소식 & 이벤트
 
  Humanitarian Crises…Looking Beyond the Grim Statistics
 작성자 : KAFHI
작성일 : 2014-09-30     조회 : 5,034  


As an aid worker, I am often tempted to throw in the towel when I am faced with humanitarian situations that seem irreparable.
When I visit communities and interact with hopelessness, suffering, pain, lost dreams as a result of war, disease, and mostly bad governance,
I often find myself sighing, "It's too broken. It cannot be fixed."

Allow me to illustrate what I mean. Let's consider some of the current, key humanitarian crises around the world.

In Syria, 3 million people have fled as refugees to neighboring countries. It's estimated that more than 13 million people in Syria need immediate humanitarian aid ; 6.5 million are internally displaced. The situation in Syria is probably the worst humanitarian crisis of our time.

When Typhoon Haiyan descended on the Philippines, it left grand destruction of property and with no doubt a jolt to the economy with 10 percent of the population affected, at the time. Millions continue to bear the brunt of the disaster.

On December 15, 2013, fighting broke out in South Sudan plunging the world’s newest country into the dark days when it hosted Africa’s longest running civil war. Everybody hoped and called for the fighting to stop. But it didn’t. Instead, the inevitable happened. Close to one million people have been internally displaced. This means 1 in every 8 people do not have a home. Even worse, the claws of famine are quickly gripping the country, and 1.25 million children face malnutrition. A recent report by the BBC mentioned that residents of a village had resorted to eating water lilies because there was no food available. UNICEF estimates that up to 50,000 children could die of malnutrition by the end of the year if they do not receive help. The stats are grim.

The deadly Ebola virus is now rapidly spreading in a number of countries in West Africa and has, to date, claimed the lives of more than 2,200 people. The current outbreak has been termed as “the deadliest” since the virus was discovered in 1976.


So now everything seems blurry — what next?

With stats like these, it seems like we’re losing ground in the fight against poverty, disease and suffering around the world.

In photography, before taking an image, we point the camera to the subject prior to releasing the shutter. If you look through your viewfinder at that moment, the image is often blurry and out-of-focus. But if you press the shutter button halfway, the image sets into focus and you can click to take your picture. Note that even though blurry, the good image was always there. I think God is calling us to press our shutter buttons halfway and refocus our hope on Him. In John 16:33, Jesus encouraged his disciples who were sad that He was leaving them, saying,

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

As I finish writing, my shutter button is pressed halfway. I am now able to see beyond the engulfing suffering in the world and focus on being part of God’s redemptive plan for humanity. I cannot afford to throw my hands in the air and give up! We are called to press on until physical and spiritual hungers are ended worldwide. So if you are like me, almost giving up the fight, take heart and join us in our work, for He has overcome the world!

 
 
TOTAL 179
The Seen and Unseen World
Paul wrote in Ephesians 6: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers …
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-10-16  |  Hit: 5552
Filling the Food Gap in Ethiopia
by Kebede Lulie on OCTOBER 9, 2014 in STORIES, WORLD POVERTY Bugna district The late onset rainy season is about to cease. From a distance, all mountains and valleys look like they are covered with well-woven green and yellow carpets. It is b…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-10-09  |  Hit: 5679
Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions
(by Wendy McMahan on OCTOBER 2, 2014 in CHURCH, WORLD POVERTY) On the day I met Steve Corbett, he warned me about mold. It was September 2001, shortly after I had been accepted into the Hunger Corps program of Food for the Hungry (FH). Steve ha…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-10-07  |  Hit: 5743
Humanitarian Crises…Looking Beyond the Grim Statistics
As an aid worker, I am often tempted to throw in the towel when I am faced with humanitarian situations that seem irreparable. When I visit communities and interact with hopelessness, suffering, pain, lost dreams as a result of war, disease, and mo…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-09-30  |  Hit: 5035
Witch doctors and the Gospel
(by Holly Martinez on SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 in SPONSOR IMPACT, STORIES, WORLD POVERTY) When you believe something for most of your life, it can be very hard to eventually realize it isn’t true. How do you reject the lifestyle you knew for so long…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-09-25  |  Hit: 5356
Grace
(by Marty Martin on SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 in FROM OUR LEADERSHIP) Let me tell a story of grace. My father grew up on a 600-acre family estate in Virginia. The land was granted by the English Earl of Dunmore in the mid-1700s. “Back Creek” is situa…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-09-25  |  Hit: 5225
One School Can Make a Difference
By staffwriter on August 29, 2014 in Stories, World Poverty In Kenya, Food for the Hungry (FH) worked to help build a school. While education helps a child’s future, it does so much for them today as well. The Lakartinya School is making a…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-09-02  |  Hit: 5108
3 Lessons to Keep Children Growing
FH Health Promoter trains Leonie on how to cook nutritious food. Leonie and her children listen to the FH Health Promoter teach about prenatal care. Leonie’s children now wash their hands and are getting sick less often. By Renee Targos on A…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-08-27  |  Hit: 5503
Don’t Ignore the Sadness, Blessed are the Peacemakers
By David Curtis on August 14, 2014 in World Poverty "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Edmund Burke Let’s be honest, it has been a rough summer with lots of sadness. The airwa…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-08-21  |  Hit: 5687
Help a Child, Change the World
By Kathryn Szabo on August 15, 2014 in Sponsor Impact, Stories Sarah is no stranger to the child sponsorship program at Food for the Hungry (FH). An enthusiastic sponsor, she also works at FH in the child sponsorship department. Growing up, Sarah…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-08-21  |  Hit: 5491
The Social Gospel?
By Marty Martin on August 20, 2014 in From Our Leadership From the 1920s and 30s, the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy had a powerful and ongoing effect upon the American church. Many of the “fundamentalists” were highly educated, articul…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-08-21  |  Hit: 5123
발리섬 김희명,효숙 선교사님 소식
2014 전반기 발리섬 산 중 마을에서 드리는 사역편지 주 안에 평강을 문안드리오며, 주님의 아동양육 선교사역지 발리섬 산 중 마을에서 동역자 여러분에게 2014년도 전반기 소식을 올리게 …
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-08-06  |  Hit: 5441
Love’s Law
By Marty Martin on July 24, 2014 in From Our Leadership In late 2006, I came back from two years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) totally convinced that the rule of law is one of the greatest gifts any nation can have. Congo is a “…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-08-06  |  Hit: 4900
Best Known Verse in the Bible
Photo by David Hepworth (By Marty Martin on June 19, 2014 in From Our Leadership) John 3:16 is probably the best known verse in the Bible. When TV camera crews pan the crowds at pro football games, we often see placards referring to it. …
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-06-25  |  Hit: 5498
케냐선교 기도편지
케냐 선교 동역자님들께! 그리스도에게 순간 순간의 삶을 드리며, 영적인 전쟁과 갈등속에서 그리스도로 인해 보장된 부활에 대한 소망과 확신을 가지고 믿음을 지키시는 케냐 선교 동…
Name: KAFHI  |  Date: 2014-06-12  |  Hit: 7316
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Copyright © Korean American Food for the Hungry International. All Rights Reserved.    Admin