Remember the Poor

“For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature… we lack a holy rage… The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth… a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world.”

~Kaj Munk, Lutheran Pastor during the holocaust~

I read some true stories about injustice and hunger this week that made me angry…angry at myself, angry that hunger is STILL an issue, when it does not need to be. I made two more changes based on that anger. One was to my thermostat, and the other was to a non-essential monthly expense.

Here’s the link to one of the stories in case you want to be angry, too.

Uganda is currently experiencing a severe drought.  Crops are dying due to lack of water.  More than 2 million people are on the brink of starvation. Families are really and truly eating mango leaves or rats for dinner…just to survive.  I say I’d rather starve than eat a rat. But I must not know what it feels like to starve. Think of serving rat soup tonight to your family…

That’s precisely why we’re working on equipping this farm–with everything it needs, including a well for irrigation. Enjoy these photos of the “gold mine” and its first harvest. (Don’t miss the bottom-middle photo…it’s so sweet.)

Pray with us–for rain, for how you can give–what can be sold, what can be cut from the budget, what can be swapped.  Even if a household earns “only” $25,000, well below the US average, it is still in the top 10% of income-earners in the world.  Costs of living in Uganda are generally the same as they are here.

SWAP-IT Update:   401,488 meals

SWAP-IT GOAL:  2,200,000 meals

Below are a sampling of swap-it stories that have been shared with us.   If you haven’t yet shared your story, please comment or e-mail us!

“I’ll be swapping all of the birthday money I’m receiving to ‘buy myself something special.’ Normally that would be a massage, pedicure and new summer clothes.”

“My grandkids had an idea for themselves and other kids this summer.  We have a huge blackberry patch.  The grandkids pick berries to sell at the farmer’s market.  They always split their money evenly.  This year they decided to make a Ugandan child one of their shares.  So with three kids they split the money 4 ways.  They each earned $10.  They put the Ugandan money in a cookie jar and at the end of the season, hopefully, they will have a little nest egg. They are going to go online and pick out something to donate on your site, Remember the Poor.”

“I am swapping the peace of mind that comes from having this money in the bank.”

“We were going to go to a worship concert by David Crowder…We decided to buy the CD on iTunes and donate the difference…
We were also planning a day at Valley Fair in Minnesota, but we will donate the 50 dollar admission and just spend a day together walking in the park…
80 dollars so far…looking for more”

A women’s lunching group swapped eating-out for eating-in.  They all donated what they would have spent on eating out.

“We will be swapping a variety of things this summer…

pb&j for lunch 2 x week – I used to think this was a bit of a cop-out, but it is reasonably nutritious and inexpensive. I think of the mothers in Uganda who would be so thankful to be able to have pb&j for their children. We will be swapping those for the ham & cheese, or tuna we would normally eat.

iced coffees that I love so much… I bought some ice brewed espresso I can keep in the fridge. For the price of 2 Starbucks, I can have 1-2 coffees a week for two months! (Just not as convenient )

Taking the kids out for a treat after swimming or errands- swapping it for homemade snowcones. Very inexpensive and they love them!

Swimming lessons – with two beginning swimmers, we would normally be doing swimming lessons. Instead I am going to be instructor… for yet another thing

Rice night once per week… a good time to talk with the kids about those who are happy to have anything at all to eat..

More swaps to come…”

One woman swapped out (sold) some of her gold jewelry and silver.

“We are adding a patio on to our house this summer.  Because of Remember the Poor, I am putting aside 20% of the cost for this organization.  I figured if I can splurge on certain things then I need to build into the cost matching a certain % to charity.  I’m going to try to do this with anything like vacations or any extras.”

Another woman sold an item on Craig’s list for $18 (400 meals!)  A member of her family questioned the value of selling something worth only $18…and was reminded that one hungry child could eat for more than 4 months due to that sale.  Now that makes it worth it!

I (Cindy) talked to a certain special 3-yr old on the phone today.  Asking him a variety of questions, I asked what he was having for dinner, and he told me “Rice and beans.”  I asked why.  Without hesitation, he told me “so Roy, Reuben, and Daniel can have food to eat.”  Turns out, he and his younger sister and parents swap part of their grocery money and eat rice and beans and drink water only all day once a week so they can feed the hungry.

Pastor John writes: Sheila Kyosimire is one of the most happy girls now. But imagine her past: defiled, neglected and sleeping often without food.

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’… Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ Matthew 25

“For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature… we lack a holy rage… The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth… a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world.”

~Kaj Munk, Lutheran Pastor during the holocaust~

I read some true stories about injustice and hunger this week that made me angry…angry at myself, angry that hunger is STILL an issue, when it does not need to be. I made two more changes based on that anger. One was to my thermostat, and the other was to a non-essential monthly expense.

Here’s the link to one of the stories in case you want to be angry, too.

Uganda is currently experiencing a severe drought.  Crops are dying due to lack of water.  More than 2 million people are on the brink of starvation. Families are really and truly eating mango leaves or rats for dinner…just to survive.  I say I’d rather starve than eat a rat. But I must not know what it feels like to starve. Think of serving rat soup tonight to your family…

That’s precisely why we’re working on equipping this farm–with everything it needs, including a well for irrigation. Enjoy these photos of the “gold mine” and its first harvest. (Don’t miss the bottom-middle photo…it’s so sweet.)

Pray with us–for rain, for how you can give–what can be sold, what can be cut from the budget, what can be swapped.  Even if a household earns “only” $25,000, well below the US average, it is still in the top 10% of income-earners in the world.  Costs of living in Uganda are generally the same as they are here.

SWAP-IT Update:   401,488 meals

SWAP-IT GOAL:  2,200,000 meals

Below are a sampling of swap-it stories that have been shared with us.   If you haven’t yet shared your story, please comment or e-mail us!

“I’ll be swapping all of the birthday money I’m receiving to ‘buy myself something special.’ Normally that would be a massage, pedicure and new summer clothes.”

“My grandkids had an idea for themselves and other kids this summer.  We have a huge blackberry patch.  The grandkids pick berries to sell at the farmer’s market.  They always split their money evenly.  This year they decided to make a Ugandan child one of their shares.  So with three kids they split the money 4 ways.  They each earned $10.  They put the Ugandan money in a cookie jar and at the end of the season, hopefully, they will have a little nest egg. They are going to go online and pick out something to donate on your site, Remember the Poor.”

“I am swapping the peace of mind that comes from having this money in the bank.”

“We were going to go to a worship concert by David Crowder…We decided to buy the CD on iTunes and donate the difference…
We were also planning a day at Valley Fair in Minnesota, but we will donate the 50 dollar admission and just spend a day together walking in the park…
80 dollars so far…looking for more”

A women’s lunching group swapped eating-out for eating-in.  They all donated what they would have spent on eating out.

“We will be swapping a variety of things this summer…

pb&j for lunch 2 x week – I used to think this was a bit of a cop-out, but it is reasonably nutritious and inexpensive. I think of the mothers in Uganda who would be so thankful to be able to have pb&j for their children. We will be swapping those for the ham & cheese, or tuna we would normally eat.

iced coffees that I love so much… I bought some ice brewed espresso I can keep in the fridge. For the price of 2 Starbucks, I can have 1-2 coffees a week for two months! (Just not as convenient )

Taking the kids out for a treat after swimming or errands- swapping it for homemade snowcones. Very inexpensive and they love them!

Swimming lessons – with two beginning swimmers, we would normally be doing swimming lessons. Instead I am going to be instructor… for yet another thing

Rice night once per week… a good time to talk with the kids about those who are happy to have anything at all to eat..

More swaps to come…”

One woman swapped out (sold) some of her gold jewelry and silver.

“We are adding a patio on to our house this summer.  Because of Remember the Poor, I am putting aside 20% of the cost for this organization.  I figured if I can splurge on certain things then I need to build into the cost matching a certain % to charity.  I’m going to try to do this with anything like vacations or any extras.”

Another woman sold an item on Craig’s list for $18 (400 meals!)  A member of her family questioned the value of selling something worth only $18…and was reminded that one hungry child could eat for more than 4 months due to that sale.  Now that makes it worth it!

I (Cindy) talked to a certain special 3-yr old on the phone today.  Asking him a variety of questions, I asked what he was having for dinner, and he told me “Rice and beans.”  I asked why.  Without hesitation, he told me “so Roy, Reuben, and Daniel can have food to eat.”  Turns out, he and his younger sister and parents swap part of their grocery money and eat rice and beans and drink water only all day once a week so they can feed the hungry.

Pastor John writes: Sheila Kyosimire is one of the most happy girls now. But imagine her past: defiled, neglected and sleeping often without food.

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’… Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ Matthew 25

So we fasted and IMPLORED our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.  Ezra 8:23

If you’ve read about the swap-it project, you know we’re in the midst of helping feed 2,000 children. But apart from Him, we can do absolutely NOTHING.  NADA. ZILCH.  We can’t live, we can’t move, we can’t BE. Apart from Him we can’t walk in the freedom and joy He intends for us.  We can’t stand firm, walk by the Spirit, renounce selfish ambitions, and feed the hungry.

Will you consider fasting with us as we say to the Lord through our fasting, “this is important…this is urgent…I’m IMPLORING YOU GOD…there are 26,000 children dying TODAY…this cannot wait…it’s important enough to me that I’m putting aside my desire to eat, my desire to be full and satisfied with food, my leisure time…to PRAY, to IMPLORE you.”

When Ezra called on the people of Israel to fast, it was for the express purpose of ensuring disrepute was not brought to the Holy name of God–of making sure the name of the Lord was preserved before a watching world.

In the eyes of the world, it’s not our relationship with Jesus that counts but our resemblance to Him” -Beth Moore

We are his body.  We are his hands and feet.  When people die because they are hungry or thirsty, God is not glorified.

God is not glorified when we keep for ourselves (no matter how thankfully) what we ought to be using to alleviate the misery of
unevangelized,
uneducated,
unmedicated, and
unfed millions.

~ John Piper

If God is asking you to join us in fasting and praying for the completion of the 2.2 million meal SWAP-IT project, please comment or send us an e-mail.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Isaiah 58:6-7

I know, I know…I said SWAPPIN’ Stories were going to start next week.  But I am bursting at the seams!  There’s TOO much good stuff to share. The following letter was received from a 3rd grade teacher at NCS, Nkumba’s Sister-school in Phoenix.  ENJOY!

In February, Remember the Poor was promoting “Eat Rice and Beans” for a week.  My third grade class and I discussed ways of sharing by giving up something of ours.  We wanted to give to the Nkumba children and their school.

For 2 weeks some students gave up their allowance, while others gave up their snack money. We had a jar to put the money in and a student from a previous year visited with me on one of her breaks.  She saw the jar and asked about it, so I told her what we were doing.  It reminded her of how she and her brother and sister had also been saving for something very special, a hamster.

Akim, Joshua and Byron

When she went home that night, God had stirred her heart and she felt compelled to share that money and give up something very special that she wanted.  She encouraged her brother and sister to give up their part as well.  And the next day she came in to put their hamster money into our jar for the Nkumba children.

Another boy wanted to put his quarter in the jar, but was certain that it could not possibly do anything for the children since it was such a small amount of money.  I researched a little and found out that a quarter would feed a meal to one child.  He proudly put his quarter in the jar.

We hope this little gift of love, $123.00, is used for God’s work and can truly bless the children.

Sincerely,

Pauline McKinney
Third Grade Teacher
Northwest Christian School

And he (Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box… And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all (the others)…For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. Mark 12:41-44

I know, I know…I said SWAPPIN’ Stories were going to start next week.  But I am bursting at the seams!  There’s TOO much good stuff to share. The following letter was received from a 3rd grade teacher at NCS, Nkumba’s Sister-school in Phoenix.  ENJOY!

In February, Remember the Poor was promoting “Eat Rice and Beans” for a week.  My third grade class and I discussed ways of sharing by giving up something of ours.  We wanted to give to the Nkumba children and their school.

For 2 weeks some students gave up their allowance, while others gave up their snack money. We had a jar to put the money in and a student from a previous year visited with me on one of her breaks.  She saw the jar and asked about it, so I told her what we were doing.  It reminded her of how she and her brother and sister had also been saving for something very special, a hamster.

Akim, Joshua and Byron

When she went home that night, God had stirred her heart and she felt compelled to share that money and give up something very special that she wanted.  She encouraged her brother and sister to give up their part as well.  And the next day she came in to put their hamster money into our jar for the Nkumba children.

Another boy wanted to put his quarter in the jar, but was certain that it could not possibly do anything for the children since it was such a small amount of money.  I researched a little and found out that a quarter would feed a meal to one child.  He proudly put his quarter in the jar.

We hope this little gift of love, $123.00, is used for God’s work and can truly bless the children.

Sincerely,

Pauline McKinney
Third Grade Teacher
Northwest Christian School

And he (Jesus) sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box… And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all (the others)…For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on. Mark 12:41-44

“Jesus said that the GREATEST commandment besides loving the Lord God with all my heart, mind, and soul is to love my NEIGHBOR as myself. Doesn’t that mean, then, that I should be spending as much on my neighbor as I do on myself and my family? Doesn’t that mean that I should feed my neighbor as well as I feed myself? It has hit me very hard this week, I DO love my neighbor, but I love myself more. TRUTH: that is not ok.”~ Katie Davis, AMAZIMA Ministries February 22, 2009 post

Swap-It Update:              371,511 meals

GOAL:                           2,200,000 meals

Each meal is 4.5 cents.  The Swap-It Project is providing money to create the orphanage farm, which will feed 2000 children. .. and then some!  Another 10 acres has just been added as well as the first goat pens (YEAH!!!)…drilling for water is next on the list.  SWAPPIN’-STORIES coming up next week!

Brian Nyombi has written a note that I thought I’d share with you.  You can read more about Brian in the post “Speechless.”

Dear friends in the West,

On behalf of all the children of Nkumba Ministry, allow me to present this information to you.  My name is Brian Nyombi Jackson Semadde. I am in Senior Six at Nkumba Christian High School.

Cara Murray (who just returned from Uganda) with Brian. Cara's note on the photo: This is Brian. He is in his final year at high school and desperately wants to go to college. He has lost both of his parents and two siblings to AIDS.

I pray to God  and ask Him to grant you with the serenity to accept the things you can’t change, the courage to change what you can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

My dearest friends did you know that morality may keep you out of jail but it  takes the blood of Jesus to keep you out of hell.

Jesus loves you all and he wants you to live in harmony with every one. He hates enmity and jealousy and He hates despising too as GOD has a history of using the insignificant to accomplish the impossible.

Friends with God every thing is possible, and we will never be lonely if we really have belief in God. He is the Father to the fatherless, and He is the father who is always home, and He  brings men into deep waters not to draw them but to cleanse them. (Ephesians 5:26-27)

And each day God’s Holy Spirit invites us to enter a shop where a carpenter creates heavenly works. There is the sound of nails being driven in a wooden cross, which echoes off the walls and enters the hearts of our problems. The carpenter’s motto which hangs on a beam above his work bench reads “with me nothing is impossible.”

Dear friends God is so miraculous that He has kept me alive amongst the family of five, as I lost both my parents at an infant age and also lost a sister plus a brother because of AIDS.  But because of God’s power I’m alive, and that’s so great.  Praise be to Him and I pray to Him to make me reach my goals and achieve  them. I ask Him to make me a man of great influence.

I pray to God to help the increasing number of orphans in the world due to AIDS, to provide them with the basic necessities and give them hope, that with you dear Lord Father they will continue to live despite what they are going through.

We love you very much,

BJ Semadde.

Brian Nyombi has written a note that I thought I’d share with you.  You can read more about Brian in the post “Speechless.”

Dear friends in the West,

On behalf of all the children of Nkumba Ministry, allow me to present this information to you.  My name is Brian Nyombi Jackson Semadde. I am in Senior Six at Nkumba Christian High School.

Cara Murray (who just returned from Uganda) with Brian. Cara's note on the photo: This is Brian. He is in his final year at high school and desperately wants to go to college. He has lost both of his parents and two siblings to AIDS.

I pray to God  and ask Him to grant you with the serenity to accept the things you can’t change, the courage to change what you can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

My dearest friends did you know that morality may keep you out of jail but it  takes the blood of Jesus to keep you out of hell.

Jesus loves you all and he wants you to live in harmony with every one. He hates enmity and jealousy and He hates despising too as GOD has a history of using the insignificant to accomplish the impossible.

Friends with God every thing is possible, and we will never be lonely if we really have belief in God. He is the Father to the fatherless, and He is the father who is always home, and He  brings men into deep waters not to draw them but to cleanse them. (Ephesians 5:26-27)

And each day God’s Holy Spirit invites us to enter a shop where a carpenter creates heavenly works. There is the sound of nails being driven in a wooden cross, which echoes off the walls and enters the hearts of our problems. The carpenter’s motto which hangs on a beam above his work bench reads “with me nothing is impossible.”

Dear friends God is so miraculous that He has kept me alive amongst the family of five, as I lost both my parents at an infant age and also lost a sister plus a brother because of AIDS.  But because of God’s power I’m alive, and that’s so great.  Praise be to Him and I pray to Him to make me reach my goals and achieve  them. I ask Him to make me a man of great influence.

I pray to God to help the increasing number of orphans in the world due to AIDS, to provide them with the basic necessities and give them hope, that with you dear Lord Father they will continue to live despite what they are going through.

We love you very much,

BJ Semadde.

Remember those In Chains for Evangelism, those who Need an Introduction to the Gospel & those who are Hungry or Thirsty. (based on Hebrews 13:3, Matthew 28:18-20 and Matthew 25:35-45)

Although eating white rice for dinner may seem to us to be a sacrifice, in Africa it is a luxury food that many would love to enjoy.  Rice is the same price there as it is in the US, but most Ugandans simply cannot afford to purchase it.  Read the blog post No Child Left Behind for John Mugabi’s perspective on food.

Isaac, the boy in the green overalls, is from Gulu, an area of the "Invisble Children" in northern Uganda. Isaac's mom recently died from AIDS.

This is one compassionate way to remember the poor.  Eat something less expensive (like white rice for your evening meal) and share what you’ve saved with those who are hungry and malnourished.

If a family of four eats rice one meal a week in lieu of eating out or eating a regular meal, they will likely save enough to sponsor at least one orphan for an entire month. (Eat as much rice as you want–the point is not that we be hungry, but that we share our abundance with those in need. 2 Corinthians 8:13-14)

Or, we can take the example of Experito’s church in Gulu and fast (or eat white rice) one or two days a week. I know of one family who recently decided to eat rice and beans one day each week.  With the grocery money they are saving, they are sponsoring two additional children.  That’s worth celebrating!!

Jesus watches our giving with great interest.  And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box.  And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins…and he said to (his disciples), “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all (the others)…For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had. Mark 12:41-44

Download fliers for RICE NIGHT here:

Click here to meet children waiting for sponsors

Click here to sponsor a child now

Creatively helping our children Remember The Poor

• Introduce your child to the child you are sponsoring.  Show them their picture and tell them their story.
• Each week when you eat rice, place dollar bills under each person’s plate.  Explain that this money is what you might normally have spent on a more expensive dinner.
• Allow each family member to place the money in a jar on the kitchen table.
• At the end of each month, send the money to care for the orphan.
• If you’d like, your child(ren) may also become pen pals with the orphan(s) you are sponsoring.

Allowing our children to participate in eating rice helps them learn to live out Luke 9:23,24.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”  Luke 9:23,24

When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed. We have refused to be instruments of love in the hands of God to give the poor a piece of bread, to offer them a dress with which to ward off the cold. It has happened because we did not recognize Christ when, once more, He appeared under the guise of pain, identified with a man numb from the cold, dying of hunger, when He came in a lonely human being, in a lost child in search of a home.
~ Mother Teresa ~

SWAP-IT Update:              66,700 meals
GOAL:                         2,200,000 meals

Remember…the SWAP-IT project is providing meals for a LIFETIME!  Read about the SWAP-IT Project.

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

ESV Study Bible note: “To take up the cross means to renounce selfish ambition.”

Renouncing selfish ambition is a DAILY ENDEAVOR.  I need to stand firm. Be resolute. Don’t waver.  Recognize Jesus in others DAILY.  Reminds me of a missionary friend of ours who lives in Mexico…he said, “Every day I wake up and I choose to be a missionary that day.”

Distended bellies = malnutrition & hunger

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore…

When Frank and I read Anne’s post (shared on Monday), our perspective shifted yet again.  We are in the midst of moving and making some repairs to the home, and had been planning to put carpet in the bedrooms (that currently have finished, stained concrete floors.) But, we could swap that money and use it to feed the hungry.

It had seemed like a “reasonable” expense…but then our view of “reasonable” changed.  We could have comfy feet–our flesh desires this. Or our neighbors around the world could eat–the Spirit desires this. The two desires are opposed to each other…to keep us from doing what we want to do!

In this battle of the wills, we are told to stand firm and to choose to use our freedom to love others.  Stand firm–anticipate the opposition from our flesh, be resolute, resist, don’t waver. Once we’ve stood firm, we discover our flesh has been defeated, the Spirit has won, and we are brought into even greater freedom and joy!  Such a paradox…

Is there something you can swap, so that another person can live? The money you save doesn’t have to go to Remember the Poor.  That’s not the point.  The point is that through our giving to the Lord’s work, we are changed and set free, needs are met, and God is glorified.

Christ did not give us commands to make life miserable or that are impossible for us to keep!  He gave us commands that lead to freedom.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself…”

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. Galatians 5

I have been following the blog of Anne Poulsen, who was recently in Uganda.  This post stopped both Frank and me in our tracks.  Really and truly.  Here’s what Anne wrote about this girl she met there…

I don’t know her name.  I don’t know her whole story.

I will tell you what I know.
~she was in tears as we gave her food
~the tears streamed down her face the entire meal as she sat with her young sibling
~she was taking only small bites leaving a majority of the meal for her sibling
~her parents are dead
~she has other siblings, 4 younger siblings total, I believe
~she is only 9 years old.

Click here to read the rest of Anne’s post, Forgotten Tears.