CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM
It’s that time of year again at The Good Shepherd Agricultural Mission in Banbasa, North India – time for decorations, fireworks, bonfires, cake, and a whole lot of laughter. Christmas is when our big Mission family (around 100–150 children, staff, “old farm kids,” and guests) finally exhales after a long year of study, work, and service. This year, sponsors are helping provide individual gifts for our children, while this fundraiser will make everything around those presents possible: special meals, upgraded goodie bags, fireworks, marshmallows by the fire, and the simple joy of being together.
WHAT YOUR GIFT DOES
In past years we tried to buy individual gifts for nearly everyone on site–children, staff, volunteers, and visitors–which was not only expensive, but also a recipe for stress and the occasional missed person or misplaced present. In 2025 we’re trying a simpler and more sustainable approach. Our children’s sponsors are being invited to contribute towards a special gift for their child, and our team will do the shopping on their behalf. Where a sponsor can’t give, we’ll use general donations to quietly fill the gap–no child will miss out.
Your gift through this fundraiser will cover everything that brings Christmas to life for the whole community: special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals, cake, snacks, chai, coffee and biscuits for cold winter evenings; fireworks, bonfires and marshmallows that keep everyone gathered together late into the night; and two kinds of “souped-up” goodie bags–one for kids and one for adults–filled with treats, hats, toiletries and small practical gifts.
At the school we are also planning a nativity play, some simple activities for the children and an inter-school dance competition with 26 schools already signed up, but the school will cover those costs itself. This fundraiser focuses on making Christmas at the Farm warm, joyful and welcoming for everyone who calls it home.
STRETCH GOALS AND IMPACT
Our goal is to raise USD $3,000 to cover the core Christmas celebrations on the Farm. If we are able to go beyond that, a further $500 will allow us to add heaters to our youngest students’ classrooms, making cold winter mornings far more comfortable for them. Another $500 on top of that will let us bless our teachers with a few much-needed items: a microwave, a water cooler and a sanitary incinerator for the staff bathroom – simple gifts that will serve them quietly all year long.
For our children, Christmas is about much more than what’s inside a box; it is about memories. Late-night carols and crackling bonfires, fireworks over the fields, marshmallows and cake, shared jokes at the chai table, and the feeling of belonging to a big, slightly chaotic, but deeply loving family. These special days of laughter, play and being surrounded by people who love them help rewrite the story of what “family” can mean. Years from now, we hope they won’t just remember the toys they opened, but the sound of everyone counting down to midnight, the warmth of a shared meal, and the sense of being safe, seen and celebrated. By giving to this project, you help create those memories – moments of joy and togetherness that stay with them long after the decorations are packed away.
