The Cross - Stories of God's Love in Action - Fall 2023

FALL 2023

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STORIES OF GOD’S LOVE IN ACTION

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HAITI: The stage is set for a medical relief project run by Cross International partner Foundation for the Children.

MALAWI: A beneficiary takes the stage at CI medical partner CURE Malawi’s 20th anniversary celebration.

EL SALVADOR: People line up to receive packets of food to take home to their families at a food distribution provided for by Cross International and local partner the Friendly Hands Foundation.

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When you join Cross International as a monthly donor, you provide struggling children and families with what they need—food for the hungry, water for the thirsty, medicine for the sick, and so much more, all in Jesus’ name! Your monthly gift will provide critical care and ongoing support all year long!

HEED, UGANDA

Cross International partners with HEED Uganda to serve the village of Kyakitango in central Uganda. More than 70% of the community lives below the poverty line and the area is rife with extreme lack and despair.

Cross International is partnering with HEED to provide further community development in Kyakitango. By establishing village savings and loan associations, providing leadership development, and expanding other income generating opportunities for struggling families, Cross and HEED aim to continue helping more families lift themselves out of poverty and build a better future.

Always an Entrepreneur

AN OLD FARMER STARTS A NEW BUSINESS IN GUATEMALA

Don Fidel’s home in the remote Guatemalan mountain community of El Milagro is a humble, yet inviting place. Though small, it’s home to seven people, including Don Fidel’s wife, children, and a grandchild.

Don Fidel is a coffee farmer and for years his income, and his ability to support his family, has depended solely on his coffee harvest. However, with primitive farming techniques and little fertilizer, it was hard for

Don Fidel to get the most out of his hard work. Then Cross international came into El Milagro alongside our local partner, Hope of Life, to begin a three-year community transformation project for the village. One cornerstone of the project is to help coffee farmers like Don Fidel learn new, modern agriculture methods to help them maximize harvests and their profits. For Don Fidel, the results have been dramatic.

“It is a pure miracle that Cross International came to support us in coffee production,” Don Fidel said. “They helped us with fertilizers and technical training.” Don Fidel’s coffee production improved so much that he was able to invest his profits in a new business—carpentry.

“I have liked carpentry since I was young,” Don Fidel remembered. “When there is no work to be done on the coffee, I dedicate myself to this.” With the extra income earned from his increased coffee harvest, Don Fidel invested in some wood working tools and began to make furniture to sell.

I want to thank the Cross International donors for the help they are giving us.

Thank you, I appreciate you and may God bless you!

— Don Fidel

Mada’s Story:

A PLENTIFUL HARVEST

Mada reflects in awe on what God has orchestrated. A mother and farmer in Zambia, her family relies on the crops she produces. Factors including poor weather, lack of land, bad soil, and insects used to inhibit Mada’s diligent efforts in the fields, which yielded a scant food supply. She and her children consumed only two meager meals a day to stave off the risk of running out of sustenance completely.

Mada was also trapped in debt from borrowing to pay for expensive chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and “really struggled to meet all the basic needs.”

Women across rural Zambia face similar difficulties. Though they are the primary providers in many households, their access to key resources is often restricted. The tragic result is widespread malnutrition among children and families.

Cross International is committed to changing this. We’ve partnered with the Kachere Development Program to

My life is not the same anymore. I am empowered.

—MADA

provide training and tools for women farmers, with the aim of lifting families out of poverty through a community-based and environmentally sustainable approach.

Since learning techniques like seed multiplication and preservation and receiving practical materials to help implement her new knowledge, Mada has been growing plenty of food for her family, plus extra to sell.

She’s equipped to adapt when unstable weather patterns threaten crops, and has even begun raising goats and pigs for additional income. Mada rejoices that her kids are healthy and she can now afford to send them to school!

Thank you for reaching out through Cross International to show the love of Jesus to families like Mada’s and transform Zambian communities.

Reaching Those in Deepest Need

We need your help now! It’s only through the generous support of Cross donors like you that the stories in this magazine are made possible. But there are still so many children and families in desperate need. Send a special gift today to show them God’s love!