There is a boy at the brick kilns of Kasur whose winter coat is older than he is. It came to him from an older brother, and before that from someone else, and its elbows shine from years of work they were never made for. He has never owned a coat that was his — bought for him, in his size, with his name spoken at the shop counter. He has never had shoes that were not somebody’s castoffs first.
Christmas morning, for the children of the kilns, has always looked like every other morning: the same worn clothes, the same tired shoes, the same walk to work — while the rest of the world sings about joy. This year, Rising Stone Mission is dreaming of something different, and we want to dream it out loud, honestly.
Here is the dream, in its real size. We hope to give 50 brick-kiln children new clothes and new shoes this Christmas. It costs about $100 to sponsor one child completely — a full set of clothes that fit, and shoes that are truly theirs. Fifty children means $5,000 in total. We do not have this fund yet. Not one dollar of it has arrived. We say that plainly, the way we say everything: the program will happen as the gifts come in, one child at a time, and every partner will receive real photos and a report from the day itself.
Why does a coat matter so much? Because a child who has only ever received leftovers learns to think of himself as leftover. A new coat tells him something the kilns never will: you are seen, you are worth dressing well, this joy includes you. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given” (Isaiah 9:6) — the Christmas child was born into a poor family’s borrowed space, and He grew up knowing exactly what these children know. And the Lord Jesus Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
So this is our invitation, while there is still time to prepare. If your church is choosing a Christmas giving project, would you consider the children of the kilns? One child is $100. Five children are $500. Or take the whole dream to your congregation and give as the Lord leads. However it comes, it will become clothes and shoes on a real child, in a real place, with photographs carried back to the hands that made it possible.
We say what we do — and we do what we say. This Christmas, what we want to do is put a new coat on a boy who has never owned one.
Partner with us here: https://risingstonemission.com/partner-with-us/