Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Day 7: For the "Magicians"

I made it through day 7 without any major issues, other than the general hunger. I've now lost 5 pounds in the first week, which is clear evidence of my lowered calorie intake. I was very happy I came up with a new twist on oatmeal, which I'll tell you about later.

Happy to report that we picked up another heart on the "Heart-Chart" which means someone stepped forward to make a small monthly commitment of donating toward our work of rescuing and caring for orphans and human trafficking survivors! A monthly commitment makes all the difference in helping us plan— it keeps beds available, and plates full, for the children who need it most. Thank you!

I could be sad that I didn't meet my goal for today (I had hoped to also get the $29/mo heart sponsored) but I am choosing to stay positive, because regardless, awareness is being raised and we are making progress! My blog has now had over 1,000 visitors from dozens of countries all over the world! Thanks for stopping by to see what I'm up to here. Help me by continuing to share the blog with friends. It all makes a difference!

Together, we are making a difference here, because we are collectively choosing to abandon selfishness and leave our indifference behind, TO ACTUALLY STAND UP AND DO SOMETHING FOR THESE INNOCENTS. THANK YOU! If you're on the sidelines, what is stopping you? Jump in! We can do this! Look, the third row is almost completely filled!



Major takeaway from doing these challenges: meal preparation is hard work and requires immense creative energy and planning. So I'm dedicating day 7 to all those who spend their time, blood, sweat, and tears, providing meals for their families, especially to those who do it with limited resources.  

Making something seem abundant, delicious, and beautiful from what is small and seemingly boring could be equated to magic. For all those who do it on a daily basis, my hat is off to you. 

Some of these "magicians" I have had the humbling honor of meeting during my visits to urban slum settlements...

This dear woman made me chai in her shanty home during a rainstorm

No electricity available in this Kathmandu slum colony; dinner cooked by candlelight

This girl is preparing boiled potatoes

Using whatever available cooking fuel they can find

Women at one of our Philippines children's outreaches prepare meals for 100+ children

A woman uses a makeshift stove in front of her shanty, Hyderabad, India

These humble and kind women were preparing potatoes in the slums of Hyderabad, India

A woman cooks in a remote part of rural Uganda with her baby on board

Charitable goal update. In order to reach my goal of finding 50 new "heart sponsors" on my "Heart-Chart" I really need to see some momentum gained tomorrow. I'm praying that our next two or three hearts get sponsored tomorrow.

For those of you just tuning in, I'll recap what I'm trying to achieve with the "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. Thus, long-term, they're the most powerful.

What I need next to stay on track for my goal. For day eight, I need two people to sponsor the $29/mo and $32/mo hearts on our "Heart-Chart"— 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 create with just $1 worth of food today. I was excited about my newest creation, the savory rice oatmeal soufflé! Helped to start the day off with something different than the usual oatmeal.

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. Beautiful post and thankful for all the "magicians" who bless so many!

    ReplyDelete