2009 Spring / Summer Edition by Food for the Hungry

On Our Cover

investing in children is a key strategy around which Food for the Hungry builds its responses in Guatemala and around the world.

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Spring/Summer 2009, Vol. 11 6:8 is a quarterly magazine of Food for the Hungry that tells stories of physical and spiritual transformation by the grace of God and affirms the role of partners in making a difference in the lives of the poor around the world. 6:8 Magazine An Award-Winning Publication: • Evangelical Press Association 2009 Awards of Excellence • MarComm Creative Awards Platinum Award Winner • The Communicator Awards Award of Distinction

food for the hungry, provides women in some indigenous Guatemalan communities with basic skills training such as sewing and embroidery.

Food for the Hungry Vision

President Benjamin K. Homan

God called and we responded until physical and spiritual hungers ended worldwide.

Vice President Matt Panos

Mission

Sr. Director, Ministry Partners John Frick

To walk with churches, leaders and families in overcoming all forms of human poverty by living in healthy relationship with God and His creation.

Executive Editor Greg Forney

Motivated by Christ’s love, we achieve our mission using a three-dimensional approach: • Speaking out to all people and nations about God’s call to end physical and spiritual hungers. • Sending people to share God’s love. • Serving the transformation of communities.

Managing Editor Rez Gopez-Sindac Senior Graphic Designer Lisa Lewis Editorial Resource Heidi Hatch

Scriptural Basis

Contributing Writers Esther Hsu Pamela Neumann Karen Randau

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” – Micah 6:8

Contributing Photographer Kristin Kawa Brooks

Food for the Hungry 6:8 Magazine 1224 E. Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85034 Email: 6-8magazine@fh.org Phone: 480-998-3100 Toll free: 800-2-HUNGERS Web: www.fh.org

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Food for the Hungry thanks photographer and advocate Rodney Rascona for providing us with excellent photography. We also thank O’Neil Printing for their support in maintaining graphic industry standards at reduced costs, allowing us to be faithful stewards of God’s gifts and resources. Charter Member, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability; Member, Evangelical Press Association.

Contents 4 Annual Report Summary 2008 Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Message An overview and a celebration of what God has done in 2008. 12 FH News 20 One At a Time Water Tanks Bring Tangible Hope to Needy Community Community collaboration solves problems in El Ojoche, Nicaragua.

22 Cover Story

generation hope Indigenous families in Guatemala reclaim their interrupted dreams

30 Frontliners Coming Home to a Foreign Land John and Kate Marsden invest in people by cultivating mutually transformational relationships. 34 Vision Partners From Eagle Scout to Church Advocate John Conway leads Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church to provide help and hope in Karbururi, Kenya

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SUPPORT REVENUE AND RECLASSIFICATIONS ...................... $ 26,311,007 Contributions...................................................................................... ............................ 27,792,173 Government grants........................................................................... ............................... 19,046,609 Government donated commodities.................................................. ....................... 56,689,738 ............ Private gifts-in-kind.................................................................. ................................ (193,263) Investment income......................................................................... .......................... (157,044) Change in value of trusts and annuities.................................................. ............................... 304,872 Other income...................................................................................... ......................... 129,794,092 Total Income..................................................................................... EXPENSES Program Ministries ............................ 78,701,447 Grants to Food for the Hungry International...................................... .......................... 28,593,848 Gifts-in-kind to other organizations..................................................... ........................... 8,734,903 Other programs................................................................................... ...................................... 793,040 Information and education........................................................... .............................. 116,823,238 Total Program Ministries..............................................................

Supporting Services ............................. 5,448,563 Fund raising...................................................................................... .............................. 4,030,749 General and administrative............................................................... ..................... 9,479,312 Total Supporting Services. ........................................................................

........................... 126,302,550 Total Expenses...................................................................................... ................................... 3,491,542 Change in net assets.......................................................................... .............................. 5,568,556 Net assets, beginning of year.................................................................. ....................... $ 9,060,098 Net assets, end of year..............................................................................

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ince prosperity is a gift from God, being wealthy is not a sin. But King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, was brought to ruin because his accumulated goods turned his heart away from God. The writer of 1 and 2 Kings wants us to see this remarkable tension in his presentation of Solomon’s wealth. On the one hand, it was good for Solomon to be prosperous. God blessed Solomon and his kingdom with great wealth (1 Kings 10:1-13, 23-25) because of the king’s wisdom and pursuit of justice and righteousness. We see this especially in the beginning of his reign, when prosperity and peace spread to the people (1 Kings 4:20, 25) and Solomon led in “justice and righteousness” (1 Kings 10:8-9; see also Genesis 18:17-18). On the other hand, Solomon’s unrestrained enjoyment of prosperity and his use of riches to obtain great power caused him to forget God – or think he could get along just fine without him. His accumulation of possessions (1 Kings 10:14-25), power (chariots and horses, particularly from Egypt, 10:26-29) and pleasure (wives, especially “imports,” 11:1ff) explicitly violated the limitation on wealth that God had placed on the leader of his people (see Deuteronomy 17:1417; 1 Kings 2:1-4; 9:4-5 and elsewhere). While readers in the Western world usually know that heaping up wives is not a good thing, we tend to have few scruples about Solomon’s heaping up wealth. We prefer to think of his wealth only as a sign of God’s blessing in fulfillment of his promises (1 Kings 3:10-14). But those same promises required Solomon to obey God’s law (1 Kings 3:14), which particularly included laws about the king and his role. Readers cannot be blamed completely for not connecting the commands in Deuteronomy 17 to Solomon’s accumulation. Much of the problem lies in an unhelpful chapter division between 1 Kings 10 (“Solomon’s Splendor”) and 1 Kings 11:1 (“Solomon’s Wives”), implying a big change away from “good times” to “bad times.” Poor English translations only make it worse, reinforcing this unnecessary separation between chapter 10 and what follows in 11:1. These translations and the poor chapter division serve to obscure Solomon’s very subtle slide pattern of unfaithfulness to God’s word. It wasn’t just the pleasurable women – it was also the power and the possessions which led Solomon deeper into physical comfort and power and away from God. The New Testament warns against the pursuit of possessions and calls us to contentment, trust (1 Timothy 6:9-10) and generosity rather than unchecked accumulation, which neglects the needs of those around us (Luke 12:15-34; 16:19-31). God’s true Son one day will lead us to true prosperity and peace, when the sin that uses wealth and pleasure to pull our hearts away from God no longer ensnares. When that day comes, our wealth will far surpass that of Solomon, and we will enjoy all things in the fullness of a perfect relationship with God.

You probably have heard the term “legacy giving” or “leave a legacy.” Leaving money to a charity through your will as an outright gift is the most common form of legacy giving; however, there are many ways to start your legacy. Retirement Benefits: Retirement plans have gained importance as a primary source of income during the retirement years, making them a good consideration for charitable giving, especially when the potential tax consequences are considered. Real Estate: Investment property, homes and other land assets can be used as a gift, maximizing your legacy impact and minimizing taxes. Other Investments: Insurance policies, stocks, trusts and other investments can also be used in your legacy plans. Ending Physical & Spiritual Hungers: Through the generosity of partners like you, Food for the Hungry can continue to bring real hope and transformation to millions of people for many years to come. Learn More: If you don’t have a will or you are unsure how to make a provision to Food for the Hungry, we would like to send you a copy of the “Plan & Prosper Resource CD.” Written by a leading estate attorney, this CD addresses the most commonly asked questions about wills, charitable life income plans, retirement planning and much more.

To receive the Plan and Prosper Resource CD, call (800) 248-6437 ext. 1558, or write to:

Wayne Reinauer Director of Stewardship Gifts Sean Mills Planned Giving Coordinator

ATTENTION: Wayne Reinauer/Sean Mills 1224 E. Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85034

Reprinted with permission from Generous Giving (www.generousgiving.org).

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FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY News

watoto choir wows the crowd

They sang and danced and smiled. They performed with energy and joy. But more than entertaining curious Food for the Hungry employees and guests, 18 young boys and girls from Uganda brought with them a celebration of hope and thanksgiving to God and an invitation to help build a stronger nation. Since 1994, the Watoto Children’s Choir has toured to countries such as Australia, Brazil, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Israel, Canada and France. Each performance is an opportunity to challenge audiences to partner with Watoto founders Gary & Marilyn Skinner in providing “holistic, residential care for orphaned and vulnerable children with the core vision to rescue a child, raise a leader and rebuild a nation.” “We look after vulnerable children and those orphaned by AIDS and war; we gather them and give them a home, a chance to go to school, to be healthy, to be productive, to know a loving God – for life,” says Ivan Bisaso, the choir’s team leader. These now vibrant children represent so many others who were found in trash cans and on garbage heaps; babies given birth to and then thrown into a latrine ditch; and infants orphaned by AIDS or the savagery of tribal war. “But now, they have new life,” Bisaso says. “Life has been good to us because of Jesus.” For more information on Watoto Ministries and opportunities for partnerships, visit www.watoto.com.

Members of the Watoto Choir perform for Food for the Hungry staff and guests.

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Watoto childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s choir brings celebration of hope

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FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY News

new partnering artists vow to make a difference

jonathan lee

mikeschair

jessica campbell

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Food for the Hungry recently welcomed three new, Nashville-based recording artists as partners in the ministry: Jessica Campbell, Jonathan Lee and Mikeschair. As Food for the Hungry artists, they will use their platforms at concerts to speak about God’s love for the poor and encourage audiences to sponsor children in need. Jessica Campbell, a folk-rock artist, just released a five-song EP (extended play), Put the Stars Back, on January 27. Jessica also has a passion for missions, having served in Honduras on several mission trips. “Once I met the people in Honduras and saw their needs firsthand, I wanted to find a way to support the humanitarian efforts with my music,” she says. Jessica will focus on finding sponsors for children in Latin America. Jonathan Lee is a worship leader with a desire “to worship the King of kings with all of his heart and his life with the hope of leading people to the true heart of God,” according to his Web site. Jonathan’s full-length worship project, Let Them Hear, was released in January. Mikeschair is composed of four young men who are very passionate about social justice and excited to express their enthusiasm through Food for the Hungry. The band has opened for Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Mercy Me and Brandon Heath. Mikeschair also tours and continually writes new music of its own, challenging listeners to live out the Gospel today. “There’s something more here than just music,” says band member Jesse Hale. “We’re presenting something that’s very precious to audiences and listeners. It’s the Gospel in action.”

Country director celebrates 23 years of service • true shift partnership • artists make a difference

partnership encourages true shift

Food for the Hungry and True Campaign are collaborating to reach out to those struggling with eating and body image issues, challenging them to redirect feelings of emotional hunger into a passion for the poor and needy. To offer an opportunity for people to become tangibly involved in addressing the issues related to self-image and eating disorders, true: shift was formed and serves as the primary action arm of the partnership. “We believe that God takes the initiative to reach out and love people right where they are at,” says Benjamin K. Homan, president and CEO of Food for the Hungry. “Sadly, many people succumb to the world’s distorted idea of beauty, value and identity rather than embrace God’s view of worth and success.” “We’ve known there was something compelling about recognizing that we spend more than $80 billion on items meant to enhance our outward appearance, such as diets, cosmetic surgery, fancy creams and makeup,” says Constance Rhodes, True Campaign (www. truecampaign.org) co-founder. She points out that if these dollars are redirected, “we can actually satisfy tangible, physical hunger in our sisters (and brothers) around the world, while at the same time meeting some of our own needs for purpose, love and relationship in ways that our physical appearance never will.”

celebrating 23 years of faithful service

fact

In February, the leadership and staff of Food for the Hungry hosted a reception at its Phoenix offices to celebrate Rosaura Mesones’ 23 years of faithful service. Mesones resigned from her position as country director for Peru, a job she held for 18 years. Mesones started with Food for the Hungry/Peru as a Child Development Program manager. After five years, she was promoted to the position of deputy country director, but shortly after was asked to become the country director. “The country was in the midst of horrible terrorist activities; the job was too big for me,” Mesones shares. But she says after feeling God’s conviction and comfort, she accepted the challenge – on a “temporary basis.” “Now, 18 years later, I am still temporary. It’s the longest temporary job I know,” she adds with a laugh. At the reception, Food for the Hungry President and CEO Benjamin K. Homan praised Mesones for her exceptional leadership and humility in serving the people of Peru. “I am very grateful to the Lord for the opportunity He gave me to serve through Benjamin K. Homan, Food for the Hungry president Food for the Hungry. and CEO, with Rosaura Mesones. Photo by Ryan Horn. Food for the Hungry is a school of learning, and I have learned a lot,” says Mesones. Mesones says she wants to rest for a few months then go back to school to study French Literature. She is also considering doing some translation work for Food for the Hungry. Ryan Smedes, a young, bright man with a deep passion to make a difference in the fight against poverty, replaced Mesones as country director. Smedes has served with Food for the Hungry in various capacities in Bolivia, Dominican Republic and Indonesia.

The number of deaths from AIDS fell from 2.2 million in 2005 to 2.0 million in 2007, and the number of people newly infected declined from 3.0 million in 2001 to 2.7 million in 2007.

The number of children in developing countries who are underweight still exceeds 140 million. They are at risk of having a future blighted by the longterm effects of undernourishment. Source: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2008.

WHAT ARE THE MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges. The MDGs are drawn from the actions and targets contained in the Millennium Declaration that was adopted by 189 nations and signed by 147 heads of state and governments during the UN Millennium Summit in September 2000. The eight MDGs are:

Children from El Gade, Kenya.

The first project with true: shift is to partner with the village of El Gade, Kenya, where numerous children and their families stand to benefit through child sponsorship and will have the opportunity to know and embrace God’s amazing love.

Goal 1: Goal 2: Goal 3: Goal 4:

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Achieve universal primary education Promote gender equality and empower women Reduce child mortality

Goal 5: Improve maternal health Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Food for the Hungry works in more than 26 developing countries, providing disaster and emergency relief, and implementing sustainable development programs to transform communities. Visit www.fh.org for information on how you can get involved.

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journey of hope summit conference • willet embraces child sponsorship • friends from chengdu

conference on transformational development set Aug. 7-9

Hunger facts

Participants of the recent Team Coordinator Conference held at Williams, Arizona. Photo by Suzan Brown.

conference highlights best practices in sending and receiving teams

Last February, country directors and team coordinators from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, Guatemala, Kenya, Mozambique, and Ethiopia, as well as members of the Shortterm Team and Advocate Ministry in the United States, gathered in Williams, Arizona, for a five-day Team Coordinator Conference (TCC) to discuss best practices in sending and receiving shortterm teams. Ryan Brown, manager of Food for the Hungry’s Short-term Team Ministry, believes the value of the TCC is irreplaceable. “When Food for the Hungry sends short-term teams, we’re not just moving people from point A to point B; we’re seeking to establish Christ-honoring relationships that can transform the lives of those who serve on teams, the stateside church communities that send the teams, and those in the communities who receive the teams. The Team Coordinator Conference provides a tremendous opportunity for all of us to come together and discover how we can serve each other better.” Food for the Hungry/U.S. sends short-term teams to impoverished countries around the world. The Team Ministry specializes in connecting churches, schools and Christian groups with a specific community overseas where Food for the Hungry works, allowing long-term relationships to flourish and bear fruit. For more information on how your church or Christian organization can send a short-term team with Food for the Hungry, visit us online at www.FH.org/teams.

• Scope of the problem An estimated 854 million people in the developing world currently do not consume enough calories to sustain healthy bodies. • Hunger is when people do not get enough food to provide the nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water) for active and healthy lives. • Malnutrition results from a lack of calories and/or inadequate consumption ofone or more nutrients such as Vitamin A or iodine. • Famine is a situation of extreme scarcity of food, potentially leading to widespread starvation, which is defined as extreme suffering or death from prolonged lack of food.

Hosted by Food for the Hungry’s Academic Programs, the second annual Transformational Development Conference is scheduled for August 7-9, 2009 at Eastern University’s campus in St. Davids, Pennsylvania. Eastern University is co-sponsoring the event. The conference hopes to bring together a diverse group of people who are united by a common vision to end physical and spiritual poverty around the world. Food for the Hungry invites representatives from relief and development organizations, educational institutions, research bodies, churches and denominations, advocacy and mobilization movements, field programs, the arts and media, and governments.

Michael Pucci, Food for the Hungry’s international director of Academic Programs addresses the participants at last year’s conference held at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.

for more information To learn more about the Transformational Development Conference, visit www.TDconference.org.

chengdu city officials visit food for the Hungry

Food for the Hungry recently hosted an office tour and luncheon for officials from the Chengdu City government who were in Phoenix to participate in business and cultural exchange activities connected to the Phoenix-Chengdu sister-cities relationship. One of the officials, Mr. Qiu Haiming, director of China’s Chengdu Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, is the same person who agreed to a memorandum of understanding with Food for the Hungry’s leadership in January 2005, which opened the door for Food for the Hungry to establish a presence in Chengdu. Mr. Haiming said the time he spent at the Phoenix office was like “visiting a friend’s home.’ Food for the Hungry welcomes delegates from Chengdu. From left: Food for the Hungry President and CEO Benjamin K. Homan, Mr. Qiu Haiming, Jim Hicks, Jared Utterback, Marc Kyle, Michael Pucci, Mr. Yang Cangshou, and Mr. Fan Yu.

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FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY News

food for the hungry staff and advocates don traditional costumes of some countries around the world.

A GATHERING OF EVERY TONGUE AND NATION From around the world and across the United States, Food for the

Each of the Willet brothers sponsors at least one child, and the band as a whole sponsors Arefayne, shown here with Justin, Jeremy and Jordan Willet.

child sponsorship is band’s passion

In February 2009, three brothers who make up WILLET, a Food for the Hungry partnering band, visited Zeway, Ethiopia, for the second time – and this time, joined by family and friends. Their first visit to Ethiopia in 2007 as guests of Food for the Hungry deepened their understanding of the ministry and lit a fire inside the brothers’ hearts. In the years that followed, the band labored relentlessly to find nearly 600 sponsors for Ethiopian children – even making sacrifices to sponsor four children just among themselves. Jeremy, Justin and Jordan Willet returned to Ethiopia to show their family and friends this passion that has invaded their lives and to witness how God is transforming many lives in the Zeway region. “Change is happening in Zeway,” says front man Jeremy Willet, “and change is happening in my life.” An upcoming issue of 6:8 magazine will feature a story about WILLET’s partnership with Food for the Hungry and Zeway, Ethiopia.

Hungry advocates, ministry partners and international staff, most of them wearing traditional attire, gathered in February for a three-day Summit Conference at the Fiesta Inn Resort in Phoenix.The theme of the conference was “Journey of Hope,” and the main speakers were Luis Sena, country director for the Dominican Republic and Marty Martin, Food for the Hungry/U.S. chairman of the board and former country director for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Guest musicians provided times of worship and entertainment, and tables were set up to showcase paintings, crafts, books and CDs, and other cultural items. Food for the Hungry holds a Summit Conference every year for its field staff, country directors, advocates, volunteers and churches to fellowship, encourage one another, and strengthen their commitment to help end physical and spiritual poverty around the world. Next year’s Summit is scheduled for February and will carry the theme, “The Truth About Poverty.”

global updates For information on how Food for the Hungry implements sustainable development programs to transform communities, visit www.fh.org.

paintings, books and Cds, and cultural items are showcased at the conference.

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We thank and praise God for all that He did during our annual event, The Million Dollar Challenge. Over the weekend of Feb. 27, more than 75 people joined Food for the Hungry for a time of fellowship, relationship building, golf and learning about what God is doing around the world through Food for the Hungry. Over $1 million was raised to continue the fight of overcoming physical and spiritual hungers across the globe. These funds provide support for Food for the Hungryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biblically based outreaches in 27 different countries, including HIV/AIDS care and prevention, relief efforts, and field strengthening and expansion as God moves Food for the Hungry into new communities. Thanks to all who attended the event and to our sponsors! Pro-Sweep, Inc. Baillie Lumber: baillie.com Phoenix Benefits: PHXBen.com Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil Printing: oneilprint.com Southland Christian Church: southlandchristian.org Desert View Bible Church: desertviewbible.org Please consider joining us for our next Million Dollar Challenge Event on March 5-9, 2010, and be a part of changing lives by helping end physical and spiritual hungers worldwide. For more information, contact Jack DeGrenier at 1.800.248.6437, ext. 1133.

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one at a time

Above: Basilia turned her empty front patio into a garden of vegetables, flowers and herbal plants. Left: One of the tanks constructed by Food for the Hungry teams and volunteers from the community.

Families, churches and organizations collaborate to solve the water and food shortage problems in Nicaraguaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community of El Ojoche By Pamela Neumann

Left: Benancio hopes his plantain trees will yield a good harvest for his family. Below: Benancio and Basilia proudly display a blueprint for their land once rains fill the newly constructed tanks in El Ojoche.

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For the community of El Ojoche, the

dry season historically represented scarcity, hunger and even death. Starved of rain, the fertile soil of the rolling hills of northwest Nicaragua ceased to yield a harvest. In order to survive, the 87 families of this small village relied on rationed corn and beans grown during the rainy season. Ivania Rios, Food for the Hungry’s Community Health Evangelism program leader explains,“Rising food prices in the local market compounded the problem, making even needed food unaffordable.” While El Ojoche has 36 small wells, none of them yields more than ten gallons a day, barely enough for bathing and laundry. In response to this need, Food for the Hungry/ Nicaragua collaborated with Nuevas Esperanza, a UK-based Christian nongovernment organization with expertise in water projects. Various options were presented to community leaders, who decided on the construction of two large rainwater collection tanks in strategic locations in the village. Food for the Hungry was asked for support in the first phase of the project. Staff member and Rotarian Mike Coberley worked with the Leon Rotary Club to become the channel for a donation from the Albina Club (Portland, Oregon). These funds, together with additional support from St. Rafael’s Catholic Church in Wisconsin, allowed construction to begin.

Community Participation

More than 100 people from the community participated in the construction, which began on September 22, 2008, for the first 13,200 gallon ferro-cement tank located near a Baptist church. In late October, a team from New Song Calvary Chapel (Southern California) came to help the community with the construction, and the first tank was completed in November of the same year. “The team’s presence in the community was a huge encouragement to the community members, while the team was amazed at the high level of involvement and commitment to excellence shown by the community,” says Food for the Hungry Teams coordinator Andrea Kamouyerou. “It was

a beautiful example of the global church coming together; the North American church being blessed by the hard-working, faithful Christian witness in El Ojoche, and the Nicaraguan church being blessed by the solidarity and love expressed by the team through working, worshipping and sharing life together.” Nestor Adraden, a local tradesman who was trained during the construction of the first tank, organized a group of community volunteers who built the second tank largely by themselves. Community leader Rosa Rios observes, “The project caught the attention of families that up until now showed no interest in being involved and many of them came out to help with the construction.”

Tangible Manifestation

Now that the tanks are finished, the entire community anxiously awaits the rains to fill the tanks and end the “season of death” in El Ojoche. “It [the project] will help in many ways,” says Rios. “It will help the families with patio gardens, and the students in school who will be able to learn gardening. It will also help us better provide for our animals, which we depend on for food and work.” Rios’ parents, Benancio and Basilia, were one of the first families to turn their formerly empty front patio into a haven for herb plants, flowers and fruit trees.With the water from the new tanks, they will also be able to irrigate their small tomato plot, orange and plantain trees, and yucca plants behind their home. Holding up a colorful map of his land illustrating their future plans, Benancio proclaims,“This is our dream. Sometimes we don’t know how we live now – it’s only by God’s grace and by faith that we make it through each day.” The water storage tanks are a tangible manifestation of God’s grace in El Ojoche, where the people’s hearts are filled with renewed faith and hope. “People see the hand of God evident in projects like this,” says Rios with a smile. 9 Pamela Neumann is a Hunger Corps serving as communications coordinator for Food for the Hungry/ Nicaragua. She can be reached at pneumann@fhi.net.

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cover story

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By Rez Gopez-Sindac Photos by Kristin Kawa Brooks

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[ generation hope ]

elena, a sponsored child with food for the hungry, graduated from high school last year. Her parents are confident that she will have a good future.

Inside the scanty house of the Chavez-Bernal family, the otherwise bare walls display signs of pride and hope: festive balloons, paper graduation caps, rolled-up diplomas. Just the night before, 20-year-old Elena hosted a party for her friends to celebrate her graduation from high school. This year, she is the only one in her small indigenous village of Kanaquil, located in the highlands of Guatemala, to finish secondary education. But she’s not the first in her family to receive a diploma. Her older sister, also named Elena, graduated from high school just three years before and now teaches at a primary school in a nearby community. Not to be outdone, young Elena promises to find work in the vibrant town of Nebaj. lena’s mother sits shyly in one corner of the living room, her gaze fixed at the solid dirt floor. But anyone can tell that she takes pride in how her daughters have bravely chosen a path toward change. “I’m glad life can be different for my children,” she says, speaking in her Ixil dialect. “They don’t need to suffer like me.” Elena’s mom – as well as most folks in Guatemala’s rural areas – never went to school.When she was young, her mother would hide her and her siblings in the cornfields whenever the teachers came to gather the children in the community. “My parents wanted us to work rather than go to school,” she says. The long and atrocious civil war (1960-1996) only dashed any hopes of a better future. Just like thousands upon

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thousands of civilians who were caught in the fight between the government soldiers and the insurgents, Elena’s parents fled to the mountains where they lived in fear and hunger for many years. Still, they say they were lucky they survived. According to official reports, an estimated 200,000 people had been killed by the end of the war. But while the older generation will not soon forget the bitter memories of the war, their children – young, educated and ambitious – are rising up against the errors of the past and staking their claim to a life of peace, hope and dignity.

Investing in Children

Soon after the conflict ended, Food for the Hungry found ways to help many shattered communities address the hard issues in the war’s aftermath and walk with them on a path toward lasting recovery. Thus, a full-scale, long-term

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[ generation hope ]

development work in the regions of Alta Verapaz and Ixil took shape. These efforts would complement and strengthen initial relief activities and community outreaches that were started during the war. This explains why in some villages, Food for the Hungry has served for at least 18 years. But as “old” communities come to embrace the values and knowledge they’ve learned – so that they are now able to care for their own families and communities with very little outside help – Food for the Hungry responds to new opportunities in other villages. In the last four years alone, at least 22 impoverished communities have opened with the help of faithful donors and ministry partners. By the end of the year, ten more communities stand to benefit from Food for the Hungry’s lifetransforming programs and experience real, lasting hope. Investing in children is a key strategy around which Food for the Hungry builds its responses in Guatemala and around the world. Following the Bible’s counsel that “Children are a gift of the Lord,” Food for the Hungry, in partnership with community leaders and local and American churches, helps develop and nurture a child’s physical and spiritual well-being so that he or she may grow to become a healthy, productive and responsible member of the society. Through holistic initiatives in health and nutrition, education, agriculture development, and livelihood training, families and communities are discovering their potential and pursuing the fullness of life God intends them to have. Today, the poor in Guatemala no longer dream and hear of change. Instead, they see it and touch it and are a part of it. It’s as tangible as the productive land they are now farming. As visible as the boundless energy of a once-critically ill toddler. And as real as Elena and many other former sponsored children who now serve their communities through their chosen professions.

Fighting Chronic Malnutrition

One lingering enemy that assaults young children in Guatemala and threatens to defeat all efforts of Guatemalans to build a stronger future is chronic malnutrition. According to a recent study by UNICEF, Guatemala has the highest percentage of chronically malnourished girls and boys in food for the hungry organizes activities for schoolchildren that teach them about God’s love and how He wants to bless them physically and spiritually.

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[ generation hope ]

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Latin America. Nationwide, 50 percent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition, but in indigenous areas, the number climbs to as high as 80 percent. Interestingly, the problem appears less visible in Guatemala than in many poor African nations. “Children are not skin and bones with big bellies,” says Victor Cortez, Food for the Hungry’s country director for Guatemala. “But the truth is, they’re stunted and have great difficulty learning.” At a primary school in the community of Cerro Verde, Cortez picks children randomly and lines them up according to their ages. The vast majority of the children, he points out, are two or three years behind the normal growth curve. And not only do these boys and girls suffer from stunted growth, Cortez emphasizes that their mental development has been impaired as well. When a small 10-year-old boy hands Cortez his report card on which the teacher had written “No Aprobada,” Cortez shakes his head in sadness. “Children all over the world are created with the same growth potential,”says Cortez, “but many of the kids in these poor communities will never reach their full potential.” According to World Health Organization, malnutrition is globally the most important risk factor for illness and death, contributing to more than half of deaths in children worldwide. Studies have shown that high levels of stunting among children, as a result of chronic malnutrition, lead to long-term deficits in mental, physical and behavioral development that can have consequences for children’s success later in life. “When a child has acute malnutrition, that child is condemned to die. On the other hand, a child with chronic malnutrition faces major long-term negative impact on their mental and social skills,” says Cortez. “It could even lead to a life of crime and imprisonment,” he adds. Shawn Sagert, a Food for the Hungry staff working to improve the health of Guatemala’s poor, shares Cortez’s burden. “Those who survive [undernourishment] never reach the physical and intellectual potential God intended for them,” he says. “The damage done in the first two years of life is irreversible.” But while the obvious solution to the problem of chronic malnutrition is to make more food available to children and families, Sagert argues that there are other barriers that need to be addressed as well, among them: lack of health education, poor hygiene, inadequate safe drinking water, and cultural beliefs. Sagert maintains that a holistic and comprehensive approach can bring sustainable solution to this serious problem. “Only as we line ourselves up with the truth about ourselves and the world we live in as God has ordered it will effective development happen,” he says.

Working with Community Leaders

With nearly 20 years of work experience in rural development, Victor Cortez – who was appointed country director in 2007 – knows by heart that a holistic approach to sustainable progress involves the collaboration of various sectors of society and government. Cortez says that over the years, Food for the Hungry has built trusting and strategic relationships with government leaders in Guatemala. One recent partnership that Cortez says holds incredible impact is with the top officials of a hospital in the municipality of San Cristobal.

At a recent meeting with Cortez and some members of his staff, the hospital’s outgoing director, Dr. Rudy Iboy, and his successor, Dr. Ever Isaac Marcos, expressed appreciation to Food for the Hungry for “lighting the match that started an explosion” in public awareness of chronic malnutrition. “We knew that the problem was chronic malnutrition,” begins Dr. Iboy, “but we didn’t have the data until Food for the Hungry and other NGOs started weighing and measuring the children in the communities.” After meeting with Food for the Hungry in early 2008, in which Cortez and his staff shared Food for the Hungry’s strategic responses to the problem of chronic malnutrition, the municipality of San Cristobal formed a food security committee composed of government organizations and nongovernment agencies. The committee, Dr. Iboy boasts, is headed by the mayor of San Cristobal. This breakthrough collaboration can make possible a successful region-wide campaign to reduce chronic malnutrition. Already, various programs and outreaches, including those implemented by Food for the Hungry, are in place. Among these initiatives are: working with pregnant women to ensure they receive adequate nutrition and health education; regular home visits by health promoters to people who need medical attention; training mothers how to care for their small children; regularly monitoring the height and weight of infants and toddlers; agricultural training to improve food security; and providing livelihood opportunities. “We have seen that in communities where Food for the Hungry is present, the children are healthier, they attend school, and their families are more productive,” says Dr. Iboy.

The Future is Here

At another school in the community of Pulay, scores of children from nearby villages arrive in pairs and small groups, some of them with mothers in tow. These gradeschoolers are on school break, but they’re here to attend a half-day Bible class that Food for the Hungry has arranged with the school management at the beginning of the year. Local churches help spread the word around. “We found out about this activity through our church,” one mother says proudly. “We know it’s good for our children to learn the Bible.” “It gives them something to look forward to,” adds another, “otherwise they get bored at home.” Soon the classrooms reverberate with animated sounds of children singing, praying and reciting Bible verses. A lunch of maize and cookies follows a couple of hours later. The all-too-familiar scene brings back good memories to Food for the Hungry staff Victor Jom, a former sponsored child with Food for the Hungry, now a happy family man.With a big smile on his face, he says, “I was just like those kids, poor and unimportant, but Food for the Hungry workers came to my community – the same way we are doing today – and taught me that I am special to God.” Jom says he carried this truth in his heart and it gave him the strength to overcome the challenges that came his way during the early years of his life. It’s the same truth that he now passes on to his children and to every young boy and girl that God brings into his path. “These kids are our future, and our future is here,” he declares. 9

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frontliners

Coming

home to a foreign land

Serving the poor in Bangladesh for the past ten years, John and Kate Marsden learn to invest in people by building and cultivating mutually transformational relationships. By Esther Hsu Along the streets of Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka are ambling pedestrians, mostly men but a few women draped in colorful saris or shalwar kamees. A league of transportation options – tottering buses, three-wheeled bicycles, auto rickshaws – push, shove and honk, all trying to fit on the potholed streets like Tetris pieces. From their slice of sidewalk or a wooden stall, street vendors summon passersby to buy sweetened cha (tea) or spicy samosas. It was this foreign, bustling and vibrant world that John and Kate Marsden first stepped into 14 years ago. Though John and Kate had heard of Food for the Hungry through their home church in York, England, it was in 1995 that their hands and hearts became personally engaged. As summer approached, these enterprising parents sought out an alternative to their typical family vacation. Instead of a jaunt to neighboring European cities or the United States, the Marsdens inquired if there was a Food for the Hungry field with which they and their two teenaged children could volunteer. Food for the Hungry’s office in Bangladesh invited the family over for a month, which, John asserts, “completely transformed our family.” After four weeks in both rural and urban areas, the Marsden quartet returned home to England with a new lens on life. John began to serve on the Food for the Hungry/U.K. board, writing grants and consulting for fields across the globe. The Marsden’s university-bound daughter and son both decided to take a gap year (a year off between high school and university), half of which was spent earning and saving enough money so that they could spend the second half of the year volunteering in Bangladesh. When the position of country director for Bangladesh opened up, Food for the Hungry invited John to join the ministry full-time. Kate remembers knowing immediately that they were called to Bangladesh, despite the initial onslaught of unknowns their family faced. One by one, however, each of their uncertainties was addressed and confirmation after confirmation materialized.

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And so on a sweltering August day in 1999, John and Kate stepped once again onto Bangladeshi soil – and Kate heard herself declaring, “We’ve come home!”

The Priority of People

Nestled between India and Burma, Bangladesh is a country of 153 million people, the vast majority of whom are Bengali and the rest represent minority tribal groups. Since its inception in 1971, the nation has been plagued with political instability and susceptibility to devastating flooding, which have both contributed to a prevalence of corruption and fatalism. This historical backdrop provided the Marsdens with some context as they joined Food for the Hungry in Bangladesh. To become acquainted with cultural norms and nuances, they fostered relationships with Bangladeshis from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, experiencing firsthand the resilience, hospitality and communal identity of Bangladeshis. In his new post as country director, John did

“we’ve come home,” Kate Marsden declared upon arriving in Bangladesh ten years ago. Kate and John strongly believe in investing in people and nurturing their God-given potential.

not expend all energies on improving development programs and projects. start to see that dignity come back,” Kate says. On Instead, he felt a strong conviction that he was to invest in people; he was to the flipside, “If the non-poor solved the problem, nurture the God-given potential of what would, during his tenure, become [the poor] stay with this marred image.” a staff of over 200 Bangladeshis, so that they could improve programs. The bestpositioned and most effective agents to address the physical and spiritual poverty of Bangladesh, he believes, are Bangladeshis.“It is not our job as the non-poor to ‘fix’ their problems,” John asserts. “In fact, the more we try to intervene and fix their problems for them, the more we create dependency – john marsden and reinforce much of the problem,” adds country director, bangladesh John, who, in 2007, accepted a bigger role regional director for asia in the work of Food for the Hungry as regional director for Asia. Kate chimes in with one of her fundamental beliefs that every woman and This staunch commitment to empowerment man is created in God’s image, with inherent dignity, value and potential.“When prompted John to immediately prioritize the someone is allowed to decide how to solve the problem and be creative…you equipping of his staff. Twenty years of management

“...the more we try to intervene and fix their problems for them, the more we create dependency and reinforce much of the problem.”

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Kate Marsden follows Jesus’ model of servant leadership by demonstrating a humble attitude toward her staff, helping women discover their potential, and encouraging mothers to learn a trade and provide proper care to their children.

experience in public health and nonprofit sectors had taught him the necessity of developing managers and empowering every member of the team. He moved the Food for the Hungry headquarters in Dhaka from a facility of only offices to a compound that, in addition to offices, offered large training rooms, a dining room and dormitory-style housing – elements conducive for facilitating weeklong training events. Next, John asked Kate to craft a training module that would effectively guide all staff through the six biblically based values undergirding Food for the Hungry Bangladesh: listening and speaking to God, serving attitude, holistic care, integrity and transparency, acting justly, and unity and diversity. As John shared his vision, Kate’s eyes grew wide. How would they, with integrity, present Food for the Hungry to a society where “Christian” is a loaded label? How would they make biblical truth accessible in a culture that is predominantly Muslim? How would they cultivate a milieu of safety, equality and learning among their Bangladeshi staff who came from varied

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religious backgrounds (including Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism)? Educated to be a medical doctor and experienced in family therapy and prayer counseling, Kate was unsure where to begin. However, she quickly realized that “if God calls you to something, He always – always – gives you what you need.” God did in fact supply the Marsdens the necessary ingredients, insight and tools. John and Kate began to establish a safe learning culture among their diverse staff by modeling humility, dispelling biases against marginalized individuals, and avoiding labeling people by their religion.Though intended for someone else, a book providentially landed on Kate’s desk, premising that adults absorb new ideas best when the learning is interactive and selfdiscovery. On the question of sharing God’s Word,

[ frontliners ]

the Marsdens found comfort in the conviction that they were responsible for offering biblical truth to their staff; they could trust the Holy Spirit to do the stirring and teaching of hearts and minds.They focused on obedience to God’s call, not fixation on producing specific results.When you worry about delivering rigid outcomes,” shares John,“you end up gluing the apples to the tree, instead of concentrating on the roots.” With these fresh revelations, Kate began to craft a training that would over the next several years invite all 200 staff – regardless of religious background, gender, ethnicity, job role or literacy level – to have the opportunity to examine the Bible and, as it says in the Gospel of John, to “come and see.”

GLIMPSES OF TRANSFORMATION

As the Bangladeshi people respond to God’s invitation to draw closer to Him, minds and hearts begin to change – and with some amazing outward evidence. Some examples include: • Mutually transformative relationships built between program participants and Food for the Hungry staff. • The poorest members of society developing law, health and leadership skills through Family and Community Transformation savings groups, the primary Food for the Hungry program in Bangladesh. • Women’s confidence growing and faces brightening as they hear for the

first time that they are made in God’s image. • Husbands helping their wives with chores deemed women’s work. • Staff refusing to pay bribes, despite outside criticism and opposition. • Development workers injecting innovation into programs. • Managers cleaning the office when cleaners were sick. Woven together, these myriad stories give a vivid tapestry of transformational development occurring in Food for the Hungry fields like Bangladesh, where there is hope amid harsh daily realities and persisting poverty. The past ten years saw John and Kate bearing witness to these amazing incidents of transformation – and that is worth celebrating. 9 Esther Hsu is Food for the Hungry’s special projects coordinator for Academic Programs. She can be reached at esther.hsu@fh.org.

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VISION PARTNERS

John Conway leads Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church to provide help and hope to the poor in Karbururi, Kenya By Karen Randau

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Community service has always been an important part of John Conway’s life. Coming up through Boy Scouts of America to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, Conway learned to serve others, revere something bigger than himself, steadily work to achieve big goals, and develop hobbies such as fishing, hunting, boating and gardening. “If it’s outside, I generally like it,” Conway says. And at age 34, Conway is applying that Eagle Scout training as a volunteer church advocate with Food for the Hungry. “Community service and achievement were a huge part of the Boy Scout experience, and so was adventure,” Conway adds. So it wasn’t that huge a leap to go from camping in the Virginia wilderness and serving in his Fredericksburg church to sleeping in a bombed-out building in southern Sudan, Africa. “It was better than some of the accommodations that I saw were available to returning Sudanese refugees who had fled the civil war,” he says. Conway visited Food for the Hungry projects in Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan in 2005. He was looking for something that his church, Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church (SPC) in Fredericksburg, could do as part of their mission efforts. “I saw Food for the Hungry training programs in Kenya, nurseries and food-for-work programs in Ethiopia, and a seed fair in southern Sudan,” he says. “I met a lot of people and fell in love with Africa.” Conway returned to lead SPC in collecting and sending two crates of Bibles and Christian books to southern Sudan. Since SPC likes to use their mission budget to make a lasting difference, they knew they wanted to be more involved. The church sent Conway back to southern Sudan in

2006 as part of a Food for the Hungry construction team that built a school. They worked alongside community members and helped model the love of Christ.

Working With a Kenyan Village

When Conway’s close friend, Keith Wright, moved to become Food for the Hungry’s Kenya Country Director, Conway’s heart followed. He learned about the Community-to-Community (C2C) program and soon began creating a partnership between SPC and a needy community in Kenya. Conway visited several Kenyan communities with Wright in 2007. “They ranged from doing almost no development work to having a well-established program,” Conway says. “It gave me an idea of not only where SPC

Top Photo: John Conway bravely climbs atop this 38,000-liter water tank to take a look at what’s inside. left : John and Chrissy Conway with their sponsored child, Fatuma, and her mother. Behind them is a water retention pond where people in the community get their water supply.

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could start, but also how successful C2C churches work.” SPC decided to partner with the village of Karbururi on the Ethiopian border. Food for the Hungry was already helping the community embrace a strong relationship with Christ. The community had built a church about a year earlier.When Conway visited, the community also had built three rooms of a new primary school. SPC committed to helping Karbururi build an additional room each year for five years, along with teacher housing, an administration building and a teaching garden. “All the places we visited were disadvantaged, but we thought we could make the biggest impact in Karbururi because it was the least developed of all the communities we visited,” Conway explains. SPC worked with Food for the Hungry to develop a long-term plan to help Karbururi.

Raising Funds for the Projects

As co-owner of Conway & Robison LLC, a consulting and certification agency working under the USDA Department of Agriculture export program for wood packaging, Conway is involved in certifying producers of wood packaging for

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export and auditing the programs of these producers. The company helps smaller and developing countries create their own export packaging programs to be in compliance with a major international trade treaty. Through his membership in the industry’s National Wooden Pallet Manufacturers Association, Conway was invited to speak at a worship service at the association’s annual meeting. “The worship service started with singing, a devotional and then the presentation of our Pallet Mission Project,” Conway says. “I spoke about a potential fundraiser to help people in Karbururi. I didn’t know where it would lead since people were just beginning to feel the pinch of our current economy, but we managed to raise $12,000.” That $12,000 helped Karbururi build a 38,000-liter water catchment tank for their school. The community worked through a local contractor, and the school children’s parents provided the labor. The school expects the tank volume will last between rainy seasons, the entire school year. This will make regular school attendance more likely for the children. “It may not seem like a lot of money,” says Conway, “but

[ vision partners ]

it’s making a huge impact in the lives of these children.” Conway and others from SPC visited Karbururi during the summer of 2008. They met with church and community leaders, teachers and parents to learn about their vision for the community. Conway was impressed with their vision and their plan. SPC’s Vacation Bible School raised funds to enclose the 5 ½ acres of the Karbururi’s school property, and the fence is now being built.

Learning From People and Experiences

“I’ve met a lot of people in Karbururi, but a couple of them really stand out. One is a boy who had an amazing smile. I never actually met him, but I see him every time I visit. He’s really shy. He seemed to be behind every tree smiling at me. When we gave some kids a ride, he was there smiling. He was active in the church choir, and he played guitar. I’ll never forget that face. It’s the one I’ve seen as we’ve worked to sponsor 30 kids from Karbururi through SPC. We recently received sponsorship packets for our mission month, and this boy, Halake Wakala Dida, was in the batch. I promise, he’ll have a sponsor soon.” The other person whose influence will always stay with Conway is Andrew Boru, a Food for the Hungry staff who helps with the Karbururi school and serves as a pastor. Through Andrew’s example, Conway is learning how to live a life focused on the most important priorities: God and family first, then the “things” that help shape people, families and communities. “There is a big difference between Karbururi and northern Virginia,” Conway says. “We have so many distractions and choices, and they don’t. Everything there

is focused on what you need to do to survive, worship and go to school. Andrew really impressed our team. He has a passion for the Lord and a focus that would make him a leader anywhere.” The work that Conway is doing for Food for the Hungry, along with the people and places Food for the Hungry has allowed him to experience, have transformed not only his own life, but it has changed his entire family, given SPC a vibrant relationship with Karbururi and shaped the worldview of many SPC members. “We’re always growing as Christians,” Conway says. “Throughout the relationship with Food for the Hungry, that growth has steered my family to focus our church service on mission work. This is where we feel our spiritual gifts are leading us, and Food for the Hungry is a big part of that. Our children tell all their friends about our sponsored children.When the kids go to bed, we pray for our sponsored children and think about what they’re doing. For my wife, Chrissy, and me, our Food for the Hungry experiences have helped us shape what we want to do with our lives and how we want to raise our kids.” The Conways believe God is leading them to work in the mission field doing international development. John has already applied for a master’s degree in international development. He says,“I’d really like to use what I’ve learned in business and manufacturing to help individuals and communities improve their livelihood and become self-sufficient. We don’t know what’s going to happen or when, but we’re preparing ourselves – just in case.” What else would an Eagle Scout say? After all, the Boy Scout motto is to “be prepared.” 9 6:8

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(C2C) Food for the Hungry’s Community to Community unity in the partnership is a relationship between a comm getting developing world and an American church. By are able to personally involved with the poor, churches xt of a strong work towards lasting change within the conte tate true relationship. Food for the Hungry strives to facili the and ch transformation for both the American chur international partner community.

Serve • Short-term Teams • Church Advocate • Core Team • Hunger Corps

Invest • Child Sponsorship • Community Projects • Disaster Relief Support

To know how you can be a part of a C2C partnership, visit www.fh.org/c2c or email advocates@fh.org.

We invite churches to serve, invest and connect with their partner community, and educate their congregation about poverty and God’s heart for the poor.

Educate • FH Summit Conference • 6:8 Sunday • Educational Resources • Church Events • Go ED. Semester Abroad • Internships

Connect • Community Updates • Field Staff Visits • Prayer

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