Feed My Starving Children and The Hope Project International

Would you skip lunch one time if it meant a starving child could have a meal every day for a month?

If you’ve followed me on social media for very long, you’ve probably heard me ask that question a time or two. The reason is because I’ve seen how far a handful of dollars goes, and it’s further than you might think.

I want to tell you about two important groups to me and give you the opportunity to get involved in them. The first organization is Feed My Starving Children, and the second is The Hope Project International.

Feed My Starving Children

Feed My Starving Children partners with mission groups and humanitarian organizations around the world to distribute food. But they’re not just giving food away. FMSC wants to help develop sustainability in the communities receiving the food. You can read more about their mission here.

I’m part of a Bible study group, Two or More, that has organized FMSC MobilePacks for a couple of years, packing meals locally to send to starving children worldwide.

To date, we have packed 246,888 meals, which feeds 676 children every day for one year. I can’t wait to break a quarter-million meals this year!

During the MobilePack event, volunteers pack meals of rice, soy, vegetables, and vitamins. Each session is two hours long, and those who wish to do so will gather and pray over the meals packed when the session ends.

Once FMSC ships the meals, they notify us where the meals will be used.

Participating in a MobilePack lets you make a global difference with the help of your community, and it’s truly a beautiful thing to see. But for me, it doesn’t end at the MobilePack.

The Hope Project International

The Hope Project International is a ministry in Nicaragua that brings hope to the hopeless through a range of programs: nutrition, education, child sponsorships, sewing programs, academies, shoe distributions, and so much more. They’re meeting physical needs to build the foundation to meet spiritual ones, and they’re showing people that they matter. You can read more about them here.

The president of the board of directors leads worship at a church I once attended, and he organized a trip to Nicaragua that I was a part of. I saw people whose circumstances would have given them every reason to be bitter. But instead of being bitter, these precious adults and children were finding hope and joy through the different ministries of The Hope Project. It was incredible.

We washed feet and distributed shoes, fed children, delivered food to families, and so much more. I had a place in my heart for the poor before the trip, and this trip gave me experiences that solidified those feelings. I was able to see and smell and touch that which my heart already seemed to know. It’s hard to explain, but it felt like I had been there before; it felt like coming home after being away for a long time.

A piece of my heart is still there, and it always will be.

I went back the next year, 2017, and I have plans to go back this summer. God is working in amazing ways in Nicaragua through The Hope Project, and I’m excited to see how far God’s taken the ministries in the course of one year.

Connecting the two

During the mission trips with The Hope Project International, I worked part of the time with the nutrition program, where I served children FMSC meals just like the ones we had packed back in my community.

Seeing the FMSC meals in full circle was amazing, and knowing that 22¢ was all it took to feed one of the children I helped serve drove home for me the idea that even the smallest of gifts can make a difference.

When I got home, I started paying for my fast food lunches with cash and saving the change to pay for the meals of children who don’t have enough to eat. A meal for me, a meal for them. I’m not sure how much is in the jar yet, but it’s pretty full!

Get Involved

The first way to get involved is to pray for the third Two or More MobilePack, for The Hope Project International, and for my upcoming mission trip there. Prayer is the most important part of each of these, I would ask that you set an alarm to remind you each week to say a prayer for these different events and groups.

Some have asked me how to get involved further, so here is some information about the upcoming events.

FMSC

• Two or More MobilePack
• April 29
• DeKalb County Schools Coliseum

You can make a tax-deductible donation and/or volunteer to pack by visiting our webpage. Registration will open March 1.

The Hope Project International

You can make a one-time donation or set up a recurring one by clicking here. You can also sponsor a child by clicking Hope Friends Sponsorship at the top of the page.

If you’d like to donate to my upcoming trip, email me to find out how. If you’re local, I’ll be selling ferns for the next month or so and will deliver them to you if you’d like to order one.

Thank you

Thank you for reading this piece of my heart, and thank you for the well wishes and prayers as these things take place in the coming months. I look forward to sharing with you what all God has done once these events happen!