“Living in America, but helping with missions 7-year-old’s Christmas cards boost missions”

By Don Beehler

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (BP)–At a time of the year when most children are thinking about the gifts they’ll get for Christmas, 7-year-old Rebecca Foster is busy handcrafting Christmas cards to raise money for missionaries serving overseas.

Rebecca has created her own line of Christmas cards and, for the second year in a row, is donating all the proceeds to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, which along with the Cooperative Program supports Southern Baptist international missionaries. Moon spent nearly 40 years in China as a missionary before she died in 1912.

“God gave me a gift for doing art. I want people all over the world to know about God,” Rebecca, who is homeschooled, wrote in an e-mail to family and friends, explaining the Christmas card program.

Last year, she made $100 for missions and this year she doubled her goal to $200, which she achieved in November. Since then she has raised her total to nearly $500 and was taking orders through Dec. 20.

Rebecca bundles her cards in packages of 10 and asks for a minimum donation of $6 per package. Her mother Susan estimates she has spent 50 to 60 hours this year creating and assembling the cards. Her parents pay for the supplies so all the money received can go directly to missions.

With nearly 800 Christmas cards finished so far this year, the program has turned into a family business. Rebecca’s father, Michael, coordinates printing, while her brother Nathan, 5, and her mother help as needed.

The process, which includes such tasks as gluing a button on the top of Christmas trees and spray painting, has taught Rebecca about planning and thinking in steps, Susan Foster says. Rebecca also accompanies her mother to the bank and signs checks to make deposits.

“We’re very proud of her and we think it’s wonderful, especially at Christmastime, to have her thinking about other people besides herself. We’re trying to do everything to support her,” Susan told The Tennessean newspaper, which ran an article about Rebecca’s Christmas cards.

Don Beehler is a writer in Franklin, Tenn. Original story was published on Baptist Press.