
Would you dream along with us?