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Harvest is only a few days away now--it's THIS Saturday!--and we have been cataloging and pricing many wonderful items for our sale and live auction. Check out the pictures below to glimpse some of the unique creations we've already received from talented local individuals. And there's plenty more! And remember, when you shop at Harvest, every dollar you spend will directly buy food for hungry people. For pictures of more items, plus more real-time updates on our event, visit our Facebook page. And, of course, we look forward to seeing you on Saturday!
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We want to share some of the amazing talents of HOT contributors this year. This is just a small sampling of items that you will only find this Saturday at Harvest of Talents. Hope to see you there! From CMF International - Tanzania Widows Project + Child Sponsorship Program
Walking toward the kitchen on a Saturday morning, I see a girl approach me with a smile. It takes a moment to register, but then I realize with astonishment, this is Nemaoi! Once a scrawny and sickly girl, she now looks healthy and happy, her smile no longer seems like a pained expression. Nemaoi was known for having chronic illnesses and malnourishment, for which her destitute mother could do little. She became sponsored last Fall and, in combination with receiving health care and educational funding, has been receiving nutritious meals at her local church every Saturday thanks to IDES. I hadn't seen her for the first three months of 2015 as I was in America on furlough, but in that short time, her changed appearance and demeanor were captivating. We appreciate IDES partnering with us to transform lives and communities in Tanzania! In January 2015, IDES began donating $900 per month toward our Tanzania Widows Project and Child Sponsorship Program. This money is distributed to 4 locations each Saturday to provide nutritious meals to the women and children in our program. I work with 12 established CCCT (Community Christian Church of Tanzania) churches in the Matale and Engarenaibor regions of northern Tanzania. The people are of the Maasai tribe, traditionally nomadic herders. Established in 2012, our program seeks to work alongside the local church to provide for the least of these in their communities. Pastors identified the neediest widows and orphaned or impoverished children in their area, and we have been working with American sponsors to provide:
One Saturday every month, all the women and children come together for spiritual and health lessons and then all the other Saturdays of the month, the children meet for tutoring lessons. With the monthly support of IDES, we are able to provide everyone with a nutritious breakfast and lunch each Saturday. Breakfast is a wholesome porridge (called uji) comprised of corn, wheat, barley, millet, sorghum, soybeans, rosella, and peanuts. Lunch is a nourishing combination of corn and beans (called makande); vegetable stew with kale, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes, and onions; and fruit varying from watermelon, oranges, avocados, and/or bananas. In addition to the great food each Saturday, IDES also provides the funding for each of the 134 children and 33 widows to take home a large packet of porridge mix each month to provide good breakfasts for their families. Each Saturday, the cooks pile my plate high with food that is not only nutritious but also tastes delicious! Usually I cannot eat it all and prefer to give the extra to boys and girls who may still be hungry and desiring seconds. Last year, nearly everyone would have been happy to receive some more, but now, I find myself wandering around to find someone, anyone who is not full - what a beautiful problem to have! From Hope Boarding School, Yangon, Myanmar
The children at HBS, ranging in age from ten years to eighteen years, all come from families trapped in extreme poverty. Indeed, some of our children are orphans, and many come from single-parent households. However, none of their families can afford to provide them with a good education. Most of their families struggle for their daily needs, and they all share some form of food-insecurity. HBS exists to provide these children with a safe and loving home environment where they can receive good nutrition, proper medical care, education, and spiritual training. Because of the HOT food assistance we receive from IDES, our children are undoubtedly the strongest and healthiest children in the entire surrounding area. We are not just saying this, either. The teachers at the government schools were our children attend are all amazed at the marked difference between the HBS students and the other children, and especially the students who have been at HBS the longest. When we travel to northwest Myanmar and visit with the families and relatives of the HBS students, we can see with our own eyes the real difference that the nutrition received at HBS makes. It is such a joy to see the happy, healthy, glowing faces of "our kids" when we return to Yangon. The help provided by IDES allows the children at HBS to enjoy regular servings of protein, fresh fruit, eggs, milk, and bread, in addition to having all of the rice and vegetables that they can possibly eat. There is a long waiting list of families who desire to enroll their children at HBS because they see what a positive difference it makes in the lives of the children who do attend. A big part of that difference is the food assistance made available by the HOT program from IDES. Please allow me to share the story of one of our HBS boys, Pao Min Thang (Pao Pao). In 2010, Palal Khongsai was selecting the first children to come to Yangon to live at HBS. Pao Pao's parents desperately wanted him to live at HBS where he could attend school, but they were afraid. Pao Pao was a sickly boy, and he would get very ill during rainy season. Each year seemed worse than the year before. In fact, the previous rainy season, he was so sick that he had lost all use of his legs and he couldn't stand up on his own. They thought surely he would die soon, but he was a very bright and happy boy and they really wanted him to get an education. His father, the pastor of a small church, told Palal, "We really want you to take him with you to Yangon, but we are afraid he will die there. If he dies, that will be a big problem for you." Without hesitation, Palal said, "We will take him. Even if he cannot attend school, we will at least get him the medical care he needs." So Pao Pao came to live at HBS. He was frail and tiny for his age, but he seemed to get stronger day by day. When the next monsoon season hit, he did not get sick. In fact, he did not get sick again while at HBS, until several years later when an abscess in his hip flared up, and that healed quickly. Pao Pao wants to be a Christian minister like his father when he grows up, and now, because of HBS, HOT, and IDES, we have no doubt that he will not only live, but that he will achieve his dream! From Haitian Christian Outreach
As I stood on the side of the mountain in remote SE Haiti, there was an excitement in the air. School had just started and over 500 kids packed themselves into their seats in our school in Seguin. Excitement over a new school year is always fun! For me, the day was made even better knowing that these children would receive a hot meal made possible by the IDES HOT grant that we received from IDES! As food was distributed to the kids, the smiles were enough to crush any person's heart! The IDES HOT grant has not only been tremendous to our 2,000 students in our 6 schools in SE Haiti. The grant has also allowed us to be the hands and feet of Christ in Peredo and surrounding communities throughout the summer by providing food for the VBS programs that have packed over 300 kids into our tiny church building. Many of these kids have never heard the Gospel and definitely don't get a meal every day of the week! The HOT grant has helped us reach out in the name of Christ to hungry and hurting kids throughout SE Haiti. Thank you, IDES! As the preparation for Harvest of Talents East TN continues, I thought it would be nice to share some of the newsletters we've received that tell how HOT funds are currently being put to use. May these stories bless and inspire you.
From North India Christian Mission (NICM.org) IDES has been partnering with NICM over the past years in many ways, but one of the most helpful has been the HOT program. This giving has allowed NICM to supply food to the truly broken orphans, rag pickers, elderly, children, and lepers in Northwest India. At a feeding camp in Machiwaada, a lady, Nita, approached the line where rice was being served. She had 2 small children. She was begging for a plate of rice and lentils. Starvation had driven her body to weakness and the worst part was seeing her children grow up in a state of continual hunger. She had no one to turn to because she was just a widow in a society where she was cursed by fate to live life alone. NICM reached out to her in love... She ate. She drank. She wept. We testified. We are continuing to minister to Nita and her children. Pray with us for Nita that she will come to know Christ as her personal Savior. We at NICM are continually thankful for the IDES group and their loving compassion for the needs of the homeless and the loveless. May God truly bless you for all you do to support missionaries around the world. The countdown begins! Two months from today, we will gather at Lakeway Community Church in Morristown for Harvest of Talents. Please be in prayer for the leaders and volunteers as we plan for the event. Pray about how you can utilize your time, talents, and finances to help fight world hunger and be sure to join us on November 7th! #feedhungrypeople
The Schedule 10:00 - Sale & Breakfast Open 11:30 - Lunch Opens 1:00 - Sale closes 1:15 - Lunch Closes 1:30 - Auction begins The Live Music & Mini-LessonsEnjoy some good music in our lounge area while you enjoy a bagel or some hot soup. We also have what we call talent demonstrations, or mini-lessons, where ordinary talented people share their knowledge, skills, and gifts with you. These are relaxed and brief and yet allow us to learn from and celebrate the talents of real people in our lives. Check out the schedule below to see what's booked! The FoodWe offer a simple, delicious morning menu of donuts and bagels with specialty cream cheese. And for lunch this year, we have a wonderful array in our HOT soup bar. Feed your hunger while you listen to some great live music (see above)--and every dollar you spend on your own food will go to #feedhungrypeople worldwide! Krispy Kreme Donuts ~ Panera Bagels
Gumbo ~ White Chili Chili ~ Vegetable Beef Soup Taco Soup ~ Tortilla Soup Chicken Gnocci Soup Cookies ~ Hot Chocolate ~ Coffee We have had some very creative and awesome items donated for sale and auction this coming Saturday. Take a sneak peek below. We have everything from an original Dan Gibson painting to a handcrafted glass bowl to an artistic bench. We have quilted bags, diaper clutches, quilts, and more! Plus, although we don't have pictures posted here, I know we even have some yummy freezer meals for sale! So, come on out and buy and bid on items. Remember, every dollar you spend at the event will buy food for hungry people. create. give. buy. #feedhungrypeople. Once again, the wonderful Ed Arnold at Morristown's WCRK radio station (wcrk.com) was kind enough to record and produce a great public service announcement to air on local radio. We need to spread the word about Harvest, and Ed has been a great help in doing that. Here's the commercial. Enjoy! |
