Food For the Poor: Amazing Giving Opportunity!

Hello Friends!

I wanted to make you all aware of an amazing giving opportunity from one of my favorite organizations: you guessed it…Food for the Poor!  They received a 61million dollar donation!!!  It works primarily as a match, so for every dollar given, $17.52 is donated to countries like Haiti and Guatemala for food and other aid.  So a $2 gift, suddenly becomes $35.04, and I believe that’s just Amazing!  I know there’s always a great desire to give a big donation, now it’s very very easy to make that happen by partnering with this huge gift for the poor.  If you have it on your heart to make a special donation this month, this is a great ground to do so!

I have been dreaming of this scripture and I thought I’d share…it’s a beautiful scripture: Proverbs 19:17

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD–and he will repay you!

Can you imagine having the opportunity to lend to God!  Amazing!  He’s just so awesome.  Even if He didn’t reward anyone for sacrificing to help someone else, the joy of giving is reward enough.  For indeed, it is more blessed to give than to receive!

The Link is here—->http://www.foodforthepoor.org/help/shipping12/

Project Polaris: Human Trafficking…Be the Difference for One…Set the Captives Free…

Our commission is the same as Christ’s commission…to set the captives free!  Luke 4:18.  Christ’s ministry literally was Luke 4:18.  As His disciples we are to follow Christ in work…for this is the gospel!!!  Let’s spread the good news and good works to others.  I enjoy sharing these organizations with you because I don’t see them just as needs, but opportunities!  Opportunities to share in Christ’s commission in practical ways.  Opportunities to loose the chains for others and be about our father’s business!  Every one can’t ‘Go’ but we can support those that do.  These organizations also give  great ideas that can be  implemented in local churches and communities.  I believe we can make a difference.   Imagine what it would be like if one victim of sex trafficking was freed because of your service.  Amazing!  This is what the gospel is supposed to be about, it’s good news!

Project Polaris targets many aspects of human trafficking.  They have a plethora of ways in which volunteers  can help, including  joining them in a walk for sex trafficking victims, advocacy through congress, fundraising…or to physically volunteer in their offices in Newark, NJ and our nations capital.  Here are some snap shots from the website below and the link!  Let’s be the difference for one in through our churches, communities, and various organizations.

Website:http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview

Call vignettes: Stories about how they have made a difference for one: http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/national-human-trafficking-hotline/the-nhtrc/call-vignettes

“Because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news  to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the captives free…

Luke 4:18

Repost: Are you caring for the orphan?

Food For the Poor, $3 Feeds 50! Wait…100!

For $3, the average cost of a school lunch in America, you could normally provide 50 meals for starving children in the developing world. However, we have recently been blessed with a matching gift opportunity to feed even more children… children like Transito Huit.

It has been 15 days since Transito’s father has had work cultivating sugar cane and beans. For poor farmers in rural Guatemala, where rain is seasonal, crops and opportunities die during the region’s dry season. Tragically, so do innocent children.

“It’s hard for me, because he asks for food and I don’t have it. I love him very much. I don’t want him to die,” said Transito’s mother, Regina.

But today, God has blessed us with an amazing opportunity to help more children like Transito! Thanks to a generous donor who has given us a matching food challenge, the value of your gift today will be DOUBLED! For every dollar you give, a generous donor will donate a dollar’s worth of food. This means your gift of $3 doubles to $6 worth of food to feed more hungry children!

Please send your most generous gift today to extend your love to children in need through this special matching gift opportunity..

The Fast That I have Chosen Isaiah 58:6-7 “Skip A Steak Challenge” -3rd Challenge!

Hello Ladies,

Yes, I said it!  I am asking you to “Skip a steak!!!”  I hope you all are acquainted with the motivation for “The Fast That I Have Chosen Challenge.”  If not the scriptural basis is explained in my first Challenge [Clink the link on the right that says "The Fast That I have Chosen--->).  So, this is a personal challenge that I have been on for the past two months where I have been intentionally limiting my consumption of beef.  I did this when I learned that the over-consumption of meat in the U.S. and other industrialized countries diverts food, water, land, and other resources for people in poorer countries...based on one entity...GRAIN.   We ship in tons of grain from poorer countries to feed the growing livestock, that now outnumber us 3:1!  The problem is that the  primary source of food in poorer countries is grain, but the prices and demand for grain are now being driven sky high because industrialized countries are importing their grain (of course a cheaper prices[cheap labor]) from these countries.  We are now rearing so much livestock because of our over-consumption for meat, that we do not even produce enough grain to feed our own livestock.  So we tip the scales, by getting cheap grain overseas. Detailed information is available in my last post about World Hunger & The Consumption of grain.

Now I am not saying that everyone needs to give up meat…I just feel that we should do what is right and balance the scales.  It’s not fair…and we consume way more meat that is required for our basic nutritional needs.  Now, I am not saying this as a person who barely eats beef!  I am a southern girl at heart, so pot roast, steak, brisket were a staple in my my household!  I have somehow been able to cut back to eating beef once a month.  Now the benefits are numerous.  I have freed up a ton of cash…which allows me to be able to buy more fresh fruits and vegetables.  I feel way healthier!  And, I am sure my arteries are thanking me…because I probably cut the saturated fat in my diet down by a huge percentage.

Now, married ladies, you may have some difficulty doing this, because we know how much men love beef!  But I think this is a great challenge, with multiple benefits.  Again, I’m not saying, eat meat once a month, but let’s cut back to a reasonable potion.  Let’s help balance the scales of injustice–you may find that you balance some scales in your pocket and some other scales too..lol!

Take care ladies!

[It's really a shame too, because right before this challenge I learned how to make the juiciest, most tender, grilled steak ever!!  Okay, I'm not helping lol! ]

World Hunger Is On The Increase-One Year Later

Hello Ladies,

Today I want to talk about World Hunger.  I am attaching a video and providing the statistics here in this post.  You may be surprised to find out that your household may actually be directly contributing to the severe hunger that is happening worldwide [please see my next challenge for what you can do about this--(-->click "The fast that I have chosen link to the right.")]. This is not to discourage anyone, but to give you practical ways to raise awareness and undue this injustice! I hope that this information broadens our perspective and helps us to balance the scales.

925 million people are hungry worldwide, as of the year 2012.

This is an increased from 840 million, just a year ago.

Every 3.6 seconds someone dies from hunger, 75% of these individuals are children.

WHO(World Health Organization) calls hunger the silent emergency, it is responsible for 10.4 million deaths of children this year!  This is worst than malaria and other communicable diseases!  All they need is food, things that are so basic to you and I.

Would you believe though, that there is enough food produce annually to feed everyone in the world, twice!! These are unbalanced scales!!!

So, what role do I play in this, you ask?

The problem is that our meat based diets consumed the land, resources, and water that are needed to grow food for human beings.  Instead these entities are being used as land and sustenance for farm animals, principally beef–so that we can consume meat.

People in poor countries rely on grain as their principal source of food!!  Therein lies the problem!

1/3 of the grain produced  yearly is used to feed the 60 million farm animals made to produce meat, eggs, and dairy products.

Here in the U.S., 70% of grain is used to feed livestock.

The greater the consumption of animal products, the greater number of people we can feed.

The feed costs of an 80z steak will fill 45 to 50 bowls of cereal grains.

Livestock now outnumber human populations 3:1! The water supply is also strained to provide water for the livestock.   Because the U.S. and other industralized nations do not produce enough grain to feed themselves, and all these animals, the grain is imported from poorer countries to feed our cattles.  Also, a portion of this grain is used fuel fuel in our countries.  All of this is principally because of over-consumption!   The American “fast food” industry, and “meat-eating habits of the wealthy, are diverting the food resources from the poor.  In the past few years, Americans have been consuming less meat, but not beef!  Countries like China who were formally known for having high grain diet (rice) are eating twice as much meat as the U.S. now.  (Granted, their population is way bigger, but the formely had low meat diets in comparison to Americans)

Here is the video that I gathered these facts from, it was made 1 year ago.  There are more facts in the video than are posted here.  This video supports veganism.  While I do not advocate veganism, I do believe that we all can do our part by limiting our consumption of meat, principally red meat! It’s healthy for you!

Let’s do something about this!  Let’s balance the scales. Proverbs 11:1 The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight.

World Hunger In the News–>

The Fast That I have Chosen Isaiah 58:6-7 “Skip A Product Challenge” -2nd Challenge!

Hey Ladies,

I’m sharing an idea for a new challenge for ways that we can help sex trafficking victims, please see the “Skip a Meal challenge post” about 14 articles below for scriptural understanding.  I got this idea from reading about a walk for sex trafficking victims, where  fundraisers literally walked a mile in high heel shoes to raise money for young girls that are victims of sex trafficking. The idea was to essentially “walk in their shoes.” Most of these young women are 12-14 years old.  In the spirit of ‘The Fast That I Have Chosen” it may be a good challenge to abstain from buying new makeup and beauty products(ie. mascara, gloss, hair shampoo, etc) and instead use up the products we actually have at home for one month.  The money that you would have spent on say, a new hair product or a new pair of heels, you can donate to helping sex trafficking victims.  Will you commit to no new products for one month?  I am a member of a forum where we buy new products every week, with discussion about the latest products.  Let’s undo the chains.  These young girls are being forced to wear make up and heels while being  exploited.  Let’s give up something and help them!  God Bless!  I am still looking for a sex trafficking program on the ministry watch program.  Please let me know if you find one.