This weekend, many Americans will express thanks for their freedom as they celebrate Independence Day. The idea of freedom means different things to different people: freedom from want, freedom from oppression, freedom to succeed, freedom to say and do as we please.

Blessings Before

As Christians, we understand freedom in a very exciting way. Ephesians 3:12 says, “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” That means God allows us to come to him directly through prayer—we are free to talk to him, share our lives with him, and worship him with not fear, but joy.

Sadly, many people in our world aren’t free in this sense. About 78 million people don’t have access to the Bible in their native language, and about 1.2 billion people have never heard the gospel. What are we as Christians to do about this? Can we do anything at all?

Here’s a story that can help us take heart: In Malawi, Africa, thousands of children have become orphans in the wake of the AIDS epidemic. Annie Chikhwaza, who runs Kondanani Orphanage there with support from Cross International, discovered a pair of 17-month-old twins in “tragic” condition.

Seeing Blessings recover under Annie’s care is proof that Christians can make a difference in lives around the world.

Little Blessings weighed about 8.5 pounds and his twin, Hasting, weighed about 15 pounds. Blessings had large, open wounds on his body and both children looked like skeletons. Neither had hair on their heads nor could sit and stand.

Annie says that in just two weeks, the twins have gained weight and their skin has changed color from pale and gray to chocolate brown. Their hair is growing and it is black instead of orange, a tell-tale sign of malnutrition. Blessings’ wounds are nearly closed up, and Annie says she’s certain they will both make a full recovery.

God calls us to use our freedom to give in his name, to offer of ourselves when no one else will. Thanks to gifts from caring American Christians, children like Blessings and Hasting experience God’s love through us. Galatians 5:13 says, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” God calls us to use our freedom for good, for serving each other in his name. He reminds us that we can’t understand freedom only in the sense of what we aren’t forced to do; he asks us to think of freedom in terms of what we are at liberty to do for others.

Click here to read about how you can serve others in God’s name through programs supported by Cross International.

For Mari Lu and Lino Vizoro, a new house changed everything.

Top: This shanty is where the Vizoro family used to live. Left: The Vizoro family now lives in this house built by the Gawad Kalinga housing program. Right: Mari Lu, Samantha, Angelica, and Lino Vizoro.

“We used to be one of three families who lived together in one house,” Mari Lu said. “The house had no toilet inside—we had just a common outhouse for 10 families! When it rained the house flooded because it was below street level. This new house is above street level, so it won’t flood.”

The Vizoros, along with their daughters Samantha and Angelica, live in Pasay City, part of metro Manila in the Philippines. They used to live in the shanty pictured here, which was patched together with tin, wood, and whatever other materials they could find. Flooding and disease were two major problems in the area, along with crowded and dirty living conditions.

Thousands of families live in horrible conditions in slums throughout the Philippines. An estimated 5 million families in the Philippines are in need of safe housing. These poor men, women, and children live each day on the edge of survival. Families living here are constantly exposed to garbage, polluted water, and disease.

But there is hope for these families. The Gawad Kalinga (Giving Care) housing program replaces these shanty communities with clean, safe houses. For families like the Vizoros, a new house is more than just a building—it’s a chance for Mari Lu and Lino to offer a better future for Samantha and Angelica. Their new house, shown here, keeps them warm and dry, and it also gives them self-esteem and hope.

Mari Lu says God gave her a house and answered her prayer for a safe place to raise her daughters.

“Thank you for the materials to build a dream come true,” she said.

Click here to read about Gawad Kalinga and the many other housing programs that Cross International supports around the world with the help of generous American Christians.

During a recent staff gathering, Jim Cavnar, president of Cross International, gave a retrospective of 2009. We marveled at how God blessed our ministry, especially during these tough economic times.

Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (James 2:5)

To-date, through the support of compassionate American Christians, Cavnar announced we had shipped $80 million worth of much-needed goods, including food, medicines, and medical supplies, to the poor in developing countries. We had also granted $1.4 million in financial aid to Christian ministries overseas serving the poor through projects such as feeding, housing, schooling, and disaster relief.

Citing scripture from James 2 and Matthew 25, Cavnar’s take on why we’ve experienced such success was profound: “God loves the poor. He moves hearts and wallets and people and circumstances to see that the prayers of the poor get answered. Through the ministry of Cross International, God has been answering their prayers, because he loves the poor so very, very much. We have been blessed to be an instrument of His love for them.”

God bless you for your prayers and gifts to the poor in 2009.

Thanksgiving is perhaps one of the best reminders we have to sit back and take stock of all we have to be thankful for. And we at Cross have found so much to thank God for this year!

In the spirit of Psalm 9:1 — “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” — we’d like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the things we are thankful for:

The missionaries we support in the field. Again and again we are amazed by the selfless work of the dedicated men and women who run the programs we support to help the poor overseas. Many have given up comfortable lives to come alongside the poor and share Christ’s love with them through their work. (Read some of their stories here.)

The impact we’ve seen in the lives of the poor. Every story about a child whose been fed, family whose received a house, AIDS orphan whose gone to school, and sick person whose recovered though the work of Cross and our benefactors brings joy to our hearts. (Click here to read some success stories.)

God’s direction in our ministry. With God’s help, all things are possible. And this year we have really seen his hand guiding us as we strive to serve the poor in his name. We are thankful that we are able to take time as a staff at the beginning of each day to submit our work to God. (Read more here about our staff devotional time.)

Our dedicated supporters. Without the support of our many benefactors, none of our work to serve the poor would be possible. We are humbled by their generosity and inspired by their faith. Even in these difficult economic times, compassionate Christians have continued to provide so that we can help the poorest of the poor.

On behalf of everyone at Cross International and the poor we serve, we wish all of you a very blessed Thanksgiving!

As you spend time with family and friends this weekend, take a moment to thank God for everything he has given you:

“For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson