Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Day 20: Why you might want to try this

Before I dive in, if you're new to the blog, or catching up, I wanted to point out these two posts that I think were key entries underscoring my main theme for the challenge:


My heart in doing this challenge (and behind those two blog entries) is to help us all see that we can make a difference in this world, and we have no idea what a huge ripple effect our tiny actions can create.

I read a great quote today that I think matches this sentiment very well:

“The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.”

― Frederick Buechner, The Hungering Dark

I would imagine that often times I'm misunderstood in what I'm trying to accomplish here. I would imagine that this challenge would appear to be overkill and the blog perhaps disjointed. You're probably right on both counts.

But I'm trying to get down to the heart of the matter, for myself, and while doing so, hoping to write about it in an inspirational way that brings you along with me.

For me personally, I find the 30 days on $30 challenge extremely demanding, very uncomfortable, a huge hassle, but extremely rewarding. (Not sure if I've yet mentioned this is my fifth time to do one of these).

Benefits. And why you might want to try this, or perhaps a shorter version of it. 
  • There's a complete reset on all your perceptions of food, period. Every morsel becomes treasured. You gain gratitude for simple pleasures. 
  • You become connected with the poor in a way that is profoundly empathetic and deepens your compassion for humanity. 
  • You realize you have the ability to create something out of what almost seems to be "nothing." 
  • You lose weight if you have some to lose. 
  • And since you're cooking with very simple raw ingredients that are full of fiber, you're by default doing a 30 day cleanse that I think alone might make it worth it. 
  • It's sort of a body-mind-and-soul reset, a fast with a clear goal in mind; one that takes determination, dedication, discipline and creativity. Those are good qualities to sharpen. 
  • If you attach a charitable goal to the challenge, you're inspiring others beyond awareness into action, multiplying your "touch" that Buechner alludes to above.

Speaking of charitable goals... Today we filled in the $77/mo heart! By using these funds to supplement the produce from our farmlands and gardening projects, this "heart" will create about 2,700 fresh-cooked meals for orphans and human trafficking survivors each year!

Girls at the India Girls Home understand that their home and school exist only because of generous souls who have come together from around the world to help them.


Here's the current state of our "Monthly Donor Heart-Chart" - we've now filled up 20 hearts during the challenge! A big thank you to all who have played a part in helping us reach this far toward the goal of 50 hearts!



I think I might have overdone it with the photos lately, so I will leave you with just two important images that represent a key part of what the heart-chart is achieving.

One of the teachers at our school in Kampala prepares lunch for the children. We hope to soon find funds to install a better kitchen, but for now, we are just grateful that we have the funds to feed hungry children in need.
Children at the Hope Center are grateful and happy at meal time because they come from backgrounds where often times there is only enough money for one meal a day.

Charitable goal explanation. For those of you just tuning in, I'll recap what I'm trying to achieve with the "Monthly Donor Heart-Chart" and my goal of finding 50 new sponsors for these "hearts" which I like to think of as representing lives being transformed and, ultimately, saved.

Why am I seeking monthly donors? The orphan care, child labor response, and human trafficking response programs we've pioneered at Peace Gospel and She Has Hope— while sustained in part by small business enterprise— need charitable support to be fully sustained. The budgets of these programs have fixed, monthly expenses. Thus, while one-time donations are deeply appreciated, it's the monthly donations that give us something to count on and plan with. Therefore, long-term, they're the most powerful.

If you're willing to make a small monthly sacrifice of any amount to help ensure that the following merciful actions are fully funded each month, I would be grateful for your partnership with me in this effort. With your help, our monthly budget enables us to…
  • Provide resident care for 290 orphans in 11 homes in Asia and Africa
  • Operate 4 schools and 4 after-school care programs reaching over 1000 children
  • Serve approx. 50,000 fresh meals to children in our programs
  • Train 100s of girls how to avoid the dangers of human trafficking
  • House, rehabilitate and empower 20 girls recovering from human trafficking

On to what I was able to create with just $1 worth of food today. I'm definitely doing some repeats the past few days, but these are just so enjoyable, especially when you're hungry!

Click or tap on image to enlarge...

Breakfast.


Lunch.


Dinner.



Take Action!

1) Please consider helping me reach my goal to find 50 new "Sustainers"— donors willing to give a small amount each month toward our work helping vulnerable children and trafficking survivors. Learn more and sign up here!

2) Please visit my unofficial sponsor, Amazon.com through this link. 7% of your purchases made through the link are given to the work of Peace Gospel's programs helping orphans, at-risk children of the slums, and human trafficking survivors.


3) If you're compelled by my effort here, please share it with friends. One of the main goals is awareness. So if you can help with that, huge.

4) Leave me feedback. Please comment on this post, especially if you have any ideas about what I should try to cook with these ingredients I have available. I love hearing from you! It really helps!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for being real and raw! I appreaciate it! We fight for you and all the sweet souls that you help! I am most gracious Kirby!

    ReplyDelete