Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Hunger (07/04/24)
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TITLE: Movements Of Grace | Previous Challenge Entry
By Linda Lawrence
07/09/24 -
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Praise be to God that not everyone hides their head in the pantry like I tend to do. My husband, Carl, had ulcers when I met him and food was seldom a pleasure for him. He preferred hunger to pain. My son, Sean, was a picky eater, refusing to even try one kernel of corn or one pea when he was little, preferring hunger to experimentation. But both of these men in later years crossed many boundaries and hurdles to feed the truly hungry.
Carl heard about starvation among Cambodian refugees in Thailand and raised $50,000 dollars from listeners to Haven of Rest—and insisted on taking the money to Thailand himself to purchase and pass out the food. He wanted to be sure the hungry were fed, not some well-fed intermediary!
Sean lives in Orange County, California where there is a large latino population with relatives without food in their home countries. Their stories made my son hungry to do something to help. It’s been a bumpy, difficult road to maneuver but he is making inroads that with God’s grace is filling stomachs with food and hearts with hope.
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have crossed over the border to Columbia, looking for help, because of the total collapse of their government and infrastructure. In the not too distant past, Venezuelans helped Columbians when their government failed to protect them. So the Columbians have been extremely generous and gracious to these refugees, but as the end of the crisis is not in sight, the Columbians now need help as well. The food situation is critical.
Sean worked for a non-profit organization that received donated food and shipped it to Columbia from America, but as shipping costs quadrupled that project was dropped.
But Sean couldn’t drop the burden God had placed on his heart for this particular hunger crisis. He was given permission (and the mailing list of donors to that particular project) to do what he could on his own.
Of course, he was never really on his own. God moves in ways that may be mysterious to us but not to Him. Sean had shared his vision with his church family and they were ready to pitch in and sent him to Cali, Columbia to see what could be done. Cali is right on the border and the stream of refugees arriving exhausted and hungry seemed unending.
Sean was able to develop partnerships with Cali churches willing to set up feeding stations if food sources could be found. God led Sean every step of the way. His passion and love for the refugees who’s stories he heard, became Movements of Grace. https://movementsofgrace.org/our-mission/
One of the latest developments has been the manufacturing of dehydrated soup and freeze-dried nutritional fruit and vegetable snacks.
From my perspective I see many movements of grace, starting with the grace of hungering and thirsting for righteousness—right standing with God and men. God is so gracious to allow us a part in His work of satisfying the needs of His children. Losing his first opportunities to help the refugees left Sean in limbo regarding his conviction of being called to help the refugees. But God’s grace provided a team of like-minded brothers and sisters to help him fulfill his calling.
I see His grace in moving my husband to weep with the “least of them” and for His grace in moving my son’s heart to want to be like his dad—who wanted to be like Jesus!
Somehow, I find these graces both salty and sweet.
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