The Best Christmas Ever

For those readers who also visit our web site you've probably seen the tab called - Solar Gifts.  One of those gifts is a portable solar generator, which I think is a great idea.

Here's a Christmas story sent to me by the CEO of that company - and another reason why I like to support what they are doing.


Dear Stevan,

Years ago when our kids were little I used to say to them, each year "This is going to be the best Christmas ever." It was always a little tongue-in-cheek, and our kids would always smile (they still do) when I would say it. I would dutifully then go on to do my best Clark W. Griswold and try make it so.

But this Christmas season it actually happened. For myself, my family and any members of our Solutions From Science staff... we really had the best Christmas ever. Here's why:
A week ago, we had Dave Young and Jan Ross here in Thomson from Heart of God Ministries. They came to express thanks for a Solar Generator (Power Hub) we had donated to the orphanage in Haiti. Brian and I did an Off The Grid Radiointerview with them in the morning last Thursday, and then we wanted Jan and Dave to tell our employees how the Solar Generator was being put to use to help the children. We reserved a room at a local restaurant, served lunch to about forty people as Dave (also a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserves) gave a power point presentation on the project in Haiti.

Turns out that after the earthquake, most of Haiti was without power and still is. Dave told us how the Power Hub was being used to power a reverse osmosis water filtration system that provided the only pure drinking water in this particular part of Haiti.

Here's the thing that made all of our jaws drop: Shortly after getting the Power Hub set up, a cholera epidemic swept through the area and killed almost everyone. Everyone except the 77 orphans and about 300 others who were able to drink the purified water. He told our group that without the Power Hub, they all would have died. We were all blown away by his presentation.
Then, something too amazing for me to comprehend happened. He called the pastor at the orphanage in Haiti and actually got through on his cell phone. He put the phone on speaker and you could hear a pin drop in the room. The pastor in charge of the orphanage thanked us personally for donating the technology that kept 377 people alive through hell on earth. Then the magic. Then the best Christmas ever! The surviving orphans sang a Christmas song for us. A joyous, beautiful song from kids with amputated arms, amputated legs and no living family left on this earth. Many of us had tears as we hung up the phone.

We were also able to provide the orphanage with an additional gift of $10,000.00 to help buy some food and medical supplies. But here's the thing: The money really came from you. Earlier in the year, we decided to take a small part of the money we received from each sale and set it aside for a project like this. As it turned out, the year ended in God's providence with a perfect opportunity to make a difference.

Having the poorest of the poor bless us with such a heart-warming song and being in a position to help the helpless, has truly made this year... the best Christmas ever for me, my family and our company.

All this, not because of anything great we have done. But because God is good and because you have been kind enough to do business with us or read some of our articles on Off The Grid News.
One more thing. Before the day is over, be sure to read Isaiah 53 and learn how the Prince of Peace suffered and died for you. You see, we're all orphans in that we're all sinners, cut off from God's family. But there's a way back, a way to be part of God's family. Read all about this good news in John 3.

Thank you again for being our customers, our readers and our friends.
Merry Christmas!

Bill Heid
President, Solutions From Science
Founder, Off The Grid News

P.S. You can get updates on the orphanage in Haiti here.