EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a report from Gary Edmonds of Food for the Hungry discussing their call to reach needy people, how they’ve been blessed, and ways you can help.
(Photo courtesy of Food for the Hungry)
9,400,000 people. It’s difficult to imagine that number of people. It’s about the size of 120 full professional football stadium, or almost equivalent to the population of the country of Hungary. For Food for the Hungry (FH), it is 9.4 million confirmations that God is calling us to walk with the most vulnerable.
In 2014, FH helped 9.4 million vulnerable people to improve their lives. For some, this meant they received hygiene or maternal health training. For others, this meant children were fed and received a quality education. And for many, this means they gained access to essential de-worming medications that keep healthy adults and children alike, and improve their chances of maintaining jobs and staying in school.
But we believe 9.4 million is only a step in the right direction. It is not the finish line. Our mission is:
To walk with churches, leaders, and families to overcome all forms of human poverty by living in healthy relationship with God and His creation.
Therefore, our work is not done! God is calling us to so much more. And we hope you do, too.
To this end, FH does not work alone. At our core, we seek to “walk with” people. We walk with our partners, our donors, and our beneficiaries. Each of us has a role to play in the fight against extreme poverty. Long ago when I was in college (that’s longer than I care to admit!), I played football at UCLA. Playing a team sport, you must rely on your teammates in order to achieve a collective goal. Ending poverty is not FH’s goal alone. It is one that will require teamwork. And ultimately God will lead our path together.
But as we begin a new year, please join me in prayer. Pray that God will grant favor for FH and others like us so that more of the world’s most vulnerable people will find new opportunities to overcome physical and spiritual poverty. Pray that we will follow His calling for how best to meet the needs of the sick and oppressed. And pray that more supporters like yourself will feel called to join this God-led effort to bring about redemption on earth.
In 2014, FH and our partners walked with 9.4 million vulnerable people. But in 2015, we feel called to respond in an even bigger way. Will you join us?
