My kids are young adults now, but this December our family will still gather to watch Elf, our favourite Christmas movie.  

Without giving away any spoilers, Elf is the story of a bewildered individual seeking a place to call home in a confusing and unforgiving world. And if you can believe me after that description, it’s also hilarious. 

Interestingly, the quest for a safe home and community is a strong theme in many Christmas movies.  

It’s a Wonderful Life centres around the importance of belonging to a community; Home Alone shows the lengths one little boy will go to in order to keep his home safe; and if we venture into Rom Com territory, The Holiday sees two young women swap homes over Christmas in an effort to find healing and renewal after experiencing heartbreak.  
 
Back here in the real and messy world, most of us put a lot of resources into maintaining a secure, safe and clean home.

And while there are frustrations of keeping up with housework and the thousand little jobs needed around the house—especially approaching Christmas—we’re grateful to have a safe place to come home to.  

God As Our Safe Home In Scripture

Given how central home is to our wellbeing, it makes sense that the Bible often references homes and buildings as a metaphor for living in the knowledge and security of God’s love. Take for example: 

‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.’ (Psalm 91:1); and 

‘The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.’  (Proverbs 19:10) 

Perhaps the people who understand these Scriptures better than most are those who’ve lived without a secure and safe home. 

Nathanial is a pastor and community leader in the Solomon Islands. He remembers watching his home become swallowed up by the ocean as a child, and leaving his family and whole community to start over on higher ground, among the mangroves. 
 
‘We built wooden canoes to bring big stones from the lagoon and build up about one foot with stones, so that when high tide sea rises it will not cover us,’ Nathanial said.  

‘I was age 10 when we moved here, and the stone wall that our fathers built is now covered by the sea. We must keep building it up. It’s a lot of work.’ 

Now as an adult with his own family, Nathanial works alongside our local Christian Partner to make his community—and others in the Solomon Islands—safe, clean and secure for generations to come.  

Sadly, preventable disease means sickness plagues many of these communities, and this makes the poverty families experience worse.  

But Nathanial and other local Christian leaders are working to change that.  

Setting Up Communities For Success

Our Partners’ community development projects are carefully designed to help communities take ownership of the changes they’re making.  

That way, they’re making strides in fighting poverty, and developing an attitude of self-dependency that will set them up for future success. 

To be part of the project in the Solomon Islands, communities must first ensure each household has: 

• A flushing toilet so people can catch fish and enjoy clean, unpolluted waterways
• A rubbish pit to avoid rubbish piles that attract mosquitos that spread diseases like malaria
• A dish rack so that the sun can sterilise cooking implements and kill germs
• An elevated and safe cooking area to prevent accidents and injuries
• Beautified and well-ordered pathways, safely connecting family homes without hazards in the way.

After these things have been put in place, our local Partner works with the community to offer further supports like literacy training for adults, so they can truly move out of poverty.

Now we have good houses with sanitation. We love living in our community

‘Now we have good houses with sanitation. We love living in our community,’ said Nathanial. ‘And I am thinking of my grandchildren who are coming up behind me. We have laid all the foundation and prepared a home for them. They will enjoy living here.’

More Home Work To Do 

Unlike the ‘happily ever after’ in movies, Nathanial and his community still face significant threats such as rising sea levels and difficulty accessing fresh water during dry seasons.

But they’re much more secure than they once were, and they have even managed to eradicate malaria through better health and hygiene practices!

In many places around the world, there’s no governmental infrastructure to assist families who can’t access a safe and healthy home. That’s why our Partners work hard to help communities with this essential need.

From this community development project in the Solomon Islands, to sharing resources with displaced people living in informal settlements in Lebanon, our Partners do incredible work equipping communities, because they know people can’t thrive without secure homes.

So, this Christmas, as your family snuggles up on the lounge to enjoy a Christmas movie, keep a look out for those themes of home, security, safety and community. This year, I’m going to take a moment to thank God for his provision of a home for me and my family.

This Christmas, will you give the gift of a safe and healthy home? A gift to our Christmas Appeal will go where it’s needed most—to ensure our Partners in 20 countries around the world can help families thrive. You can give today at bwaa.co/christmas-appeal or phone our friendly team on 1300 789 991.