It was just a special Christmas gift for a dear friend.

I am a young woman sharing a house with three young men. They have become very much like brothers to me, and we take care of each other as much as we can. However, we are all young, and working hard to make enough to cover our own expenses.

Over the past couple of years, one of my housemates, who works as a private tutor, has faced some financial challenges that were not helped by the fact that he is not great at making wise choices with whatever cash he has on hand. But recently he has been trying so hard to be careful and to save what he can. So it breaks my heart to see him riding his bike everywhere, in every season, because he can’t afford a car. And then his laptop died, forcing him to begin keeping records and creating worksheets for his students by hand.

We gathered a few friends together (including one whose brother worked at an electronic store and gave us a great discount), and pitched in to buy him a new laptop — a nice one, that hopefully won’t break down for a few years — for Christmas. He was so happy when he opened it! He kept saying, “Is this really for me? Is this really ok? Can I really keep this?”

And it has been such a blessing to see the stress in his life reduced by such a simple gift.