Sunday, June 4, 2017

Day 4: Love is the message

Tonight, at the end of day 4 of my 30-day challenge, I'm thinking about an old photo I once took in the slums of India. In the photo, a young girl finishing a day of hazardous labor in the city trash dump wears a dirty, faded shirt, bearing the words, "Love is the message."


It was a journey of love that first took me to India in 1993. I didn't know much about India, and wound up there only out of a desire to serve, as the service organization I signed up to volunteer with that summer needed help in India, and they sent me there. Since that time, I knew I was in love with India and her people; especially the children.

It was during that trip that I met a native man working in an urban slum area who had a heart to reach the children of that community with basic needs we take for granted. I learned more about his heart and his miraculous story of being a fatherless child once stuck with the task of begging in the streets beore he himself was rescued by the providence of God.

Once being an orphan myself, our hearts connected and we desired to start an orphan home in India, which after some struggles in fundraising to launch it, we finally did, 20 years ago.

The following images represent some of the fruit of this labor of love. These are my photos from the "Peace Gospel" India Girls Home. Many of these girls were rescued from modern-day slavery situations, trapped in forced labor, with no chance at an education. They arrived at the home malnourished, dirty and with only the one pair of tattered clothing they were wearing.

Now they have a new hope and a bright future, and, as you can see from the photos, are thriving, learning, and growing with all the nourishment they need.



They now have this hope and a future because of generous friends like you who decided to step up and be a part of the change we need in this world. While we know this world in its present state will never be whole, and many parts will remain broken, we have faith and hope that, if we do our small part, we can bring about change and healing, one soul at a time.

As I often say, if we overcome indifference, we can make a difference, together. 

That brings me back to my goal for this challenge, and how you can help me reach it. 

Great news! We gained one more heart on our "Heart-Chart" today! The $22/month heart was generously sponsored by someone who wants to be a part of this exponential movement. Just think, $22 is worth 66 meals in my current economy! (And in many of the economies where we work, it has a similar impact).

Here's the current status of the first part of the chart we're trying to fill:


For those of you just tuning in, I'll recap the basics of how the "Wall of Hearts" works, and why I'm focusing on it for these 30 days.

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. Thus, long-term, they're the most powerful.

What I need next to stay on track for my goal. I am seeking two people to sponsor the and $23 and $24 hearts on our "Wall of Hearts"— this means you're willing to make a small monthly sacrifice to help ensure that the following merciful actions are fully funded each month. 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 come up with for my day 4 meals, with just $1 worth of food. I'm holding steady, facing some significant hunger and basic lethargy from the carb-heavy meals, but managing ok for now. I've already lost 3 pounds.

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!


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